Examining the National Response Plan in Response to a Catastrophic Disaster: Hurricane Katrina in 2005

Over the years, the Federal Response Plan (FRP) and the National Response Plan (NRP) have reflected policy learning and changes that result from disasters. Since its initial release in 1992 the FRP was amended twice then replaced by the NRP in 2004. In the past, revisions to these plans have occurred in response to Hurricane Andrew and the September 11 terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the state of U.S. emergency management has been widely questioned. This article examines developments in NRP and its implementations in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 from collaboration and partnership perspectives. Information was collected from a variety of print and electronic sources for the study.