A critical analysis of emergency management

Abstract

This article examines the underlying assumptions, imagery, and ideology of the discourse on emergency management that emerged among politicians, the media, and political appointees following Hurricane Katrina. The purpose is to investigate the extent to which they constituted an effective framework for thinking through, talking about, evaluating, and engaging with emergencies. It is our intent to systematically reveal the underlying assumptions, goals, values, and beliefs embedded in this particular discourse with a view toward understanding how this discourse delimited and shaped our understanding and expectations of emergency management by government