Disaster Relief

This study examines the response of national, state and local government to three disasters experienced in New York State since 1974: the flooding problems that occurred in the city of Syracuse in July 1974; the blizzard that took place in Buffalo in January 1977; and the experiences associated with chemical waste at the Love Canal in Niagara Falls which were first declared a disaster area in August 1978. Confining the investigation to a single state offers the advantage of a common structural framework at least at the federal and state levels. This study attempts to discover in three particular circumstances how governments responded to the problems of disaster and how these governments responded to one another. A review of the governmental response offers an opportunity to examine the design and the development of disaster policy in the U.S. The picture which emerges is one of a unique system of federal aid which since the 1950's has been increasingly generous and susceptible to manipulation. This study also explores the dynamics of the American policy process known as implementation. Finally, this study offers insight into the power relationships which exist in the American federal system. An assessment of the performance of each level of government in the delivery of disaster services contributes to the continuing debate over the framework of the American political system.