Formal Organizations
November 13, 2012
As of November 1st there has been approximately 149 deaths due to the recent wrath of hurricane Sandy. Reaching up to 80 mile per hour winds, Sandy landed in Atlantic City on October 29 and devastated the coast of New Jersey. Popular boardwalk sites, stores, restaurants and homes were destroyed and thousands of people were left to the streets. The reactions of rescue teams and aid services were heavily criticized both positively and negatively in light of this disaster. Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers said in an article “I could have done a lot better," he said. "I was overwhelmed. I know I have my shortcomings, but it’s not for lack of effort and not for lack of caring." (nj.com). In regards to the organizations responsible for “fixing” what Sandy sacked, what were the mistakes made that could have been prevented, or decisions that should have been made? Going back to the article on Mayor Bill Akers, he mentioned that he mistakenly decided to coordinate the disaster prevention and relief by himself. He admitted that delegating important tasks and decisions would have been a more efficient and helpful way of getting things done. Consider this quote
“About 90 percent of Mountainside lost power when Sandy struck. Much of the Union County borough remained out 10 days later. Residents said they were disappointed they had no power, but furious that their elected leaders seemed out of touch.” (nj.com)
It is interesting to see how the relationship between the “man in charge” and the people he governs truly has an effect on moral. Just like in any formal organization, the greater the distance between upper management and its workers (in this case residents of New Jersey), the worse off in reaching a common goal. This notion is heavily stressed in Durkheim’s sociological theory’s. Mayor of Scotch Plains, Mary DePaola took a different approach in answering questions on how she responded to the disaster. Mostly blaming her co-workers and a lack of innovative ideas. She fired Paul Malool, the town’s emergency management coordinator because of his poor performance. U.S. News on NBCNews.com released on article on how President Barack Obama and Governor Chris Christie are handling the Jersey Shore which was declared a disaster area. They have cleared the way for federal disaster assistance in order to help proceed the cleanup process. Obama will also accompany Christie on a tour of