Posted on 03/02/2006 10:42:59 PM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast
Now What?
The Lessons of Katrina
Published in the March, 2006 issue.
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED.
Not the federal agencies tasked with preparing for catastrophes. Not the local officials responsible for aging levees and vulnerable populations. Least of all the residents themselves, who had been warned for decades that they lived on vulnerable terrain. But when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, it seemed as though the whole country was caught unawares. Accusations began to fly even before floodwaters receded. But facts take longer to surface. In the months since the storm, many of the first impressions conveyed by the media have turned out to be mistaken. And many of the most important lessons of Katrina have yet to be absorbed. But one thing is certain: More hurricanes will come. To cope with them we need to understand what really happened during modern America's worst natural disaster. POPULAR MECHANICS editors and reporters spent more than four months interviewing officials, scientists, first responders and victims. Here is our report.--THE EDITORS
GOVERNMENT RESPONDED RAPIDLY
MYTH:"The aftermath of Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history."--Aaron Broussard, president, Jefferson Parish, La., Meet the Press, NBC, Sept. 4, 2005
REALITY: Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors.
In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest--and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm's landfall.
Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast. Hoistless Army helicopters improvised rescues, carefully hovering on rooftops to pick up survivors. On the ground, "guardsmen had to chop their way through, moving trees and recreating roadways," says Jack Harrison of the National Guard. By the end of the week, 50,000 National Guard troops in the Gulf Coast region had saved 17,000 people; 4000 Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,000.
These units had help from local, state and national responders, including five helicopters from the Navy ship Bataan and choppers from the Air Force and police. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dispatched 250 agents in boats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state police and sheriffs' departments launched rescue flotillas. By Wednesday morning, volunteers and national teams joined the effort, including eight units from California's Swift Water Rescue. By Sept. 8, the waterborne operation had rescued 20,000.
While the press focused on FEMA's shortcomings, this broad array of local, state and national responders pulled off an extraordinary success--especially given the huge area devastated by the storm. Computer simulations of a Katrina-strength hurricane had estimated a worst-case-scenario death toll of more than 60,000 people in Louisiana. The actual number was 1077 in that state.
NEXT TIME: Any fatalities are too many. Improvements hinge on building more robust communications networks and stepping up predisaster planning to better coordinate local and national resources.
[snip]
I wonder if Benjamin Chertoff, Research Editor for PM was one of the contributing Editors for this article.
Lessons from Katrina:
1) If you vote Democrat, you're a FOOL
So what's wrong with the White House? Why can't they get this message out?
Good article. Bookmarking.
The WH has been unable to get any message out on anything.
The Press Sec. needs to go and the entire WH message machine needs to be changed.
that was a great article!
Excellent article! Thanks for posting this.
Now it is understood that the entire Louisiana coast is threatened by weakened barrier islands as well as the politically charged(money charged)new orleans levee system. As an architect I came up with a solution 5 years ago, after the Des Moines flood : a buoyant flood road concept, and sent it to the nat'l FEMA director and the city, completely ignored. Then came katrina. I do a table top model, photograph it, sent to 22 coastal states governors this last christmas. Only Gov Bob Riley of Alabama responded, but he sent it on to his FEMA director. His(basic)response : do it for us for FREE. Yeah, sure....Anyway, picture 20'x20' steel road panels with rubber-like surface(like aircraft carrier decks), buoyancy chambers below, piano-hinged to top of concrete wall on landward side, dead man anchors on sea side(or river side). Along comes your hurricane storm surge, tsunami, river flood; and the panels float up into a vertical seawall, held from flopping on over by the anchors. Then when the waters abate they float back down into a useful roadway again(99.99% of its lifetime). No sand bags, no levees, just natural forces operate it. There is also a companion parasail parachute system to slow down winds based on the same principles...But HEY, I'm not going to do it for you for FREE! Ok?
I wonder if you've ever met any of the FR kitties.
P.S. Sometimes, the truth hurts.
This is very sad & disgusting what they did to you. They expect people working to do it for free. That's government slavery progressist mentality for you, a progressive chokehold, that is. I wonder if a lawyer or a lawyer culture advised this governor to go extortive-anorexic in this. It cannot be friendly if sharing means only one way access indeed.
On another note, the cigarette business is better, the gov gets an immediate political tax out of the addicted, while your stuff saving people what not is too long term & too noble.
Now if you were a capitalist setting up a toll system, my, you'd be called a capitalist swine, & lawyers would sue for having no government safety standards, the gov would approve & ask for licensing fees, which you would be expert at it since you're the builder, not them, because though you saved lived, some people got hurt.
(end sarcasm)
The WH has been unable to get any message out on anything.
The Press Sec. needs to go and the entire WH message machine needs to be changed.
Agree...Scottie McCellan is like the kid who always got bullied in high school. He's taking Bush down with him.
And people taking personal responsibility for their own safety instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them.
"Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--"
The problem is that federal units can't go into a state without first getting coordinates from the locals--who, what, when and where--and THERE'S the rub.
I've noticed that media reports citing a slow response have lately used the generic "government" rather than a slow "federal" response.
Dear President Bush,
Please hire the Editors at Popular Mechanics as your new Press Staff.
You won't be sorry.
I'm glad an article like this finally appears. It's disgusting the way the Bush administration has been characterized with regard to Katrina relief.
They took total blame when they gave up Brown's trophy scalp and didn't pulverize Blanco for resisting fedral control of the emergency/failing to evacuate N.O.
My thoughts exactly. They should have slapped down both Blanco and Nagan.
If anything, the recent video shows that Bush was concerned and hands on before Katrina hit.
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