A Different Hurricane Katrina -- better preparation

vl100butch

Since we're at the 10 year point after "she who won't be forgotten" what about a few things that could have lessened the impact of the aftermath...

1- "the unknown computer modelers"...the true unsung heros and heroines of the Information Technology Lab and the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the U.S. Army's Engineer Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi...they came up with a model of what was going to happen and was able to get critical information to leaders 72 hours before landfall...

1a-the Commanding General, Mississippi River Commission (and also the CG, Mississippi Valley Division, USACE) believed the computer models and convinced the Chief of Engineers of their validity...also understanding that the Corps could end up looking really bad...the Chief of Engineers got the attention of the military and civilian leadership..

1b-unorthodox arrangements were made for emergency dams at all drainage canals emptying into Lake Ponchatrain...these needed to be in place in 24 hours...then every drainage canal would be pumped low...

1c-keeping the Mississippi River open as a resupply and evacuation channel was mission 1 for the Corps of Engineers...USACE towboats and barges started heading to a rally point in Memphis...fuel barges were readied to head south along with barge loads of tanker trucks and generators...

2-Katherine Babineaux Blanco had a big league public affairs advisor...she did not appear on television like someone just killed her puppy...this advisor got through to her that this storm was going to be fought as much through the media as anywhere else...

2a-a media plan was acutally established where media would be embedded with state first responders such as the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission...

3-Major General Bennett Landrineau, Adjutant General of Louisiana, understood that Jackson Barracks was going to end up under anywhere from 6 to 30 feet of water due to the storm surge coming up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet...all National Guard command and control was evacuated and set up at the Gillis Long Center in Carville, Louisiana...the impact of the anticipated flooding gave he and his staff some idea of what would be required not only through the interstate compact, but by requests by the state government for Federal support...

4-Blanco, Haley Barbour, and their Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas counterparts actually TALKED to each other...

5-Michael Chertoff was briefed along with Congressional leaders and he understood that adult leadership would be necessary for FEMA...FEMA public affairs officers were brought into the planning and operational details...so when they were asked "Where is the water? Where is the ice?..." they could answer the question

6-C. Ray Nagin and the Chief of the NOPD were escorted by a few very large Louisiana State Policemen to a command and control facility established somehwere in the Warehouse District...

7-someone got the idea to move a few old M-48 and M-60 tanks near pumping stations to use as hardened storm shelters...

8-the interstate compact was activated at the 36 hour to landfall point and National Guard Heavy Engineer units began to flow to Jackson, MS and Alexandria, LA with the initial mission to get the highways open to the south...

anyway...does this have any potential?
 

jmc247

vl100butch said:
Since we're at the 10 year point after "she who won't be forgotten" what about a few things that could have lessened the impact of the aftermath...

1- "the unknown computer modelers"...the true unsung heros and heroines of the Information Technology Lab and the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the U.S. Army's Engineer Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi...they came up with a model of what was going to happen and was able to get critical information to leaders 72 hours before landfall...

1a-the Commanding General, Mississippi River Commission (and also the CG, Mississippi Valley Division, USACE) believed the computer models and convinced the Chief of Engineers of their validity...also understanding that the Corps could end up looking really bad...the Chief of Engineers got the attention of the military and civilian leadership..

1b-unorthodox arrangements were made for emergency dams at all drainage canals emptying into Lake Ponchatrain...these needed to be in place in 24 hours...then every drainage canal would be pumped low...

1c-keeping the Mississippi River open as a resupply and evacuation channel was mission 1 for the Corps of Engineers...USACE towboats and barges started heading to a rally point in Memphis...fuel barges were readied to head south along with barge loads of tanker trucks and generators...

2-Katherine Babineaux Blanco had a big league public affairs advisor...she did not appear on television like someone just killed her puppy...this advisor got through to her that this storm was going to be fought as much through the media as anywhere else...

2a-a media plan was acutally established where media would be embedded with state first responders such as the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission...

3-Major General Bennett Landrineau, Adjutant General of Louisiana, understood that Jackson Barracks was going to end up under anywhere from 6 to 30 feet of water due to the storm surge coming up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet...all National Guard command and control was evacuated and set up at the Gillis Long Center in Carville, Louisiana...the impact of the anticipated flooding gave he and his staff some idea of what would be required not only through the interstate compact, but by requests by the state government for Federal support...

4-Blanco, Haley Barbour, and their Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas counterparts actually TALKED to each other...

5-Michael Chertoff was briefed along with Congressional leaders and he understood that adult leadership would be necessary for FEMA...FEMA public affairs officers were brought into the planning and operational details...so when they were asked "Where is the water? Where is the ice?..." they could answer the question

6-C. Ray Nagin and the Chief of the NOPD were escorted by a few very large Louisiana State Policemen to a command and control facility established somehwere in the Warehouse District...

7-someone got the idea to move a few old M-48 and M-60 tanks near pumping stations to use as hardened storm shelters...

8-the interstate compact was activated at the 36 hour to landfall point and National Guard Heavy Engineer units began to flow to Jackson, MS and Alexandria, LA with the initial mission to get the highways open to the south...

anyway...does this have any potential?
Click to expand...

That would require a big increase in the intelligence of all levels of the bureaucracy.
 

Orville_third

Banned
There are still a lot of problems, like "MR-GO", and I don't think the tanks would do that well in the storm. Many of your ideas are good- and the PAO/PIO remarks are spot on! (Full disclosure: I'm a volunteer PAO, and hoping to train to be a MIO.)
A few additions:
1. The Red Cross does not see itself at the preeminent disaster response organization- or, rather, they may, but they don't let it go to their head. They open channels to other VOAD members (including the Salvation Army) to work together instead of in parallel- or even discouraging other responses.
2. The Bush administration declares NOLA and coastal Louisiana to be disaster areas before the impact of the storm, instead of after.
3. People are encouraged and demanded to stay at their posts, from small town police to volunteer response organizations (Full disclosure: I'm in Civil Air Patrol, and we had to dismiss a number of members from some state wings for failing to do their jobs in the storm).
4a. Bush orders a major FEMA/DHS campaign after 9/11 with two prongs. One is to train local governments to be prepared for disasters. While the training does focus on terrorism, some bright person in FEMA points out the problems for other disasters- and gets listened to. Governments throughout the US at all levels train together to respond to various threats...like, say a major hurricane.
4b. The same happens for the general public. The message is repeated in commercials, PSAs, and even worked into TV dramas. State and local governments get in on the act- and businesses even join in!
5. New Orleans school authorities and New Orleans Regional Transit Authority have emergency response plans involving the evacuation of people from NOLA by bus.

Of course, having a lot of National Guard equipment over in Iraq- and having a lot of Corps of Engineers funding going to Iraq projects rather than domestic projects did not help either.
 

sloreck

As a N.O. native (but not lived there long time) and a planner with high level military experience there was lots that could have been done without ASB level increases in intelligence of politicians. Here are a few.

1. When you have a city like New Orleans where huge amounts of water are pumped out daily to keep the city dry when it does not rain, put the diesel backup generators for the pumping stations NOT at ground level but on platforms maybe 10' or more in the air. That way the pumps keep going even if the water rises some.
2. Use the Superdome as a retreat of last resort. Have collection points for evacuees and use the city buses to move them to Baton Rouge (90 miles). The interstates in to N.O. closed to all but emergency traffic, and when the city buses make their last run keep them in Baton Rouge (basically all NO transit buses drowned in the flood).
3. The lower 9th ward has flooded often in hurricanes. Get everyone out of there! The industrial canal was breached in Betsy (1965) just like happened in Katrina!
4. For the Superdome, and any other last minute shelters for those who don't get out. Park 2 ambulances on the field with additional medical supplies and personnel as aid stations. Have a couple of flatbeds with MREs and bottled water parked on the field with (armed) personnel to protect them and control distribution. Lots of garbage cans and plastic bags for trash. Have lots of porta-potties in the dome, and after the storm move them to the elevated area outside the dome. The forklifts etc that can do this are already in the dome for normal activities.
5. F**king PLAN. Have a plan. And EXERCISE the plan. Have contracts for emergency prestorm delivery of bottled water etc, have arrangements to get ambulance rigs and personnel to the dome/other shelters. Arrange the LANG to get lots of MREs delivered to shelters before the storm hits (you have 24-48 hrs notice). Oh, and did I say exercise the f**king plan! On a no notice basis call the bottled water folks, inspect warehouse to make sure they have the water needed on hand and have them get a flatbed and drive it to the designated spot all loaded within 6 hours or whatever the plan calls for. Do this for everyone.
6. Mandatory evacuation means what it says. Send the cops out with buses to roust people out. If need be enact a law directing that those who refuse mandatory evacuation are last on the list for assistance and make sure all the community leaders know this. State this hourly along with the evacuation order.
7. Looters: Those folks hitting grocery stores etc for food, diapers etc are low priority. Folks walking down the street with flat screens etc. Shoot. make sure everyone knows the consequences of shopping without paying in a disaster when its not for life saving items.

All of the above is straightforward and does not require politicians to be more than marginally intelligent. The folks in New Orleans forgot: Make plan, exercise the plan, review and update the plan. Repeat as necessary.
 

Orville_third

Banned
6. Mandatory evacuation means what it says. Send the cops out with buses to roust people out. If need be enact a law directing that those who refuse mandatory evacuation are last on the list for assistance and make sure all the community leaders know this. State this hourly along with the evacuation order.
Click to expand...
There was a tactic in some disasters. Just ask those who stay for notification info for next of kin and similar things to identify their bodies.
 
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