Project Katrina

It would seem that years and years after Katrina hit the Washington Post is just catching on that almost nothing has been changed to ensure similar events don’t occur again:

Almost four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has failed to clarify the responsibilities of different agencies that would respond to such disasters, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.

One result is that FEMA lacks assurances that the agencies have improved preparedness since the deadly hurricane in August 2005 exposed numerous flaws in the nation’s readiness for large-scale catastrophes.

[....]

The GAO conceded that FEMA lacks authority to compel other agencies to act but said FEMA should nonetheless “instill a shared sense of responsibility and accountability on the part of all stakeholders for the successful development and implementation of the national preparedness system.”

The report noted that although the post-Katrina legislation requires FEMA to track corrective actions taken in response to training exercises, it has not done so effectively.

The story goes on to highlight that FEMA has almost no communication with other government agencies that might be called on during a disaster much less defined how improvements will be monitored.

Update: Reading the report in more detail, the GAO Report found 68 percent of the plans needed to implement a national preparedness system have not yet been completed, although 41 of the 50 policies needed to define the roles and responsibilities of those who must implement the plan have been completed.

It just makes you wonder how much one city/region can endure. New Orleans had almost 64 homicides per 100,000 people last year, even with a generous estimate of the total population. That is far higher than St. Louis, the runner-up with 47 homicides per 100,000. Even if New Orleans had jumped back to its pre-Hurricane Katrina population it would be tied for second place with Baltimore.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government released a report last week calling for drastic legislative change that would authorize a presidential appointee to take charge of the government’s response to major disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

The report, Who’s in Charge? Who Should Be? The Role of the Federal Government in Megadisasters: Based on Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina, suggests amending the Stafford Act so that it better serves those affected by natural disasters, creating a central body and/or governmental leader—an “Officer-in-Charge”—with the authority to make plans actionable at a federal level in order to better coordinate federal, state, and local governments’ responses. The Officer-in-Charge would report directly to the POTUS and could “enable the president and Congress to consider extraordinary national action.” I think it is safe to say this is a change that is needed sooner rather than later.

Some recent stats from the Institute for Southern Studies:

• May 1 marked the end of the Temporary Housing Program for Katrina victims, and FEMA told residents they must vacate the trailers by May 30.
• Nearly 5,000 FEMA trailers continue to provide housing to residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
• Some 2,800 FEMA trailers remain occupied in Louisiana, with 1,000 of those trailers located in Orleans Parish, and some 2,000 FEMA trailers remain occupied in Mississippi.
• Most FEMA trailer occupants are elderly and/or disabled persons in desperate need of effective support and case management services to stabilize their housing and well-being.
• FEMA trailer occupants are displaced homeowners and renters still struggling to rebuild their homes or secure affordable housing after Katrina and Rita. In fact, 80 percent are homeowners, and most of them told FEMA in a survey this year they want to return to their storm-damaged homes.