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Three Lessons Katrina Should Have Taught Us
By Jared Sorensen
Three Lessons Katrina Should Have Taught Us
By Jared N. Sorensen
I have listened with a certain degree of sad amusement to all the
political and media hoopla about "what went wrong" with the
Hurricane Katrina disaster response. Fingers are pointed in every
direction, resignations have occurred, and shrill voices demand
explanations and investigations.
The truth of the matter is that the Hurricane Katrina disaster was
very much a textbook case. Though unprecedented in scale, what
happened on the Gulf Coast was essentially the same thing that has
happened time and time again in other disasters, and what will
undoubtedly happen again. The government response was quite
predictable in its timing and scope, as were the actions of those
involved in the disaster and the reactions of those not involved.
There were lessons to be learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, it is already clear that they were not learned. New
Orleans will be rebuilt, but not in a way that makes its inhabitants
significantly safer or less vulnerable to the next hurricane that comes
along. There will be token improvements in infrastructure and token
changes in emergency management teams, but in the end little will
be accomplished. Old faulty plans will be replaced by new faulty
plans, hard issues will be ignored, bold decisions will be forgotten,
and life will quickly return to naive normality.
What We Didn't Learn
1. Government response will always be slow.
Local government officials and public servants such as doctors,
firefighters and police officers are victims too. The minute a major
disaster hits, all local emergency plans are forgotten. Just like you,
local officials will go check on their homes and families before
worrying about anyone else's needs. Many of them will be injured
or stranded. Their phones won't work, and they can't get to the
office any easier than you can. Local civil servants who are
themselves suffering from lack of food, shelter and clean water are
not going to be of much use to anyone.
The first substantial aid is going to have to come from regions
outside the disaster area, and it is going to take three to seven days
to arrive. When it does arrive it will be poorly coordinated due to
lack of communication and authority squabbles between local and
outside officials. Only families, neighborhood organizations and local
religious congregations can provide social structure and quick
assistance in the first few critical days, and they can only do so if
they are prepared.
2. A significant portion of the populace will never evacuate.
No matter how severe the impending disaster or how much
advance notice there is, many people will neither leave their homes
nor make sufficient preparation. Some, out of a twisted sense of
immortality, will attempt to ride out the storm. Others, often the very
rich and the very poor, will cling to their homes and possessions
with the tenacity of the proverbial monkey in the trap. Others with a
sense of criminal opportunism will stay with the intent of looting or
doing mischief. Some will be truly unable to leave due to their
circumstances. And some will simply procrastinate until it is too late.
Regardless of motivation, it is a safe bet that at least ten percent of
the populace will not cooperate with authorities in any evacuation or
preparedness effort. These are the same people who will sustain
most of the casualties, require most of the rescue efforts, and need
the most help as rebuilding begins. Those individuals who are
prepared and who heed advance warnings are those who will
survive and prosper.
3. People will build in dangerous areas regardless of risk or
past history.
Most of New Orleans is below sea level, protected from inundation
only by a series of levees. And the city is gradually sinking. The city
has been flooded before, and it will undoubtedly flood again. Yet
people continue to build low buildings on low ground. The memory
of Katrina will remain fresh for a time, and some will be careful. But
it will not be long before people forget the power of the wind and
the sea, and begin again to build unsafe buildings in unsafe areas,
with no plan for escape. Only those who remember and learn from
the past will avoid the next calamity.
A Word to the Wise
We live in a time when disasters, both natural and manmade, are
becoming more and more frequent. The voice of sacred prophecy
warns us that the trend will continue. It is neither safe nor prudent to
assume that disaster always strikes somewhere else, or that once it
has struck, it will not hit the same place again. Everyone needs to
learn and practice the principles of preparedness, self-reliance and
provident living. Only by so doing can we live without fear in these
turbulent times.
About the Author
Find more articles by Jared N. Sorensen, as well as special reports on a variety of topics related to emergency preparedness and provident living, at http://www.providentliving.com.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/12362.html
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