New Orleans, one year later. Have we learned anything about preparing possible relief efforts?
Probably not. Hurricane Katrina was a powder keg of Mother Nature’s rain and wind tagged with the government’s incompetence.
America is not prepared for another disaster because public policy has a reactionary tradition. Only after the September 11 attacks did the U.S. attempt to combat al-Qaeda.
We are killing time until the next event, but remember, proper planning prevents poor performance; however, we are wasting time pointing fingers. Sorry, Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco – each level of government is to blame.
The federal government deserves most of the blame because it has the most resources. First, FEMA was put under the Department of Homeland Security umbrella, then an inexperienced chief headed the agency.
Gulf Coast residents, not just in New Orleans, have little trust, if any, in FEMA or the federal government, it seems. FEMA is making changes, though. The agency is now headed by R. David Paulison. He has experience. He was the fire and rescue chief in Miami during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
FEMA reportedly has approved $725 million in Community Disaster Loans to help essential services operate in communities hardest hit by Katrina.
Even civil rights enthusiast U.S. Sen. Trent Lott wants to make changes. He told the Mississippi newspaper, The Sun Herald, that he’s working on a bill that “will allow FEMA to operate independently of the U.S. Homeland Security Department, reporting directly to the president.” That may lessen the red-taped bureaucracy in the future that led to further despair along the Gulf Coast.
Those efforts are fine and dandy, yet what steps are being made now to prevent another disaster after the rain stops? What steps could be made when America is not proactive, just reactive?
Tropical storm Ernesto is now threatening Florida. Ernesto is no longer a hurricane (at this moment). Florida has declared a state of emergency and issued a mandatory visitor evacuation, but what steps are being taken now to provide relief as soon as possible after Ernesto arrives?
Understand that FEMA or any other government entity cannot stop another natural disaster from occurring, but the federal government’s timeliness can avoid the man-made disaster as that was experienced in the days following Katrina.