NOLA and hurricane Katrina
The news of Hurricane Katrina hit us very hard. Fortunately, the people we knew who lived in the region are all safe.
The news has been disturbing on many levels. In part, it’s because we’ve been involved in safety and security awareness training for many years — in the Navy and in the private sector.
When you see a tragedy like this, all your disaster scenario knowledge comes to the fore. You understand why things broke down. You’ve read the planning scenarios. You’ve written executive briefings on the cascading failures that inevitably happen as cities and regions respond to disasters. You’ve read the reports and recommendations. You’ve even tried to help companies with their own disaster recovery and business continuity planning projects.
No matter how much you understand it — sociologically, technologically, psychologically, or in terms of risk management — watching it happen isn’t the same thing as understanding on an abstract level. To be sure, watching it happen isn’t the same thing as living through that hell.
Of course, we are also deeply interested in the issue because we are located in the Tampa Bay region. The Tampa Bay region is second only to New Orleans in terms of expected death and destruction were the ‘big one’ to hit Tampa.
We’ve known people who are unable to leave the area as a hurricane approaches. As small business owners, we have to take calculated risks when we are faced with a voluntary or mandatory evacuation order. Fortunately, we live in a “safe” zone.
Consequently, we knew, before any reporter figured it out, just how silly was the question, “Why are you still here?” We know, not just because it’s difficult to evacuate if you have no money, no car, no place to stay, or your employer won’t let you off work. We also know what many people don’t realize: it is not possible to fully evacuate New Orleans or the Tampa Bay region in the event of a major hurricane. Even if everyone had money, a vehicle, the blessing of their employer, and a place for their pets to stay, for political, technological, logistic, and economic reasons it is impossible to evacuate the populace out of the path of the hurricane as it bears down and approaches.
To learn more, you can can read our thoughts on disaster preparedness, evacuation, and who’s to blame.
