Hurricane Gustav’s assault on the Gulf Coast on Labor Day serves as a reminder that September is National Preparedness Month. Gustav didn’t threaten Maine, but we must remember that hurricanes and other natural disasters can inflict great damage on our state. Just last year, the Patriot’s Day Nor’easter left 13 Maine counties eligible for federal assistance. More recently, the repairs from the summer storms that struck Cumberland and Androscoggin counties and from the spring floods in Aroostook are still underway. We must always be prepared for these and other natural disasters.
The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina three years ago have led to significant improvements in our ability to prepare for and respond to catastrophes. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I led the bi-partisan comprehensive investigation into the failed response to Hurricane Katrina at all levels of government. The Committee’s investigation involved reviewing more than 838,000 pages of documents, interviewing more than 325 witnesses, and conducting 24 hearings on such topics as the roles of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state governors, evacuation plans, urban search-and-rescue operations, prevention of waste and fraud, levee design, and recommendations for reform.
The Committee’s 732-page report, “Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared,” contains 186 findings of fact and 88 recommendations drawn from the investigation. The investigation revealed weaknesses at all levels of the government's response: state, local, and federal. To help remedy these problems, Senator Joe Lieberman and I sponsored the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, which completely overhauled, strengthened and reformed FEMA.
FEMA, the federal agency primarily responsible for disaster preparation and response, was widely criticized for its slow response before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. An important change that our law made was to require the head of FEMA to be an experienced emergency manager. As a result, FEMA was much better prepared to meet the challenge of Hurricane Gustav.
The new law also elevated FEMA’s standing and budget within the Department of Homeland Security, gave its Administrator a direct channel to the President, restored the linkage between preparedness and response, strengthened FEMA’s presence at ten regional centers, and established multi-agency strike teams to promote rapid and effective action.
In addition, each of the ten FEMA regional centers now has a senior military officer assigned to it. Having routine, established relationships among emergency responders, Department of Defense (DoD) officials, and FEMA is a great step forward in avoiding the kinds of miscommunication, “turf” disputes, and coordination problems that hampered the response to Hurricane Katrina’s victims. The coordination was evident in the response of FEMA to Hurricane Gustav in which DoD stepped in to assist in the evacuation of medically fragile residents.
FEMA also has an operating agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency which improves federal capabilities to procure, deliver, and monitor supplies. None of us will soon forget the shocking and sometimes tragic stories of supplies delayed, spoiled, or misdirected during the response to Katrina’s victims. FEMA’s policy of moving supplies early toward likely points of need, and its new ability to track shipments are welcome improvements which paid huge dividends in the preparation and response to Hurricane Gustav.
As a result of our reforms, FEMA had a solid action plan in place prior to Hurricane Gustav’s arrival. FEMA activated its national computer registry to help families find members of their households from whom they may have become separated as a result of the storm. It also deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams to the region to coordinate with the states regarding evacuation, sheltering, and other response issues, as well as Urban Search and Rescue teams. FEMA also pre-staged life-saving and life-sustaining commodities such as water, meals, and tarps in various strategic locations to be made available to residents of affected areas.
While federal, state, and local first responders play a critical role in emergency preparedness as was the case with Hurricane Gustav, when a disaster strikes you are likely to be your family’s own “first responder.” Whether it is a natural disaster, such as a flood, winter storm, or hurricane, or a terrorist attack, every family must be prepared to fend for themselves until help can arrive. You may only have a few minutes notice to gather your family and find shelter in a worst case scenario.
Every family should have an Emergency Kit which includes: water, canned and dried food, warm clothes and sleeping bags, flashlights, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, emergency contact numbers, and other items your family may need. A family communication plan is also critical to prepare your family for a disaster. With today’s busy schedules, it is quite likely a disaster could occur when family members are separated due to work, school, or other activities. Every family member should keep the cell, home, and work phone numbers of their immediate and extended family as well as their neighbors to contact in case of an emergency.
Businesses need emergency plans too. I was impressed that the mangers of Volk Packaging, a box company in Biddeford, were engaged in planning for a natural disaster when I visited recently.
As honorary Congressional Co-Chair for the fifth annual National Preparedness Month, I encourage every family to sit down together and discuss what to do in case of a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Gustav. Do it while your memories of that storm are fresh. Taking a few moments to prepare can save your life and the lives of your loved ones