FEMA 'more prepared' than before Katrina
The US disaster response agency won kudos after tornados hit, but '07 hurricane season may prove to be a more rigorous test.
from the June 1, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Better evacuation planning
FEMA is also placing more pressure on local agencies to prepare evacuation plans, a major weakness exposed by Katrina. In Louisiana's Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish, which includes New Orleans, there were no evacuation plans for people unable to evacuate themselves, such as the elderly and those without cars, says Jerry Sneed, director of emergency preparedness and homeland security for Orleans Parish.
Mr. Sneed says a new plan is in place, in which city and parish officials will move residents who are unable to evacuate themselves to predetermined locations, from which point FEMA or other federal and state authorities will move them out of danger.
"The federal planning involvement was definitely different last year than in previous years," says David Passey, a spokesman for the FEMA regional office that oversees Louisiana.
In advance of hurricane season, the agency has rushed to fill vacancies in top jobs at more than half of FEMA's 10 regional offices.
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director Michael Womack warns that new hires can mean less experience at the top. Still, the emphasis on preplanning, he says, has clarified FEMA's role in disaster response, which in turn will make the agency more effective in the future.
"Pre-Katrina, there were a lot of question marks as to what FEMA's role was, and they've tried to fix that.... Overall, I think it's very positive," Mr. Womack says, expressing confidence that his state is ready for the season.
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