FEMA And Louisiana Prepare For The 2008 Hurricane Season

Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established a Gulf Coast Planning Team (GCPT) in Baton Rouge and is moving full speed ahead as it works with the State of Louisiana to prepare for the 2008 hurricane season.

According to federal and state officials, hurricane preparedness planning for the Pelican State includes State and Federal support to help those without transportation following an evacuation order. Current plans and signed contracts are in place to provide support for up to 50,000 people with transportation to get out of harm’s way.

These plans focus on two things. First, it is the responsibility of each citizen to develop their own individual and family plans to evacuate away from potential hurricane damage and sustain themselves for 3 days. Second, disaster response starts at the local level. The cities and parishes along the coast are the driving force behind determining what assets they have and what assets they need from the state to protect their citizens.

The state, with help from FEMA, has focused their efforts on supporting the parishes in areas such as: evacuation, sheltering, search and rescue, animal sheltering, debris removal, and much more.

These plans are continuously updated and exercised. An evacuation exercise is scheduled for early next month in Region 1 (Orleans, St. Barnard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. John the Baptist parishes). It will test the ability of cities and parishes to move people from collections points to parish pickup points, register people and their animals, organize them into busloads according to their needs, transport them to shelters, and provide tracking information to make sure they get to safety.

It’s a big step forward since 2005. Planning, organization, public information, securing adequate assets, and working together seem to be the things all emergency planners agree on – from the cities to the parishes to the state and FEMA.

Michael Hall, the pre-designated Federal Coordinating Officer leading FEMA’s preparedness activities in Louisiana said, “FEMA is working closely with parish and state officials to provide what they need to evacuate anyone who needs help leaving. We’re focusing on the elderly, hospital and nursing home residents and those who have no other transportation available to them.”

Mark Cooper, Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) said, “The state and local parish governments are taking the lead this hurricane season with evacuation issues. The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has contracted for 700 motor coaches to move those needing transportation away from an approaching storm.”

Cooper added that GOHSEP is working with FEMA to obtain every possible transportation resource they can get. “Nothing should be left on the table and nothing will be.”

Cooper said that in the past few weeks, DOTD planners have confirmed that few, if any, of the state’s bus providers are under contract with other states for emergency evacuation. He expressed confidence in Louisiana’s bus contracts following a recent FEMA-organized meeting with Texas emergency officials.

“We met face-to-face with our Texas neighbors to discuss the issues that are critical to citizens of both states during a major emergency. Topics included transportation, sheltering and overall evacuation planning.”, Cooper announced.

In addition to the state’s bus contract, FEMA recently signed a national contract with AMTRAK to provide passenger trains to help move critical transportation needs residents out of the area when an evacuation is ordered. As part of the July multi-parish hurricane exercise, bus and rail resources will be tested, as well as the role the Louis Armstrong International Airport will play in evacuating those who need transportation help.

With the area’s tourist population always a factor during a hurricane evacuation, state and local officials have been working with GOHSEP, FEMA and New Orleans Airport management to design and implement plans for the safe and timely evacuation of area visitors. Plans call for additional commercial aircraft to be available to take tourists back home or to fly them to safe haven airports away from the coast.

GOHSEP and FEMA are emphasizing that residents with their own transportation, or residents able to self-evacuate with family or friends, will not be eligible for the critical transportation resources or for aircraft reserved for tourist flights.

FEMA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are joining local parishes in sponsoring a pet exercise to test evacuation procedures and the safe handling and transportation of pets. Interest in the pet issue is drawing attention from emergency officials across the country, and many have said they will travel to Louisiana to observe the exercise.

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, (LDAF), the lead agency for pet evacuation, urges all residents who will evacuate with their pets to pre-register with their local parish emergency officials. Pet owners should have proof of ownership, vaccinations and identification records. These documents will be needed when an order is given to evacuate.

Mike Strain, LDAF Commissioner, said pet ownership is an individual responsibility, and he urges all pet owners to have the necessary supplies to care for their pets when ordered to evacuate.

The FEMA hurricane planning team, working with GOHSEP, is reviewing commodity requirements for the 2008 hurricane season and is continuing to receive and pre-stage federal resources needed for a hurricane response.

“But even with commodities on hand and close by,” said pre-designated Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall, “FEMA is joining officials in Louisiana and strongly encouraging personal responsibility for all residents this hurricane season. Preparedness is one of FEMA’s key missions, and every person in Louisiana should be prepared to take care of themselves for up to three days after a hurricane. Our goal is seventy-two hours of independence for everyone.”

Just last month, Governor Jindal, along with GOHSEP Director Cooper, kicked off the state’s hurricane preparedness efforts by announcing www.GetAGameplan.org - a website with information and tools for Louisianians to use in preparing their homes and families for a potential hurricane.

“We want our citizens to start planning today,” Cooper said. “We all know the risks that the gulf coast faces during hurricane season, and by having a plan and being prepared, we hopefully can reduce the risks to our population.”

Residents should have emergency kits in their homes if officials call for sheltering in place, and those residents able to self-evacuate in the event of an evacuation order should have emergency kits ready and stored in their automobiles.

Information regarding preparing for hurricanes – or any disaster – is available online at numerous WEB sites:

Governor's Office

Parish Contact Directory

Federal Emergency Management Agency