FEMA & GOHSEP Look Back To Prepare For The 2008 Hurricane Season

The nation’s natural disasters are measured in a number of ways, according to Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The human death toll from a disaster is always the number one concern for the federal government, as FEMA works to reduce and hopefully eliminate disaster-related deaths.

FEMA measures personal losses after a disaster - people’s homes, their belongings, schools and churches. FEMA and State teams assess damages to a community’s infrastructure - roads and bridges, the loss of power, water and sewer systems.

FEMA and the state not only look at what went wrong when a disaster strikes but what went right. Teams of federal and state construction engineers survey damages to houses and buildings to determine why some were destroyed and others survived.

“What happened in the last disaster tells FEMA how to prepare for the next time,” said Michael Hall, the pre-designated Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA’s Gulf Coast Hurricane Planning Team (GCPT) in Baton Rouge. “Preparedness is the key and can be potentially life-saving. We strongly encourage residents to practice emergency preparedness and be ready for the next disaster.”

Hall pointed out that Louisiana has not had a hurricane make landfall since Hurricane Rita in 2005, but people should be ready. He said hurricanes have formed off the coast of Louisiana in the past and have come ashore within days, leaving very little time to prepare.

For the third hurricane season since Katrina and Rita made landfall in Louisiana, a federal hurricane planning team has been deployed to Baton Rouge to work with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). These federal/state disaster planners are reviewing logistical requirements from past years, coordinating the pre-staging of commodities for the next hurricane and designing and implementing transportation plans for special needs populations unable to self-evacuate. Federal/state “mass care” teams have pre-designated shelter locations across the state that will be ready to provide protection for Louisiana residents who are seeking safety from an approaching major hurricane.

“We are pleased to have our federal partners working so closely with the State of Louisiana,” said Mark Cooper, GOHSEP Director, “The collaborated efforts from local, state and federal levels only prove the efforts being made to protect Louisiana and its citizens when a disaster strikes.”

When conditions warrant, local officials will make the decision to evacuate and will strongly encourage Louisiana residents to move to safe areas away from the coast. FEMA and the state will activate plans for bus, rail and air resources to move these residents with critical needs, as well as the state’s tourist population, out of harm’s way. The general population who have transportation and can self evacuate will not be eligible for the dedicated transportation resources reserved for tourists and special needs residents.

“Apathy can become a killer if the population isn’t ready with evacuation plans and emergency kits,” Hall said. “Residents along Louisiana’s coastal areas need to be ready for this hurricane season.”

Hurricane preparedness messages are available on Louisiana’s www.getagameplan.org WEB site as well as FEMA’s www.fema.gov and www.ready.gov sites.

“The State encourages its residents to get a game plan for hurricane season, know your evacuation routes and what supplies you may need to take with you,” said Mark Cooper, GOHSEP Director, “You may only have a moment’s notice to evacuate, and it is critical that you get your game plan ready today.”

Emergency officials remind residents that hurricane winds are not always the worst danger when storms approach coastal areas. History has shown that catastrophic damages occur and many deaths result from the hurricane storm surge. Officials advise coastal residents to:

Do your homework now before the need arises.
Be prepared with family plans and emergency kits.
Listen to your local radio and television broadcasts for emergency information from your local officials.
When the order comes, be prepared to evacuate or shelter-in-place according to instruction.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

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