What can be done to avoid another disaster?
Four Disasters?
We are part of the environment, and the environment is part of us. You can't separate the two, however hard you try. Hurricane Katrina blew across rich and poor alike and rained upon them, and who was hit the worst was out of human control. True, some of the rich fared a little better if they had built stronger houses, but the effect was only marginal.
Similarly, the rich fared somewhat better in New Orleans, where the destruction was caused by the levees giving way rather than by direct hurricane damage. By literally taking the high ground, more of their homes and businesses were spared. But even they have had to abandon their homes and businesses for now, even if they have generators for electricity and large stocks of food and water, and it could be months or years before they can come back and lead normal lives.
Every single person living near the Gulf Coast in the areas affected by Katrina relied on the natural barriers offshore to reduce the height of the storm surge, and on the wetlands to absorb some of the force of the water. People in New Orleans also depended on the levees to keep back the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. However, no local authority had complete control over their own area. Development on one part of a coast can have considerable affects on other parts of the coast, particularly if they prevent silt being deposited, as happened with the Mississippi River. Louisiana is losing 25 square miles of coast per year, and has lost about 1,900 square miles in the past century - about 90% of all coastal marsh loss in the continental United States. New Orleans is closer to the sea than it used to be. The loss is mostly due to the dams, levees, navigation projects and channels on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, which have reduced the amount of sediment that replenishes the marshland by two thirds. The worst affected parishes have no control on this, though they do have some control over what development in their area exacerbates the problem.
New Orleans has no control over what is done to the Mississippi River upstream. In addition New Orleans is sinking, at up to four feet a year. The whole delta is sinking. This means that it is not enough just to maintain the levees, they need to be built higher. They were only designed for a category 3 hurricane in the first place, and it was known that a category four hurricane was only a matter of time, even by those who do not believe in global warming which leads to warmer Gulf waters giving storms extra energy. New Orleans, and the whole Louisiana and neighbouring states' coasts, are expensive to maintain - largely because we spend money on expensive projects which reduce the environment's ability to cope. And the ones who carry out those projects generally aren't the ones who pay for sorting out the mess.
New Orleans is not just another city, notable for its music and French Quarter. A vast swathe of the USA is in the Mississippi River catchment area, and an enormous tonnage of goods pass up and down. New Orleans provides the labour to deal with that commerce. Additionally, with so many oil and gas rigs and refineries in the Gulf, and tankers arriving from further afield, the Gulf Coast is very important to America's fuel industry, as people trying to find fuel while the oil refineries and ">pipes were closed down will realise. It will be interesting to see how the eventual total cost of these disasters (hurricane and levee breaches) compares with the costs projected by the Corps of Engineers for their projects to protect the coast and New Orleans. I suspect that the costs of prevention would have been a drop in the bucket.
So, some responsibility for the extent of the damage and for coping with the effects of hurricane Katrina was local. Some was at the state level. And some was interstate, and therefore at federal level. And this is where the third disaster came in. No doubt when the dust has settled we will find that there were failures at all levels, by members of all parties; we are only human after all, and this was a huge natural phenomenon. But the biggest failures were at the federal level, and its co-ordination with the states and others. And the biggest reason for that is easy to see: political appointees and excess bureaucracy.
It has been reported elsewhere, just how many of the top people at FEMA were political appointees, and I do not intend to rehash their biographies here. Suffice to say, several layers at the top consisted of people who got their jobs because they had worked for politicians in a political capacity, not because they had any experience of emergency management. Their priority was not to pass upwards any urgent requests for help and to apply all possible pressure to get them met. It was to please their political masters, and to focus on making the department and the government look good while spending as little as possible.
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I expect many of you have worked for a department, private or public, where the people who cared about the job were left standing while those who focused on looking good and pleasing the boss got promoted. In organisations where that is the priority of those at the top, it filters all the way down. Genuine workers get discouraged and give up and the information passed up is what the top wants to hear, not the reality. The Peter Principle is rife. There is evidence of this in the way that firefighters who volunteered to travel to Louisiana to help were discouraged to find that instead of using their equipment and skills, they would be handing out leaflets praising FEMA.
To add insult to injury, FEMA lost its independence and became subordinate to the Department of Homeland Security. This not only added another layer of bureaucracy, but also caused the focus to shift from natural disasters (they had carried out an exercise for a disaster very similar to hurricane Katrina, dubbed "Hurricane Pam") to terrorism. The upshot was that when hurricane Katrina struck, the department was not focussed, and its head was running around concentrating on how it would look politically rather than saving as many lives as possible, and letting politics influence how well different players dealt with each other.
This is not a rant against a particular political party, or even a particular country although the object lesson is in the USA. It is a rant against the system where organisations that we rely upon to be professional are headed by one or more political appointees who, bar a few rare exceptions, do not have the organisation's goals as their goals, and do not have the understanding that working your way up gives you. They have not fought for the funds their people need to do a good job, or if they have got the funds, they have not put them to best use. Their heart is elsewhere. They are not doing the job we pay them to do.
As a result, many more people died than need have, and many animals too. Not only that, the local environment has suffered greatly from neglect over many years. The wetlands and barrier islands, home to many creatures and nurseries for the fish of the Gulf, and protectors of our houses and businesses inland, are being lost. The Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain have been polluted and blocked.
Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster. The breaching of the levees of New Orleans was a mixture of natural and man-made disaster. The failure in planning and implementation for the evacuation of those who wanted to leave in advance of Katrina and couldn't was a man-made disaster. If we don't take into account all of the lessons we have learnt, and rebuild with the environment and human safety firmly in mind, then it will be a fourth disaster for the environment, the people, and the economy.
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Wednesday, September 7, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the east coast of Florida from north of Jupiter northward to Titusville including Merritt Island and for Grand Bahama, the Abacos, and Bimini. At 11 pm EDT (0300Z) a tropical storm watch is on effect for the Florida east coast north of Titusville to Flagler Beach. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within the next 36 hours. Interests elsewhere in northern and central Florida and the southeastern United States coast should monitor the progress of this system.
At 11 pm EDT (0300Z) the center of Tropical Depression sixteen was located near latitude 27.4 north longitude 78.5 west or about 65 miles (105 km) north-northeast of Freeport Grand Bahama Island and about 145 miles (235 km) east-southeast of Cape Canaveral Florida. The depression is moving toward the north-northwest near 3 mph (6 km/hr). A generally northwestward drift is expected during the next 24 hours.
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Katrina stories
Major Developments in Katrina's Aftermath
Mexico Sending Storm Relief Convoy to U.S., Nations Await Answer to Katrina Aid Offers, Agency: Less Than a Fifth of Aid to Be Gas, U.S. Unlikely to Accept Cuba's Aid Offer, U.S. Rejects Iranian Offer to Send Oil
Mexico has sent a convoy of water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies, the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846. Some nations that offered aid to the USA after hurricane Katrina are still waiting to hear if it will be needed.
Most of the aid from the International Energy Agency will be in the form of crude oil, with less than 20% as gasoline. The State Department says that the U.S. has enough doctors, so Cuba's offer to send some is unlikely to be accepted. Iran offered 20 million barrels of crude oil, which the USA has rejected because it was conditional on the lifting of sanctions.
FEMA Chief Sent Help Only After Storm Hit, Dems Assail White House on Katrina Effort, Santorum: Penalize Those Who Don't Evacuate, Hurricane Katrina to Reduce Employment, Katrina to cost 400,000 jobs: report, U.S. Senator to look at extending jobless benefits, Lawmakers prepare Katrina probe, financial aid
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, waited until about 5 hours after hurricane Katrina struck on August 29 before submitting a proposal (pdf format) to his boss Chertoff to send 1,000 or more Homeland Security workers. Part of their mission was to be to "convey a positive image" and to help people find help, rather than to do any rescues or recoveries. Some small teams had been sent in advance. Also on August 29 he urged neighbouring first responders not to respond without an explicit request for help from state or local governments.
Canada sent three warships, a coast guard ship and navy divers with supplies on Thursday, a week after they had offered to do so.
Sen. Harry Reid has asked if President Bush's Texas vacation impeded relief efforts. Rep. Nancy Pelosi called President Bush "oblivious, in denial, dangerous".
Sen. Rick Santorum said at the weekend that people who do not evacuate when told should be penalized. He later modified that and said that he did not mean those who were unable to.
400,000 jobs could be lost as a result of hurricane Katrina. A $50b or so package was prepared by the White House for Katrina relief.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley is considering extending U.S. jobless benefits.
New Orleans' Holdouts Coaxed From Homes, Police threaten forced evacuation, New Orleans Mayor to Enforce Evacuations, Two Police Officers Return to Superdome, New Orleans residents to go, political storm grows, Vignettes From the Aftermath of Katrina, Water Everywhere, but Little to Quell Fire, Reporters Barred by FEMA
The mayor of New Orleans has ordered the evacuation of all 0,000 or so residents, but some are taking persuading to leave their homes. Nobody had been forcibly evacuated by mid Wednesday as there are plenty willing to go who can be evacuated first, but the mayor is concerned about the dangers of leaking as (and therefore fire), and disease due to the filthy water and mosquitoes. Tens of people have been found dead in a nursing home and a warehouse. There are still snipers.
President Bush and Congress have each pledged to open separate investigations into the federal response. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said "I don't think the government can investigate itself."
Two police officers who lived for days in the Superdome went back for a look. The people were gone, but the conditions remained.
A CNN/USA Today Gallup poll showed more people felt President Bush had handled the crisis badly than thought he had handled it well. People varied in whom or what they thought was responsible for the problems in New Orleans. Even Republican Party members were critical of relief efforts and worried about how America would cope in the event of a terrorist attack.
110 vessels have sunk or grounded in the Mississippi River or along the coast, and something is obstructing the main entrance to the river at Southwest Pass. Many of the river's depth markers were lost.
The water in New Orleans is bad enough to damage the pumps, so firefighters are struggling to find water to put out fires with.
FEMA has barred the press from taking photos of dead bodies as they are retrieved in New Orleans, saying the action was out of respect for the dead. The press called it censorship.
Reporter for Fla. Newspaper Shot in La.
A reporter for the St. Petersburg Times was shot be a thief in Baton Rouge. He is recovering in hospital.
Firefighters Stuck in Ga. Awaiting Orders
Hundreds of firefighters came to Louisiana to help and have found themselves sitting in hotels, awaiting orders, and have been told they will be doing work such as paperwork or handing out leaflets.
No plans yet to tear down New Orleans Superdome
The manager of the Louisiana Superdome said that talk of pulling it down was premature. The roof was badly damaged which led to water damage. He recalled that George Herbert Walker Bush was nominated there in 1988, and that Pope John Paul hosted a rally for 60,000 in 1987.
Improper Generator Use Kills at Least 5
Five people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using generators indoors after hurricane Katrina.
Katrina Victims to Get $2K Debit Cards, Victims face bewildering options, Celebs Pledge Help to Katrina Victims, Displaced Students Find New Schools, Loved Ones Search for Victims of Katrina, Americans opening homes, lives, to flood refugees, 39 That Fled Katrina Cram Into Pa. Home, Search for Gas in Miss. a Daily Odyssey, Guidelines to Avoid Fraud in Wake of Storm, A Look at the Refugee Situation, Cruise Ship Housing for Evacuees on Hold
Adult victims of Hurricane Katrina are to be given debit cards worth $2,000 each, starting at the Astrodome, but including evacuees who are not in shelters.
Hurricane Katrina victims are staying in a wide variety of temporary accommodation, and there is a wide variety of offers of temporary and longer-term accommodation. Few of them know what's available, or what will be paid for.
A variety of celebrities are to play live in aid of the victims of hurricane Katrina this month.
Many evacuees have already signed up for new schools, mostly without their friends.
People are using the Internet and TV to try and get in contact with missing people.
Americans are going to Internet sites and offering homes for evacuees.
One woman has taken in 39 of her relatives, ranging in age from 7 months to 72 years. Another is on the way and 6 are unaccounted for. They will need accommodation, but for now are glad to be together.
Gas shortages are a major problem in Mississippi.
Refugees are spread among at least 25 states, with Texas taking the most.
Evacuees are not being transferred to cruise ships or flown to other states. Some are reluctant to interrupt relative-finding efforts, or simply don't feel like moving again so soon.
Use of Word 'Refugee' Stirs Race Debate, Huge task ahead to ID Katrina victims, Focus shifts to disease after Katrina trauma
Some feel that the word 'refugee' implies that storm victims are second-class citizens or foreigners, or that it is racist. 'Evacuee', 'survivor' 'displaced' are preferred by some, or even 'flood victim'.
A top forensic expert working on tsunami victims said that it would be a "hell of a task" for U.S. police to identify all the Katrina victims.
The feared major outbreak of disease after hurricane Katrina hasn't happened yet, perhaps thanks to immunisations, but health officials are preparing isolation unites in case. Some were in place before the storm hit.
About 850,000 still without power in US after Katrina, Utilities in La., Miss., Battle Outages
About 850,000 customers are still without electricity. Some will be waiting for months. Much of New Orleans may also have a long wait for natural gas, with the power generators for the water pumps getting priority.
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is at 75% capacity and hopes to return ot full capacity at the weekend. Several refineries are awaiting repairs and/or power.
There is a huge amount of work for utilities to do, restoring power to hospitals, police stations and fire and rescue buildings. New Orleans' pumps, oil refineries and telephone exchanges as well as private houses.
Kerr-McGee Restarts Gulf Oil Production, Miss. Refinery Remains Out of Operation
Kerr-McGee has resumed about 80% of its output from the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron Corp. does not know when it will be able to reopen Pascagoula, Miss. oil refinery, the largest shut down by Hurricane Katrina
Northrop Grumman to Resume Ship Work
Northrop Grumman Corp. will resume shipbuilding in Pascagoula, after the clean-up which has already begun.
Other stories
Natural risks find new scrutiny in Katrina's wake
There are many natural disasters that we have been told to expect, sooner or later, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, the stopping of the ocean conveyor belt super volcano eruptions and asteroid strikes. Scientists have been studying them for years, but now there is new concern at how well we will cope with them, since we are familiar with hurricanes, which are predicted some time ahead and move slowly, yet we did not cope well with hurricane Katrina. California is one area where people are well-advised to stock supplies just in case.
Tropical Storm Ophelia Threatens Florida
Tropical Storm Ophelia was meandering towards Florida and could bring heavy rain.
States Sue U.S. Energy Dept. on Standards
Fifteen states and New York City have sued the U.S. Department of Energy. They say it should have the enacted stronger energy standards for 22 common appliances that Congress required years ago.
Typhoon fades but leaves at least 17 dead in Japan, Nine Dead After Asian Tropical Storm
Typhoon Nabi has weakened to a tropical storm and was headed away from land after killing at least 17 in Japan and leaving considerable damage.
Bird flu pandemic a question of when, not if - WHO
The WHO says that a bird flu pandemic is inevitable, it is only a matter of when. Only Thailand in Southeast Asia has a pandemic preparedness plan.
Mosquito-Borne Disease Kills Two in Mass.
Two New Hampshire residents have died of the rare Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE), and a handful of others have caught the disease, which is spread by mosquitoes.
Running on Sand a Challenge and Reward
Running on sand can be healthy.
Court Sets Deadline to Clean Calif. Air
Environmentalists sued the Environmental Protection Agency saying that the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District should be required to reduce soot and other particles by 2006 in line with the Clean Air Act guidelines. A federal appeals court has ruled that they can have until 2010.
Officials Mount Fight Against Cogon Grass
Cogon grass is an invasive species that could prove more damaging to the United States than kudzu. It has a toehold in the Southeast. It has already devastated ecosystems in Africa and Asia, and is ranked as one of the world's 10 most dangerous weeds. It arrived at the port of Mobile, Ala., as packing material in 1912. It grows up to 4 feet tall.
Alaska Scientists Release Sawfly's Enemy
Sawflies, or leaf miners, have been attacking birch trees in parts of Alaska, including Anchorage, causing the leaves to fall early. They are an invasive species that arrived on imported nursery stock about 10 years ago and has spread. Scientists have begun releasing a parasitic wasp from Canada that is the sawfly's natural enemy.
Estimates Put Wolf Numbers Up in Rockies
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are now 912 gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. Most of the increase was in Idaho.
Group: Population Numbers May Doom Salmon
Salmon runs originally occurred in the Asian Far East, Europe, Eastern North American and Western North America. As human populations increased, salmon populations have decreased. At current rates, wild Pacific salmon will become extinct within a century according to scientists such as William Rees, a population ecologist and developer of the ecological footprint theory, and policy advisors. The Salmon 2100 Project, to be presented to the American Fisheries Society next week in Anchorage, Alaska, will focus on the wider, longer term changes we need to make if the salmon are to survive.
Controversy Swirls Around Wind Farm Plan
There is considerable opposition to plans to build 130 380-foot wind turbines near the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve in California.
BMW to join hybrid project - sources
BMW, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have formed an alliance to develop new hybrid vehicle technology.
U.S. Offers Compromise on Summit Document
A U.N. summit is to be held next week, and a draft document needs to be thrashed out before then. United States Ambassador John Bolton has been busy recently coming up with proposed amendments to the draft, with three compromise proposals on development. On the environmental front, the Bush administration had wanted to eliminate a reference to the Kyoto accord to combat climate change. The compromise offered to the part of the text promising that nations would meet the commitments they have undertaken, is to include the words, "including, for many of us, the Kyoto Protocol."
Index of topics in this series.
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Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Wednesday, September 7, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
At a news conference with CDC on 9/7, Administrator Johnson released initial sampling results of New Orleans flood waters from six locations. Preliminary information indicates that counts for E. Coli in sampled areas greatly exceed EPA's recommended levels for contact. Also lead concentrations exceeded drinking water action levels, which would be a concern if the flood water was a child's source of drinking water. Given these preliminary results, emergency response personnel and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. Collection of flood water samples began 9/3 in downtown New Orleans . Samples were shipped to a Houston lab and a local lab in Lafayette, LA for analysis. Daily sampling is ongoing.
Recovery - EPA search and rescue operations continue. Food and water were distributed and an additional 5 people were rescued. Approximately, 775 rescues have been made by EPA in LA. Sixty EPA water craft are currently available for rescue efforts.
Public Advisories - On 9/6, EPA and HHS issued an advisory cautioning the public and all responders about the possible hazards of flood waters due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous materials. On 9/4, EPA issued an advisory to the public urging caution when disposing of household hazardous waste and asbestos-containing debris from storm-damaged homes and other buildings.
Water Assessment - EPA estimates the number of water systems affected by the hurricane is now 73 in AL, 555 in MS and 469 in LA. In AL, many water systems were disabled or impaired by loss of electrical power. Five systems in AL currently have boil water advisories. EPA continues its assessment of damage to local drinking water systems in MS, and provides technical assistance to help restore safe drinking water to those systems. EPA sent two mobile laboratories to MS to assist the state Department of Public Health in drinking water analysis. The labs are expected to be operational on September 8, 2005 . Boil water notices have been issued to 404 water systems in MS. Samples from these systems will be analyzed for total fecal coliform bacteria before the systems restore service. EPA is assisting the LA Department of Health and Hospitals in assessing drinking water and will deploy 35 more EPA personnel to LA during this week. There are approximately 378 drinking water systems that are not in operation in LA with another 48 systems on a boil water notice. In LA, one EPA mobile lab is currently testing drinking water samples and providing analytical data. An additional mobile lab is expected to arrive this week in LA.
Wastewater Treatment Facilities - EPA continues to assess wastewater treatment facilities in LA, MS and AL. EPA estimates the number of wastewater treatment facilities affected is now 13 in AL, 114 in LA and 45 in MS.
Air Surveillance - EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft (ASPECT) is being used to assess spills and chemical releases. On 9/4, a large oil spill was surveyed in Chalmette, LA (Murphy Oil). A 250,000 barrel tank containing 85,000 barrels of oil released beyond secondary containment and extended into a residential area. The company and its contractors are working with EPA and the Coast Guard to repair the storage tank, contain the oil and begin cleanup. EPA and state officials continue to collect air quality information from daily aerial helicopter inspections of facilities. On-the-ground inspections of these facilities will provide additional information in the coming weeks. Air assessments of spills and chemicals releases in New Orleans and surrounding area continue.
Incident Management Team (IMT) - On 9/2 EPA deployed a 17 person Incident Management Team (IMT) to Baton Rouge to integrate with LA officials and manage EPA's field operations. On 9/6, EPA personnel staffing of a second full IMT began mobilization to LA.
Peer Support & Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team - EPA has deployed CISM team members to Baton Rouge, LA and will deploy two CISM Team members to Jackson, MS on 9/7 to consult with all EPA staff conducting field operations in areas impacted by the hurricane.
Hazardous Waste Disposal - EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the hurricane.
Technical Expertise - EPA will be providing environmental guidelines for residences and commercial buildings. EPA has practical and scientific expertise in the environmental health hazards caused by flood waters, especially the effects of molds and mildew, and in the disposal of household hazardous waste and asbestos-containing materials from storm-damaged buildings.
Emergency Call Center - EPA expects to deploy 30-50 personnel from the Region 5 (Chicago) office to assist staffing of the FEMA Emergency Call Center that will register people who are applying for federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The call center is anticipated to be operational on September 8th.
