Just because the Katrina response by the government was so poor does not support your claim that it is best to respond as an unaffiliated volunteer. I do not doubt that you did valuable work there, but that does not change the fact that unaffiliated/spontaneous volunteers are typically more of a hinderance than a help. If you do not think that there is any way to manage a large scale disaster then I would suggest that you need to do a bit more reading on disaster management and NIMS. I'm not claiming that it is done well, but there are mechanisms in place to manage large incidents.
Tornado region help
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crazycajun
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How could you know if it were overwhelming in Louisiana if you were not there? Please try not to call my facts incorrect as I WAS THERE. I lived there for my entire life before moving to South Carolina. I never mentioned Mississippi because I was not there and take offense in being corrected over something that you have no knowledge of. (Louisiana)
I was also on the MS coast for Katrina, our station flooded with the surge. Alot of these fast tracked/unaffiliated people wound up being quite scary as medics and management headaches.
The "official" help was awesome and some stayed with us till around November. Go with an official group or don't go.
mycrofft
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Lessons learned and people "got gone". (rant)
First off, I wasn't there anywhere, so this is from talking to folks at two conferences, and etc's revolving around Guard and being EMT-A in Lincoln, Nebraska when Grand Island got urban renewal from a twister in 1981.
A big part of the Katrina debacle was due to FEMA beng used as a political sop appointment by the president for an unqualified political crony ("Brownie"), and even then it might have worked except managemernt was very top down, so the buck stopped before it started.
Another big part was that local emergency/disaster plans were apparently not workable, based on individuals and not offices (i.e., "Charlie will unlock the bus compound" should have been "The first disaster preparedness representative on scene will unlock the bus compound", etc.).
Third, many local people reportedly voted down levee improvements and otherwise were not interested in preparing for "the big one".
Fourth, this was a monumental disaster which sorely impacted the responders in the affected area, proving the axiom that disaster response is "reverse centripedal" (comes in from outside).
Fifth, welcome to what the military terms "hurry up and wait".
I am not seeing public reports with serious bottom-up planning responses. Communities need to take the reins, as do counties and states, and especially in the aspect of forging mutual aid agreements and FOU's with private suppliers of transport, water, commo, etc.
Many "SUV's" who show up are going to be undisciplined, under-trained, and in need of logistic support, so they will need babysitting/mentoring untilk they are settled. If local authorities come up with a way to fast-track authorization and can provide the framework to use SUV's, then good.
Stop depending upon FEMA.
First off, I wasn't there anywhere, so this is from talking to folks at two conferences, and etc's revolving around Guard and being EMT-A in Lincoln, Nebraska when Grand Island got urban renewal from a twister in 1981.
A big part of the Katrina debacle was due to FEMA beng used as a political sop appointment by the president for an unqualified political crony ("Brownie"), and even then it might have worked except managemernt was very top down, so the buck stopped before it started.
Another big part was that local emergency/disaster plans were apparently not workable, based on individuals and not offices (i.e., "Charlie will unlock the bus compound" should have been "The first disaster preparedness representative on scene will unlock the bus compound", etc.).
Third, many local people reportedly voted down levee improvements and otherwise were not interested in preparing for "the big one".
Fourth, this was a monumental disaster which sorely impacted the responders in the affected area, proving the axiom that disaster response is "reverse centripedal" (comes in from outside).
Fifth, welcome to what the military terms "hurry up and wait".
I am not seeing public reports with serious bottom-up planning responses. Communities need to take the reins, as do counties and states, and especially in the aspect of forging mutual aid agreements and FOU's with private suppliers of transport, water, commo, etc.
Many "SUV's" who show up are going to be undisciplined, under-trained, and in need of logistic support, so they will need babysitting/mentoring untilk they are settled. If local authorities come up with a way to fast-track authorization and can provide the framework to use SUV's, then good.
Stop depending upon FEMA.
crazycajun
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Very well put.
I think the biggest problem in Louisiana wasn't FEMA but in fact the idiot Governor and Mayor of New Orleans at the time. I sat in the meetings at the OEMP and listened to the Governor and Mayor deny support from the federal government. I had been an active member of the OEMP for 15 years and the plans for "The Big One" were ready and set in place. After the storm everything went to hell in a hand basket with a Governor who cried on national TV instead of taking control and giving the executive order for us to do our job. WE begged and pleaded days before the storm hit to get things in order. We were told to stand by. Once the storm passed the Gov. and Mayor wanted to argue with the President over FEMA. She (Gov) then calls in the National Guard and they take over control further hindering the process we had in place. It was a nightmare. As for the Levees, the citizens never voted down the upkeep and repair. The money was always used by other projects by the government instead of its actual intention.
mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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Levee money highjacked...got it.
The mayor of Baton Rouge at the time spoke at a conference I was attending. He brought up the point that volunteers, money and materials were piling up trying to get into New Orleans per se, when, almost next door, Baton Rouge had intact transportation, a growing refugee situation, and the ablity to send some mutual aid from almost day #1. Almost as though a team's star basketball player was down, and the other players kept passing to him, while the #2 was running around in the open taking elbows.
ANYWAY, hope the OP can find some personally satisfying way to help out this time, and if he was two hours away, hope it doesn't nail his neighborhood next time.
BStone, I'm sorry you had to go through all that. Maybe local incident controls need to work out a way to utilize extant people and resources more swiftly and efficiently, but that takes practice and trust, two things the folks at the level of incident control don't always have in large supply.
The mayor of Baton Rouge at the time spoke at a conference I was attending. He brought up the point that volunteers, money and materials were piling up trying to get into New Orleans per se, when, almost next door, Baton Rouge had intact transportation, a growing refugee situation, and the ablity to send some mutual aid from almost day #1. Almost as though a team's star basketball player was down, and the other players kept passing to him, while the #2 was running around in the open taking elbows.
ANYWAY, hope the OP can find some personally satisfying way to help out this time, and if he was two hours away, hope it doesn't nail his neighborhood next time.
BStone, I'm sorry you had to go through all that. Maybe local incident controls need to work out a way to utilize extant people and resources more swiftly and efficiently, but that takes practice and trust, two things the folks at the level of incident control don't always have in large supply.
bstone
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Who requested you really didn't matter as the gov't was consolidated into an EOC structure. The EOC was about the worst, most ineffective thing possible. This is why you sat around for days doing nothing while people died.
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bstone
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Notice where I said I was speaking only for Mississippi. Did you miss that?
bstone
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Where were you? I was in Waveland and Perlington (Hancock County) from the time that the hurricane hit until after Thanksgiving, where Katrina hit the absolute hardest. The EOC/FEMA/MEMA didn't have any operation in place for the 40,000 residents of Hancock County who were effectively forgotten about. If it wasn't for the unofficial, unaffiliated groups that said "screw the gov't, we're going to go help people" then many more people would have died.
bstone
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Regarding the levees, please remember that Katrina hit hardest in Hancock County Mississippi, an area that doesn't have levees or the likes because it isn't underwater. It's in a flood plain but it is on the coast and only floods with a hurricane comes along.
This was frustrating for us. The night of the storm we were dealing with leftover flooding, houses washed away and blocking roads, and a crippled infrastructure. New Orleans made it thru the storm fine till the levees failed 2 days later.
I was in Jackson County.
crazycajun
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Maybe you should read your original post to mine. "Overwhelming. ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT". I was stating specifics about Louisiana if you would have read my original post.
bstone
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Then let me apologize for you not understanding what I was trying to say. I can only speak to Mississippi.
crazycajun
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Northshore lost almost every home. Chalmette was completely destroyed. Coastal towns were lost. Katrina did plenty damage in Louisiana before the levees broke in New Orleans.
bstone
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After we were done in Waveland and Perlington we moved over to St Bernard Parish. You probably heard of the "hippy tent" or the "Made with Love Grill". That was the same group of unofficial, unaffiliated people who said "screw the gov't, we're going to help!" and ended up staying nearly a full year to help people.
Here's their story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Communities
Here's their story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Communities