Eyeing the Storm

Grading the response to Gustav—in light of Katrina 

As the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was memorialized and remembered last August, another series of hurricanes began to line up in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Gulf, as though to remind everyone of the power and unpredictability of Mother Nature.

With the grim lessons of Hurricane Katrina still fresh in everyone’s mind, it appeared that although Hurricane Gustav was no Katrina, the planning, preparation and response should leave the local, state and federal governments with a sense of accomplishment and some feeling of vindication.

Although we are just warming up to spring, I don’t think it’s ever a bad time to review past operations with an eye to our future. 

How I Grade Them
Using a similar grading scale as that used by ABC news correspondent George Stephanopoulos, who evaluated the Democratic and Republican conventions, following are my evaluations of the Hurricane Gustav response.

The Local Level: A+
Gustav made evident that in New Orleans many things have changed for the better:

• 2 million people were evacuated from New Orleans in advance of what appeared to be a well-coordinated operation that employed buses (not under water, this time).
• The levee pumps were all working and the levees held, with back-up power in place and staffing that didn’t disappear.
• The Super Dome wasn’t opened up and the New Orleans Saints and the citizens will be the better for it with the start of football season.
• The mayor gave in to pressure from citizens who wanted to come home after the threat had passed, despite the lack of a fully functioning infrastructure. But hey, can you blame him?

The State Level: A-
What a difference a new governor and 3 years can make:

• Louisiana actually declared Gustav a disaster in advance of it touching down this time, opening the door for federal funds and resources. A novel concept!
• Water rescue resources were ordered through the State to State Emergency Compact Agreement Process (EMAC), but the order came in a little late for teams like mine in California that would have faced a long drive and poor positioning for an immediate-need assignment.
• The National Guard was mobilized, and it and other agencies had observers in place at critical sites, like bridges, during the hurricane.
• It was clear that the state command-and-control processes and communications between the local and federal government, as well as public briefings, were very much improved.

The Federal Level: A-
I’ll stick with what I know first: the National Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Program.

• Similar to 3 years ago, the USAR Task Forces always bring the importance of seconds, minutes and hours to the weeks, months and years of a federal bureaucracy.
• Out of the 28 national teams, FEMA deployed 18 teams during Gustav, compared to the two that were prepositioned during Katrina. Two overhead management teams were also in place as opposed to one during Katrina, with a third watching Republicans at the national convention.
• FEMA itself is a new organization with different management at the top and beefed up staffing and budget. The best thing that ever happened to FEMA: They put a former fire chief at the helm. Director Paulison should be commended for taking a job no one else wanted and for the job he’s done with organization. In California, we’ve seen the improvement during an early fire season in the north of the state. His promise of a “new” FEMA shouldn’t go unnoticed during hurricane season. With a new administration on the horizon, let’s hope we keep former attorneys/ horse trainers (“Heck of job Brownie”) where they belong—in the coral. We all need to push the importance of have a real responder running FEMA!

The White House—Republicans and Democrats: B
I’ll try to be balanced here but let’s face it: the White House got a do-over on Gustav and wasn’t sparing any expense or taking any chances. The Democrats and, especially, the Republicans, because of the timing of their convention, benefited from what almost became a déjà vu-inducing event with unbelievable media coverage and public attention.

After Gustav blew through without matching up to Katrina, a local reporter asked me: “How much is too much when it comes to response? Was there an overreaction as a result of Katrina?”

Time will tell. But in the world of rescue it is critical we develop a “scalable” response to these types of events. How? Should it be based upon population affected, strength of the hurricane, cost-vs.-benefit, risk-vs.-reward or a combination of these? We have fires and earthquakes in the West, hurricanes in the Atlantic and Gulf, tornadoes in the middle states and are constantly threatened by terrorism. What about multiple and/or simultaneous events?

Conclusion
Although our operational assets and command-and-control have yet to truly be challenged, this hurricane season paled in its comparison to Hurricane Katrina. So, the good news is that we should all celebrate: Everyone passed the first major test with high marks.

Harold Schapelhouman is a 27-year veteran firefighter with the Menlo Park (Calif.) Fire Protection District. At the start of 2007, he became the first internally selected fire chief in 21 years for his organization. Previously, he was the division chief in charge of special operations, which includes all district specialized preparedness efforts, the local and state water rescue program, and the local, state and national Urban Search and Rescue Program (USAR).

Schapelhouman was the task force leader in charge of California Task Force 3, one of the eight California USAR teams and one of the 28 federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS/FEMA) teams.