Lessons Learned from Katrina

The 24/7 news of the Katrina disaster has given me some insight into lessons we all can learn, which should be used to improve our national response to any future large-scale disasters.

The best conclusions I can reach from news reports of what happened last week:

1. Civilian Bureaucracies are incapable of effective disaster relief. By nature, they are slow-moving, fractured, and more about protecting turf and a@# than getting things done. The City of New Orleans, The State of Louisiana, FEMA, and Homeland Security apparently spent more time bickering over who was in charge and what priorities should be than actually helping the Katrina victims.
2. The best disaster relief organizations are the US Military and private charities, aka "Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's)". Chaos reigned until the National Guard arrived and took control, and while FEMA dithered, NGO's delivered.
3. Citizens need to elect leaders who can take charge in difficult times. Citizens of Louisiana and New Orleans should fire their mayor and governor in favor of competent and incorruptible leaders.
   
4. The Federal Government needs to first figure out who's in charge of disaster relief - FEMA or Homeland Security. Bush needs to fire the chiefs of each organization and replace them with strong individuals who can be effective in times of crisis. And the new leaders of both Federal agencies must find a way to integrate the services of NGO's, which will not only help get aid to victims faster and more efficiently, but also help avoid wasting tax dollars on programs that are not needed.
5. Those trying to score political points by making outrageous statements denouncing the President need to shut up and help the recovery efforts.

Clearly, there was a serious failure of leadership in the aftermath of Katrina. That failure is most pronounced and evident among the New Orleans Mayor and Louisiana Governor, who were quite obviously overwhelmed by events and chose to hide in a corner and cry for Federal assistance. What a contrast from Rudy Giuliani and the events of 9/11.

Whan FEMA arrived, they also seemed to be disorganized and overwhelmed. To be fair, it was an overwhelming event unlike any that have ever been experienced in our nation, at least in modern times. However, the lack of communication and coordination between Federal, State, and Local resources cannot be excused. Apparently there are reports of a great deal of turf battles taking place by officials at different levels attempting to take control during the power vacuum created by the non-involvement of the Mayor and Governor.

Despite the carping taking place everywhere about the President showing up a day late, the facts seem to show that when he did arrive, everything dramatically changed for the better. The president showed leadership and a tough, no-nonsense approach that facilitated the introduction of National Guard troops and a chain of command that established control of the evacuations almost immediately. Why was Bush a day late? There seem to be lots of reasons floating around, but a major reason appears to be that the Louisiana Governor was resisting his involvement, apparently for purely political reasons.

The next catastrophic event, whether another devastating hurricane, a major earthquake, or a terrorist attack, will prove one way or another whether our officials learned their lessons from Katrina.