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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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December
2005
Volume 9 - Number
3 |
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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff testified before the United States House Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina on October 19th, 2005. He began his testimony by thanking Congress, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Coast Guard, and the other DHS components. He cited several Katrina statistics: - 1.5 million evacuated the Gulf Coast - Nearly 250,000 homes damaged or destroyed - Over 1,200 lives lost - Approximately 600,000 required sheltering - 33,500 rescued by the Coast Guard (six times the number rescued in 2004) - 22,000 airlifted from New Orleans airport - 1,300 law enforcement provided by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - 2.9 billion dollars provided by FEMA to more than 1.6 million impacted households (approximately 1,800 dollars per household). He then quoted President Bush, reiterating that “we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.” Chertoff acknowledged there were flaws in the response and explained those that went right and wrong. He stressed the importance of planning, response, and information. He also pointed out how communication and coordination improved in the two weeks leading up to Rita, “admittedly in a less extreme environment”. He explained that “Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster the FEMA has ever been called upon to support” and that although preparations were made, “its capabilities were simply overwhelmed by the magnitude of this storm”. He stated that FEMA must be retooled so “it can fulfill its historic and critical mission supporting response and recovery”. He suggested several areas for FEMA improvement, including business processes, logistics, administration, and fortification of senior staff with experienced professionals. In addition, he explained the necessity of enhancing “communication and information sharing capabilities” to allow “real time access to accurate, first-hand information”. Chertoff described new DHS emergency reconnaissance teams which go into disaster affected areas and report facts to allow prioritization of resources and efforts. Chertoff discussed the importance of preparedness, pointing out that DHS began a program to revamp preparedness a month before Katrina. He stated, “we are not where we need to be as a nation in the area of preparedness”. To that end, the Preparedness Directorate will “integrate the Department’s existing preparedness efforts – including planning, training, exercising and funding”, drawing on experience within DHSs. In addition, Chertoff explained that FEMA would become a direct report to the Secretary. He described the department’s work to assess major cities’ emergency plans to “ensure that those plans are clear, detailed and up-to-date”, including “a hard, realistic look at evacuation planning”. He also established that “funding must be tied to risk – and to results”, reminding Congress of the risk-based approach presented in April’s National Preparedness Goal. Chertoff concluded his statements by stressing that these points were just the beginning and that more comprehensive recommendations would come as internal and external reviews continued. The full text of Secretary Chertoff’s speech is located at: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=45&content=4896. |