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300 TROOPS WITH KIN IN KATRINA ZONE SENT HOME.
Scipionus lets users enter reports they have received to let people know the status of Katrina damage throughout New Orleans. It also uses Google Maps to display the info.
In July, 2004 -- just barely over a year ago --
...more than 40 federal, state, local and volunteer organizations practiced this very scenario in a five-day simulation code-named "Hurricane Pam," where they had to deal with an imaginary storm that destroyed over half a million buildings in New Orleans and forced the evacuation of a million residents.
At the end of the exercise Ron Castleman, regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared: "We made great progress this week in our preparedness efforts.
"Disaster response teams developed action plans in critical areas such as search and rescue, medical care, sheltering, temporary housing, school restoration and debris management. These plans are essential for quick response to a hurricane but will also help in other emergencies," he said.
In light of that, said disaster expert Bill Waugh of Georgia State University, "It's inexplicable how unprepared for the flooding they were."
One explanation is that the exercise may have revealed how far they still had to go to be prepared:
“The ["Hurricane Pam"] exercise had enormous educational value to state and federal emergency managers,” said Ivor van Heerden, director of LSU’s Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes.” It showed the scope of potential problems they will face and made them far more aware of the help they will need.”
"It ... made them far more aware of the help they will need" -- that sounds like a fairly candid assessment.
THE SURVIVAL OF NEW ORLEANS BLOG -- FROM INSIDE NEW ORLEANS.
In addition to material aid, the craigslist New Orleans' site has emerged as a key source of information for those seeking word of missing friends and relatives.
