Follow Up [1]: Katrina Links
WIKI
Red Cross: Family Links Registry
Lycos: Missing Persons Search
Housing Information Gateway
Shelter Map
Information Map
ESRI: Katrina Disaster Viewer
Google Earth: Imagery
NYT: Draining New Orleans Map
Contact: Mitigation Planners and Substantial Damage Assessors
Expounding on my earlier post on this disaster management and planning, the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 had laid down clear requirements to plan for such events. And as I understand, the National Incident Management System laid down a similar framework with regards to response-coordination. But no amount of planning [State of Louisiana Hazard Mitigation Plan, State of Alabama Hazard Mitigation Plan] could prevent the failure from happening.
Having observed this breakdown in leadership and with some benefit of experience, I cannot stress enough how planners should restrict their impulse to pen a plan for every problem and how they should also focus on becoming “political actors” for one cannot write a plan that accounts for the failure in carrying out the plan itself.
–π
PS:
On another note, many of the residents of New Orleans were not required by the National Flood Insurance Program to purchase flood insurance since they were protected by levees. Although non-discriminatory exceptions can always be made, this further complicates relief efforts as it currently limits the amount of disaster assistance available through certain agencies.
