Hurricane Katrina City of New Orleans Rob Stalzer Deputy County Executive Fairfax County, VA Rob.stalzer@fairfaxcounty.gov Why Did NoVA Send Incident Management Teams to New Orleans? New Orleans requested assistance through EMAC emergency management assistance compact NoVA teams deployed to provide leadership, share knowledge and to assist with operating the City s emergency operations center - EOC - and to expedite the recovery process Teams and individuals were able to learn and apply skills, methods and behaviors needed to effectively manage a very complex disaster 1
New Orleans Metropolitan Area New Orleans - Demographics and Facts of Interest Population of the metropolitan area: 1,337,726. Population within city limits: 484,674 Total housing units: 215,091 (43% of which are rental) High School graduation rate: 68 percent Five major universities New Orleans covers 4,190 square miles and sits 90 miles north from the mouth of the Mississippi River. New Orleans is below sea level. Depending on what part of town you are in, you can be from 5-10 feet below sea level. Generally speaking, the closer you are to the river, the higher the elevation. World s busiest waterway World s longest wharf Number of hotel rooms: 33,022 City s cash flow equaled 2 weeks before Katrina City had 6,000 employees 3,000 were laid off 10/3/05 2
NoVA Emergency Response Teams (NoVA ERT) Participants Team # 1 Sept. 14-28 Team #2 Sept. 26 Oct. 10 Fairfax County 6 Members Fairfax County 8 Members City of Alexandria 2 Members City of Alexandria 5 Members Arlington County 5 Members Arlington County 2 Members Loudoun County 5 Members Loudoun County 1 Member Prince William County 4 Members Prince William County 1 Member VDH 1 Member VDOT 1 Member 3
Team Functions Command - Incident Command incident management, incident strategy, objectives and outcomes, incident priorities, coordination with key local, state and federal officials; Public Information internal and external communications EOC, IC, media Planning - Incident and Contingency Planning incident action plans (IAPs), consistent briefings with measurable outcomes, contingency plans and analyses repopulation and re-entry, sewer and water issues, population estimates and forecasts, surveys, planning for special operations; Situation Reports, Documentation) Operations - Incident Operations sewer, water, electricity, gas, debris, EMS, medical, transportation, law enforcement, fire, 9-1-1, housing, food, building inspections, commerce; Management and Accomplishment of Incident Action Items; Special Operations primary and secondary building searches, Jesse Jackson s bus tour, etc. Logistics - Services and Support supplies, facilities, equipment Finance and Administration - Time, procurement, compensation and claims, cost Major Challenges Enormity of disaster area and influence City infrastructure, facilities, equipment destroyed or damaged City responders and staff were victims homes and belongings destroyed Disconnects between City, State and Federal governments City organization fragmented No regional cooperation No common messages Limited visible leadership Disconnect between City organization and ICS system City s dire fiscal situation 4
General Accomplishments Built a Team Twenty four members of Team 1 and 18 members of Team 2 - from seven different local and State organizations - came together quickly and performed at a high level as a focused and cohesive team now better prepared to serve each jurisdiction and NoVA. And if asked they d serve again Developed Relationships - Quickly built relationships and trust with key local and federal officials and agencies - and others - that resulted in success in New Orleans and will serve NoVA when emergencies happen here. Improved Emergency Management Skills mitigation, planning, response and recovery - and all aspects of incident command (ICS) while contributing significantly to the disaster response and recovery efforts. Selected Accomplishments Completed re-entry, look and stay, look and leave plans and demographic analyses - initiated re-entry in portions of City Identified critical water and sewer system issues and got answers that resulted in potable water in CBD and other portions of City Modeled proper procurement, storage and distribution practices and trained City staff Identified critical finance and accounting obstacles that could prevent FEMA reimbursement. Facilitated communications between City and FEMA to insure 100% reimbursement of initial federal monies Prepared plans needed to complete primary and secondary searches of residences in remaining flooded portions of Lower Ninth Ward 5
Selected Accomplishments - Continued Identified specific, immediate and near-term planning issues in the areas of housing, the environment, health and human services, flood protection, economic development and infrastructure repair and reconstruction Stocked multiple clinics with medical supplies Completed comprehensive transition document presented to IC Respectfully persistent -Got thrown out of a PFO strategy meeting which started a flurry of conversations with City and federal officials that resulted in more effective unified command and better articulation of operational objectives Selected Accomplishments - Continued Developed and implemented a more effective IAP process to drive operations Developed and implemented an incident action item management process Developed and produced daily Sit Rep executive summaries Developed and produced outcome based daily briefing templates As a team we modeled the urgency and focus needed to lead and operate an effective EOC 6
Major Lessons Learned One EOC not two or three. Unified command is critical Executive leadership is essential ICS must be understood and used by all Relationships are vital in addition to EM skills Local, community, state and federal efforts must be full, continuous, sustainable and interoperable Experience matters training and activation before an event At least three deep for all critical ICS positions Communications is an absolutely essential function Planning before and during a disaster is vital contingency planning must happen Diverse skills and versatility are needed to effectively manage an emergency IT, purchasing, finance, public works, social services, demographic research cross-train during activation when possible Logistical support before and during a deployment is essential for success Persons with special needs must be on everyone s radar Pet and animal evacuations must be a part of the plan 7