Disaster Response

By Jerry Pournelle

September 19, 2005

(Disaster Response :  Page 1 of 1 )

Column 302

As I write this, the rescue efforts in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast are in full swing. One unsung effort was by the United States Navy. My son Lt. Commander Phillip Pournelle is Executive Officer of the HSV2 Swift, a ship which is herself worth a section in this column. Swift was about to set out from Texas to Virginia when she was ordered to take part in the rescue operations. For reports from the scene by Phil, see my web site at http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/view378.html#Phil2.

There are many lessons to be learned from Katrina. One should be obvious, although it doesn't appear to be: The primary responsibility for disaster management remains at the individual, local, and state levels. The Federal government can and should respond, and in some cases—see Phil's reports about his crew—does so heroically. By the nature of our federal system, though, they can only assist and manage. Most of the effort will have to be made by local citizens working through local and state organizations—and that effort will be effective to the extent that those organizations have personnel, training, and equipment.

I have lived through several California earthquakes. In one of them I was an Assistant Scoutmaster and our Boy Scout troop was of considerable assistance to local Civil Defense authorities. We still had Civil Defense in these United States in those days. We needed, and were grateful for, Federal assistance in the days that followed; but it was our problem first and foremost, and it was up to us to get the city functioning again. All our efforts were directed toward supporting people in their homes, not moving them to displaced persons camps. We thought of them as property owners and citizens who wanted to rebuild, not as nuisances.

Much of California is built in an earthquake zone. Much of New Orleans and its suburbs are built on a flood plain. In both cases we can doubt the wisdom of locating cities in such danger spots.

 Page 1 of 1