LA DODT Pre-Storm Evacuation

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Pre-Storm Evacuations

Louisiana

Louisianas successul evacuation o about one million people rom greater New Orleans

through phased movements and the one-way contrafow use o highways was a great

improvement over the Hurricane Ivan evacuation a year earlier. Still, o cials expected that

100,000 to 150,0001 persons would be unable or unwilling to evacuate the region beore

Hurricane Katrina struck.

Tis included those with special needs, such as the elderly and inrm; the poor, those lack-

ing means to leave; and those simply reusing to evacuate, regardless o reason or means,

and choosing to take their chances in hurricane roulette.2

Some o those responsible or the evacuation argue that those who wished to leave the city

prior to landall did so. Te Director o Homeland Security or the City o New Orleans,

erry Ebbert, stated that o the 100,000 le behind, most o that 100,000 chose to staybehind. Tats a big dierence.3 Tis view seems to depend on an expansive denition o

evacuation. As Joseph Matthews, Director o the New Orleans O ce o Emergency Pre-

paredness (OEP) noted, o cials may have considered transporting [people] to the Super-

dome evacuation as well.4

In any case, there was long-standing recognition that 100,000 to 150,000 people would

remain in the city ollowing an evacuation order, and that some o them would remain only

because they could not move themselves. O cials explored means o moving people out

o the city, but the issue took a back seat to plans to use the Superdome as a special-needs

shelter and a reuge o last resort.

Beore Landall, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Afected Southeast LouisianaParishes Agreed to and Successully Executed Louisianas Contraow Plan

Even beore catastrophe strikes, evacuations are not simple.

Careul planning is essential to a successul pre-landall evacuation because o the problems

that tra c congestion and timing pose or the evacuees. Evacuation rom the greater New

Orleans area aces unique challenges or at least our reasons. First, evacuating the area re-

quires at least a 45 to 80-mile trip (as compared to the 10 to 15-mile trip out o the aected

areas in Mississippi). Second, there are only two or three ways out o the area. Tird, one

o those ways out o the area runs into Mississippi, requiring that states cooperation. And

ourth, because o the limited number o ways to exit the metropolitan area, the northern-

most parishes within the area (Orleans and Jeerson) must wait patiently or the southern-most parishes within the area (St. Bernard and Plaquemines) to evacuate rst; otherwise,

the northern parishes will choke o the southern parishes ability to evacuate. When these

problems go unaddressed, thousands o people might be precluded rom evacuating or

delayed in Hurricane Ivan- or Rita-like tra c jams extending or hundreds o miles.

Aer the pre-landall evacuation or Hurricane Georges rst exposed these problems in

September 1998, the 13-parish Southeast Louisiana Hurricane ask Force asked the Loui-

siana O ce o Emergency Preparedness5 (LOEP) to solve these problems by creating a

contrafow plan.6

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Generally speaking, contrafow turns all highway lanes in one direction, creating additional

roadways or the execution o evacuation. Louisianas contrafow plan applied to Interstates

10, 12, 55, and 59, so that all lanes o those highways would be heading out o New Orleans

either upstate or east to Mississippi.

Louisiana did not use its contrafow plan until the pre-storm evacuation or Hurricane Ivan

in September 2004. In that initial experiment, the state and the parishes encountered serious

problems with the execution o the contrafow plan, including disagreements among parishesas to which parishes should evacuate rst and the emergence o tra c choke points in Baton

Rouge and Slidell, Louisiana.7 Tese problems resulted in delays o 12-15 hours or people

evacuating rom the New Orleans metropolitan area,8 as well as the deaths o nursing-home

residents who died on the road in the heat and chaos o evacuating or Hurricane Ivan. 9

o address the problems with contrafow that arose beore Hurricane Ivan made landall,

the Governor ordered the Louisiana State Police (LSP) and the Department o ranspor-

tation and Development (DOD) to develop a better evacuation plan.10 Tose agencies

assembled a task orce and worked with private consultants, tra c engineers, parish leaders

and local law-enorcement organizations in the relevant communities and conducted ocus

groups with residents to revise the plan.11

What resulted rom this eort was the states 2005 contrafow plan, known as the Southeast

Louisiana Emergency Evacuation Plan (LEEP). Te plan resulted rom cooperation between

the governors and state police orces o Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the states suc-

cessul brokering o an agreement signed in April 2005 by the 13 parishes o the Southeast

Louisiana Hurricane ask Force.

Te LEEP addressed the problems identied during Hurricane Ivan by (1) directing as

much tra c as possible away rom what had been chokepoints at Baton Rouge and Slidell,12

(2) creating special procedures or coordination between Louisiana and Mississippi,13 and

(3) requiring Jeerson and Orleans Parishes to wait to evacuate their residents until aer

their neighboring parishes announced the evacuation o their residents.14

As to the last point, the LEEP seeks to manage the order in which parishes evacuate by

establishing three phases or the pre-storm evacuation, based on geographic location and

the time in which tropical storm orce winds are orecasted to reach the aected area. Under

the plan, Phase 1 o the evacuation begins at the 50-hour mark beore landall o a Category

3 or higher hurricane, but contrafow only begins in Phase 3, once Jeerson and Orleans

Parishes have ordered evacuations, at around the 30-hour mark beore landall and aer.15

Once the Governor nalized the plan in the spring o 2005, the state initiated a media blitz

and public education campaign, with media outlets, the American Red Cross, and business-

es like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowes all helping to distribute more than 1.5 million

copies o the Louisiana Citizen Awareness & Disaster Evacuation Guide.16

Governor Blanco initiated contrafow at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 27, and ended it at 5 p.m.

on Sunday, August 28, with no vehicles waiting in queues to leave the potential impact area.17

By all accounts, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Southeast Louisiana parishes successully

executed the 2005 LEEP, beore Hurricane Katrina made landall. With that plan, Louisiana

evacuated approximately 1 million people beore landall.18

Te post-Ivan revisions to the plan also contributed to the success o the pre-landall evacu-

ation, as tra c jams exceeded two to three hours at most beore Katrina made landall, com-

pared to the 12 to 15-hour tra c jams evacuees experienced beore Ivan made landall.19


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Tere was also close consultation between Louisiana and Mississippi o cials, including

conversations between Governor Blanco and Governor Barbour, which resulted in coordi-

nation between the two states on the execution o the pre-landall evacuation.20

Despite the success o the revamped contrafow plan, some o cials saw opportunities or

more improvement. Major John Miller, rom the Mississippi Department o Public Saety,

said that he would have state troopers stand arther back rom the road next time: [E]very

third or ourth car has to stop and ask him a question,21 snarling tra c. Other suggestionsincluded diverting some tra c to avoid the bottlenecks at the northern ends o I-55 and I-

59,22 and working or better state-to-state communications interoperability.23

St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. ammany, and Jeerson Parishes successully ollowed and

executed the LEEP.

In St. Bernard Parish, Larry Ingargiola, the Director o Homeland Security and Emergency

Preparedness or St. Bernard Parish, stated that he called or an evacuation o St. Bernard

Parish albeit something short o an actual mandatory evacuation during the late evening

o Friday, August 26.24 He recalled mentioning on the news that We strongly recommend

that you leave now because I dont believe I have enough body bags to cover the people that

stay.25 Te ollowing evening, Saturday, August 27, the parish called or mandatory evacu-ation, strongly recommended evacuation.26 Between Friday and Saturday, he said, all tele-

vision channels in Orleans, Jeerson, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes ran scrolling

news zippers noting the type o evacuation called or at the time.27 Moreover, Ingargiola

described some o his parishs concern about issuing a mandatory evacuation as ollows:

Te big decision on mandatory evacuation is monetary, the businesses them-

selves. When you do a mandatory evacuation, the businesses are required to

close down. Te reneries are required to close down. We have three very large

reneries down [here]. It takes them roughly 8 to 12 hours to close down

the renery. Every time they close it down, its over a million dollars to close it

down and another million to bring it up. Its not something you do easy.28

Furthermore, when asked whether St. Bernards evacuation o Saturday night was coor-

dinated with other parishes, Ingargiola responded that it was not, because o concern that

other parishes would act unilaterally:

No. We had a problem with Ivan because Jeerson Parish pulled the plug be-

ore everybody else or mandatory evacuation and contrafow was in [eect]

I the other parishes, Orleans and Jeerson, pull the plug and we get contra-

fow, we are stuck. We cant exit because we have one exit, Parish Road. You

cant go. You are not going to send your people through New Orleans because

they are doing the same thing youre doing. Tey are going to sit in another

parking lot.29

Despite these challenges, Ingargiola noted that St. Bernard Parish was able to successully

evacuate 92 percent o its population30 o approximately 66,000.31 When asked whether he

elt his Friday night call or evacuation was early enough, Ingargiola said it might have been

wiser to do so on Tursday.32 But Tursday, he noted, was a sunny day had he called or

an evacuation then, Te people would have thought I was crying wol. Tat is your big-

gest ear, believe me. Somebody in my position, you will call it and somebody will just not

believe what you call.33

In Plaquemines Parish, Jesse St. Amant, Director o the Plaquemines Parish Homeland Secu-

rity O ce o Emergency Preparedness, described its pre-storm evacuation policy and results:


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People like mysel, as emergency managers, should not be thinking, i I make a

mandatory declaration and I make that recommendation to the governor, that

he hesitates to do that because it might cost too much, youre putting a dollar

value on [a lie].

And in my business, i you ask how much it costs to do something, youre in

the wrong business cause you could in act cost someone their lie.

You have to do what you must do to save lie, and promise, and I take it very

seriously. Ill give you an example. By declaring a mandatory evacuation, it cost

Philips Conoco millions o dollars to saely shut down a petrochemical acility,

and then it cost millions o dollars to start it up. Te two most dangerous kinds

o petrochemical acilities is the shutdown and the start-up o that acility. Very

dangerous; very costly. Yet I dont hesitate to advise parish presidents. He does

not hesitate to support me. I have his ear. He has since Ive been here, he has

he hired me. And let me suggest this to you I will relate success. We had

a 93 percent evacuation rate, one [o] the highest in the area, probably in the

whole state. But we know were also the most vulnerable. So the options arent

that great. You have to be out o this high-risk area.

Te other issue that we do is we do were probably the rst jurisdiction in the

State o Louisiana to [start the evacuation process] that because we extend in

the Gul o Mexico.34

Plaquemines Parish issued a mandatory evacuation on Saturday, August 27.35

In St. ammany Parish,Dexter Accordo has been the Director o Emergency Management

and Homeland Security since July 18, 2004.36 He said St. ammany used the EarthCallnoti-

cation system a reverse 911 [system] where you can dial up people by geographic area,

and you can broadcast an audio message to them, giving them directions o whats going

on37 to warn residents to leave. When you order a mandatory evacuation, Accordo said,

At no point or the most part is it logistically easible to go and knock on everybodys door,reach in and grab that person and yank them out o their house.38 So a broader program o

education is called or:

We reinorce it with the brochure [o evacuation maps], we reinorce it with

the phone calls, we reinorce it with the outreach program training, we rein-

orce it with other orms o media I I tell you, you need to do this, youre

going to probably hesitate, but i you know why because we educate you why

you need to do it, then theres a stronger probability youre going to do it.39

Accordo also spoke to the unique geography o St. ammany Parish. He stated that the

parish represent[s] about two-thirds o the evacuation routes or the metropolitan area,

specically the twin spans (I-10), the Causeway, and the old highway (highway 90) onthe east side o St. ammany and Orleans Parishes.40 Tese plans have a large impact on St.

ammany Parish:

We get the biggest push probably through our area. We have to be cognizant

o that because long beore that 30-hour moment [i.e., the third phase o the

States evacuation plan], were starting to eel the impacts o all this tra c.41

Te number o evacuees rom St. ammany parish is uncertain. Accordo estimated that

several hundred people were evacuated to a large special-needs shelter at Covington High

School,42 that 4,000 to 6,000 more were housed in other parishes shelters,43 and that about


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127,000 were evacuated rom the parish entirely, subject to check against a University o

New Orleans post-storm study.44

In Jeerson Parish, Walter Maestri, Ph.D., is the Director o Emergency Management and

Homeland Security.45 Maestri recalls that Jeerson Parish President Aaron Broussard an-

nounced to the parish residents on late Friday aernoon, August 26, that they should be

ready to go [i.e., evacuate] Saturday morning.46 He believes that about 70 to 80 percent o

the residents o Jeerson Parish evacuated prior to the storm,47 a successul evacuation.48Maestri noted that Broussards call or a parish evacuation on Friday aernoon to take eect

the ollowing Saturday morning was not a call or a mandatory evacuation:

None o the Southeast Louisiana parishes, the larger ones, Orleans, Jeerson,

St. ammany, make mandatory evacuations. Te reason or it, guys, is its un-

enorceable. You cant do it. Now as you know, Mayor Nagin later changed

that. He went to mandatory, aer rst going to recommended. But the bottom

line is that we did not and never will in Jeerson call mandatory because you

cant do it.49

With respect to the 20 to 30 percent o persons who did not evacuate the parish, Maestri

thinks they got extremely lucky, because the parish only got a glancing blow.50 He notesthat what hit Jeerson parish was primarily a wind event and thats why the atalities

are as low as they are. But the water is the killer. And we didnt get the water in Jeerson.51

Moreover, Maestri said about hal o the residents that did not evacuate beore the storm

moved to reuges o last resort within the parish, and the other hal stayed in their homes.52

Lastly, Maestri indicated that the parishs reuges o last resort were stocked with ood, wa-

ter, and rst-aid supplies.53 Maestri noted that he has a proessional level, ull-time person

on his sta the Shelter Coordinator who has the responsibility to oversee and operate all

o the parish shelters and reuges.54

Te City o New Orleans Failed to Prepare a Dra Mandatory Evacuation

Order Beore Katrina Approached the Gul Coast

Although it can never be known what impact earlier issuance o a mandatory-evacuation

order would have had on the pre-landall evacuation o New Orleans, it is clear that the city

did not resolve all issues incident to a mandatory-evacuation order and did not have one

prepared beore Katrina approached the Gul Coast.

On Friday, August 26, Mayor Nagin held a press conerence at City Hall to announce that

city o cials were monitoring Hurricane Katrina.

On Saturday, August 27, Mayor Nagin joined Governor Blanco, and other o cials or

a press brieng at 1 p.m., during which the Mayor advised, according to talking points

prepared or that brieng, that citizens should prepare or the storm, to include checking

on neighbors and particularly the elderly, and announced the city would be calling or avoluntary evacuation later that aernoon or the morning o August 28 to coincide with the

initiation o contrafow.55

According to a press report, Mayor Nagin said, Tis is not a test. Tis is the real deal.

Tings could change, but as o right now, New Orleans is denitely the target or this hur-

ricane, later adding, We want you to take this a little more seriously and start moving

right now, as a matter o act.56 Te Mayor also recommended that residents o Algiers,

the Lower Ninth Ward, and low-lying areas begin evacuating. Citizens were also advised

that there were two special-needs shelters open in the state in Alexandria and Monroe.


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When Mayor Nagin issued a mandatory-evacuation order on Sunday, August 28, at ap-

proximately 9:30 a.m. C,57 it was the rst time the City o New Orleans had ever issued a

mandatory-evacuation order, 58 even though state law authorizes any parish to issue one.59

He had ordered his sta to begin working on the order at noon on Saturday, August 27. Ac-

cording to witnesses, the city took nearly 24 hours to issue the order because it rst needed

to resolve legal and logistical questions.60

Chie among the issues to resolve was the determination o which classes o individu-als would be exempted rom the order. As initially draed, there were our categories o

exceptions: essential personnel o the city, regulated utilities, hospitals (including patients),

and operating hotels (including guests).61 Aer this dra was circulated to senior sta or

review and comment, the list o exceptions was expanded to include the media and essen-

tial personnel o nursing homes (including residents). But then Colonel erry Ebbert, New

Orleans Director o Homeland Security and Public Saety, recommended that the city not

except nursing homes.62

Te nal order included the ollowing exceptions: essential personnel o the United States

o America, State o Louisiana and City o New Orleans; essential personnel o regulated

utilities and mass-transportation services; essential personnel o hospitals and their patients

essential personnel o the media; essential personnel o the Orleans Parish Criminal SherisO ce and its inmates; and essential personnel o operating hotels and their patrons.63

In addition to these issues, the city was also concerned about how it would enorce the man-

datory-evacuation order, and what transportation resources it had at its disposal to acilitate

execution o the order.64

Long-term planning and preparation by the city beore Katrina approached the Gul Coast

could have obviated this nearly 24-hour eort to resolve these issues.

Nevertheless, Governor Blanco insisted that Mayor Nagins planning had been adequate,

pointing out that evacuation was well underway beore the mandatory-evacuation order

was issued.65

Te New Orleans Health Director, Who Initiated Dra Agreements to

Provide ransportation or New Orleanians Without the Means to Evacu-

ate, Deserves Credit or His Ingenuity and Efort, but the Citys Director o

Homeland Security and Public Saety Should Have Finalized Tese Agree-

ments Beore and During the 2005 Hurricane Season

Although the citys emergency plans anticipated at least 100,000 people without the means to

evacuate aer a catastrophic natural disaster,66 the citys top o cials ailed to plan and prepare

adequately or the pre-landall evacuation o this less-mobile segment o the population.

When erry ullier, the ormer Director o the New Orleans O ce o Emergency Prepared

ness, who served in that position rom May 2001 to his retirement in 2004, realizedthat

the city did not have the resources and at the time perhaps not even the political will67

to move this segment o the population, he began exploring other transportation options.

One was a volunteer program called Operation Brothers Keeper, which would enlist private

citizens to help those who lacked transportation to evacuate.68 A second involved inormal

discussions with the Regional ransportation Authority (RA), the Orleans Parish School

Board, and Amtrak to determine whether they would agree to provide transportation or a

pre-landall evacuation o New Orleans.69

Operation Brothers Keeper (OBK) was a aith-based initiative developed in collaboration

with Kay Wilkins, the areas local Chapter Director o the American Red Cross. Trough


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the program, churches would identiy those within their congregations who did not have

the means or ability to leave the city and match them with those who could help. ullier

recalled brieng Mayor Nagin and Col. Ebbert, with Wilkins, about the initiative: Mayor

Nagin said in no uncertain terms, anything that the city can do to support you, Im all

or this initiative.70 Tere was apparent nancial support or OBK, including a grant o

$216,000 rom a private organization.71

Although Operation Brothers Keeper was in place beore landall, it was not ully devel-oped as logistical issues such as rally points and destinations had not been determined.72

Te second o these initiatives, seeking alternative transportation rom a variety o provid-

ers, was developed in late 2004, when Dr. Kevin Stephens, Director o the New Orleans

Health Department, resumed ulliers work aer he stepped down as the Citys Director o

Emergency Preparedness (OEP), leaving the post vacant or almost six months.73 Between

ulliers retirement in December 2004 and the appointment o Chie Matthews in March

2005, the OEP directors position was vacant. During this time, Dr. Stephens entered the

breach and went to work on securing transportation or an evacuation o the city. Dr. Ste-

phens explained why he saw the need to contract or transportation and shelters:

All o our plans had primarily been [to] evacuate [to] the Superdome. And soI just thought that maybe as a general shelter, reuge o last resort, we should

probably try to get some places outside the city and not at the Superdome be-

cause o the limitations o the Superdome. So I called Amtrak and I called the

school board and RA and other guys and asked them would they be willing

to transport people out o the city, and they said sure, wed be happy to.74

Dr. Stephens prepared dra memoranda o understanding (MOUs) among the City o New

Orleans and Amtrak, the RA, the Orleans Parish School Board, and the Cities o Baton

Rouge and Hammond, Louisiana, contemplating use o various transportation resources to

evacuate people rom New Orleans prior to a hurricane. Tese dras, with the exception o

the Amtrak MOU, were internal documents, not shared with the other named entities.75

Responsibility or the MOUs returned to the Citys OEP shortly aer the Mayor appointed

Chie Matthews to replace ullier as Director in March 2005.76

Troughout the spring and summer o 2005, logistical obstacles dogged planning or the

MOUs.Once people were evacuated rom the city, was there enough shelter space to ac-

commodate them? Once Amtrak delivered them to the Hammond train station, how would

they be moved to state shelters? Most importantly, in the view o Chie Matthews, there was

a shortage o drivers qualied to participate in an evacuation.77

However, the Citys OEP, part o the Citys O ce o Homeland Security and Public Saety,

did not ollow through su ciently to ensure execution o a single one o those agreements.78

Shortly thereaer in June 2005 three months beore Katrina made landall the CitysDirector o Homeland Security and Public Saety, Colonel Ebbert, eectively decided to halt

the negotiations on these MOUs, based on the ollowing rationale: June starts the hurri-

cane season. You cant go to war still draing you[r] plan, so you have to make decisions o

what youre going to do this season.79 With that decision, Colonel Ebbert lost opportuni-

ties to push his subordinate, Chie Matthews, to close these deals, and to ask the Mayor, the

state, and the ederal government or assistance in brokering these agreements.80 Te Com-

mittee disagrees with Colonel Ebbert that the city would be incapable o continuing work

on long-term preparations or a catastrophic storm in the midst o hurricane season, as was

evidenced by the citys participation in a July 2005 workshop on transportation staging and

distribution o commodities.


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Te Director o the City o New Orleans O ce o Emergency Preparedness

urned Down Ofers o Assistance With the Pre-landall Evacuation From

the Regional ransit Authority (RA)

Using ederal unding granted in 2004,81 the New Orleans O ce o Emergency Preparedness

composed a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (the plan) to establish proce-

dures to prepare the city or an emergency such as a hurricane. Te plan divided emergency

response into the standard Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), designating the Regionalransit Authority (RA) as the primary agency82 or transportation during an evacuation.83

Specically, the plan required the RA to: Supply transportation as needed in accordance

with the current Standard Operating Procedures; place special vehicles on alert to be

utilized i needed; position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses; and i warranted by

scope o evacuation, implement additional service.84Te plan listed the ollowing enti-

ties as supporting agencies under ESF-1: Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), Louisiana

Department o ransportation, Louisiana National Guard, and Amtrak.85

It was the understanding o James illie, RAs Chie Operating O cer, that the city would

direct the RA to transport the citizens o the city rom one location to sae harbor, al-

though or Katrina that meant the Superdome and not shelters outside o New Orleans.86

Te citys plan required the New Orleans OEP to coordinate and acilitate preparedness

and planning or the plans designated response agencies, such as the RA.87 Te plan also

required the OEP to direct and control those agencies with ESF responsibilities, such as

the RA, during emergency response operations.88 Although RA is not a city agency, the

Director o the O ce o Emergency Preparedness, Chie Matthews, acknowledged that

the RA, as the primary agency or ESF-1, would answer to and receive direction rom the

Citys OEP.89

Beore Katrina made landall, the RA owned 372 buses and employed 650 drivers. 90 RA

o cials estimated that each bus could transport 40 people and their luggage out o the city

during an evacuation.91

O the drivers, approximately 100 volunteered or evacuation duty.(Te number who remained in the city post-landall was slightly lower, because some were

prevented rom returning to the city aer driving special-needs evacuees to Baton Rouge

because, consistent with the contrafow plan, the roads were closed a ew hours beore

landall.)92

Notwithstanding the RAs role under the Citys Emergency Operations Plan, RA assets

were not ully utilized in the pre-landall evacuation because the Director o the New Or-

leans OEP, Chie Matthews, turned down the RAs oers o assistance on the Saturday and

Sunday beore landall, citing a lack o identiable shelters as the reason.93

Te City o New Orleans, the State o Louisiana, and the Federal Government

Failed to Retain Drivers or the Pre-landall Evacuation, Aer City O cialsInormed State and Federal O cials o Tis Need Over a Month Beore

Landall

Although the New Orleans OEP Director, Chie Matthews, inormed state and ederal

o cials over a month beore Katrina hit that New Orleans lacked bus drivers or a pre-

landall evacuation,94 that need went unaddressed beore landall.

Te city had apparently designated buses rom the RA and the Orleans Parish School

Board (the School Board), but the Citys O ce o Emergency Preparedness was having di -

culty getting them to agree to provide the city with bus drivers or the evacuation.95 Both the

RA and the School Board are independent creatures o state law and do not report directly


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to the city, although the city through its majority representation on the School Board

has the opportunity to exert control over it.96

At the July 2005 transportation, staging, and commodities distribution workshop (which

was part o the Hurricane Pam planning project), Chie Matthews alerted state and ederal

o cials o this hole in the citys planning or the pre-landall evacuation.97 Although he did

not request assistance rom the state and ederal o cials or buses or drivers,98 the ederal

o cials who participated in the workshop understood that the city needed drivers: FEMArepresentative Jules Hurst recalled the local o cials reporting that they didnt know i

they could get the drivers to report.99 A U.S. Department o ransportation representative,

Dan Prevo, also recalled, based on the Pam discussions, that there was no certainty that

the drivers i the buses would be made available, that the drivers would be available . . . a

whole lot o research had to be done with regard to how many drivers would be available, or

the liability issues that might be aced or the buses and or the drivers.100

Inormed o this need or drivers or over a month beore Katrina hit, state and ederal o -

cials ailed to explain why they did not take steps to recruit and retain drivers to participate

in the pre-landall evacuation. Tis inertia on the part o the state and ederal government,

which had been on notice o the citys inability to muster drivers on their own, added to the

citys ailures and resulted in a paucity o drivers available to participate in the pre-landallevacuation indeed, only 100 RA drivers volunteered or duty. 101

Te States Lead Agency or ransportation, the Louisiana Department o

ransportation and Development, Failed to Meet its Responsibility Under

the States Emergency Operations Plan or Identiying, Mobilizing, and Co-

ordinating ransportation to Assist With a Pre-Landall Evacuation

Te state ailed to provide any transportation to New Orleans or the pre-landall evacu-

ation mainly because the Secretary o the Louisiana Department o ransportation and

Development (LA DOD) chose to ignore the Departments responsibility under ESF-1

(transportation) o the April 2005 Louisiana Emergency Operations Plan to take the lead or

coordinating transportation or the evacuation o at-risk populations.102

In January 2005, Louisiana O ce o Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

(LOHSEP) o cials explicitly told Gordon Nelson, LA DOD Assistant Secretary or Opera-

tions, and Joseph Modicut, the Departments emergency services coordinator, that primary

responsibility or Emergency Support Function 1 (ESF-1) would likely be shied rom the

Louisiana National Guard to the LA DOD to make the states plan consistent with the Na-

tional Response Plan, which in December 2004 assigned the U.S. Department o ranspor-

tation to be the lead agency or ESF-1.103 Tey also told the LA DOD o cials that their role

in an emergency would be to coordinate obtaining buses rom other sources, recognizing

that LA DOD did not maintain a feet o its own.104 Despite this notice and despite having

signed the state plan in April, thereby binding the Department to assigned responsibilities

within it, LA DOD Secretary Johnny Bradberry and his Department took no steps to ulllthat responsibility. Bradberry said he assumed, albeit incorrectly, that the National Guard

would handle mass bus transportation.105

estiying beore the Committee, Secretary Bradberry attempted to deend his agency by

saying that the plan was in transition, and that he signed the plan to keep things mov-

ing, meaning he did not want to hold up the states overall emergency-operations planning

process because o this issue. Nevertheless, he didnt necessarily agree with the idea that the

Department o ransportation needs to have this transportation unction.106


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Because he elt that the city was addressing the evacuation o its citizens,107 Secretary Brad-

berry said that he had never had a conversation with Mayor Nagin, Colonel Ebbert, or Chie

Matthews, about the evacuation o New Orleans residents without their own means to do

so. Secretary Bradberry said: We have done nothing to ulll this responsibility we put

no plans in place to do any o this.108

Despite the January meeting with LOHSEP o cials and the April signing o the plan by

Secretary Bradberry, Nelson claimed he did not learn about the Departments new respon-sibility until a July 2005 workshop, and Modicut said he did not learn about the new duty

until the weekend beore Katrina made landall.109 Nelson disagreed with the assignment

because the Department did not have an in-house stable o transportation resources, but

he said nothing at the time.110 Te Committee nds no reasonable explanation o why, or

more than our months, the Departments Assistant Secretary or Operations and Chie o

Emergency Services were unamiliar with a undamental shi in the Departments opera-

tional responsibilities under the states revised plan. Tese o cials, like Secretary Bradberry

did not advise state o cials that DOD signed a plan that it did not intend to ollow, choos-

ing to remain silent.

In a letter to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Aairs Committee,

Secretary Bradberry commented on his Departments lack o ESF1 planning:

o criticize the Louisiana Department o ransportation or ailure to have a

plan in place or transportation assets which were never requested is wholly

unair and unjust. Yes, DOD should have acted sooner transitioning into the

new responsibilities under the 2005 State Emergency Operations Plan, but the

act remains that DOD did not receive any requests or transportation prior

to Hurricane Katrina.111

Secretary Bradberrys deense that there were no requests or transportation prior to Ka-

trina rings hollow. Te city discussed their lack o buses and drivers needed or a success-

ul evacuation with state and ederal o cials at the July 2005 transportation, staging and

commodities distribution workshop. Had LA DOD taken meaningul steps to develop aplan, they would quickly have seen the inability o local government to manage its evacua-

tion needs as a potentially catastrophic hurricane approached. Moreover, the state was not

required to wait and should not have waited or a request rom the city beore oering

assistance, particularly when a catastrophe was imminent.

As Katrina approached, some state o cials were leaning orward in the oxhole with

[their] nger on the trigger.112Secretary Bradberry was not one o those o cials.

Te Louisiana O ce o Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Did Not Exercise Su cient Oversight to Ensure that Louisiana Department

o ransportation and Development Would Fulll its Responsibilities Under

the States April 2005 Plan

Te Louisiana Emergency Operations Plan assigned LOHSEP primary responsibility or all

emergency activities conducted by state, local and parish governments beore, during

and aer natural and technological disasters.113 Included within the scope o this charge

is planning and preparations beore emergencies.114 Tis imposed the duty on LOHSEP

to ensure that other agencies carry out their assigned responsibilities under the plan.115

LOHSEP ailed to discharge this duty in the case o LA DODs ESF1 responsibilities or

transportation under the state plan.


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As noted earlier, LA DOD o cials Modicut and Nelson met with senior LOHSEP andLouisiana National Guard o cials in January 2005 to discuss a possible shi o assigned

responsibility or ESF1 rom the Louisiana National Guard to LA DOD.116 At this meet-

ing and in subsequent correspondence, LOHSEPs Chie o Planning, Sean Fontenot, said

that LA DOD understood the responsibilities it would be accepting, and he attempted to

provide some initial guidance regarding expectations or planning:

DOD, the biggest concern was they had no resources. Tey didnt own

buses. Tey didnt own [trucks], but the Guard owns trucks. You go to the

Guard and say, We need trucks, the Guard will give you trucks i they have

them to give you. Te buses, I mean, DOD has relationships with organiza-

tions and agencies like Louisiana Motor ransit Authority Association. Use

some o your this is what I told them, use some o your contacts, use some oyour relationships to build these databases, and things o that nature, and they

agreed and they understood that, and we moved on.117

Based on Fontenots statement that Modicut and Nelson were at the meeting, both should

have been aware o the issue and, presumably, aware that the state was going to be looking

to DOD to meet this need.118

Despite this meeting and subsequent correspondence, once the plan was signed in April

2005, there was no substantive ollow-up by LOHSEP o cials to ensure that DOD was

undertaking planning to ulll the new responsibilities assigned to it under the plan. As

Flooded school buses, New OrleansAP/Wide World Photo


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254

Louisiana National Guard commander Major General Bennett Landreneau acknowledged,

the need or LOHSEP to ensure that DOD met its planning responsibilities slipped

through the cracks.119

Governor Blanco Did Not Request ransportation Resources From the Fed-

eral Government or Pre-landall Evacuation

Although it is unclear precisely what transportation assets the state could have mobilizedover the weekend to assist the city with the pre-landall evacuation, neither the Governor

nor any other state o cial oered to provide transportation to assist with the pre-landall

evacuation or requested ederal assistance.

On August 27, the Governor sent President Bush a letter, requesting $9 million or assis-

tance or emergency protective measuresunder the Staord Act, the ederal law that coordi-

nates ederal disaster assistance to states.120 Although the Governor, in this letter, requested

that $2.5 million be directed to evacuation needs, she did not speciy a need or transporta-

tion.121 Te President issued an emergency declaration the same day, eectively granting the

Governors request.

During video teleconerences with local, state, and ederal o cials on Saturday, August 27,and on Sunday, August 28, state o cials discussed the success o contrafow,122 but did not

raise the issue o additional transportation assets, despite the long-standing realization that

100,000 people in New Orleans lacked transportation. Although LOHSEP Acting Deputy Di-

rector Colonel Je Smith noted on that call that the Governor is very appreciative o the ed-

eral resources that have come into the state and the willingness to give us everything youve

got because, again, were very concerned with this, neither he nor the Governor made a

specic request o the ederal government or transportation resources beore landall.123

Tis lamentable ailure by the Governor to request transportation resources shows not only

a lack o initiative, but also a ailure o leadership.

Mississippi

Beore Katrina reached the Gul Coast, thousands o Louisiana and Mississippi residents

evacuated to other states, including exas and Oklahoma. In Mississippi, localities declared

mandatory evacuations as the hurricane approached. Tese were carried out relatively well,

but some residents chose to disregard the orders. Many had already complied with two alse-

alarm evacuations over the last year.124 Others had disagreeable evacuation experiences. Still

others, approaching the end o the month, no longer had enough money to support them-

selves and their amilies on the road. State and local governments perormed their roles well

in evacuating those who agreed to leave, but must do better by those without the means.

Evacuations of General Population Went Relatively Well

Te Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Mississippi Department

o ransportation (MDO) worked together to develop a hurricane evacuation guide that

provides residents with a hurricane disaster checklist, inormation on evacuation routes,

contrafow plans,125 tra c control inormation, and emergency contact inormation.126

Tough local governments must ultimately decide whether to order an evacuation,127 the

state participates in the decision making process.128 Tis coordination is critical because

once the city or county declares an emergency evacuation, the state becomes responsible


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255

or managing tra c fow and maintaining shelters.129 In preparing or Katrina, state o cials

worked with: the liaisons MEMA dispatched to the lower six counties along the Mississippi

Gul Coast; the Forrest County Emergency Operations Center in Hattiesburg; and the Loui-

siana Emergency Operations Center (because o contrafow agreements between Mississippi

and Louisiana that provide or evacuations out o Southeast Louisiana to Mississippi).130

Te Mississippi Emergency Management Agency began monitoring the storms path and

strength on August 24 ve days beore landall and issued its rst hurricane situationreport that day.131 wo days later, another MEMA report notied state and local agencies

that the storm was now projected to make landall near the Alabama/Mississippi border

on Monday morning as a Category 4 hurricane.132 As a result, Governor Barbour declared

a state o emergency which, according to Darryl Neely, the Governors Policy Advisor,

prompted locals to begin evacuating coastal residents. State agencies met that aernoon

at the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Jackson, Mississippi,133 and MEMA

inormed the three coastal counties o the storms path and projected landall.134

When Robert Latham, the Executive Director o MEMA, which is located in Jackson, head-

ed to the coast on August 27 to meet with county emergency managers to discuss storm

preparations, he was worried that many would ignore evacuation orders.135

Latham and other state o cials, who had reports o low tra c counts on many evacuation

routes and o residents having hurricane parties on the beach, 136 encouraged local o cials

to begin issuing mandatory, coordinated evacuation orders.137 Tough many local govern-

ments had already issued strongly recommended,138 or mandatory evacuations,139 and were

beginning to evacuate areas threatened by Hurricane Katrina throughout Friday evening

and Saturday, some cities and counties were slow to get them to come around,140 accord-

ing to the MEMAs Response and Recovery Director:

We were trying to make them understand that this was a bad storm and they

didnt want to move aggressively enough with the evacuation orders they

should have called or a mandatory evacuation much earlier based on the

inormation they had we elt that they should have called or mandatoryevacuations o a larger area earlier and gotten the people out o there.141

According to Latham, emergency managers had a tough call to make in terms o evacuating

residents:

Tey did understand how serious [the storm] could be aer youd already

been through two or three evacuations, you go to your mayor or your

supervisor and say, weve got to do this evacuation, then it alls back on the

mayor or the board to stand up to public scrutiny when nothing hap-

pens. Tey have to get reelected thats just an unortunate part o it.142

Because Katrina continued to intensiy, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayeldpersonally began calling state and local o cials in the evening o August 27 to emphasize

the threat.143 Mayeld also brieed Governor Barbour,144 comparing Katrina to Camille,

the Category 5 storm that struck Mississippi in 1969. Governor Barbour and Latham elt

the comparison to Camille would resonate, and asked Mayeld to convey the gravity o

Katrina to the public.145 According to state and local o cials, Mayeld and the Governors

press and public announcements had the desired eect. ra c counts on evacuation routes

began increasing.146


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Mandatory Evacuations Declared

Five Mississippi counties Hancock, Jackson, Harrison, Stone, and Pearl River147 is-

sued mandatory-evacuation orders on or beore August 28 or specic areas148 or zones in

their counties and/or those living in mobile homes.149 Residents were told to travel north

or northeast to avoid incoming tra c rom Louisiana and to use public shelters north o

I-10.150

Many Residents Disregarded the Mandatory Evacuation Orders Due to

Complacency, Poor Evacuation Experiences, and Insu cient Financial Re-

sources to Support Temselves and Teir Families on the Road

State and local o cials issued news releases, made appearances on local television and radio

stations, used public address systems and, in certain neighborhoods, even went door-to-door

to inorm coastal residents about evacuation orders. Major Wayne Payne, Harrison Countys

Deputy Sheri, said that o cers were particularly concerned about residents in the Hender-

son Point and DIberville areas, where the houses are built on stilts or are near water: 151

Henderson Point here, we went door to door. We said, this is a bad one, you all

need to get out. Tese are houses on stilts. I mean, theyre 10, 15 eet o the

ground and theyre gone. Teyre wiped out.152

Because o cers did not have the authority to drag people out o their homes in places

like Gulport,153 they were orced to resort to more psychological orms o persuasion. I

a resident reused to evacuate in Harrison County, an o cer asked him to ll out a orm

indicating next o kin, which seemed to have the intended eect.154 In Waveland and Bay

St. Louis, rst responders asked holdouts to make sure to have Social Security numbers on

their body in permanent marker or easy identication aer the storm. Police compiled lists

o locals who were determined to stay in their homes, recording names, birth dates, Social

Security numbers, and next o kin.155 Tese tactics proved eective in persuading residents

to leave their homes.

Several actors contributed to resistance to evacuation. Evacuations earlier in the summerpreceding a tropical storm and Hurricane Dennis, which largely turned out to have been

alse alarms, ostered skepticism.156 Others who had made it through 1969s Hurricane

Camille, the Category 5 storm that was the regions benchmark or catastrophic storms unti

Katrina hit, thought they would see no worse. Harrison Countys Deputy Sheri, Major

Payne, explained:

I had a cousin that stayed in his house, and he said, Well, Camille only put a

oot o water in my house. He stayed and had to climb in the attic to sur-

vive. Water got within six inches o his attic During Hurricane Camille, the

tracks [railroad embankments] pretty well stopped the water. [With Katrina]

we had storm surge on the Interstate.157

More than two-thirds o Katrinas casualties in Mississippi were o retirement age, compli-

cating evacuation. Others eared that looters would strike i they abandoned their homes.158

As the end o August neared, some residents had insu cient resources to support their

amilies on the road. Latham explained:

People on xed income had paid their rent, they paid the utilities, bought

their ood or the month. I mean, a lot o people live check to check. And

this is the 29th. And people said, look I dont have money to evacuate.159


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257

Te average cost o evacuation or three days or a amily o our, including lodging, ood

and transportation, could easily exceed a thousand dollars. Many county residents had

already evacuated several times that summer and simply could not aord it. Colonel Joe

Spraggins, Director o Harrison Countys Emergency Management Agency recalled the

explanation o one resident:

Im single and have two children. I already evacuated twice when you

all called beore. And I had a choice. Because I am behind on everything nowbecause I had to pay to go do that, and I have low income, and I had a choice,

do I eed my children next month and pay the house rent or do I evacuate?160

State and local o cials say that negative evacuation experiences in the past also contributed

to residents reluctance to leave. Te evacuation beore Hurricane Ivan had stalled in and

around Hattiesburg, where major evacuation routes converge, tripling the three-hour drive

rom the Gul Coast to Jackson.161 As a result, Governor Barbour had asked Mississippi

Public Saety Commissioner George Phillips to develop a plan that would provide addi-

tional law-enorcement o cers to expedite evacuations, especially in the Hattiesburg area.162

According to state o cials, the plan,163 completed prior to the 2005 hurricane season, was

executed fawlessly when residents evacuated during Katrina.164

By late Saturday and early Sunday the day beore landall Mississippi Department o

ransportation o cials reported consistently high tra c counts and a continuous in-

crease in tra c in contrafow areas (I-55 and I-59).165 By late Sunday evening, tra c along

the evacuation routes had decreased substantially.166 MDO and MEMA o cials stated that

the evacuations went relatively well. According to MDOs Law Enorcement Coordina-

tor, the biggest problem was residents waiting until the last minute to evacuate and then

expecting tra c to be minimal.167

Residents who, or a variety o reasons, ignored evacuation orders aced a greater set o

problems than those evacuating. State and local governments perormed e ciently and e-

ectively in evacuating those residents who agreed to leave, and persuading those who were

undecided. Nevertheless, these agencies could have done better by the many residents otheir communities who didnt make it out not because o intransigence, but because they

didnt have the means. State and local o cials have an obligation to help evacuate those

who need assistance and should have specic plans to do so.

The Federal Government

Te Federal Government Did Not Reach Out to State or Local Authorities

About ransportation Alternatives or Tose Lacking Means or Pre-Land-

all Evacuation

In public-hearing testimony, Department o Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary MichaelCherto acknowledged the critical importance o pre-landall evacuation: In a situation

like a food in Katrina or an earthquake, the critical, the number-one most important thing

is to get people out o the area in advance. Once the event has occurred, its going to be very

di cult to rescue people.168

As noted earlier, while Governor Blanco asked President Bush or and received the govern-

ments help in paying the costs o contrafow, among other pre-storm needs, she did not

ask or transportation rom the ederal government to assist the state with the pre-landall

evacuation. Tus, in an eort to obtain transportation assistance, the Governor did not


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Chapter 16

258

initiate the longstanding practice o making a ormal request o the ederal government or

assistance.

Te ederal government played no role in providing transportation or pre-landall evacua-

tion. Both in the run-up to Katrina and subsequent interviews, ederal o cials provided the

same explanation: they were accustomed to the longstanding practice o generally deerring

to the primary emergency response to state and local governments.169 Although the Nation-

al Response Plan (NRP) does not specically address evacuations, a basic premise o theNRP is that incidents are generally handled at the lowest jurisdictional level possible, and

that in some instances, a Federal agency in the local area may provide direction or assis-

tance consistent with its specic statutory authorities and responsibilities.170 (See Chapter

12 and 27 or a uller discussion o the NRP and the specic statutory authorities.)

Troughout the weekend o August 27 and 28 it had become increasingly clear to ederal,

state, and local o cials that Hurricane Katrina would be a catastrophe. Mayor Nagin took

the unprecedented step (albeit with some hesitation) o calling or a mandatory evacuation

o New Orleans. Both President Bush and Governor Blanco actively encouraged that step.

Tere was no question that evacuation beore landall was the highest priority.

While the widespread support or mandatory evacuation is laudable, it is unortunate thatthe ederal government did not take a greater interest in the practicality o that evacuation

in a city widely known to have made no arrangements or evacuation o the thousands o

its citizens lacking personal transportation. Federal o cials had participated actively in the

Hurricane Pam exercise (See Chapter 8), which predicted that some 100,000 New Orleani-

ans would lack means o evacuation.171 Federal o cials did not need to wait or a request

beore oering help.

Although time would not have been on their side in the last two days beore landall, the

DHS had a window however slim within which to act. But it does not appear that DHS

leaders asked about what the state and the city were doing to evacuate the 100,000 people

without transportation. Nor did they ask whether it would be useul or the ederal govern-

ment to mobilize and deploy buses or drivers to Southeast Louisiana.172 Nor did they askwhether it would be helpul to use the weight o the ederal government to urge railroads,

airlines, transit systems, or cruiselines to become engaged in the pre-landall evacuation.

Further, as the Committee ound in Chapters 12 and 27, Secretary Cherto ailed to activate

the Catastrophic Incident Annex (CIA) to the National Response Plan beore landall. Had

Secretary Cherto activated the CIA, it would have sent a clear message to ederal agencies

that they should be pushing assets, including transportation assets, orward to mobilization

centers close to the disaster or in certain circumstances directly to the incident scene.

During the Hurricane Pam exercise, and ollow-up July 2005 workshop, ederal o cials had

heard state and local o cials openly discuss their shortage o buses and other resources to

evacuate that population.173

While there is some disagreement as to the rmness o ederalcommitment, ederal o cials evidently discussed at least the possibility o providing the

buses that the state lacked.174 Participants in the July 2005 Pam workshop on transportation

staging, and commodities distribution even agreed on a timetable to pre-stage buses ahead

o landall, to be prepared or post-landall evacuation needs.175 Even though this planning

wasnt complete by the time Katrina struck, ederal o cials were aware o evacuation chal-

lenges or state and local governments.

With no plans to supplement state and local transportation resources, ederal options were

limited. Getting buses rom distant sources to New Orleans, as it did aer landall, may not

have been realistic, depending on when the eort was initiated over the weekend. On the


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259

other hand, there were many transportation assets either in the area (such as municipal

buses, riverboats and cruise ships) or accessible (such as trains and airplanes) that the ed-

eral government could have helped to make available. Te post-landall resourceulness o

many o cials who arranged or transportation alternatives suggestswhat could have been

easily attempted beore landall.

Tere is other evidence that the ederal government can mobilize transportation resources

or evacuation when it chooses to do so. Pursuant to a request rom the State o Louisiana,the U.S. Department o ransportation (DO) contracted or 1,100 buses and two drivers

per bus or post-landall evacuation during Katrina. Federal o cials also staged a major air

evacuation.176 Later, in preparation or Hurricane Rita, DO reached out to transit agencies

rom exas to Georgia to Florida.177 Four days beore Hurricane Rita made landall, FEMA,

through DO, ordered immediate staging outside o New Orleans o 650 buses or use in

evacuation o New Orleans and Southern parishes.178 Also beore Hurricane Rita made

landall, the U.S. Department o Deense (DOD) evacuated 1,204 patients and people with

special needs beore landall, between 7 a.m. on September 21, when they received the mis-

sion assignment and noon on September 23.179

Te DOs Federal ransit Administration (FA) is in a uniquely strong position to coor-

dinate privately and publicly owned buses. Te FA has close relationships with regionaltransit authorities through emergency preparedness operations. For instance, New Orleans

RA is a 92 percent ederally unded agency and has extensive relationships with the regional

o ce o DO.180 Also, DO situation reports show that the FA was keeping close tabs

beore landall on the Baton Rouge transit system buses.181 Although the state was late asking

the Baton Rouge transit system to participate in the post-landall evacuation o New Orleans,

it appears that the DO did not ask the Baton Rouge transit system to participate at all.

Federal o cials were both aware o state and local shortalls, and had both the capacity and

opportunities to help. But in the absence o adequate plans and policies, ederal o cials

were paralyzed to act.

At 10:15 a.m. Sunday, August 28, the day beore landall,FEMAs Acting Deputy DirectorPatrick Rhode, sent an e-mail to other FEMA o cials, conceding that time had run out to

help New Orleans with pre-landall evacuation.182 Contrafow ended at 5 p.m. that day.183

Whether that seven-hour interval oered any opportunity or useul ederal action is un-

clear, but ederal o cials did not engage state and locals on the issue.

During a noon video-teleconerence call the same day, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown

asked Colonel Smith i there were any unmet needs, anything that were not getting to

you that you need to which Colonel Smith responded, Mike, no. Brown testied that he

was seeking inormation rom the state on what it needed at that moment only.184 As with

Rhodes e-mail, by noon on Sunday, time was limited or the ederal government to help

New Orleans with its pre-landall evacuation.

Secretary Cherto was right when he said that evacuation was the primary mission beore

landall.185 A concentrated eort by the ederal, state, and local governments to eect a more

complete evacuation o New Orleans beore landall would have likely reduced the number

o people to care or at the Superdome, the Convention Center, and other collection sites;

eased the burden o the search-and-rescue eort; lessened the challenge o the post-landall

evacuation; and reduced the number o critical supplies, medical support, and law enorce-

ment that were needed in New Orleans aer landall.


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Chapter 16

260

Te Federal Government Had the Authority to Assist With Pre-Landall

Evacuation, Even in the Absence o a Request or Assistance rom State and

Local Governments

Due to disagreement among o cials as to whether, when, and to what extent the ederal

government could assist with a pre-landall evacuation, it is helpul to examine the law and

policy directing the way in which ederal o cials could have assisted with the pre-landall

evacuation.

Federal law imposes no requirement or the ederal government to aid pre-landall evacu-

ations. Such a requirement would be inconsistent with the principle that local and state au-

thorities have primary responsibility or emergencies, receiving ederal assistance only when

their own resources are overwhelmed. However, ederal law does not prohibit the ederal

government rom extending assistance, even without a request rom the state, when prepar-

ing or or responding to an imminent catastrophe such as Hurricane Katrina.

Te Robert . Staord Disaster Relie and Emergency Assistance Act (the Staord Act)

gives the ederal government the authority to assist the state and local governments with an

evacuation. Congress made clear in the Staord Act that its purpose was to vest respon-

sibility or emergency preparedness jointly in the Federal government and the states andtheir political subdivisions.186 Included within the Staord Acts denition o emergency

preparedness is any measure undertaken in preparation or anticipated hazards, such as

the non-military evacuation o the civilian population.187

Te Staord Act also authorizes the President and, through Executive Orders, the Secre-

tary o Homeland Security188 to direct ederal agencies to provide assistance essential to

meeting immediate threats to lie and property resulting rom a major disaster, including

but not limited to the movement o supplies or persons and the reduction o immediate

threats to lie, property, and public health and saety.189 A common-sense reading o this

language would indicate that the Staord Act authorized the President to direct a ederal

agency to help state and local governments move people out o New Orleans both beore

and aer landall to meet the immediate threat o Katrina.

Te Homeland Security Act o 2002 enumerates FEMAs unctions which include assis-

tance with evacuations. Under the Act, FEMAs mission is to reduce the loss o lie and

property and protect the Nation rom all hazards by leading and supporting the Nation in

a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management program, including the responsibil-

ity or mitigation o risk to people and property, planning, and responding to save lives

through evacuating potential victims.190

FEMAs mission under the Homeland Security Act was to take steps to mitigate the risks to

people that could arise rom Katrina; plan to help o cials prepare or Katrina and similar

catastrophic storms; plan or an evacuation in the event o a catastrophic storm; respond to

Katrina by evacuating potential victims; and coordinate eorts by other o cials.191

Te Catastrophic Incident Annex (CIA) to the NRP delineates ederal policy on a more

proactive response to catastrophes. Tese issues are discussed in Chapters 12 and 27.

Provisions for Household Pets

Hurricane Katrina revealed that consideration o the needs o those with pets should be a

actor in emergency planning or evacuations and sheltering.


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261

Te City o New Orleans plans do not reer to pets, but the State o Louisianas EOP

includes an appendix entitled, Animal Management in Disasters, which directs veterinar-

ians, animal control personnel, and humane society volunteers to, among other things, co-

ordinate with the Louisiana Shelter ask Force on the sheltering o companion animals.192

Te NRP does not address the implications o evacuation and sheltering or pets, but has

scattered reerences to animals. Most o these reerences relate to preventing outbreaks o

disease through animals.193

More than 50 percent o U.S. households have pets.194 In the aermath o Katrina, the media

brought to light many stories o individuals who reused to evacuate without their ani-

mals.195 One study revealed that childless households with pets were twice as likely to ail to

evacuate as households with children. In other words, in childless households, owners were

apparently willing to jeopardize their lives to stay with their pets.196 In his aer-action

report on Hurricane Katrina, Captain Mark Willow o the Homeland Security Division o

the New Orleans Police Department wrote that Some o the atalities in New Orleans and

surrounding areas may be attributable to the act victims would not leave their pets at home

or would not consider leaving without them.197

Evacuation with pets beore the storm was di cult or many since emergency shelters usu-

ally prohibit animals. Te American Red Cross did not allow animals in its shelters.198 Ani-mals can cause allergic reactions or some residents o the shelter, increase hygiene prob-

lems, and may become dangerous or unruly in the stressul setting o a shelter.199 Even aer

the storm passed, the media reported on many individuals unwilling to leave their homes

despite dangerous conditions unless rescuers agreed to rescue their pets as well.200

Te national organization o the American Red Cross works cooperatively with animal

welare organizations to develop procedures or stationing animal shelters close to its own

shelters.201 In this way, owners are able to evacuate with their pets and maintain contact

aer arrival at the shelter. Te American Red Cross implements this policy by encouraging

local chapters to work with animal organizations to establish local agreements.202 However,

Gul Coast victims did not have pet accommodations inside or in close proximity to many

o the available shelters.203 In particular, the New Orleans Superdome, the citys reuge olast resort, had no pet shelter acilities inside or close by, and the Committee has seen no

evidence o ormal arrangements or Superdome reugees pets.204

During Katrina, the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, Louisiana, (approximately 30

miles rom Baton Rouge) was designated as an animal shelter. ypically used or 4-H events

and rodeos, it has almost 1,000 horse stalls and thus was able to serve both large and small

animals.205 During Katrina, the Center handled approximately 8,500 rescued animals.206

For Katrina, FEMA activated all our o its Veterinary Medical Assistance eams (VMA)

to the Gul Coast.207 Tis involved more than 200 veterinarians and was FEMAs largest

simultaneous deployment o veterinary relie.208 Te National Guard and Louisiana State

Police assisted in collecting stray dogs.209 On September 2, 2005, the American Society orthe Prevention o Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society o the United

States (HSUS) began a coordinated campaign with a dozen local organizations and volun-

teers rom across the country to rescue animals rom the aermath o Katrina.

For Katrina, no standardized system or tracking rescued animals was in place. Te website

Petnder.com came to play an important role in allowing owners to nd rescued pets. 210


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262

1 Te number 100,000 is cited during numerous interviews including: Committee sta interview o erry ullier, then

Director, New Orleans O ce o Emergency Preparedness, LA, conducted on Nov. 22, 2005, transcript p. 18. See also:

City o New Orleans, Emergency Response Shelter/Plan appropriations request, FY2006, p. 1 (Col. erry Ebbert is the

point o contact, Te city o New Orleans aces the reality that it is impossible to conduct a mandatory evacuation in

advance o a Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricane, as well as respond to other disasters including terrorism. Even under the

best conditions that currently exist in terms o emergency response in the New Orleans region, evacuation would leave

150,000 people in harms way.).

2 Some attribute the reason or choosing not to leave as cultural. Both Col. erry Ebbert and ormer O ce o EmergencyPreparedness Director erry ullier expressed this sentiment in interviews. Col. Ebbert noted: But these people hadnt

seen a Cat 3 since Betsy, 1965. So youre talking about people who dont think its going to hit them. Ivan last year bored

down on us until it got to the mouth o the Mississippi and it turned. And I think its a cultural thing thats been

brought along. Source: Committee sta interview o Col. erry Ebbert, Director, New Orleans O ce o Homeland

Security, LA, conducted on Oct. 13, 2005, transcript p. 97. ullier said, Te rst thing is a public o cial has to convince

this cultural masses [sic] that have accumulated this cultural philosophical viewpoint over 40 years, has to convince them

it is in their best interests [inaudible] to leave. Source: ullier interview, Nov. 22, 2005, p. 216.

3 Col. Ebbert interview, Jan. 12, 2006, p. 44.

4 Committee sta interview o Joseph Matthews, Director, New Orleans O ce o Emergency Preparedness, LA, con-

ducted on Nov. 23, 2005, transcript p. 193.

5 In 2003, the state renamed this o ce the Louisiana O ce o Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

6 Committee sta interview o Sean Fontenot, ormer Chie, Preparedness Division, Louisiana O ce o Homeland

Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOHSEP), conducted on Jan. 10, 2006, transcript pp. 108-109 (Aer Hurri-

cane Georges in 98, local government in Southeast Louisiana Hurricane ask Force, which is comprised o the thirteenparishes in the southeast corner o the state went to the state and said, we need help with this. We need Contrafow.

We need you to do this.).

7 During the Hurricane Ivan evacuation, tra c ground to a halt in Baton Rouge as I-10 and 1-12 converged. Sheila Gris-

sett, Evacuation decision expected today or metropolitan area, New Orleans imes-Picayune, July 8, 2005. http://www

nola.com/news/t-p/rontpage/index.ss?/base/news-3/1120800310204660.xml. Accessed on May 15, 2006.

8 Committee sta interview o Sec. Johnny Bradberry, Louisiana Department o ransportation and Development,

conducted on Nov. 17, 2005, transcript pp. 38-39.

9 Committee sta interview o Joseph Donchess, Executive Director, Louisiana Nursing Home Association, conducted

on Jan. 9, 2006, transcript pp. 64-65.

10 Committee sta interview o Henry Whitehorn, Superintendent, Louisiana State Police, conducted on Nov. 29, 2005,

transcript p. 19.

11 Whitehorn interview, Nov. 29, 2005, pp. 20-21.

12 Te plan established three corridors out o New Orleans on I-55 North, I-10 West, and I-10 East and excluded I-12

as a route to Baton Rouge, with hopes o directing as many people away rom Baton Rouge as possible. Source: Com-

mittee sta interview o Bob Chapman, Emergency Services Manager, Mississippi Department o ransportation, and

William Hu, Director, Enorcement, Mississippi Department o ransportation, conducted on Dec. 14, 2005, transcript

pp. 28-30. Starting contrafow requires stopping tra c in the lanes heading into the evacuation area. Tis process takes

about 30 minutes. Once contrafow is initiated, the routes leading out o the area are limited to help alleviate congestion

caused by people who might otherwise try to turn or change routes. At a specic point, on I-10 West, I-10 East, and I-55

North, tra c must ollow designated routes which end up either west o Baton Rouge or in Mississippi. As depicted on

the Louisiana Citizens Awareness & Disaster Evacuation Guide, I-10 West will have eight lanes o tra c leading out o

New Orleans, but at mile marker 209, those traveling on the eastbound lanes will be diverted onto the westbound lanes

o I-10 and will continue west on I-10 toward Baton Rouge; those on the westbound lanes will be orced to go on to I-55

North to travel to Mississippi. I evacuees take I-10 East, they will also eventually wind up on I-51 traveling to Missis-

sippi passing through Slidell. o alleviate congestion caused by entering or exiting tra c, tra c is laned, meaning that

once on the route the evacuee is dedicated or some extended period o time. Source: Louisiana State Police, Louisiana

Department o ransportation and Development, and LOHSEP, Overview o the Louisiana Emergency Evacuation Plan,

2005 [hereinaer Overview o the Louisiana Emergency Evacuation Plan].

13 Under the plan, i contrafow into Mississippi is needed, the Louisiana governor will contact the Mississippi governor

who will make the decision whether to implement contrafow. Source: Chapman and Hu interview, Dec. 14, 2005, pp.

69-71. Te improved LEEP has two possible contrafow route operations: Option 1, Louisiana contrafow to state line,

which is ull-lane reversal only within the borders o Louisiana; and Option 2, Mississippi contrafow to I-59 mile marke

and to I-55 mile marker 31. Mississippi requests our hours advance notice or contrafow to the state line, three addi-

tional hours advance notice to start I-55 and I-59 contrafow operations i the state line operation is already in place, and

seven hours notice to go straight into I-55 and I-59 contrafow operations. Tese points were chosen to end contrafow

because o concerns about manpower and the desire to get tra c fowing normally prior to arrival at a major metro-

politan area, particularly Hattiesburg. Source: Mississippi Department o ransportation, Contrafow Plan or Interstate

Hurricane Evacuation ra c Control, Aug. 2005, pp. 7, 20, 22, 37, 39; Chapman and Hu interview, Dec. 14, 2005, p. 50.

14 Committee sta interview o Lt. Col. Mark Oxley, Chie o Sta, Louisiana State Police and Lt. Col. Joseph Booth,

Special Projects Deputy Superintendent, Louisiana State Police, conducted on Dec. 9, 2005, transcript pp. 33-34. Phase


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three o LEEP includes areas on the East Bank o the Mississippi River in the New Orleans metropolitan area, which are

within the levee protection system but remain vulnerable to a slow moving Category 3 or any Category 4 or 5 storm.

Source: Overview o the Louisiana Emergency Evacuation Plan. Following Hurricane Dennis, during which Jeerson Par-

ish evacuated out o plan order, Jeerson Parish President Aaron Broussard sent a letter in July 2005 to Governor Blanco

criticizing part o the states evacuation plan. According to the Jeerson Parish Director o Emergency Management,

Dr. Walter Maestri, the plan put a tremendous burden on local law enorcement to get people through parish neigh-

borhoods and onto the Interstates. Further, because o Jeerson Parishs geographic boundaries, citizens o the parish,

depending on what part o the parish they reside, all in Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 zones. So, I we ollow the State

plan perectly one o our three groups has got to leave at night in the dark. Source: Committee sta interview o Walter

Maestri, Ph.D., Director, Jeerson Parish O ce o Emergency Management, LA, conducted on Oct. 25, 2005, transcript

pp. 90-92. It should be noted that Jeerson Parish ollowed the State Plan or the Katrina evacuation, although it helped

matters or Jeerson Parish that the state operated the evacuation on a compressed time line. While a compressed

time line was in place or Hurricane Katrina, Jeerson Parish was criticized in Hurricane Dennis or compressing the

time line o their evacuation. Source: Maestri interview, Oct. 27, 2005, pp. 20-21.

15 Te LEEP is based on a phased evacuation process which calls or specic action by specied location at certain desig-

nated times beore the scheduled landall o a Category 2 or greater hurricane: (1) Phase 1 at 50 hours beore the onset

o tropical storm winds, areas south o the intracoastal waterway may evacuate; (2) Phase 2 at 40 hours beore the onset

o tropical storm orce winds, areas south o the Mississippi River which are levee protected but remain vulnerable to

Category 2 or higher storms may evacuate; (3) Phase 3 at 30 hours beore the onset o tropical storm orce winds, areas

along the East Bank o the Mississippi River in the New Orleans metropolitan area which are within the levee protection

system but remain vulnerable to a slow moving Category 3 or any Category 4 or 5 storm may evacuate. Te contrafow

plan, reversing highway lanes so that all tra c can fow away rom the potential impact area, is implemented during

Phase 3. Overview o the Louisiana Emergency Evacuation Plan.

16 Whitehorn interview, Nov. 29, 2005, pp. 18-22.

17 Oxley and Booth interview, Dec. 9, 2005, pp. 167, 203.

18 Mayor Nagin, in testimony beore the Committee on Feb. 1, 2006 stated, Our region had one o the most successul

mass evacuations in the history o the United States. Over 90% o our residents evacuated. Over one million people le

the region within 24 hours. Source: estimony o Mayor C. Ray Nagin, City o New Orleans, LA, beore the U.S. Senate,

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Aairs, hearing on Hurricane Katrina: Managing the Crisis and

Evacuating New Orleans Feb. 1, 2006. In testimony beore the Committee on Feb. 2, 2006, Governor Blanco stated that

1.3 million people were moved to saety through our contrafow plan. Source: Written Statement o Gov. Kathleen

Blanco, Louisiana, or the U.S. Senate, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Aairs, hearing on Hur-

ricane Katrina: Te Role o Governors in Managing the Catastrophe, Feb. 2, 2006, p. 1.

19 Bradberry interview, Nov. 17, 2005, pp. 38-39.

20 estimony o Gov. Haley Barbour, Mississippi, beore the U.S. House, Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the

Preparation or and Response to Hurricane Katrina, hearing on Hurricane Katrina Preparedness and Response by the

State o Mississippi, Dec. 7, 2005.

21 Committee sta interview o Maj. John Miller, Highway Saety Patrol, Public Saety Department, MS, conducted on

Dec. 14, 2005, transcript p. 18.

22 Maj. Miller interview, Dec. 12, 2005, p. 19.

23 Maj. Miller interview, Dec. 12, 2005, p. 31.

24 Committee sta interview o Larry Ingargiola, Emergency Manager, St. Bernard Parish, LA, conducted on Oct. 26,

2005, transcript p. 69-70.

25 Ingargiola interview, Oct. 26, 2005, p. 69.





30 Ingargiola interview, Oct. 26, 2005, p. 66. Mr. Ingargiola noted that it is his belie that it takes between 36 to 48 hours

to evacuate that percentage o people rom St. Bernard Parish. Source: Ingargiola interview, Oct. 26, 2005, p. 73. Ad-

ditionally, Mr. Ingargiola stated that he was happy with this percentage, noting that, I would have loved to see more

people get out, but I dont think we would have been able to get more people out than what we did. Source: Ingargiola

interview, Oct. 26, 2005, p. 100. Te ones that were le that we had to evacuate wouldnt have le no matter what. I

dont think. We would have had to personally drag them out. Source: Ingargiola interview, Oct. 26, 2005, p. 153.

31 U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts: St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, 2004. http://quickacts.census.gov/qd/

states/22/22087.html. Accessed on Mar. 27, 2006.



34 Committee sta interview o Jesse St. Amant, Director, Plaquemines Parish O ce o Emergency Preparedness, con-


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264

ducted on Nov. 9, 2005, transcript p. 23-25.

35 Louisiana, Preparation and Response to Hurricane Katrina Integrated imeline, p. 13. Provided to Committee.

36 Committee sta interview o Dexter Accordo, Emergency Manager, St. ammany Parish, LA, conducted on Nov. 10,

2005, transcript pp. 3-4.

37 Accordo interview, Nov. 10, 2005, p. 47.


39 Accordo interview, Nov. 10, 2005, p. 50.40 Accordo interview, Nov. 10, 2005, pp. 94-95.


42 Accordo interview, Nov. 10, 2005, pp. 96-97.


44 Accordo interview, Nov. 10, 2005, pp. 108-109.

45 Maestri interview, Oct. 25, 2005, p. 7.


47 Maestri interview, Oct. 25, 2005, pp. 75-76; Committee sta interview o Walter Maestri, Ph.D., Director, Jeerson

Parish O ce o Emergency Management, LA, conducted on Oct. 27, 2005, transcript p. 37. Maestri stated that this

estimation is based on the analysis conducted by the Survey Research Center o the University o New Orleans. Maestri

interview, Oct. 27, 2005, p. 37.

48 Maestri interview, Oct. 25, 2005, pp. 98-99. Moreover, Maestri stated, We dene that as everybody who wanted to go

had the opportunity to go in Jeerson [parish]. So rom my perspective that was a success. Maestri interview, Oct. 25,

2005, p. 99.

49 Maestri interview, Oct. 25, 2005, pp. 102-103.




53 Maestri interview, Oct. 27, 2005, pp. 49-51.


55 City o New Orleans, Mayors Press Room, Katrina Update, alking Points, Aug. 27, 2005, 1 p.m. Provided to Com-

mittee.

56 Mayor Urges Storm Preparations, New Orleans imes-Picayune, Aug. 27, 2005. http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ss?/mtlogs/nola_imes-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html. Accessed on Mar. 21, 2006.

57 Gordon Russell, Nagin orders rst-ever mandatory evacuation o New Orleans, New Orleans imes-Picayune, Aug.

28, 2005. www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ss?/mtlogs/nola_imes-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html. Accessed

on Apr. 15, 2006. When announcing the mandatory evacuation, the Mayor said, I am this morning, declaring that we

will be doing a mandatory evacuation, and I wish I had better news or you. But we are acing a storm that most o us

have eared. I do not want to create panic. But I want the citizens to understand that this is very serious. We sent out

a ax to all the churches that we could this morning, basically alerting them to exactly what were doing, and asking them

to buddy up, to nd members in their congregations, to check on the senior citizens or a citizen who may not have

the means and is totally reliant upon public transportation to get around. Te Mayor noted that the Superdome would

open to the general public as a reuge o last resort at 12 p.m. Tere were 12 locations identied by the Regional ransit

Authority (RA) and announced by the Mayor as designated pick-up points or individuals in need o transport to the

Superdome. Te locations were: (1) E.J. Morris Senior Center, 1616 Ca n Ave.; (2) Frantz, 9th Ward, 3811 N. Galvez St.

(3) Warren Easton, Mid-City, 3019 Canal St.; (4) Augustine, Mid-City, 425 S. Broad St.; (5) S. Williams, Uptown, 5712

S. Claiborne Ave.; (6) Rabouin, CBD, 727 Carrondelet St.; (7) Arthur Monday Center, 1111 Newton St.; (8) O. Perry

Walker H.S., West Bank, 2832 General Meyers; (9) Abramson, New Orleans East, 5552 Read Blvd.; (10) N.O. Mission,1130 Oretha Castle Halley Blvd.; (11) McMain Uptown, 5712 South Claiborne; (12) Sarah . Reid High School, New

Orleans East, 5316 Michoud Blvd. Mayor C. Ray Nagin, New Orleans Mayor, Louisiana Governor Hold Press Coner-

ence, Aug. 28, 2005. http://transcripts.cnn.com/RANSCRIPS/0508/28/bn.04.html. Accessed on Mar. 27, 2006.

58 Mayor Nagin, Senate Committee hearing, Feb. 1, 2006.

59 Louisiana Statute 29:724D(5) authorizes the Governor to direct and compel the evacuation o all or part o the popu-

lation rom any stricken or threatened area within the state i he deems this action necessary or the preservation o lie

or other disaster mitigation, response, or recovery. Louisiana Statute 29:727F(5) authorizes parish presidents to direct

and compel the evacuation o all or part o the population rom any stricken or threatened area within the boundaries o

the parish i he deems this action necessary or mitigation, response, or recovery measures.

60 Te policy o the citys previous mayoral administration was to shun mandatory evacuation orders because they

w

Documents

LA DODT Pre-Storm Evacuation