Articles

Poor Decisions, Bad Planning Leads to Bad Homeland Security

During Thanksgiving week I traveled down to the New Orleans area to work on a Hurricane Katrina house. Fifteen months after the devastating storm that tore through the Gulf Coast, I was amazed to see what nature did to the area. There are some inevitable truths in life. One of them is that we can not control nature; however we can prepare for the effects of it.

That is something the government in Louisiana, particularly New Orleans government did not do. I left the New Orleans area in 1986 and I remember very well the effects of two minor storms, ELENA and JUAN. In comparison to KATRINA, these storms were babies. Yet, on the westbank side of the Mississippi River, there were multiple levee breaks. Fortunately these were small breaches that were repaired by local citizens and sandbags. You would think that after Hurricanes BETSY (1965), CAMILLE (1969) and ANDREW (1992), the local government and the State of Louisiana would have made preparations.

Unless you've lived in New Orleans, you may not have heard the term, "Lagniappe" (Pronounced "Lan-yap"). I've always heard it defined as, "A little something for nothing." Actually, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, it means, "an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.”

This is Louisiana politics. Rather than invest legally into the infrastructure to protect the people, some have invested to fill their own pockets. Governor Edwin Edwards was convicted on 17 of 26 counts of racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and wire fraud. This, "take care of my own interest" mentality goes back much farther than Edwards and continues today. Weeks after Hurricane KATRINA New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded for the citizens to come back to the city. What were they to come back to? Mold and disease filled homes? Unstable water and power? An area with a struggling Law Enforcement and Emergency Management capability? Inactive medical facilities? A limited food supply to support the population? A devastated employment infrastructure? it's very clear why Mayor Nagin wanted people to come back - his Mayoral term was near end and he needed a voter base.

So how does this affect Homeland Security?

Of the many homes that Hurricane Katrina destroyed, many belonged to the families of Law Enforcement, Security Professionals, Fire Fighters and Emergency Management Professionals. Many of these families are gone. It is estimated that 30-40% of First Responders now live elsewhere. Many hospitals and medical facilities are closed or in the process of closing. Doctors and other medical professionals have left. The State could have invested in levee reinforcement but they chose not to.

It is no secret that the New Orleans area is situated below sea level, yet, can anyone explain why evidence lockers were not maintained within weatherproof facilities? When Hurricane Katrina came there were many individuals awaiting trial for Murder, Rape, Robbery or other violent crimes. Evidence was destroyed and the criminals were given,” Get out of Jail Free" cards. During my visit, there was a murder every day I was there on the West bank side. (55 for the year then.) On the East bank the Murder rate was almost as bad. Additionally, on a single day there were 4 to 5 fires, some on the same block. The City could have invested in secure facilities for evidence but they chose not to.

The citizens in the New Orleans area are fighting to bring their lives back. You can't find a building supply store not crowded with people buying materials to rebuild. You can tell alot about people by their demeanor; many show hope to get back to some sense of the normalcy they once knew, others looked beat. I caught a conversation off to my left at a Home Depot store. Two men haven't seen each other since the storm. As one many ran to his friend, grabbed his hand and put his hand on his shoulder, he asked how he was doing. The other man looked to the ground, shook his head and said, "It's all gone." This man's pain impacted me in a way I can't even describe.

Reputable contractors are doing the big jobs. Those that may be questionable are available to offer services to the poor and the elderly. Outside a Home Depot in Gretna, LA I was watched many different groups of illegal aliens. Each group was looking for a signal to offer them work. This industrious bunch has seen this scenario as a work opportunity. They were scattered in bunches of 8 to 10 in areas where they could easily disband if Law Enforcement were to arrive.

New Orleans is a major shipping port and home to many vital chemical and oil refineries. Yet, the bulk of Law Enforcement and Security Professionals are gone. Who will protect these areas to the level they were before? The Coast Guard? No. The Coast Guard is responsible to provide a certain level of port security but not responsible for securing the facilities themselves. Many of their families' from the Coast Guard District Eight lost homes as well. Charity Hospital was known as an important learning opportunity for medical professionals worldwide. Yet, because of the flooding this hospital is closing, eliminating a vital international medical facility.

As I drove across the temporary bridge spans of the I-10 bridge heading to New Orleans, I wasn't prepared for what I was to see. In New Orleans East, thousand of houses and apartments were gutted. Two large shopping malls were destroyed and empty. There are an estimated 99-thousand displaced families from the New Orleans area alone. When Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on the area the Federal government tried to help. But...the local government didn't want their help until it was too late; the Federal government became a convenient source of blame.

There are so many facets of life that were changed or destroyed because of this storm. Many industries and facilities lost are vital to homeland security. But how can we expect to maintain homeland security when local governments are unwilling to do the hard work, plan and make good decisions?

As I said earlier, we can not control nature; however we can prepare for the effects of it. Both the Louisiana State and New Orleans governments chose not to.