A Failure of Initiative

“A Failure of Initiative” was the title of the Congressional Report on the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Difficult words.

The introduction states: “Government failed because it did not learn from past experiences, or because lessons thought to be learned were somehow not implemented. If 9/11 was a failure of imagination, then Katrina was a failure of initiative. It was a failure of leadership.”

To me, initiative means asking: Now what? And then do it.

Here are findings and some thoughts from the Executive Summary on pages 1-5:

1) “The accuracy and timeliness of NWS and NHC forecasts prevented further loss of life.” Thoughts: These organizations have been defunded, does that affect their capabilities?

2) FEMA’s “Hurricane Pam exercise reflected recognition by all levels of government of the dangers of a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans.” Thoughts: FEMA is being actively targeted for elimination, does this reduce the government’s ability to respond?

3) “Levees protecting New Orleans were not built for the most severe hurricanes.” Thoughts: Do financial models depend on government bailouts to determine that insurance in vulnerable areas is a worthy investment? Venice, Houston, Miami, Delhi, and New Orleans are just a few that start to aggregate risk. I recall flooded subways in NYC during Hurricane Sandy, excuse me, Superstorm Sandy.

4) “The failure of complete evacuations led to preventable deaths, great suffering, and further delays in relief.” Thoughts: A need to work with the awareness that some will always stay behind, with intention, ignorance, or inability.

5) “Critical elements of the National Response Plan were executed late, ineffectively, or not at all.” Thoughts: It’s just paper.

6) “DHS and the states were not prepared for this catastrophic event.” Thoughts: Resources are always limited, but preparedness is mindful of this.

7) “Massive communication damage and a failure to adequately plan for alternatives impaired response efforts, command and control, and situational awareness.” Thoughts: This one hits close to home. Few understand the vulnerabilities in a complex system, especially one that works reliably, but is also dependent on factors outside its control. Electricity is important, and it doesn’t perform well underwater, and levees keep circuits on dry land, and the levee and pump engineers don’t know if there’s been a breach if their phones or radios don’t work. Are we more or less vulnerable today?

8) “Command and control was impaired at all levels, delaying relief.” Thoughts: Even the best systems break down, and many systems comprised of humans are fraught on a good day. How to plan for this, and build a fractal, empowered team becomes a worthy goal.

9) “The military played an invaluable role, but coordination was lacking.” Thoughts: perhaps we watch the U2 and Green Day video, titled The Saints are Coming… “I realize there’s no reply” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD_0fqvT32g

10) “The collapse of local law enforcement and lack of effective public communications led to civil unrest and further delayed relief.” Thoughts: When local law enforcement’s mission is clouded, the wild West returns, and the balance of power swings to those with power.

11) “Medical care and evacuations suffered from a lack of advance preparations, inadequate communications, and difficulties coordinating efforts.” Thoughts: The hurricane was on radar for days. Decision-making doesn’t get easier, it gets harder. This is not science, this is training. Hospitals face trauma every day. Seems solvable with good people, and we have lots of good people too.

12) “Long standing weaknesses and the magnitude of the disaster overwhelmed FEMA’s ability to provide emergency shelter and temporary housing.” Thoughts: Organizations are never fully prepared, but minimum functional capabilities seems like a realistic goal.

13) “FEMA logistics and contracting systems did not support a targeted, massive, and sustained provision of commodities.” Thoughts: I’m reminded of the Red Cross, who charitably show up at the scene when someone’s house burns. They offer basics and then point survivors towards other resources. What are the other resources?

14) “Contributions by charitable organizations assisted many in need, but the American Red Cross and others faced challenges due to the size of the mission, inadequate logistics capacity, and disorganized shelter process.” Thoughts: I’ve been exceptionally impressed by the Red Cross coordination of shelters in disaster zones in the many that I have seen since Hurricane Katrina. These are always challenging situations, but they provide experience and real resources to people in need. Stand up applause.

Now what?

From the report’s title page, a quote from Henry Ford “Don’t find a fault. Find a remedy.”

Here is the link the US Congressional Report:

https://www.congress.gov/committee-report/109th-congress/house-report/377/1?outputFormat=pdf