Planning and Preparation | Hurricane! Lessons Learned | Louisiana Public Square | 2009

This special episode of the series “Louisiana Public Square” from August 26, 2009, a co-production between Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, features a panel discussion in both Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi, on the lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav, three of the costliest hurricanes on record.

In Mississippi, the panelists are: Tim Keller, the Chancery Clerk of Hancock County; State Senator Debbie Dawkins; Mike Womack, the Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency; and Bob Fenton of FEMA.

In Louisiana, the panelists are: Gerri Hobdy of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation; Kip Holden, the Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish; Mark Cooper, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore, the leader of Joint Task Force Katrina in New Orleans; and Tony Russell of FEMA.

They discussed emergency management in the areas of disaster response, recovery, planning, preparation and risk reduction, including: re-entry plans after an evacuation; improved communication systems; evacuation routes; the need for affordable housing in Mississippi; the new hurricane shelters in Mississippi and the need for more in-state shelters in Louisiana; the pre-positioning of supplies; the evacuation plans for vulnerable populations; the partnership between government agencies and non-profit organizations after a disaster; new building codes for houses; the high cost of homeowners insurance; the need for coastal restoration in Louisiana; and priorities for the future.

Host: Beth Courtney Host: Craig Freeman