This is National Hurricane Preparedness Week, a time when federal, state and local government agencies traditionally urge citizens in coastal areas to make individual preparations for the start of hurricane season on June 1st. While it isn’t mentioned in official press releases, this is also a good time for citizens to check out what government agencies are doing to prepare and to assess whether planning is sufficient.

In recognition of the week, the Disaster Accountability Blog will be highlighting an issue that is important to hurricane response and recovery on each of the following days:

  • Wednesday, 5/28: Disaster Housing, Formaldehyde Levels in Cabins
  • Thursday, 5/29: Recovery
  • Friday, 5/30: Mass Care/Medical/Healthcare
  • Saturday, 5/31: Evacuations
  • Monday, 6/2: Emergency Alerts/Notifications
  • Tuesday, 6/3: Levees

The Disaster Accountability Project is recruiting a network of Disaster Accountability Monitors across the U.S. In the event of a disaster, Monitors will help spread the word about the Disaster Accountability Hotline (866-9-TIP-DAP) and report and/or verify reported gaps in disaster relief/response services.

The public is encouraged to call the Disaster Accountability Hotline (866-9-TIP-DAP) with any tips on gaps in federal, state, and/or local preparedness, response, relief, or recovery systems. Individuals with special needs that 1) do not know the details of their local evacuation plans or 2) believe their local plans are insufficient are encouraged to tip DAP by calling the DAP Hotline (866-9-TIP-DAP) or sending an email to Tips@DisasterAccountability.org. Tips must include the name of the city or township and state in which any confusion or incomplete plans exist (this is critical information for DAP to evaluate where weaknesses lie).

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said recently that he questions the preparedness of individuals, but thinks the country, meaning the government, is prepared.

In contrast, however, government preparations still fall short of filling gaps that captured national attention following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.; gaps like evacuation assistance for individuals without cars and individuals with special needs.

If authorities have established, as they should, procedures for obtaining evacuation assistance, that information should be available on evacuation guides, the documents individuals are urged to keep handy during hurricane season. But, evacuation guides issued by the states of Louisiana and Mississippi do not address transportation assistance.

This month, DHS threw its own monkey-wrench into evacuation plans when the Border Patrol, a DHS agency, announced they would require evacuees to submit to immigration checks.

The Border Patrol’s announcement “stoked all kinds of dark scenarios in which thousands of people, including U.S. citizens, would rather ride out the storm than evacuate because someone in their family doesn’t have or can’t find the necessary documents.” Local officials in Texas worried that the checks would snarl evacuations.

Secretary Chertoff tried to smooth over the brouhaha by announcing that Border Patrol agents would be permitted to use their best judgment. But, after Katrina, good judgment is not something that Americans have come to expect from DHS officials. Unclear, as well, is how Border Patrol will deal with those returning to their homes after an evacuation.

Public trust is also missing from DHS’s stock of emergency response tools. David Sedeno, of Houston’s Star-Telegram, writes:

I’m not expecting Chertoff or any other federal official to officially back away from the earlier announcement.

They have been taking a different stance from the earlier announcement,” Cascos said of the Border Patrol, “but the damage has already been done.”