Posted on November 30th, 2008 by Sherri

This is part 6 of a series of articles about Hurricane Gustav. You can read the earlier articles in the series at the links below:

Part 1: How to Prepare for a Hurricane

Part 2: Riding Out Gustav in Baton Rouge

Part 3: Hurricane Gustav Aftermath Begins

Part 4: Hurricane Gustav Aftermath Continues Day 3 to 2 Weeks

Part 5: Hurricane Gustav Aftermath: 2 Weeks to 2 Months

Our Governor Did a Great Job!

I must compliment our Governor, Bobby Jindal. Before Gustav hit us, he had Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Cherthoff and FEMA on standby to bring in supplies as soon as the disaster area orders were signed by President Bush. He asked President Bush to be close by at his Texas ranch so orders could be given as soon as the wind died down.

Governor Jindal told Secretary Cherthoff that he would be coming to Baton Rouge and riding out the storm at his Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) so his request for FEMA supplies would not get tied up in red tape, and Louisiana residents would be able to get supplies within 3 days after the storm. Secretary Cherthoff spent Monday, September 1, 2008, riding out Gustav in Baton Rouge. Governor Jindal called President Bush immediately and had him sign the disaster declaration orders the evening of September 1st, then he handed the phone to Secretary Cherthoff to receive orders to deploy FEMA supplies immediately.

Governor Jindal was not passive in preparation for Gustav or in handling the aftermath. He took charge, took action and didn’t ask for help; he told those who were in charge of supplies and other recovery needs exactly what they were going to do, when they were going to do it, and then made it happen. We recovered very quickly from the most devastating storm to hit Baton Rouge in anyone’s memory.

We heard emergency response was not nearly as good in Texas after Hurricane Ike, which hit Galveston, TX, just two weeks after Gustav hit us. The Texas Governor did not realize that he had to get the disaster declared and request FEMA assistance before the trucks of supplies would be delivered to distribution points. The Federal Government cannot just come into a state, set up and start handing out supplies. It violates some important States’ Rights laws, so a state official with the power to make the request must request federal assistance before it can be given.

I know it sounds like a technicality, but it is an important one. It was one of the biggest lessons Governor Jindal learned from his thorough research and study of the Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita disasters. Until Legislation can be drafted that effectively deals with this problem, the system must be followed as it now exists.

Governor Jindal studied the Katrina and Rita disasters carefully in great detail and solved many of the problems by making his OEP the command center for the state. He also spent his first few months as Governor coordinating all the relief agencies with the Red Cross, FEMA and the National Guard so all that had to be done was mobilize according to plan. He was the first one in charge and then he had a director who took over when Governor Jindal absolutely had to sleep. He never left the OEP without someone with authority to act in charge.

His preparation and planning worked. The system as it currently exists does work, but it requires leadership and a very clear understanding of how the system works to get it rolling and keep it going as long as you need it.

If you live in a hurricane-prone state, I strongly suggest your governor and state emergency preparedness officials meet with Governor Jindal to learn what to do to prepare and how to do it.

Again, Kudos, Governor Jindal!

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