DACS President's Message I started to write this column shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast. I had planned on writing about the Buick Championship and ShotLink, the technology that allows the PGA Tour to deliver near real- time scoring and shot by shot information on their web site. Unfortunately, after watching the orgy of finger pointing and political grandstanding that’s playing out on my television I feel the need to comment. The System Our emergency response system is designed to work from the bottom up, starting with each of us and progressing through our local government, our state government and finally the federal government. The response to any disaster starts at the local level with the local police, fire, EMS and public works departments. Those agencies working in coordination with non- governmental organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army are our “first responders.” It’s local and state authorities, not the federal government, who are responsible for disaster preparedness. It’s up to local authorities to identify shelters, evacuation routes and distribution sites of for relief supplies. It’s their responsibility to insure that designated shelters are staffed and stocked with sufficient supplies. If the local governments are overwhelmed, they can then request assistance from the state government who can dispatch state resources such as the state police and National Guard1 to assist. If the state government is overwhelmed the governor can request assistance from the federal government. Once the governor requests assistance from the federal government, the President can then dispatch federal resources such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the military to assist. FEMA isn’t an army that rolls into town with thousands people and takes over2; they work in coordination with local and state officials to get relief supplies where they are needed. In the case of Hurricane Katrina we’re talking about delivering relief supplies to people in a 90,000 square mile area that stretches across three states. In many cases, before help can reach those in need, roads have to be cleared of storm debris, bridges need to be inspected and supplies moved from staging areas outside the storm’s path… Unfortunately, all that takes time, more time than anyone would like to admit. Ultimately it’s the actions taken by local and state authorities, before and in the first hours after a disaster, that will determine the success or failure of a relief operation. Unfortunately, for the people of New Orleans there appear to have been multiple failures at the local, state and federal level. Basic Preparations If you would like to learn more about what you can do to prepare for emergencies visit http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ and download a copy of FEMA’s comprehensive guide to individual, family, and community preparedness, “Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness.” That’s about it for this month… I have a few other thoughts rolling around in my heard but can’t seem them get out in coherent manner at the moment—so they’ll have to wait for a future column. Your comments & questions are always welcome. You can reach me at jasetaro @mags.net or jasetaro@yahoo.com. Cheers; —Jeff Setaro
1) Once mobilized, National Guard personal have up to 72 hours to report for duty. 2) FEMA has a full-time staff of about 2,500 people. They are largely dependant local first responders, the National Guard and the American Red Cross distribute relief supplies. |
