RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Next month marks ten years since the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history — Hurricane Katrina.
The category 3 storm made landfall on August 29th, 2005 with winds well over 120 mph, inundating the coastal communities with catastrophic flooding and claiming 18,000 lives. According to the Federal Emergency and Management Agency, the total monetary damage estimates were around $108 billion.
After Hurricane Katrina struck, there was criticism over the government’s response to the storm. As a result, many changes were made within the agency to make sure there never will be a repeat.
In the event of a national disaster FEMA’s sole purpose is to facilitate a quick and appropriate response.
Katrina haunts FEMA, as the response was far less than what was needed.
8News asked Director Craig Fugate what FEMA has done since then; he said preparedness is the key.
“You cannot wait. The one thing we cannot get back is time,” Fugate said. “So if we think something is happening, even before the governor has made a formal request, we are already moving resources.
“Several times in the last couple years as storms have moved up the Atlantic coast and Virginia was threatened — FEMA already had staff in the emergency operations center working with the governor’s team to get ready.”
Collaboration between the National Hurricane Center and FEMA is stronger than ever and more is being done says Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“We have to do two additional things better than we have before: One is to create products that are easier to understand, graphical representations of where the flooding can occur and well in advance convincing people to prepare,” Knabb explained.
“I live the hurricane problem just as much as anybody else, I have a house, and I have a family,” Knabb added. “So I think of hurricane preparation in four major categories: Knowing your evacuation zone and evacuation plan and if you don’t live in the evacuation zone, why not be the inland destination for friends or colleagues that live in the evacuation zone; visit your insurance agent; get insurance, flood insurance because your homeowner’s policy by default won’t cover floods; and do whatever you can to strengthen your home.”
