Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security
For class this week we read an excerpt from Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security. Chapter 5, titled “The Big One” gives a detailed description of the events leading up to the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. It gave an inside look at the risk communication efforts that were made in attempts to minimize the damages due to the hurricane. Unfortunately, many mistakes and problems occurred along the way.
Reading this article really helped me understand the extreme importance of effective risk communication. Page 109 of the book really stood out to me as an example of poor risk communication. It involves a situation in which Cedric Richmond, a New Orleans legislator, received a conference call while watching a peewee football game in a local ballpark.
“As state officials rattled on during the conference call about shelters they had opened and supplies they had on hand in parishes far inland, Richmond broke in. ‘All these preparations are great,’ he said. ‘But let me tell you, if this storm is the “Big One” as you say, the seven hundred people at this playground with me don’t know it.’”
This part of the text struck me hard. Efforts of risk communication in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approached were ineffective. So many people were left stuck in the city, with not enough knowledge about the upcoming storm and no way out.
Reading this chapter made me realize just how important effective risk communication is. Whether it be at a time of crisis (such as in New Orleans) or an everyday situation (such as the battle against childhood obesity) it is crucial that risk communication succeeds in getting the necessary information out there to everyone who needs it!
