In what I can only call a solid piece of researched commentary, Dan Kaniewski of GWU’s Homeland Security Policy Institute and Jim Carafano of the Heritage Foundation have put together a great article, “Flooded with Help – But Still Flailing” on the forgotten and unlearned lessons of Hurricane Katrina and how they are impacting the on-going Gulf Oil Spill. As anyone who works in emergency management space knows, time and time again you end up planning for the same disaster that just occurred without applying the lessons and remedies that need to be in place for the next time something occurs.
With facts in their hands, both of these esteemed homeland security scholars detail how the failures of before remain firmly anchored in place today. Give it read and I guarantee you that you’ll shake your head in frustration but it’s truth that must be faced if we are ever going to improve how we deal with disasters when international assistance is offered to us.
