Elected officials who understand the nature of responding to natural disasters often witness an ascent in their political stature after the fact. Conversely those who falter during catastrophic events can find themselves staring into a political firestorm.
For instance, during 9/11, then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani organized the coordinated response of city departments, and garnered support from state and federal sources. His frequent TV appearances and dynamic leadership were critical in this career-defining moment. On the other hand, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's leadership was questioned immediately after Katrina when he was seemingly unavailable. In fact, there was uncertainty regarding his whereabouts during the first few hours after the hurricane.
Had government heeded lessons from 9/11 and taken a proactive stance toward preparedness during Hurricane Katrina, according to a House report titled A Failure of Initiative, the devastating aftermath may have been avoided, or at least mitigated.
As a result of his effective leadership, Giuliani's stature rose to that of a presidential candidate. Conversely as a result of the inept leadership that plagued the response to Hurricane Katrina, Nagin was widely criticized.
"You hear a lot of stories about mayors who weren't successful dealing with the last snowstorm who didn't get re-elected," said Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The arrival of a disaster should ignite leaders to set in motion -- through an understood chain of command -- the actions necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of residents within the first few days after a disaster hits. It takes communication, an understanding of roles and responsibilities, and extensive planning and training, said those who've seen both effective and deficient leaders.
Those experts also said leadership begins with elected officials invested in planning and training prior to an event; not just making appearances after the fact. Finger-pointing and a lack of direction on the part of first responders and other agencies during or after a disaster is often the byproduct of a lack of preparation and training.
"Preparedness, to me, was the biggest problem during recent disasters," said Bruce Baughman, director of Alabama's emergency management agency. "Everybody said it was this person or that person. Who ultimately has the responsibility for emergency management are the elected officials."
Some elected officials, Fugate said, are present for ribbon-cutting ceremonies, flash a quick smile for cameras then disappear. "Some get it; some are clueless," he said. "Successful leaders are those elected leaders who have made preparing for disasters a priority."
Those who "get it" understand the concept of having a game plan, without which first responders and residents are left at the disaster's mercy. "Generally the sink or swim phenomenon is played out in front of local and national media," Fugate said. "One of the first steps is always going to be, what tone does the elected leadership set? That is generally one of the best indicators of programs that can be successful versus those that struggle."
Setting the Tone
Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph Riley knows about setting the tone for leadership, having led the area through the massive devastation caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. "It begins by having a disaster preparedness plan," he said. "You and all the people who will be a part of it understand that the plan is fresh and you have to practice it."
If a response plan isn't supported by an elected official who has authority -- whether it be the governor, mayor, city manager or city administrator -- first-responder agencies might splinter and begin to freelance during a disaster; this can add to the confusion and chaos when nobody is on the same page. It might mean a traffic jam for evacuees trying to leave the scene because officials didn't properly coordinate the rerouting of traffic.
"A lot of elected officials will show up for a photo op[portunity], and then they're gone," Fugate said. "That's not giving them a chance to interact and develop confidence in their team. And that's key, because if they don't have confidence in their team or the team doesn't really see the benefit of the plan, they're going to do their own thing, and maybe not even use the capabilities the team has developed."
In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush assured a measured response during a disaster by making training a priority, Fugate said. "Governor Bush, I remember after Sept. 11, was talking with Mayor Giuliani and asked, 'What did you learn?' and Giuliani said, 'Exercises."'
As a result, Florida got more serious about emergency response trainings and exercises, and Bush demanded that agency heads become involved. It paid off during Hurricane Charley in 2004, according to Fugate. "Most of the agency heads had not directly participated in the annual hurricane exercises, but because they had at least participated in the tabletop, they were familiar with the structures and organization."
Baughman said from what he witnessed of the Katrina response, there was a "lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities," at all levels of government. "My opinion is that's because they haven't done the planning and the exercising."
Experts say proper planning and preparation help responders avoid turf battles when it comes to incident command and the resulting chain of command. "Chain of command we exercise all the time," Baughman said. "The chain of command is the chief executive in that county. That ultimately is who is responsible for emergency management."
Regional Approach
While assuming ultimate responsibility for Florida's emergency management policy in his role as chief executive, Bush divided the state into seven regions, to which he appointed representatives.
Training and funding are done on a regional basis, Fugate said. "After Sept. 11, one of the things we wanted to start doing was, if we're going to go regional concept, we really need to start training these teams and building interoperability of the equipment [regionally] versus providing grants in each jurisdiction and allowing them to buy what they perceive they need."
The exercises are critical when it comes to providing citizens with what they need during the first crucial 24 hours after a disaster. "One of the biggest things you saw on TV [during Katrina] is getting the emergency commodities out to people -- water, ice, things like that," Baughman said. "We make sure every county has a receiving distribution plan for emergency commodities."
Gulfport, Miss., Mayor Brent Warr was just weeks into his term when Katrina hit. Gulfport had done little planning for such an event, and struggled to provide residents and first responders with basic necessities immediately after the storm. Warr learned quickly the first priorities of leadership after a disaster strikes, and has since vowed to make emergency management a hallmark of his term.
"The first thing you have to do is evacuate as many of the affected areas as you can," he said. "Immediately after the storm, find those who are hanging onto life: search, recovery and rescue."
