NPR had a nice story on the 20th anniversary Hurricane Andrew's Legacy: 'Like A Bomb' In Florida
They left a few things out that were indelibly put on my brain--even twenty years later.
- The event put FEMA in the cross hairs of Congress and Kate Hale, an emergency manager, pulled the trigger when she famously said, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?" She was referring to the slow response by FEMA--or what she characterized as slow. Truth be told is that Florida and Miami had not asked for much help, and we know the disaster response system is built on the "pull" concept, asking for "specific resources" and not a "push" system in which the state or Feds take over a disaster.
- Her comment and the focus on the slow response reformed how FEMA responds to disasters. James Lee Witt came in as the first "real" emergency manager to hold the position of FEMA Director and put in place a "lean forward in the foxhole" mentality when predictable events like hurricanes might impact the USA. That lesson was lost of course by the time Katrina threatened and if you are looking to save money, why waste it on something that might never happen. Gotta love the budget folks!
- The NPR story speaks of someone opening a door to a home during the storm and all hell breaks loose. The reason for hurricane doors, windows and garage doors is to keep wind out of the home. Once it is inside the home the roof can easily be compromised. Beside the better nails mentioned, they also glue roof timbers together to add extra strength and keep the roof on the home.
- Not mentioned is that fact that Hurricane Andrew spawned many a tornado. That would explain why some neighborhoods were more damaged than others
