Why do the actual number of Katrina related deaths appear to be well below the 40K predicted in exercise Pam?
Here is an extract from a story by Lou Dolinar in Real Clear Politics
The critical period was the immediate aftermath of the levy breaks on Monday, August 29 until the flooding crested on Sept. 2. If people were going to be trapped in attics, drowned in their cars, or washed off roofs, this is when it would have happened. Once the flooding crested, while thousands still needed to be removed from their homes, fed, and relocated, at least the immediate threat of drowning was over.
During the critical period beginning Monday, rescue helicopters were already reeling in at least 2000 people a day. These independent units comprised dozens of Coast Guard, Air Force, Air National Guard and Army choppers. Various boat-rescue operations by New Orleans first responders saved thousands more-even as the media's attention was focused on the Superdome, snipers and scenes of looting. The response to the real threat of Katrina, other words, was immediate and massive -it just wasn't the response the media wanted, expected or was spoon-fed at a press conference. Thousands of rescue missions were performed by lower level government and military officials – independent of city, state or federal coordination. Why did we not know about this sooner?
Urban also notes one explanation why the rescue operation flew below the radar of the media: Individual federal and state units were not coordinating their efforts overall. There was no central clearing house for information on rescue efforts. What looked like a hurricane relief breakdown was in fact a press release breakdown.
To this I can add another private action, that of Acadian Ambulance Company, covered in my previous post.
In a way, it all comes down to spirituality in the workplace. It was independent action by countless first and second level officials – coupled with the fact that the levees were not topped by ten foot waves which would have resulted in instant flooding – that saved tens of thousands of residents. Had those people not been trained and had their equipment maintained and in place, the death toll would have been far higher.
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