Emergency Preparedness & Long Term Planning

U.S. Army Spc. Timothy Houston, a UH-60L Blackhawk crew chief assigned to the 282nd Aviation Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C., scans the flood ravaged streets of New Orleans, La., September 11, 2005. The 282nd is deployed as part of Joint Task Force Katrina whose mission is to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-relief efforts in the Gulf Coast areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey) (Released)

A U.S. Coast Guard air boat navigates the flooded
streets of New Orleans. The Navy along with the Army,
Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard has been mobilized
to take part in Joint Task Force Katrina, a humanitarian
assistance operation in a joint effort led by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in conjunction
with the Department of Defense. (text by USN) Location is
Tulane Avenue at Carrollton Avenue, Mid-City looking
riverwards on Tulane. (Photo by Mate First Class Brien Aho, USN)

Essentially there are two major options when approaching the management of human activities in regard to coastal erosion, coastal forces can be resisted using seawalls and coastal works, or settlements can be moved away from the hazard zone. (Beatley). Cornelia Dean states, for practical purposes, there is no erosion problem where there are no buildings (Dean 1999, p16). The beaches naturally flux, eroding and accreting alternately. The problem occurs because humans want them to be stable, habitable environments. The only relevant, long-term option to solve this problem is the landward retreat of development along the entirety of the coast. Basic tenets of this proposal would include state and local setback restrictions, limitations on rebuilding following major storm events, and supporting strategies to aid landward relocation. Such suggestions are not taken well by the many shore lovers of America who prefer sandbagging and seawalls to settling away from the coast. However, if landward retreat was enacted, many options would still be available for the use of coastal systems as parks for recreation areas.

For complete emergency preparedness information, including individual state and local emergency agencies, evacuation and survival strategies, and additional emergency aid resources please visit the following link to FEMA’s site:

http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html