Recovering from Katrina: a work in progress—2007: Gulf Coast states have improved local emergency management, but more is needed to upgrade overall performance as the region struggles to recover from the storms of 2005

Public Manager, The, Winter, 2007 by Frances L. Edwards

Tax-Base Recovery and Rebuilding

Post-disaster rebuilding requires a vibrant economic base to generate the taxes needed to support local government. Damage assessment, debris removal, and infrastructure repair and replacement are just a few of the disaster recovery responsibilities of the local government staff, whose salaries must be paid and whose work-related equipment must be provided. Most communities rely on real-estate and sales taxes for their support, so recognizing the critical role of business preparedness in community recovery is important.

Communities like Biloxi and Waveland in Mississippi have had their ability to recover impeded by the lack of business-related sales taxes, hotel taxes, and other fees. There can be no recovery without a tax base that generates income, as federal aid only covers part of the cost of infrastructure repair. Business can only resume operations that generate income for the community if it has well-developed business continuity planning. In Louisiana, business continuity planning--such as that of Grumman Shipyard and Hibernian Bank--paid o. in many cases for both the businesses and the community. Many businesses in New Orleans were prepared for business interruption and sent staff members from other cities to restore systems and records and restart business processes, freeing the local staff to go home to care for families. Businesses are now seeking a more significant role in pre-event planning and exercises.

Human Capital: Public and Business

Recovery depends on human capital, both in government agencies and in the business community. Trained and experienced personnel participate in recovery when they are prepared.

Public agencies have recognized the importance of preparing their employees for disasters, including ensuring that their families can care for themselves in a disaster without the assistance of the public employee. For example, 80 percent of the members of the New Orleans Police Department were rendered homeless by the storm, and some of the officers reported being trapped in their own homes, yet only fifty-four individuals were fired for leaving their posts during the onslaught of the hurricane. Most of those fired stated that they had to put their families first.

As a result of these barriers to law enforcement response during the hurricane, agencies nationwide are providing disaster self-sufficiency training for their public employees and their families. However, few departments maintain an adequate supply of day-to-day personnel support supplies, such as drinking water and easily prepared food, even though public safety employees in New Orleans reported having to scavenge for water to stay on the job in the intense heat and humidity. Other public agencies, like public works departments, have developed a new realization of the link between recovery and their professions, as well.

Business recovery is also important to community recovery, not only for the revenue it generates, but for the critical services it provides. For example, the large electric utility, Entergy, went bankrupt after the storm, which emphasized the need for better infrastructure continuity planning. Vulnerable physical infrastructure has to be recognized, along with the need to invest in protecting these structures region-wide. The cross-jurisdiction approach to infrastructure development must become the norm.