Emergency Response Plan

for

New Orleans, Louisiana

Created by
Grace Krumwiede
Nick D’Alessandro

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 Emergency Response Plan
Table of Contents
Background..................................................................................................................................1

Geography​.....................................................................................................................................​3-4

Hurricanes​.....................................................................................................................................​5-6

Floods​...........................................................................................................................................​6

Tornadoes​......................................................................................................................................​7

Financial​........................................................................................................................................​8-9

Local Government​........................................................................................................................​10-12

Flow Chart​....................................................................................................................................​13

Planning for Disaster..................................................................................................................14

Hurricanes​....................................................................................................................................​14-16

Floods​...........................................................................................................................................​17-18

Tornaodes​......................................................................................................................................​19-20

Communication Plan...................................................................................................................21

Overview​.......................................................................................................................................​21-24

Radio and TV​...............................................................................................................................​ 26

Hurricane Poster​...........................................................................................................................​26

Restoration Plan..........................................................................................................................27

Restoration Pla​...............................................................................................................................​27

Financial Plan​.................................................................................................................................​29

Appendices.....................................................................................................................................30

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Background
History
The first known inhabitants of the greater New Orleans area were Native Americans of
the Woodlands and Mississippian cultures. The French colonization of New Orleans took place
in the late 17th century. The French, whom had imperial, religious, and commercial aims,
established a threshold on the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. New Orleans was officially
discovered by a French explorer by the name of J​ean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, founded
in the spring of 1718.​ In 1722, a hurricane destroyed the new city, which was rebuilt in the grid
like pattern of what is today known as the French Quarter. Although the city was founded by the
French, the city was ruled by Spain for nearly 40 years. In 1763 when the Treaty of Paris ended,
the French gave up all territory east of the Mississippi. The Spaniards had control over
1763-1803, and returned the land back to France for a few months before the land was sold to the
United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the 19th century, the city of New
Orleans became one of the largest and wealthiest cities in America. During the 20th century, the
city became a tourist destination and grew into what it is today.

Geography
Physical Geography
New Orleans is surrounded by water in three
different directions. The heart of the city spreads
around a curve of the Mississippi giving New
Orleans the nickname of ​The Crescent City.​
Lake Pontchartrain edges the northside of New
Orleans, and Lake Borgne surrounds the eastern
banks of the city. New Orleans sits about 15-18
feet below sea level, with a highest elevation of
15 feet. Besides the Mississippi,
Pontchartrain,and Borgne river, bodies of water
including the industrial canal, Bayou St. John ,
17th Street Canal, Lake Maurepas, Orleans
Canal, Tchefuncte River, and Pearl River all
surround the city. New Orleans has a humid,
subtropical climate. Rainfall is constant through
the year, averaging at about 61.88 inches
annually. Hurricane season starts June 1 and ends on November 30.

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Transportation Geography

New Orleans has several public

transportation systems including the RTA
bus systems, RTA street cars, RTA ferries,
and RTA paratransit for those who are
disabled. There are 6 interstates that go
through the city, 3 landing strips, and one
international airport located about 14 miles
from downtown. The 6 interstates provide
77% of the population with routes to work,
averaging at about 24 minutes of commute
times.

Demographic Geography
In the New Orleans metro area, there are
about 1.2 million people which divides up to
about 2,300 people per square mile. The
population of New Orleans is made up of
about 60% African Americans, 33% Whites,
3% Asians, and 5% Hispanics. Most people
that live in New Orleans 34.9 years old.
78.8% of the population is 18 years of age
and older, and 10.9% of the population is 65
and older. 24% of the population lives below
the poverty line and 14% are unemployed.

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Hurricanes
Hurricanes occur only in the southern part of the world because they form over the warm waters
of the equator. The term hurricane is only used for storms that form over the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans, anywhere else they may form, they are called tropical cyclones. Hurricanes require
warm, moist air as fuel and warm ocean water as well. Hurricanes only form in tropical regions
because water temperatures need to be about 80℉ for at least the first 164 feet of surface water.
Warm water and air are essential ingredients for a hurricane to occur, but the storms also require
wind. ​There are four stages in which a tropical storm occurs: tropical disturbance, tropical
depression, tropical storm, and tropical cyclone. A tropical disturbance happens when there is
only light circulation around an area of low pressure. A tropical depression is a low pressure
area joined by a thunderstorm that creates a circular wind pattern. A tropical storm, a step below
a hurricane, is a rotating storm system which possesses a low-pressure center, strong winds, and
a spiral formation of thunderstorms producing heavy rain.
A tropical cyclone (hurricane), is identified by wind speeds
reaching 74 MPH, a storm about 50,000 feet high, and 125
miles wide with the eye of the storm being at about 5-15
miles wide. Winds push the tropical cyclone toward the
Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, or the southeastern coast of
the United States. The winds and low air pressure cause a
huge amount of ocean water to accumulate near the eye of
the tropical cyclone which causes storm surges. When
hurricanes/tropical cyclones hit land, they bring severe weather such as ​storm surges, strong
winds, flooding, and heavy rain. The storms may bring intense weather, but once they hit land,
they start to deteriorate because they are not longer over a warm water source. ​There are several
warning signs to let us know that it's coming including: strong winds, blowing debris, dark
clouds, and rising sea levels. When the storms are still out in the ocean, we can use satellites,
ships, radars, and other land-based tools to track and predict hurricanes. Meteorologists also use
the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to rate hurricanes on a scale of 1-5, based on a storms
wind speed. The scale helps estimate property damage and gives officials an idea of whether or
not they should tell citizens to evacuate based on the potential for loss of life. Hurricanes are
impacted by climate change in a few different ways. ​Warmer sea surface temperatures could
impact wind speeds of the storm, meaning that when the storm makes landfall, more damage
may be expected. Scientists are expecting a 2-11% increase in maximum wind speed, which will
lead to more intense storms. Warmer water also will mean more precipitation. Experts are
increasing a 20% increase in rainfall rates. Sea levels are also rising due to climate change. This
will cause future coastal storms to become more damaging. Globally averaged, it is expected that
sea levels will rise 1-4 feet during the next century, which will impact storm surge.

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Floods
Floods occur when water
overflows into land that is usually dry.
The map shows areas at risk for flooding.
This can happen in several different
ways, when rivers or streams overflow
their banks, excessive rainfall, a broken
dam or levee, or rapid ice melt from
mountains. Coastal flooding, more
relevant to New Orleans, occurs when a
large storm or tsunami causes the sea to
surge inland know as a storm surge. A
flood is hard to predict because they can
happen during any heavy rain storm, but
some warning signs that a flood may
occur are intense rainfall, or a slow
moving tropical storm. Professionals use
tools such as satellites, lightning
observation systems, radars, or rain
gauges to detect a heavy storm that may bring flooding to the area. Climate change can impact
flooding because the rate of evaporation from the ocean is increasing as the world warms,
because the atmosphere is getting warmer, it can hold more moisture. ​The intensity of
downpours (and therefore the risk of floods) depends on how much water the air can hold at a
given time.

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Tornadoes
Tornadoes only form when a thunderstorm has a very specific combination of wind patterns. Rising air in
a thunderstorm can begin to spin when it is impacted by the winds blowing in different directions other
than up. The wind then starts to rise up and is pushed up by other wind. It rises a bit more and then is
impacted again by wind moving in a different direction. Winds moving in different speeds and direction
at different altitudes can cause the rising air to start spinning. Supercells are known as the strongest type
of thunderstorms. When
spinning air rises in these
supercells, it creates a tornado.
Air in the thunderstorm is not the
only thing that forms a tornado
thought, there also needs to be
spinning air near the ground.
The air on the group occurs
when the storm sinks to the
ground and spreads out across
the land in gusts. Gusts of
warmer air rise as they blow and
gusts of cooler air sink as they
blow across the land. If there are
enough of both the gusts, the air
near the ground will start
spinning as well. Warning signs
of a tornado include, but not
limited to: dark, greenish sky, approaching wall clouds, very still air, loud roar (also may sound like an
approaching freight train), or hail. The precise tracking and prediction of tornadoes are not yet a reality.
Experts can use a doppler radar (a radar that takes measurements of clouds in order to predict severe
thunderstorms) to predict conditions that may cause a tornado, but there is no specific tool that tells us if
a tornado is coming or not. The link between tornadoes and climate change is somewhat unclear.
Researchers are currently trying to understand how atmospheric instability and wind shear will respond to
global warming. They think that warmer, moister world will lead to more frequent instability, but, they
also think that a warmer world will lead to less wind shear.

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Finances
The population of New Orleans Metro area is about 1,262,888 with a population density
of about 2,300 people/square mile. The three main ethnic groups are African American (60%),
White (33%), and Hispanic (5%). The median age is 34.6, citizens 18 years of age and over
make up 78.7% of the population while citizens ​65 years of age make up about ​10.9% of New
Orleans population​. In the New Orleans Metro area, 16% of people don’t have a highschool
diploma, 24% live below poverty line, and 14% are unemployed. There are about 166,248 males
and 177,581 females. 60.7% of people own houses while 39.3% rent houses. Houses are valued
differently depending on location in the city, houses in the French Quarter average at about
$300,000 dollars, but in other areas houses are about $200,000.

In the Gulf coast area the median

household income averages at about
$50,528. When looking at the city of New
Orleans, the household income is $36,946,
which is about $13,582 short of the regional
Gulf Coast average. Hurricane Katrina hit
the Gulf Coast on August 23, 2005. The
hurricane brought winds of 125 mph and
caused the ocean to surge up to 20 feet.
Damages of the hurricane reached up to
$135 billion dollars. Out of the $135 billion
of damage, insurance only covered $80
billion worth of damages in and around the
city. The hurricane had a major impact on
the economy as well. It is estimated that
there was about $215 billion of uninsured
losses according to a professor at Texas
University. This number is so high due to the economic impact of Katrina and Irma. The
hurricanes damaged 19% of the U.S oil production. The hurricanes spilled almost as much oil as
the Exxon Valdez Disaster, and they destroyed about 113 offshore oil rigs and gas platforms.
This caused oil barrels to go up about $3, and gas was around $5/gallon.

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 Floods in the Gulf Coast are very prevalent especially by large bodies of water. Floods
can follow heavy rain storms and hurricanes. You can purchase insurance for floods which costs
an average of $700 a year, but in areas floods are more prevalent it can cost up to $2,000 a year.
Recovering from a flood can be very
expensive. A one inch of flood damage can
cost upwards of $27,000. When talking
about floods, the price of damages goes up
as more flood waters are present. Private
flood insurance is even more expensive due
to its premium services. Expensive
properties in high risk areas can cost up to
$18,000 annually. To pump water from a
flood can cost anywhere from $500-$10,000
depending on how much water there is and
the size of the property. In New Orleans the
1995 flood caused more than $3.1 billion in damage and the city spent an additional $1.5 billion
to create a drainage system that helps prevent future floods.

There is no such thing as tornado insurance, policies under homeowners insurance and
comprehensive auto insurance cover damage from tornadoes. A typical homeowner insurance
policy cost around $35 a month per every $100,000 worth of home. Costs will depend on
insurance companies and where you live. The cost to clean up from a tornado depends on how
much damage it does to your property. Damage can range from as little as a few hundred dollars
to as much as your home is worth. The 2017 New Orleans tornado destroyed about 700 homes
and many other businesses.

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Government
The United States runs on a Democratic government
system, meaning that the power lies within the people
either directly or through an elected representative. The
government is then further broken down into three
different branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
The president, vice president, and the cabinet all lie
within the executive branch. The president is the
commander in chief of the nations military, carries out
day to day administration of the government, has the
power to sign a bill into congress or veto the bill, has
the power to sign treaties, and can issue executive
orders. The vice president should be ready to assume
the president's position if something were to happen,
and the cabinet is made up of heads of 15 executive
departments (ex:USDA, FDA etc.). The members of the cabinet are appointed by the president,
vice president, and senate, and the job of the cabinet is to advise the president on any subject he
may require relating to the duties of each members department.

The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The
House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members divided among the 50 states in
proportion to their overall population, therefore bigger states like Texas or California will have
more representatives than states like
Vermont or Connecticut. There are 6
non-voting members of the house that
represent the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, and other U.S. territories.
The House can initiate revenue bills,
impeach federal officials, and elect the
president in the case of an electoral tie.
The Senate is made up of 100 senators,
two from every state. The senate's job is to
grant approval to heads of national
organizations (FDA, USDA etc.), every
head needs to be approved by the senate. Aside from the Senate's job, both the House and the
Senate must pass the same bill with majority vote for it to be passed along to the president to
sign. The House of Representatives and the Senate also make up the United States Congress.

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The final branch is the judicial branch which is made up of the US Supreme Court and
Subordinate Courts. The US Supreme Court is the highest court in the court system and is
comprised of 9 Justices, including one Chief Justice.
The job of the court is to mostly to interpret the
meaning of the law to decide whether the law is
relevant to a particular set of facts, or if the law
should be appealed. Members of Supreme court have
to be appointed by the President and confirmed by
the senate, and members hold their position in the
system until they retire, resign, or pass away. The
US Constitution states that Congress is able to
determine the shape and structure of the federal
judiciary, meaning that there can be more or less than 9 members of the supreme court. The
Constitution also gives Congress power to establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court. These
inferior courts or Subordinate Courts, include the ​Courts of Appeal and the 94 federal district
courts in 50 states and territories.

When disaster occurs, the government is also divided up into three different branches:
local, state, and federal. The local level of government acts as a “first provider” in emergency
response services. Also, the local government is able to declare a local state of emergency, which
would enable the use of local resources, expanding local funds, and waiving the usual bidding
process for goods and service to allow the community to have access to emergency resources. In
an or courage of a local state of emergency, the local level of government is also responsible for
contacting the state level of government for their assistance. The state level of government will
take the situation and determine ​if the situation is beyond the capability of the state and if federal
assistance is needed. The state will declare a state of emergency which will allow for the use of
state resources and beings the process of asking for federal assistance. The state will take action
phases to prepare for disaster, the phases are: threat or impact, initial assessment, response, and
recovery. In the stage ​Threat or Impact, t​ he state assess the need for immediate lifesaving
measures such as shelters, evacuations, or urban search and rescue. In the next step, ​Initial
Assessment, ​the state will assess the magnitude of the disaster and identify what needs to be done
and when, and how to protect people, the environment, and property from future damage. Next,
the state will start the ​Response s​ tage. This phase assesses the situation by determining: involved
jurisdictions, existing emergency conditions, existing dangerous situations, life-support
resources, and the status of emergency responders. Finally, in the ​Recovery p​ hase, the state will
establish disaster recovery center locations and coordinate outreach efforts with community
relations staff. The state can request for “emergency” or “major disaster declaration”. When a
state requests help from the federal government, this means that the federal government will
conduct damage assessment along with the state and local government at the site of the disaster.

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After the damage is assessed, the federal government will decide if they will give the assistance
to the state or not. If federal government assistance is approved, procedures in the Federal
Response Plan will be activated and restoration will start in the area.

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Flow Chart

When natural disaster strikes, the city is responsible for making sure they [the city] are
organized and ready to respond to a disaster. There are two different people that, in a disaster,
would be incharge of the city. First of all, you would have the governor of the city who would
work with all moving parts within the city, and would communicate with FEMA to receive help
and resources if necessary. The city mayor will respond to the governor with any tasks he was
given. Below the governor are different departments which may include a public information
officer, the department of transportation, utility companies, human services, and other
government operations.
On the city side of things, the city should have a liaison who other city officials would
respond to, and then the city/parish liaison will relay info to the governor as needed. Those who
should respond to the city liaison include: sheriffs, an EMS representative, the red cross, task
force, and medial outlets.

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Planning For Disaster

Hurricanes
Before
If a hurricane is heading toward your area, there are several things you and your family
can do to stay safe and prepare for the hurricane. Before you start preparing your property for the
storm, you need to make sure you have everything for yourself and your family first. You should
create a Hurricane Emergency Kit (see below for complete list) which should contain basic
items needed for you and family members to survive at least three days on. Before the storm hits,
make sure you know if you will be needing to evacuate
or not, if you need to evacuate, plan your evacuation
route and make sure, if you can, to leave before the
storm gets close to your area. Keep all of your
important documents in a safe and secure it in a
protected spot in your home, or keep password
protected digital copies of all important documents.
Prepare a plan to communicate with family members if
you are not evacuating,and make sure you have a
reliable vehicle to evacuate in if you are planning on
evacuating your area. Also make sure you have a supply of clean water for sanitary purposes
such as cleaning or flushing, you can fill a bathtub or other large container of water. It will also
be important for you to have access to a television and a radio to receive weather updates and
important instructions of what to do during the storm if need be. It is also important for you to
protect your home and personal property from hurricanes as well. If you know a storm is coming,
you should review your insurance policies to see what will be covered if the storm does damage
to your property. A day before a storm hits, you should clear clogged rain gutters or storm
spouts and trim up your bushes and trees to minimise debris after the storm. Bring in any loose
items that could be dangerous if airborne in the storm winds (trash cans, patio furniture, outdoor
decor, flower pots, flags etc.). Items that are too dangerous to bring indoors, like propane tanks,

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should be anchored to the ground to prevent them from becoming airborne. Cover up your homes
windows, storm shutters are ideal, but you can also board up windows with 5 x 8 sheets of wood.
Sand bags should also be used to pile up by all exterior doors and garage doors to protect against
water getting into your home during the storm. If you own a boat, it will be important for you to
determine where and how you will secure your boat during the storm as well. If you are
evacuating, only do so if one of the following applies to you:
● You are told to do so by local authorities, leave immediately and do not drive through
barricaded areas.
● If you live in a mobile home or other temporary structure
● If you live in a high-rise (hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations)
● If you live on the coast, floodpane, near a river, or an inland water way.
● If you feel unsafe.
During a hurricane, your biggest priority is making sure you stay safe and you are staying
up to date on the latest news about the storm. If told to turn off utilities such as water or
electricity by local authorities, make sure you do so. If you are unable to evacuate or thought it
was not necessary, follow these guidelines:
● Stay indoors away from windows and glass doors
● Close all interior doors, secure and brace all external doors
● Keep curtains and blinds closed
● Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway of the lowest level of the structure
you are in.
● Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object

During
If you are sheltering from wind, the last two steps are crucial for your safety, but do not
go into the attic of any structure, you may become trapped by rising flood waters. During the
storm, you also need to be listening for current emergency updates and instructions. If you are
out of power, only use a generator or other gas powered machinery outside and away from
windows. If flooding occurs, do not walk, swim, or drive in flood waters. Only six inches of
moving water can knock you down, and only one foot can sweep away a vehicle. Also stay off
bridges over fast moving water. It is best for you to stay indoors during hurricanes. If you did not
evacuate from the storm and it seems to have calmed down outside, do not go out, it may be the
eye of the storm. Only come out of your shelter if authorities tell you it is okay once they know
the storm has passed your location.

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Hurricane Emergency Kit List:
❏ Water: one gallon per person per day. (3 day supply for evacuation, 2 week
supply if staying home)
❏ Food: non-perishable, easy to prepare. (3 day supply for evacuation, 2 week
supply if staying home)
❏ Flashlight
❏ Battery Powered or hand crank radio
❏ Extra batteries
❏ First Aid kit
❏ Medicine (prescription and nonprescription-7 day supply) and other medical
items
❏ Multi-Purpose tool like a swiss army knife
❏ Sanitation and personal hygiene items
❏ Copies of personal documents (medication list and medical information,
proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificate, insurance
policies, bank account records)
❏ Cell phone with charger
❏ Family and emergency contact information
❏ Extra cash (ATM’s may be inoperable), at least $100.
❏ Extra fuel for generator or car
❏ Extra car keys and house keys
❏ Depending on family, include extra medical supplies, baby supplies, pet
supplies
❏ Glasses and contact lense solution
❏ Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
❏ Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
❏ Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
❏ Paper and pencil
❏ Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

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Floods
Before
If your area is expecting flooding, there are several things you can do to protect yourself
and your property. If you know your area is prone to flooding or are expecting a flood along with
a hurricane or other severe storm system, you can prepare ahead of time by filling sandbags and
placing them around all exterior and garage doors to prevent water from entering your home. If
you know flash flooding is prone to flash flooding, you should make sure you know potential
signs of flooding such as heavy rain. You and your family should also learn evacuation routes,
shelter plans, and flash flood response in case you have to leave immediately. Before a flood
occurs, you also should have supplies set aside (see list of complete items below) if you have to
leave immediately or you are cut off of services like water and electricity. It is also important
you purchase or review your flood insurance policy, you should know that homeowners policies
do not cover flooding so it is important you have flood insurance. Important documents and
belongings should be stored in a waterproof container and kept at a higher level in case of water
getting into your home.

During
When a flood arrives,
make sure you are following local
weather alerts and depending on
where you are, make sure you are
ready to go to the safe location
you and your family decide on. If
you are told to evacuate, do so as
soon as possible, never drive
around barricades, local authorities
use them to safely direct traffic
away from flooded areas. If you
are evacuating, try to turn off any
gas, water, and electrical lines, also do this if water is in your home to prevent against any
electrocution or contaminated waters. Do not ever walk, swim, or drive through flood water
because there could be possible debris and chemicals in the water. If you are evacuating, ensure
that you stay off of bridges over fast moving water, swiftly moving water can wash bridges away
with no warning. If during your evacuation your vehicle becomes trapped in rapidly moving
water, stay inside, but if the water is rising in your vehicle, seek refuge on the roof of your car. If
the flood water is rising inside a building and you are trapped, go to the highest level you can,
only go to the roof only if necessary.

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Flood Emergency Kit:

❏ Cash -- $100 or more, banks and ATMs may not be open or available for
extended periods.
❏ Water -- at least one gallon per person, per day for three to seven days, plus
water for pets.
❏ Food -- at least enough for three to seven days, including: Non-perishable
packaged or canned food and juices, food for infants and the elderly, snack
food, non-electric can opener, vitamins, paper plates, plastic utensils.
❏ Radio -- battery powered and ​NOAA weather radio​ with extra batteries.
❏ Blankets, pillows etc.
❏ Clothing -- seasonal, rain gear/ sturdy shoes.
❏ First Aid Kit -- plus medicines, prescription drugs.
❏ Special items -- for babies and the elderly.
❏ Toiletries -- hygiene items, moisture wipes, sanitizer.
❏ Flashlight and batteries.
❏ Keys
❏ Toys, books, games
❏ Pet care​ items
❏ Insurance papers
❏ Medical records
❏ Bank account numbers
❏ Social Security cards
❏ Deeds or mortgages
❏ Birth and marriage certificates
❏ Stocks and bonds
❏ Recent tax returns
❏ Wills

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Tornadoes
Before
You never know when a tornado will strike, so it is important for you to know what you will do in
a tornado because you may have to prepare in a matter of minutes. If you know your area is prone to
tornadoes, you should have a Tornado Emergency Kit (see list below) ready to grab and go. Be alert to
changing weather conditions, and listen to local news station or radio for weather updates. If you know a
severe storm system is approaching your area, it is important for you to recognize and look for the
following danger signs:
● Dark, greenish sky
● Large hail
● Large, dark, low cloud
● Loud roar similar to a freight train
If you see an approaching storm or any of the danger signs listed above, be prepared to take
shelter. Identify a safe shelter in your home or know where your pre-designated shelter is if you
live in an apartment building/high-rise before hand so you can quickly and calmly find it incase
of emergency.

During
In the event of a tornado, it is important you know where you need to take shelter because
you never know when a tornado can touch down. If you are in a structure such as a school,
hospital, shopping center, or high rise building, go to a
pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement,
storm cellar, or the lowest level of the building. If the building
has no basement or storm cellar, go to the center of an interior
room on the lowest level such as a closet or hallway, that is
away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls, your
goal should be to put as many walls as you can between you
and outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your hands and
arms to protect your head and neck from any flying debris. If
you are in a mobile home, vehicle, or trailer, get out
immediately and go to the lowest level of the closest building
or storm shelter and follow the same instructions explained
above. Mobile homes, even if tied down, do not protect
against tornadoes, so it is important you get out and find shelter as fast as you can. If you are
outside with no shelter, lie in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head and neck with
your hands and arms. Do not go under an overpass or a bridge because it may collapse. Do not
try to outrun a tornado on foot or in a vehicle in urban/congested areas, be aware of flooding in
your area, and watch out for flying debris.

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Tornado Emergency Kit:
❏ Water and canned or dried food (set aside one gallon of water per person per
day, to last three days, and a three-day supply of food per person.) The food
should be nonperishable items that don’t need to be cooked, such as tuna and
crackers. Remember to include a manual can opener. If there’s an infant in
the house, include formula and baby food.
❏ Battery powered radio
❏ Flashlight
❏ Extra batteries for the radio and flashlight
❏ Prescription and nonprescription medications
❏ First-aid kit
❏ Birth certificates
❏ Ownership certificates (autos, boats, home, etc.)
❏ Social security cards
❏ Insurance policies
❏ Will
❏ Household inventory:
1. List of contents of household; include serial numbers, if applicable
2. Photographs or videotape of contents of every room
3. Photographs of items of high values, such as jewelry, paintings, collection
items
❏ Pet food and extra water for your pet if necessary
❏ Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies,
identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a
waterproof, portable container
❏ Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
❏ Paper and pencil
❏ Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
❏ At least $100 in cash

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Communication
Overview
Before a hurricane hits, it is important you prepare yourself, your family, and your home.
Create 72 hour kits (see page 15) for each person in your family based on their needs, if you plan
on evacuating (See Figure 19 for Evacuation Routes), make sure you take important documents
and personal belongings with you, if you are not evacuating, ensure that your personal
documents and belongings are stored in a safe place. Your home should be sandbagged at all
exterior doors to protect against flooding and your windows should be boarded up to protect
against flying debris damaging your property. Also know that the city of New Orleans will be
aiding in hurricane preparation by stocking shelters with resources and helping citizens prepare
for the storm. The city of New Orleans will communicate all disaster updates through news
media, emergency alert system, online, phone calls, and other social media platforms. Once the
storm has made landfall, updates can be received by news outlets, radio stations, and online. 72
hours before a storm hits, the governor will announce a mandatory evacuation. The city will
provide shuttles to the airport 58 hours before the storm. If you cannot evacuate yourself, the city
will begin assist you 52 hours before the storm at one of the 17 pick up sports across the city
(See Figure 16). 48 hours before the storm hits, all residents living on the coast will be assisted
with evacuation by the state. 30 hours before the storm, all city-assisted evacuation will end and
remaining evacuees will be bussed out of the city. All major roads (See Figure 17) will also
begin contraflow, meaning that all lanes will be flowing out of the city and anyone trying to enter
city boundaries will be told to turn around (See Figure 18), remember that during a mandatory
evacuation, it will likely take 4 hours over the usual time it takes to reach your destination, so
plan accordingly. 12 hours before the storm hits the airports will be shut down.

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22
23
During a disaster, our community needs
to be aware of what is happening in the
city. No matter the severity of the storm,
all major highways will be shut down to
prevent against unwanted chaos. If you
were not able to evacuate or chose not
to, find a shelter (See Figure 20) and
make sure you bring a change of
clothes, a blanket, and pillow for each
family member, see the map below to
find the closest shelter in your area. It is
also important you know where the
nearest hospital is to you, there are
twelve major hospitals in the greater
New Orleans area, see Figure 21 to find out which one is nearest to you. Make sure you register
at the shelter as soon as you arrive. If you are at home during a hurricane, ensure you have your
family 72 hour kit ready at all times because of an incident. Stay tuned into the radio and news
broadcast to be up to date on the hurricane. Limit your cell phone use to preserve the battery life
and prepare for loss of communication and electricity. Blankets and medical supplies should be
on hand and ready to use. You and your family should be in a higher location in your home
because of flooding, but do not go in the attic. If you do not have an upstairs, seek refuge in the
center of your home away from walls and windows and please remember that your preparation is
important due to the fact that emergency response will be limited once the storms wind speeds
reach 35-45 miles an hour.

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 After the storm as passes, it is important you do not enter the city until told to do so to
ensure your own safety. Businesses are allowed to re-enter before any residents. This is to make
sure that essential services like power and grocery stores are running. All roads will be opened
back up when the all clear is given to citizens. Although, the roads may be damaged or covered
in debris, the city will do its best to clean up main entry points into the city. When you and your
family are given the all clear to come home, do not drink or cook with tap water until you know
it is not contaminated. If you must drink or cook with tap water, boil it first to kill off anything in
the water that may be harmful. If you have small children, make sure they are not playing or
swimming in the flood water (if there is any), the water could be contaminated and could have
debris that could cause injury. Never try to fix downed power lines or another broken electric or
gas connections. Successful recoveries depend on personal disaster-preparedness, but when
personal resources become limited, turn to family, neighbors, local community resources, or
faith-based organizations. In the event of a presidentially declared natural disaster, federal
assistance may also be provided. To apply for disaster relief, call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362, or
visit their website, ​DisasterAssistance.gov.

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TV Commercial Radio Ad

Figure 22 Figure 23
Hurricane Poster

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Restoration Plan
Recovering from a hurricane may be a lengthy, expensive process. On average, it is
estimated that the cost of restoring a community after a hurricane is about $4.8 billion, but it
depends on the severity of the storm. When in charge of a city, the health and safety of all
citizens should be the first concern. The city of New Orleans will ensure that the medical and
shelter needs of citizens will be taken care of to ensure that everyone has what they need. After a
disaster, like a hurricane, hits your area, there are steps the city should take to start paving the
path to restoration.
Hurricanes can damage everything in their paths, but the first step to recovery is repairing
roadways to make sure citizens and supplies coming in and out of the city are being transported
safely. The parish of New Orleans is responsible for working with NORTA (New Orleans
Regional Transit Authority) to repair the roadways. The city will repair the roads first to ensure
there is traffic flow in and out of the city.
The second step in restoration will be housing. The city will reach out to families and
provide citizens with temporary housing while the city is in the process of rebuilding. It is
important for all families to assess the damage done to their personal property and contact their
insurance companies to find out how much your insurance will cover and what you will have to
cover. The city of New Orleans will be responsible for rebuilding and finding temporary housing
for the citizens that need it. The map below shows an impacted area from a recent hurricane.

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 Short Term Plan:
The damages done by a hurricane will take awhile to correct, but the city of New Orleans
will begin a short term restoration plan as soon as conditions are safe. This short term plan
includes setting up makeshift hospitals at pre-designated locations. These makeshift hospitals
will supply citizens with medical needs, food, water, and other basic needs. These resources will
come from organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA. The locations of these hospitals should
be pre-determined and sent out to community members before the hurricane arrives.
There should also be a pre-organized economic team that will be responsible for planning
financially for the disaster. This team should be comprised of local government members,
chamber of commerce members, any parish business groups, and any other necessary groups
involved in planning for disaster. This team will be responsible for planning how much money
will be distributed in order to recover from disaster. Things that the team is responsible for
planning would be housing, infrastructure, health and human services, and the environment.
Re-established communication lines should also be a priority of the city so citizens and
the disaster relief center will have a way to communicate after the disaster.

Long Term Plan:

The first step in New Orleans long term plan will be to create and establish temporary
housing for those who lost their homes in the disaster. Due to the fact that it may take a very long
time to clean up debris left by the storm, it is essential for people who had to evacuate their
homes to find new, temporary housing while theirs is being restored. In the best case scenario,
residents will not have to be out of their homes for an extended period of time, but if not, it is
essential that the city is ready to help citizens who need to be relocated for long periods of time.
The rest of the restoration will be focused around the specific needs of the community.
The long term community recovery program should be governed by a local group. The goal of
the program should be to focus on the specific long term disaster needs of the impacted
community, these needs could include housing, infrastructure, environment, and economy. Once
the local government acts to initiate the long term program, the governing group should select
one member to facilitate the recovery program. The leader of the group will act as a
representative and serve as a facilitator at community meetings and establish partnerships with
local, state, and federal organizations that will aid the city in long term relief as well. To ensure
the success of this team, the members of the team should already be involved in the hazard
mitigation process and disaster planning process.This team's main responsibility should be to
facilitate issues and provide the community with long term assistance.

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 Financial Plan:
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the damages across the Gulf Region reached $120.5
billion, of that money, $75 billion was used in relief efforts. The National Flood Insurance
contributed $16 billion to the recovery efforts in and around the New Orleans Area. After
looking at this, we have decided to budget $10 billion for the city of New Orleans for disaster
relief.

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Appendices
Figure 1:

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Figure 2:

Figure 3:

31
Figure 4:

32
33
Figure 5:

34
Figure 6

35
Figure 7

36
Figure 8

37
Figure 9

38
Figure 10

39
Figure 11

40
Figure 12

41
Figure 13

42
Figure 14

43
Figure 15

44
Figure 16

45
Figure 17

46
Figure 18

47
Figure 19

48
Figure 20

49
Figure 21

50
Figure 22

51
Figure 23

52
Figure 24

53
Figure 25

54
Figure 26

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