EDITORIAL: Better to Prepare for No-Show Storm

The Decatur Daily

Aug. 28--With tropical storm Gustav churning in the Caribbean, possibly heading for the U.S. Gulf Coast as a major hurricane, coastal residents, as well as local, state and federal government agencies, need to prepare now.

One of the most painful parts of watching Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans was knowing the city was not prepared. In spite of forecasts by the National Hurricane Center that New Orleans was in the crosshairs of a Category 5 storm, Mayor Ray Nagin did not order evacuations until 20 hours before the storm hit.

Aside from FEMA's inadequate response, New Orleans residents did not have the support and leadership they needed from city officials.

Contrast that with Alabama's response to weaker Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Gov. Bob Riley ordered one-way traffic north on I-65 to Montgomery 48 hours before the storm hit. Mobile city officials ordered evacuations about the same time. Decatur hosted some of the evacuees then, as we did with Katrina. Even though Ivan did a lot of damage, Alabama was ready and has helped coastal and inland residents with recovery and repair.

These scenarios prove there is no substitute for being prepared.

Now is the time to prepare. If Gustav makes landfall in the U.S., we have time to get the process started. Let us use that time wisely. It is better to be prepared and not experience a landfall than not be prepared and ... Katrina.

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Decatur Daily, Ala.

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