NOLA Disaster Plan Outsourced

Updated 16 September
The private firm charged with developing the New Orleans hurricane disaster plan identified the need for 1,000 shelters and said that they would need to be open 100 days (more than three months!). A press release asserts that "state resources are adequate to operate shelters for the first 3-5 days." After that, the problem was to organize replinishment from federal and other sources. The firm also "developed a transportation plan for getting stranded residents out of harm’s way."

This seven-day emergency planning exercise took place in July 2004, less than two months after IEM, Inc., a Baton Rouge emergency management and homeland security consultant, announced it had secured a $500,000 contract to develop "a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans." The press release states that the "teaming partners" are Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates. However, James Lee Witt, LCC, provided this statement today:

In May of 2004, IEM included James Lee Witt Associates, LLC in their proposal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for developing a FEMA Catastrophic Plan for Southeast Louisiana and the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

After the proposal was submitted to FEMA, James Lee Witt Associates was not approached again by IEM, nor did JLWA have any involvement whatsoever in the project.

According to FEMA Regional Director Ron Castleman, the planning exercise was a success:

Disaster response teams developed action plans in critical areas such as search and rescue, medical care, sheltering, temporary housing, school restoration and debris management. These plans are essential for quick response to a hurricane but will also help in other emergencies.

In the press release announcing the contract, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas stressed the importance of planning:

Given this area’s vulnerability, unique geographic location and elevation, and troubled escape routes, a plan that facilitates a rapid and effective hurricane response and recovery is critical. The IEM team’s approach to catastrophic planning meets the challenges associated with integrating multi-jurisdictional needs and capabilities into an effective plan for addressing catastrophic hurricane strikes, as well as man-made catastrophic events.

After the exericse, Colonel Michael L. Brown, Deputy Director for Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said:

Over the next 60 days, we will polish the action plans developed during the Hurricane Pam exercise. We have also determined where to focus our efforts in the future.

Based on the real-world events post-Katrina, it appears that the resulting plan was neither polished nor focused, and that FEMA -- whether at the federal or state level -- was not ready. Was the plan even finalized?

(Note: The first press release had been pulled from the company web site; has been uploaded with an addendum that "James Lee Witt Associates was a member of the original team, but did not participate in the project." a Revised release and Google cache of the original. The second release is available as a PDF.)

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Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Politics