Learning from Katrina

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
This time last year, millions of people were uprooted, injured, and some were even killed when Hurricane Katrina struck. Expediters responded, including a number of EO members.

Today, journalists are doing their Katrina follow-up stories. Authors are releasing their books. An interesting and infomative document is "A Failure of Initiative: The Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina," issued by the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and
Response to Hurricane Katrina.

http://katrina.house.gov/index.htm

For those who wish to play the political blame game, there is now enough factual information out there to keep the spin doctors busy and partisian fingers pointing for years to come. For expediters who may be again called to help with disaster relief efforts, the post-Katrina information can be used in more productive ways.

With the Katrina experience behind us (and still going on for many thousands of people), what are your thoughts about the next disaster relief work you may be involved in as an expediter?
 

Doggie Daddy

Veteran Expediter
>This time last year, millions of people were uprooted,
>injured, and some were even killed when Hurricane Katrina
>struck. Expediters responded, including a number of EO
>members.
>

>With the Katrina experience behind us (and still going on
>for many thousands of people), what are your thoughts about
>the next disaster relief work you may be involved in as an
>expediter?

I don't know that i have thought ahead to the next disaster,because even after 1 year later it is very obvious that katrina will be felt for many years to come.

We were sent into new orleans with needed equipment just a little over 2weeks after the storm,and it was unbelievable the things we saw there.After going back a few times since then you can see the work that has been done, but the work that remains is staggering.

What really gets me upset about it is that many people are still living in tents and homes with no electricity (or interior walls)while THOUSANDS of FEMA trailers sit empty in several staging lots.
x( x( x(
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Simple
We move just in time freight because it is our chosen occupation, we enjoy the money, the freedom, the sights and take in the culture. Being where you are needed and trying to make a difference is the biggest bonus we have received.
Funny as I get older I have come to realize I never did God a favor by helping someone in need.
I was blessed by the ability to help someone God loves and that is the greatest gift I have ever received.
I am not a bible thumper but I know what is important to us and our peace of mind, so yes we would never think twice.
Mike and Cyn:)
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Phil, it is ironic that I am reading this after talking to a few who are victims of the victims of Katrina in Houston.

I see big changes in how logistics are going to be handled in any disaster. DHS have setup a plan for warehouses nearer the coast, rotating food stock and a bunch of other things.

The GAO has been auditing the contracts and the people of N.O. have been continually complaining that they are not getting enough money. I know of several people who went down there to help and have yet to get paid but a few trucking companies and brokers have been paid a lot of money and seemed to forget to pay people.

Reading the latest from DHS and other sources, the contracts will most likely be on a tight leash to prevent the chaos that happened trying to move things down there. I only wish that they would put a stop to all this predicting, like the 10000 people who were supposed to die the first 24 hours.

Will Expediters be involved? Yea but I think it won’t be at the scale we seen in the past.

Warning – Political statement ahead

It is sad that a city is destroyed, lives are lost but most importantly we as a nation can’t get a grip on the facts that it is no one’s fault that a storm happened. It is further sad that the very people who were directly responsible for every life lost are still in power and still complaining about the lack of money that is going down to the city. My feelings have been hardened by all the rhetoric from Nagen and others who think they deserve more. For example you and I know how to start and steer a bus, but the buses sat there while the mayor took his family and furniture out of the city. The people of the city seem to be more concern about the jazz museum and some kind of multimillion dollar park than why the mayor killed people.

End political statement.

Just as a side bar, I am trying to get started a non-profit to teach disaster preparedness, amateur radio and a bunch of other things. Eventually I will get it off the ground.
 

Broompilot

Veteran Expediter
Was it not a Logistic nightmare????? I have talked to many drivers some even from here who were just tickled pink to be paid hundreds of dollars to sit and do nothing. Thats contributing?? Sounds more like thats scewing the American People..

I know if the person sitting did not do it someone else would. OK I did not ever sit I ran spent $ on fuel and yes I was busy just like anyone else who wanted to be, the difference was I was running and not soaking up tax dollars. Could those who did it help it no. But some of the comments and bragging I have heard from drivers really makes me wonder where ones Moral Values Lie....
 

Paul56

Seasoned Expediter
Thoughts?

It isn't about journalism, politics, blame or expediting.

It is about an unavoidable natural event, the human suffering and forever changed lives, and the response.

During such times, our services and equipment are available free of charge to aid those suffering.
 

Broompilot

Veteran Expediter
Free of Charge, Who in the world in the Transporation industry offered there services free of charge. All I heard about was the thousands per day made sitting, or at least $800 but I believe the figure was closer to 1,300 per day but probably more. What was it as I know of one moderator who benfited, he was not bragging but some people were.

I find it Ironic that I donated hundreds to the victims when drivers were soaking up thousands sitting. Ethics, Morals what ever the American People (Tax Payers did not get what they paid for).
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
You are correct in that many benefited from that situation. We made money on some of it, and some was donated. The biggest waste was hauling items like ice and bottled water all over the place, or having it sit on the truck for days.
Your average of 1300 per day is pretty close. Straights were getting 1200. Fema at its best.







Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator
 

Paul56

Seasoned Expediter
>Free of Charge, Who in the world in the Transporation
>industry offered there services free of charge.

Obviously people need to earn a living and the business operation needs to generate profits to remain viable; however, we are also firm believers in volunteering and giving back to the community.

Fortunately, we are in a position where it is not a requirement or necessity that everything we do is profitable and so we help out when and where we can. Often we have secured new customers and profitable runs through contacts made via the unpaid assistance we have provided.

We run under our own company and authority, and so as such the only authority we are accountable to is my wife's father who oversees the operation. In effect, we are actually partners although we defer to his business experience, judgement and network.

The operation comprises a heavy truck & automotive dealership along with a fleet of trucks that primarily drag double wood chip wagons in the Abitibi Temiscaming region of Quebec. We used to operate one of those wood chip rigs during our school days, but eventually decided there was a market for something a little more specialized that we would operate... and thus was born the Kenworth Motorhome as I call it. :)

Specifically for Katrina, we dragged down two loads of bottled water in a "borrowed" tractor from the dealership and a 53' trailer. The bottled water was picked up at Aberfoyle Springs in southern Ontario and taken down to the New Orleans area. In this case, as a business we paid for both the transportation and the goods provided.

That is the background along with the why and how.
 

bryan

Veteran Expediter
hi

Might as well throw my 2 cents in here.Nagan told the people to evacuate.Some didn't get the warning and some just chose to ignore it.When the storm turned away from the city even the press was saying that New Orleans had dodged the bullet and people went to bed that night feeling good about there situation.I would of done the same thing.But water in the northern hemispere flows south.Places as far north as Memphis had downpours, that water had to go somewhere and that mixed with storm surge. The levies broke and that flooded the city.People expected the calvary to come and save them,it didn't happen.It only does in the movies and on tv.Untill people learn how to protect themselves we will keep on having disasters.Untill cities become communities again we will have no leadership,everybody will wait for the calvary not understanding that they are the calvary.Would your community fare any better?Would you know what to do?Where to go and how to help?

FEMA could of done a better job.They have done better in the past(Homestead Florida).It should be a separate entity.Mixing it with Homeland Security was stupid.They put all emergency services under one roof.Imagine if NYC put all their fire departments into one fire house.

As for people making money off of anothers misfortune well aint that about par for the course.We give millions to Indonesia but can't help each other without expecting payment.

It was a money grab, just one more way for the goverment to steal tax money.Think of the bribes some goverment officials got just to insure that certain companies got the contracts.Or how much money got skimmed off and stuffed in certain peoples pockets.Wish I would of bought stock in trailor manufacturing.Must be nice to sell the same trailor twice.And who came up with the trailor idea?What did they plan on doing with them once people rebuilt?
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Well to each his own...can't say I cared for how it was orchestrated and no we didn't carry bottled water to sit on or drag trailers to the devastation only to drag em back to a staging lot. We started with runs that required crazy deadheads to Rockhill, Sc we picked up Insurance runs that really didn't pay that great but they had to be done. We went to Florida 1st back to Sc then Mobile, did airfreight p/u of emergency equipment then off to Biloxi to the hospital there where we drove behind a front end loader to get a clear path to the hospital as the yet unopened Hardrock Casino cluttered the streets. We d-headed back to Sc pick up for a Luling La drop (south of New Orleans) and delivered there while all the sniper ruckus was going on. Why would we take these runs when we knew other good paying freight to more desireable locations was available? We sat in crazy gridlocks in insane places at the height of civil unrest, we took risks on our ability to buy fuel, went without showers and food to bring insurance satellite office equipment.....
Cause in some small way maybe we could help someone that lost their home get their life back a little faster.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jeptr...=&.done=http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos If this link works it is a little of what we have saved from our experience, It barely catches the moment but we remember alot of people trying to do something and we were proud for our small part.
Mike and Cyn
 

BigBusBob

Veteran Expediter
Driver
I had experience with Katrina, and wanted to add that I was in New Orleans about 3 weeks ago (Late Aug. 2006), nearly a year after Katrina struck.
The French Quarter is relatively fine, though strangely different - I can say it does not "Feel" like New Orleans as much as it used to.

I was there while bringing a rock group thru, on a private coach, as part of their national tour.

I think that part of that strange feeling comes from the surrounding area's of New Orleans. New Orleans and the surrounding area's about 5 to 10 miles out looks like Katrina struck yesterday. I was surprised to some extent, and to some extent I was not - After being there right after the storm struck in 2005, taking refugees out on passenger tour busses, and power crews into the area.

I saw the devastation right after it happened on land, on peoples faces, and in peoples voices - up close and personal as they entered onto my tour bus.
The storm left a lasting impact on one of our nations most historical places and perhaps our nations biggest place to party.

Then I found myself there again 1 year later... I saw not just empty homes, but empty apartment complexes, empty shopping plaza's. A hurting economy, but not a dead economy - they're definetely trying, tourists are there, businesses are there, and the are people there...

The only difference really is that after Katrina did it's damage, the people simply did not return. We took them from an area they suddenly feared, an area where before they had everything and then suddenly had nothing... we took them to area's where there's life - sometimes life as far as 500+ miles away. New Orleans and it's surrounding coastal area's populations were suddenly homeless by the ten's of thousands. There was crime, sewer problems, water was everywhere. Wouldn't you want out of a situation like that? Your job was gone because the business was gone and the bosses house too.

Katrina will go down in history as one of the most devastating storms on record for sure, you can argue about the issues it caused all day and all nite long - it won't solve anything.
Fact is: Katrina is gone, the water is gone,
And the damage is being fixed. But it won't happen overnite. it won't happen in a year, it will happen over the course of years to come.

Why did I comment on this post?

Because I think people should know that New Orleans is still alive, it's just hurt, it'll survive. Thru Louisiana's determination to survive - and the American Spirit. I do not think "America, The land of Opportunity" will let New Orleans die anytime soon.

I had a wonderful supper in New Orleans, the band was graciously welcomed into the French Quarter, and the hotel gladly catered to our every need. Everything was fine, do Not let the surrounding scenery scare you away, go take New Orleans in, the locals will love you - and so will America for feeding a struggling economy.

That's all for now, BigBusBob
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Having visited with a number of expediters who were involved in the Katrina experience, I learned I was not the only one to say, "I was not prepared for what I saw down there."

Last year, while Diane and I were enroute to the affected area for the first time, we met three big-rig drivers at a rest area. They were instructors from a truck driving school volunteering their time to haul relief supplies in school-owned trucks. That small convoy was organized by people who fled ahead of the storm and took it upon themselves to get aid in quickly.

Two of these drivers were in the "It's the least we can do." mode and were obviously proud of what they were doing (rightfully so). One spoke less. He had been through a major huricane before. He said he was not looking forward to seeing again the aftermath of another.

I'm with him. If Diane and I are called to serve in a disaster relief effort again, we'll go because we are needed. But this time I'll stay more focused on the job, less focused on the devastation and more emotionally guarded. While expediters often find themselves where the action is, disaster relief work is no picnic.

Another piece is physical preparation. It's important to be prepared to survive on your own, possibly without fuel, for several days. With communications, electricity (that powers truck stop fuel pumps) and services knocked out, and curfews in place, the only fuel, food and water you may have is what you bring.

Regarding the drivers who got paid to sit, I wouldn't be too hard on them. They answered our government's call to provide services in good faith. When they went, they had no idea things would be as screwed up as they were. Once there, some of them complained bitterly to the media about how they were not being effectively used. Those complaints were couragously made, over the objections and even preventative action of embarassed government officials.

I know some FedEx drivers who were paid to sit with medical supplies on their reefer-equipped trucks and other supplies on dry-box trucks. It was not their call to decide when and where to stage or deliver those supplies. I view their service like that of a fire fighter. While the alarm may not have come into the firehouse, and the fire fighter sat there, the fire fighter is still on the job. It's not his or her fault the fire truck was not used. It's someone else's fault for not making the call. In the same way, it's not on the truck drivers' fault that their trucks were not effectively used. That's on the officials who failed to use them well.

While some insensitive and loud-mouth truck drivers might boast about being paid to do nothing in a disaster relief effort, the majority responded in good faith and would have done far more had the government asked. They stood ready, willing and able to help.
 
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