I've had some trouble thinking of what to write about on this blog, so please forgive my absence on the site. I thought going back to the comments made on earlier blogs would help.
On my earlier post about Hurricane Sandy, the following comment was made:
I think it is very interesting that you bring up the comparison of Sandy. I too felt a chilling connection between the two Hurricanes. What I find particularly interesting is the difference in response on the part of the federal government. While New York was almost back to running after a few days, New Orleans took years (and is still struggling) to repair a lot of the damage caused by Katrina. What do you think about this? Why did this happen? What didn't work in New Orleans?
From my perspective, there are a few major differences between New Orleans and New York City that allowed for a faster response after Hurricane Sandy. Firstly, I think that the political organizations in NY/NJ acted more efficiently than those of New Orleans in 2005. One of example of this is involved Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey.
Acting against strong pressure from the GOP, Governor Christie worked closely and quickly with President Obama to bring relief to the Jersey Shore. The Governor got a lot of heat for his praise of the President's response (people are still talking about it), but many lauded him for choosing to help his constituents over his own party. Based on what we've learned about New Orleans, this type of action on the part of government officials did not occur post-Katrina.
I doubt that this faster response can be solely attributed to the political makeup of NY/NJ; the nation saw what happened post-Katrina and knew that history repeating itself was not something we could afford. As devastating as Hurricane Katrina was to the population and physical components of New Orleans, Americans now have a better idea of what can happen if the government does not respond as it should. Steps have been taken in the years since Katrina so that our response system can be faster and more efficient than it was in 2005.
Good Post! I think it was a good idea for you to re-address this topic. Mentioning Hurricane Katrina as a devastating lesson for the entire country is an important point. Can you think of other successful planning initiatives that were successful in part because planners and politicians did not repeat a previously made mistake?
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