It was, to put it
mildly, a bad day for America. As one veteran responder put it,
getting aid into New Orleans and other devastated areas after
Hurricane Katrina hit was like "landing an army at Normandy with a
little less shooting."
When Americans needed America most, we let them down. When
catastrophes occur, our resources must be mobilized immediately.
And Americans need to be confident that leaders at all levels of
government are doing the right things to make them safer. On both
counts, the nation fell short.
Part of knowing what to fix, however, is knowing what not to fix.
And there were things that went right. America's military was a
case in point.
When local and state assets are overwhelmed during a disaster, it
is appropriate for military assets to be brought in to bridge the
gap until civilian responders can handle the situation. And that
did happen.
The U.S. Coast Guard, a uniformed military service that is now part
of the Department of Homeland Security, rescued more than 33,000
people during and after the storm, often under harrowing
conditions. And the Pentagon pitched in as well. By Aug. 31, the
Defense Department had started medical airlifts, and the USS Bataan
had arrived off New Orleans. Almost 50,000 National Guard forces
deployed to support hurricane relief, and active duty troops from
the 82d Airborne and 1st Cavalry, more than 17,000, pitched in as
well.
A second amphibious assault ship and an aircraft carrier arrived on
Sept. 6. Twenty ships, 360 helicopters and 93 fixed-wing aircraft
were in the affected area by Sept. 7. It was the largest and
fastest deployment of U.S. military forces in support of a natural
disaster in the nation's history.
Few in the media seemed to notice the difference they made. If the
nation had really responded as ineptly as the press suggested, then
the death toll would have been catastrophic. But it wasn't.
Hundreds of thousands were evacuated before the storm, tens of
thousands were rescued after it hit, and millions received aid,
shelter and comfort in the storm's wake.
There are lessons to be learned from Katrina. At the outset of a
disaster, when state and local governments are overwhelmed, and
before the vast resources in the private sector can be brought to
bear, there is an important role for "military" responders. They
must, however, be organized, trained and equipped properly for the
task, so that in cases like Katrina they can get there and make a
difference in hours instead of days.
A good place to start would be to consider modernizing the Coast
Guard. Today, young Coast Guard men and women are busier than ever.
But they are heading into harm's way with a fleet of ships, planes
and helicopters that are rapidly wearing out. Coast Guardsmen were
deployed into the teeth of Katrina on ships old enough to collect
Social Security. There's no excuse for that.
Before Katrina, the House voted to cut the Coast Guard's budget for
new equipment. There's no excuse for that, either. Congress should
double the amount given to the Coast Guard for new ships and
aircraft, equipment that could have saved even more lives.
Congress and the administration also need to ensure that we have a
robust, fully manned and well-equipped National Guard. And the
Guard should have units organized and equipped to meet
contingencies exactly like Katrina or any other large-scale
disaster whether its caused by a terrorist or a natural
disaster.
Maybe next time, then, more things will go right.
James
Carafano
is a senior research
fellow for defense and homeland security at The Heritage
Foundation.
First appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer