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Hurricane Ike wrap-upJC | 10.03.2008 | 07:00:386756 | It has been one month since the formation of Hurricane Ike, the ninth named storm of the 2008 hurricane season. Since the storm hit the Texas coast, more than 300 people are still missing while the storm claimed 67 lives, and could end up costing close to $22 billion officials said. The storm also was responsible for high winds and rain in the interior parts of the country, causing power outages, flooding and gas shortages in the Midwest and Southeastern US. Business Week reported gas outages in major urban areas such as Atlanta sending prices to close to $4.33 a gallon. "The Southeast is experiencing a hurricane-triggered gas shortage that has thrown the region's gas stations into chaos. ... The dual hurricanes (Gustav and Ike respectively) caused widespread power outages on the Gulf Coast, which forced refineries to shut down as the pipelines opened, waiting transport to transport reserve fuel to the Southeast."
The storm's effects were still being felt as recently as late as September 20 according to the Weather Channel which reported a National Weather Service bulletin announcing storm surge-induced higher tide waters which continued to flood parts of low-lying Texas.
Regarding those missing after the storm, local and state officials have partnered with the Laura Recovery Center to establish a Hurricane Ike missing persons website that compiles lists "of missing people and police are using the information to go door-to-door looking for answers."
"As of Thursday morning," the cable news channel reported, "the number of missing hovered at 300, including 24 children. Laura Recovery Center volunteers, working with the Galveston Police Department and Galveston Emergency Management, have been fielding calls from family and friends of people missing since Ike hit September 12."
Meanwhile, in Louisiana, the Advocate reported a "successful" lessons-learned best practice for disaster aid housing being implemented by federal, state and local officials. Using their experience during and after Hurricane Katrina, Housing and Urban Development officials announced assistance to low-income homeowners and renters. "Under the new program," the Advocate reported, "qualifying families will receive full rental assistance until May 1" as well as foreclosure relief for a period of 90 days. (The terms and conditions of the agreement are here).
In addition to infrastructure and community damage, Ike caused massive natural damage. Grist reported via Houston Chronicle that "Ike caused widespread environmental damage to Southeast Texas, ripping through the region's barrier islands, washing debris into Galveston Bay and the Gulf, and imperiling animals, fish and plants by pouring excessive amounts of saltwater into marshes."
Other developments of interest: Mike Schaffner wrote in Forbes he learned some lessons about the resiliency and community dependence on telecommunications and infrastructure in the face of a large disaster - namely that technology will fail; planning is critical; realize the value of those who maintain the infrastructure; create redundant systems and finally that continuity planning is more than IT disaster recovery planning.
And FEMA has its own YouTube page with videos about hurricane preparedness, disaster recovery among other things.
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NCORP and the Kennedy School of Government Collaborate on the National Blueprint for Secure Communities
 Working in partnership with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the ReadyCommunities Partnership is reaching out to first responders, local officials, the private sector and citizens throughout the nation to develop the National Blueprint for Secure Communities. The Blueprint will be the focus of the first National Congress for Secure Communities in November and serve as a roadmap for any community striving for resiliency during the first hours of a national or large-scale crisis. Click Here to read more...
National Press Club Briefing on National Blueprint June 20th
 In partnership with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and it's non-profit, government and corporate partners, NCORP is reaching out to first responders, local officials, the private sector and citizens throughout the nation to develop a National Blueprint for Secure Communities. The Blueprint is a project under the ReadyAmerica Initiative, and was the focus of the National Press Club briefing at 11:30 a.m. on June 20, 2006. The Blueprint will serve as a roadmap for any community working to reach a level of excellence in their preparedness.
Preliminary Report from Midwest Summit
 The Midwest Summit Police Chiefs Association met May 3rd and 4th in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to develop public/private partnerships that augment and multiply community preparedness, response and recovery capabilities. NCORP joined the Summit to incorporate the output of the May 3rd Summit sessions into the National Blueprint for Secure Communities. Click Here to download the draft draft preliminary report of the Summit.
More Press Items:
Homeland Security Journal coverage
Speech at the Harvard Forum
The First 72 Hours Meeting Agenda
ReadyAmerica: The First 72 Hours
Photographs of the November 16th Meeting
Draft Transcript of Preparedness Congress
Richmond Times-Dispatch
December 17-18, 2007...
National Congress for Secure Communities at the Capitol Hill Hyatt, Washington, D.C. May 31, 2007...
Initial meeting in Hamilton County, IN with county/city stakeholders on the 5-community pilot project. May 7, 2007 ...
Planning meeting in Charleston, SC with community stakeholders on the 5-community pilot. April 25, 2007...
Meeting in Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan for the 5-community Pilot. January 18, 2007...
Southwestern Regional Meeting of the NCORP Advisory Committee in Galveston, Texas
August 10, 2006...
Code Red for international flights to the U.S. originating in the UK: Code Orange for commerical U.S. domestic flights; Code Yellow for the U.S. July 7, 2005...
Code Orange for metropolitan transportation and rail systems January 18, 2005...
Code Yellow is in effect
Why Your Membership in ReadyCorps Will Help Strengthen Homeland Security
September 11, 2001 has not only changed the way communities view their preparation and response to crisis, but also redefined the role that citizens and corporations have in helping their communities prepare for and respond to threat and crisis. Though local, state and federal governments are responsible at one level or another, there just are not enough resources to protect all communities and property at all times, nor to respond equally or quickly. The threat and the country are too open and large.
ReadyCorps' Role
The National Council on Readiness and Preparedness has formed ReadyCorps to bring corporations together with communities, responders and governments to increase community surge capacity during incidents of mass casualty or destruction. ReadyCorps members will establish a corporate Crisis Response Officer (CRO) for each corporate facility, to serve as a contact point between responders and corporations to share information and assets, create preparedness response strategies and generally develop simple but effective ways to train and prepare employees for threat or crisis as resources to the responder sector during community response.
Click here to read more...
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