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Natural Hazards Center Recommends Independent Katrina Review <br />On September 26, the Natural Hazards Center sent the following letter to select members of the U.S. Congress rec- <br />ommending an immediate, independent, and nonpartisan review of governmental policies and response related to Hurri- <br />cane Katrina. The Center suggested that any panel, commission, or review be composed of experts in hazards and disasters <br />and that the scope of the inquiry be broad enough to address the underlying issues, societal as well as institutional, that <br />contributed to the severity of the catastrophe. <br />The intent of the letter is to promote the need for a review that draws upon existing knowledge about hazards and dis- <br />asters, charts a course toward improving the nation's disaster resilience and response capabilities, and ensures that mis- <br />takes are not repeated in future disasters. The Center encourages all of our constituents to contact their congressional rep- <br />resentatives to share their views on this matter. Download a copy of the letter at http: / /www. colorado. edu /hazards/ <br />katrinaletter/. <br />Dear Senator /Representative: <br />Hurricane Katrina and the heart - wrenching devastation left in its path have exposed, in the most dramatic way possi- <br />ble, significant failures in disaster mitigation, planning, preparedness, and response. While now is the time for healing and <br />immediate recovery, it will soon become imperative that the institutional and societal failures contributing to the destruc- <br />tion on the Gulf Coast be thoroughly examined to help prevent future tragedies and aid in the long -term recovery effort. <br />Since its founding in 1976, the Natural Hazards Center in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of <br />Colorado has advanced and communicated knowledge on hazard mitigation and disaster preparedness, response, and re- <br />covery. The Center is funded by the National Science Foundation and by a consortium of federal agencies that includes <br />NOAA, NASA, USGS, and FEMA. Recently, the Center became a lead investigator in the U.S. Department of Homeland <br />Security's Center of Excellence tasked with researching society's response to terrorism and other extreme events. <br />On behalf of the multidisciplinary hazards and disasters research and emergency management communities, who have <br />worked for decades to improve the nation's resilience to natural disasters, we strongly encourage an immediate, independ- <br />ent, and nonpartisan review of the governmental response to Hurricane Katrina. We believe the review should be empow- <br />ered to explore the broad spectrum issues that have directly contributed to this catastrophic event, such as the following: <br />• How can the current and proposed structure of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security be enhanced to improve the <br />nation's natural hazard and disaster capabilities? <br />• Would a cabinet -level Federal Emergency Management Agency improve the nation's response capabilities? <br />• What federal policies and programs are needed to reduce risk in coastal zones and to promote safe and sustainable <br />growth at the state and local levels? <br />• How can institutional barriers to effective communication across different levels of government be removed to enhance <br />planning, response, and recovery? <br />• What policies and programs can be developed to specifically target the needs of vulnerable populations — including the <br />poor, elderly, disabled, and children— during disasters? <br />• What steps can be taken, both immediately and over the long term, to improve the nation's resiliency to extreme events? <br />Without an independent review capable of addressing these and other pressing issues, the findings of any commission, <br />panel or task force focused exclusively on governmental response will be incomplete. In order to rebuild the nation's trust <br />and lead to positive change, we also strongly recommend that the reviewers be well- respected, experienced researchers and <br />practitioners who represent all points of view. To truly understand what led up to the disaster and how it was managed, it <br />is also crucial that information be obtained from witnesses on a confidential basis. The Natural Hazards Center would be <br />honored to recommend names of qualified experts and to assist in any investigation in any way possible. <br />We further recommend that policy makers and legislators heed the advice of expert panels that have already identified <br />key challenges and research needs with respect to disaster loss reduction. One such report is the recently published Grand <br />Challenges for Disaster Reduction by the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the National Science and Technology <br />Council. <br />These are difficult times, made more so because of decades of warnings gone unheeded. We believe that it is still pos- <br />sible for some good to come of this tragedy and that the nation should focus its efforts and strengthen its resolve toward <br />preventing future disasters. <br />The recommendations contained in this letter are from the Natural Hazards Center and may not reflect the opinions of <br />the University of Colorado or its Board of Regents. <br />Sincerely, <br />4 <br />1 � <br />C_-.. <br />Kathleen Tierney Greg Guibert <br />Director Program Manager <br />Natural Hazards Observer November 2005 4 <br />