Lessons from past hurricane seasons Hurricanes are dynamic laboratories for learning and catalysts for building capacity for disaster-intelligent & disaster-resilient communites. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. TRACKS OF CINDY, DENNIS,
KATRINA, RITA, AND WILMA

2. LESSONS FROM PAST
HURRICANE SEASONS

3. HURRICANES ARE DYNAMIC
LABORATORIES FOR
LEARNING AND CATALYSTS
FOR BUILDING CAPACITY
FOR DISASTER-INTELLIGENT
& DISASTER-RESILIENT
COMMUNITES

4. HURRICANE DISASTER
LABORATORIES

5. ONE-HUNDRED YEARS OF HURRICANE
DISASTER LABORATORIES

6. 2012’S 19 ATLANTIC BASIN
STORM TRACKS

7. NAMED STORMS IN 2012
 ALBERTO - Tropical storm; May 19
 BERYL - Tropical storm; May 27
 CHRIS – Hurricane; June 21
 DEBBY – Tropical storm; June 23
 ERNESTO –Hurricane; Aug 3
 FLORENCE –Tropical storm: Aug 5
 GORDON –Hurricane, August 16

8. NAMED STORMS FOR 2012
 HELENE –Tropical Storm, Aug. 19
 ISAAC – Hurricane, August 21
 JOYCE –Tropical Storm, Aug. 25
 KIRK –Tropical Storm. Aug. 27
 LESLIE –Hurricane, Sept. 5
 MICHAEL –Hurricane, Sept. 5
 NADINE – Hurricane, Sept. 12

9. NAMED STORMS IN 2012
 OSCAR – Tropical Storm, Oct. 4
 PATTY – Tropical Storm, Oct. 11
 RAFAEL – Hurricane, Oct. 12
 SANDY – Super Storm, Oct. 22
 TONY – Tropical Storm, Oct. 24

10. TWO OF 2012’S STORMS
WERE ESPECIALLY
NOTABLE
ISAAC -- A RAINMAKER FOR
THE ENTIRE GULF COAST
SANDY – A SUPER STORM

11. SANDY
---FROM AN ORDINARY TROPICAL
STORM TO A HURRICANE TO A
ONCE- IN- A- CENTURY- HISTORIC
“SUPER STORM”
IN EIGHT DAYS

12. AN ORDINARY TROPICAL
STORM ON OCTOBER 22

13. SUPER STORM SANDY ON
OCTOBER 29-30, 2012

14. CAT 1 HURRICANE SANDY MADE
LANDFALL AT 8:00 PM ON
MONDAY NIGHT, OCT. 29TH
Sandy made landfall south of Atlantic City,
New Jersey, merging with a winter storm
system to become a unique, once-in-a-
century, “Super Storm” caused by nature’s
natural cycles, NOT global warming

15. TROPICAL STORMS AND
HURRICANES IN 2005
 Twenty-seven
storms
occurred during
the 2005
season.

16. TROPICAL STORMS-
HURRICANES IN 2005
 ARLENE  GERT
 BRET  HARVEY
 CINDY  IRENE
 DENNIS  JOSE
 EMILY  KATRINA
 FRANKLIN  LEE

17. TROPICAL STORMS-
HURRICANES IN 2005
 MARIA  TAMMY
 VINCE
 NATE
 WILMA
 OPHELIA
 ALPHA
 PHILIPPE
 BETA
 RITA  GAMMA
 STAN  DELTA
 EPSILON
 ZETA

18. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 EVERY HURRICANE
TEACHES
IMPORTANT
LESSONS ABOUT
THE FIVE PILLARS
OF DISASTER
RESILIENCE.

19. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 BEING PREPARED
MEANS THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND THE
RISKS ASSOC-
IATED WITH STORM
SURGE, WIND, AND
RAIN AND PLAN
FOR THEIR
IMPACTS.

20. 2012’S SANDY: NEW JERSEY:
OCEAN FRONT FLOODING

21. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURICANES
 PREPAREDNESS
MEANS THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT
HURRICANES ARE
ACCOMPANIED BY
HEAVY PRECIP-
ITATION THAT WILL
INUNDATE LOW-
LYING AREAS OF THE
COMMUNITY.

22. 2012’S SANDY: ATLANTIC
CITY, NJ, UNDER WATER

23. 2012’S SANDY: FLOODING IN
BROOKLYN, NY

24. 2012’S ISAAC: RAIN IN PORT AU
PRINCE, HAITI: AUG. 23

25. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL
HURRICANES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANS FOR THE
INEVITABLE
POWER
OUTAGES THAT
PARALYZE THE
COMMUNITY.

26. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 PREPAREDNESS
MEANS THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT
ADVERSE ENVIRON-
MENTAL IMPACTS
HAPPEN WHEN
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
ARE SUBJECTED TO WIND,
STORM SURGE, AND
FLOODING.

27. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANS INCLUDE
PETS

28. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 PROTECTION
MEANS THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND THE
RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH HIGH
VELOCITY WIND
AND BUILD
ACCORDINGLY.

29. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURICANES
 WITHOUT
ADEQUATE
PROTECTION, HIGH
VELOCITY WIND
WILL LIFT THE
ROOF OFF OF
MANY BUILDINGS.

30. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 KATRINA
 A PROTECTION
NIGHTMARE
OCCURRED
WHEN NEW
ORLEANS’
LEVEES FAILED.

31. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 KATRINA, AUGUST
28-29, 2005
 ANOTHER
PROTECTION
NIGHTMARE
OCCURRED WHEN
WIND AND FLOODING,
CLOSED TULANE
UNIVERSITY) LONG
ENOUGH TO
PARALYZE THE
COMMUNITY.

32. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES.
 DISASTER-
INTELLIGENT
COMMUNITIES USE
TIMELY EARLY
WARNING BASED ON
CRITICAL INFORM-
ATION TO IMPROVE
THE ODDS FOR
SAVING LIVES.

33. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 BETA, OCTOBER
29, 2005
 DISASTER
INTELLIGENT
COMMUNITIES SAVE
LIVES BY USING
INFORMATION ON THE
THREAT AS IT
DEVELOPS HOUR BY
HOUR.

35. TRACKS OF CINDY, DENNIS,
KATRINA, RITA, AND WILMA

36. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 2005’S KATRINA, RITA,
AND WILMA
 EVACUATION IS A
COMPLEX ENDEAVOR
IN ANY SUTUATION
THAT HAS THE
POTENTIAL FOR
DISASTER.

37. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL
HURRICANES
 EVACUATION IS
UNSUCCESSFUL
IF SAFE HAVENS
FOR EVACUEES
ARE UNSAFE.

38. 2012’S ISAAC: EVACUEES IN
A LOUISIANA SAFE HAVEN

39. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 Katrina, August 29-
30, 2005
 Instead of being a
safe haven, as
envisioned, New
Orleans’ Super
Dome became a
setting for
disaster.

40. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 INTELLIGENT
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
UNDERSTANDS THE
RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH FLOODING
AND BUILDS
CAPACITY FOR
RESILIENCE.

41. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL
HURRICANES
 RECOVERY
TAKES LONGER
AND COSTS
MORE THAN
EXPECTED.

42. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 Katrina, August 29-
30, 2005
 Removal of
350,000 water-
damaged cars
was not part of
anyone’s
recovery plan.

43. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 RECOVERY AND
RECONSTRUCTION
PLANS INCLUDES
THE UNTHINK-
ABLE THAT CAN
HAPPEN IN ANY
COMMUNITY.

44. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 KATRINA
 NEW ORLEANS’
STRATEGIC AND
TACTICAL PLANS
DID NOT WORK
DURING THE
EMERGENCY
PERIOD.

45. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 PREPAREDNESS
UNDERSTANDS
THAT LAPSES IN
LAW AND ORDER
MAY OCCUR
DURING THE MOST
CHAOTIC
MOMENTS OF A
DISASTER.

46. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL HURRICANES
 RECOVERY UNDER-
STANDS THAT IT
ONLY TAKES A FEW
HOURS OF WIND
AND STORM SURGE
AND TWO WEEKS OF
FLOODING FOR
COMMUNITY
BUSINESSES AND
JOBS TO DISAPPEAR
FOREVER.

47. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
CAPACITY BUILDING
 ARLENE, JUNE
2005
 INTELLIGENT
COMMUNITIES ARE
READY, WHETHER
THE FIRST STORM
OR THE LAST
STORM OF THE
SEASON.

48. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
CAPACITY BUILDING
 STAN: OCTOBER
2005
 EMERGENCY
RESPONSE PLANS
FOR DEVASTATING
MUDSLIDES THAT
CAN BE TRIGGERED
BY PROLONGED
RAIN.

49. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 STAN, OCTOBER
2005
 AFTER A MUDSLIDE
BURIES A
TOWN, SEARCH
AND RESCUE, A
VERY COMPLICATED
TASK, BECOMES
VERY URGENT.