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The flood barrier on this waterway in the Netherlands has two gates that can be lowered into the water in the event of a storm. Photo courtesy of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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By Craig Guillot
As horrified as Americans were by Hurricane Katrina, storm and disaster experts around the world must have been more aghast at the complete lack of preparation and the equally ineffectual reaction when catastrophe struck the wealthiest nation in the world. One of the very few good things that came out of Katrina's receding waters was an international awareness that when it comes to violent storms, we're all in this together.
In that spirit, representatives from Australia and the Netherlands came together to discuss their storm protection and preparedness practices at the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit, held in New Orleans on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Katrina.
Strong building codes allow sheltering in place
Australia experiences a number of cyclones every year; most form off the northwest coast in the Indian Ocean or off the northeast coast in the Coral Sea. Emergency Management Australia, the agency responsible for disaster mitigation and recovery, has put together a sound preparedness system that includes strict building codes and a public awareness campaign.
One interesting contrast between American practice and EMA guidelines is that the latter avoid evacuation whenever possible. "Our policy in Queensland is to shelter in place unless you're going to be affected by a storm surge. We usually have a very good idea of where that storm surge will be, and we'll make an assessment, then evacuate those people," said Wayne Coutts, regional director of the Far Northern Region Queensland Emergency Management Agency.
When Cyclone Tracy slammed into Darwin in 1974, it destroyed more than 75 percent of the homes in the city. In effect, it was Australia's Hurricane Andrew, since it resulted in the country taking a new, harder look at its standards for construction. One long-term effect is that the Australian Building Codes now specify that buildings must be clad against flying debris and that roofs be secured to the walls and foundation.
Tougher regulations for window protection, such as shutters and stronger glass, are under consideration now, said Warren Bridson, regional director of the Queensland Emergency Management Agency. "One failure of one element can lead to failure of the whole building. The building codes are all about minimizing risk,"
Public awareness and self-reliance
Both Bridson and Coutts said that education and public preparedness are crucial parts of emergency management. Most operations are run by local governments; state and federal authorities and funding fall in behind. Unlike practices in the United States, Coutts said that the Australian government does not automatically hand out funds and relief after an emergency.
"Just because a cyclone came in, it didn't make everyone's wallet empty," said Coutts. "We make sure that banks can open [and people can get money]. If we just start giving out food, water and money, then when do we stop? We try to implement that self help and people realize that there isn't just going to be money flying out the door for them."
Public awareness campaigns include the promotion of self-reliance through the stockpiling of food and water and knowing how to cook on propane stoves. Coutts said that because Australians are accustomed to taking care of themselves, they rarely ask for help from the state.
"Sometimes you actually have to force assistance because people don't know how bad off they are," said Coutts.
State of the art flood protection
On the other side of the world, a much smaller country faces down disastrous flooding every day. With 30 percent of its land mass below sea level, the Netherlands offers proof that evolutionary control practices can help keep water at bay.
In 1953, strong winds, high tides and snow melts from the Alps caused flooding that covered more than 800 square miles, damaged 50,000 homes and left 1,800 people dead. The subsequent Delta Act of 1958 called for the closure of the delta to tidal surge and implemented more than 2,000 miles of flood-control measures, which reduced the exposed coastline by 70 percent.
This complex flood-control system includes levees, water-diversion channels, towering floodgates—and an efficient, cooperative organization that oversees it all. Dale Morris, senior advisor of the economic division of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, said that the Dutch are assured of a modern and efficient water management system.
The Dutch are constantly creating new flood-control techniques, too. The most recent involves designating green space that can be flooded intentionally in times of emergency to release the pressure and let water flow around the region.
Other activities include pumping out sediment to help restore coastal areas. The Netherlands tries to keep the coast as it was in 1990. "[Restoring and maintaining] the coast is a key part of the water management system. You saw in Katrina that if the coastal part of the wetlands [of Louisiana] were there, it would have absorbed a lot more of the storm and damage would have been a lot less," said Morris.
"Dutch citizens, entrepreneurs and investors take it as fact that our water system is efficient and robust and will protect the investments and human resources," said Morris. "We've learned to live with the water."
Craig Guillot, a freelance writer who lives in New Orleans, has had plenty of firsthand experience with hurricanes and flooding.
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