CDC Helped During Hurricane Katrina
August 30, 2006
DEOC Director Phil Navin is shown here with Tom Reynolds, emergency response specialist. Photo by Kathy Nellis
NOTE: This article first appeared on August 30, 2006 in CDC Connects, a CDC internal publication.
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s deadly bombardment of the central Gulf Coast regions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. CDC was involved in hurricane relief efforts, and the CDC Director's Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) sprang into action even before Katrina made landfall.
CDC Involved From Beginning
On Monday, August 29, after Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, CDC went into full activation for response, with the newly appointed Director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER), Rich Besser, MD, as the lead for incident management of the CDC response and relief activities.
"I'm so proud of the tremendous outpouring of support from my colleagues all across our agency, representing the much-needed subject matter expertise to respond to an emergency of this magnitude," said Besser during the complex mission. "It is really incredible to be part of this team."
Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 US dollars) in damages, making it the costliest hurricane in US history. The storm killed over 1,836 people and left thousands homeless and in need of assistance. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane and the third-strongest US landfall hurricane ever recorded. Katrina's sheer size devastated the Coast over 100 miles away from its center.
A Grateful Mississippi State Health Officer
Brian Amy, MD, MHA, MPH, state health officer of the Mississippi Department of Health spoke with CDC Connects yesterday, "On behalf of a grateful agency and staff, we want to thank all of the staff at CDC, the CDC Foundation and the people who contributed to the foundation's fund for all that you have done for the people of Mississippi.
"We not only think of you on this anniversary of Katrina but are grateful all the time for all the CDC does. We not only dedicate a new building in Hancock County today, but we realize that out of the tragic and horrible event of Katrina, we are rebuilding with the help of our own 2,100 dedicated Mississippi Public Health workers and the help of CDC and the wonderful people who work there."
The hurricane formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Most notable in media coverage were the catastrophic effects on the city of New Orleans, but the storm surge also caused severe or catastrophic damage along the coastlines of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, including the cities of Mobile, Alabama; Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi; and Slidell, Louisiana.
Page last modified August 30, 2006