Disaster Preparedness and Recovery:Louisiana’s Experience

Donald J. VandalDeputy Commissioner for Finance & Administration

Louisiana Board of Regents

SHEEO Professional Development ConferenceChicago, IllinoisAugust 17, 2006

FEMA Cost Estimates for Recent US Disasters

Disaster FEMA cost Affected estimate population ($millions) (millions) Cost/capita

Katrina/Rita (2005) $37,100 4.5 $8,244

World Trade Center (2001) $8,140 19.0 $428

Northridge Earthquake (1994) $9,170 29.8 $308

Hurricane Andrew (1992) $2,500 12.9 $194

Hurricane Iniki (1992) $360 1.1 $329

Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989) $1,360 23.7 $57

217,000 Louisiana homes destroyed

Number of Homes Destroyed by Major Hurricanes*

28000

275000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Andrew (1992) Katrina (2005)

Number for Louisiana alone estimated to be over 217,000

* Destruction is defined as a structure made uninhabitable or damaged beyond economic repair.

Source: National Association of Home Builders; American Red Cross; Insurance Information Institute

9.8X275,000

28,000

900 Louisiana schools damaged

12,000 Louisiana teachers displaced

40,000 school children displaced

20,000 Louisiana businesses disrupted

2,600 hospital beds offline; 10 hospitals closed

650,000 people displaced

240,000 unemployed

At least 1,071 people killed

Impact of 2005 Disasterson Higher Education

Total enrollment statewide: 244,608

Total displaced students: 84,058

Displaced enrollment: 34%

Enrollment RecoveryAffected Public and Private Institutions

Displaced Students: 84,058

Current enrollment(preliminary - 3/1/06): 56,764

Still not in a LA classroom: 28,284

Southern University at New Orleans

University of New Orleans

Delgado Community College

Delgado Community College

Nunez Community College

LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans (Dental School)

McNeese State University (Lake Charles)

SOWELA Community Technical College (Lake Charles)

Private Institutions

Tulane

Dillard

Xavier

161,2

05

214,1

44

210,4

84

185,9

76

178,9

90

175,2

92

176,5

64

176,2

02

171,0

84

170,0

69

170,6

56

1 5 5 , 0 0 0

1 6 5 , 0 0 0

1 7 5 , 0 0 0

1 8 5 , 0 0 0

1 9 5 , 0 0 0

2 0 5 , 0 0 0

2 1 5 , 0 0 0

2 2 5 , 0 0 0

2 3 5 , 0 0 0

2 4 5 , 0 0 01995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Fall Enrollment in Louisiana Public Colleges and Universities

Source: BOR SSPS

Enrollment grew 20% between 2001 and 2004

Louisiana High School Graduates and Post-Katrina Projections

43,9

00

43,3

00

42,7

00

42,1

00

42,4

00

45,2

00

42,1

00

45,5

89

46,3

34

46,4

73

46,7

76

47,5

48

46,4

19

46,4

88

44,9

15

44,0

23

43,7

70

4 0 , 0 0 0

4 1 , 0 0 0

4 2 , 0 0 0

4 3 , 0 0 0

4 4 , 0 0 0

4 5 , 0 0 0

4 6 , 0 0 0

4 7 , 0 0 0

4 8 , 0 0 0

4 9 , 0 0 0

5 0 , 0 0 0

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Source: Post Katrina projection of total number of Louisiana high school graduates for school years 2005-2006 TO 2010-2011; Systems Solutions consulting, September 2005

Actual Projected

State budget cut: $75 million

Total direct revenue loss: >$229 M (10% of total operating budget)

Estimated direct revenue loss (tuition, fees, other) :

• LSUHSC-NO $95.5 million• UNO $34.8 million• Delgado $16.25 million• Nunez $2.03 million• SOWELA $1.0 million• SUNO $4.5 million• LTC $0.8 millionTotal >$154 million

Financial Impact (public campuses only)

Damage to facilities and infrastructure: $400-$500M

Disaster Recovery• Recovery will be a long-term proposition for Louisiana and

many Louisiana higher education institutions

• Housing is and will be a continuing issue for thousands in

Louisiana

• Louisiana and its citizens are appreciative of the tremendous

efforts and contributions by individuals, organizations, other

states and their institutions, and the nation toward our recovery

• “Silver Linings”

– Greater communication between all components of higher education in Louisiana, both public and private

– Better planning for any future disaster

Disaster Recovery• Extensive “After Action Report” sessions have been

conducted in the aftermath of the disaster

– State level

– Postsecondary education system and institutions

• Our Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) has now taken

on a whole new meaning

– Each management system of our postsecondary education

community now has clear representation and presence in the

COOP planning activities

– Regular meetings and exercises are now in place

– Coordination with the campuses is now actively pursued

Lessons Learned• On-going disaster preparedness must be a priority and

maintained over time

• Each institution and system must develop an individual

“Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for disaster

preparedness, response and recovery efforts

• Plans must be regularly validated through active exercises

to ensure relevancy

• Implementation of a formal and interoperable

communications plan – both human and technical

• All plans must be flexible, scalable and adaptable to a

multitude of potential disaster events

Lessons Learned• The COOP must include development, testing and

implementation of the ability to restore critical data and systems

at a geographically remote location

• Future facility planning and construction should include disaster

impact mitigation and recovery strategies

• Physical security of plant, property, assets and personnel must

be carefully planned, tested and maintained

• Institutions and systems must identify critical management

personnel (Incident Management Teams) and assignments

• Self reliance must be the cornerstone of the initial emergency

response

Observations

• Higher Education’s disaster preparedness and planning

must be part of the overall state effort

• Higher Education institutions, campuses, facilities,

resources and personnel are tremendous resources

available for disaster response and recovery – they must be

well coordinated with state and federal authorities for

maximum benefit of all

Observations

It is impossible to even estimate how many lives

were lost or how much damage was done last year

by our collective inability to respond fully with

thoughtfulness and expediency. But there is no

doubt that lives will be saved and damage

prevented if we challenge ourselves to think, plan

and execute in new ways and with a new sense of

unity and purpose.

Bob Nardelli, President and CEO of Home Depot and

Chairman of Business Roundtable’s Partnership for Disaster ResponseExcerpt from an article “Let’s Apply Lesson from Katrina” distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service