Hurricane Barry Provides Lessons Learned in New Orleans
Hurricane Barry, which hit the Gulf Coast in July 2019, revealed some important lessons for emergency preparedness personnel and first responders. Although the storm was relatively low key from a historical perspective, it occurred at a time when the Mississippi River’s water level was abnormally high, creating a risk that the surrounding levees could become compromised.
Lessons from Hurricane Barry
Having a hurricane strike at the same time river levels were abnormally high was unprecedented in New Orleans’ history. Because this was a first-of-its-kind event, there was uncertainty around modelling inputs and communication protocols. Simply put, officials had difficulty determining the exact threat level, which made everything else less efficient and effective. The key lesson is to communicate potential threats quicker and more accurately.
Perhaps the most egregious issue is that the accuracy of the predictions was subpar. Not only did officials overestimate the height water levels would reach, but in some cases, there was no accurate information on the height of the levees themselves.
Additionally, the measurements of levee heights and water levels were not apples-to-apples, as the starting point of the river’s water level measurement was nearly 1 foot beneath the starting point to determine the height of the levees. And several other factors were present that muddied the calculations further, but a description of these issues is beyond the scope of this post.
Suffice it to say that local officials are now aware that better storm information needs to be communicated going forward, and based on the lessons learned from Hurricane Barry, several tactics are in play to improve future results. These tactics include installing additional water level sensors in strategic locations, developing a guide to show the potential impact of hurricanes occurring during various river levels, and conducting research and analysis to identify ways to “harden” the levees by 2023 so they can withstand the Big One.
Storm damage and recovery is never fun, but if lessons can be learned during these events and captured for future efforts – as was the case with Hurricane Barry – at least there is a silver lining.
