LAFAYETTE LA. — Nineteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, bringing devastation to Louisiana and becoming one of the most catastrophic storms the U.S. has ever seen.
Nearly two decades since Katrina made landfall, the people of Louisiana have rebuilt, but the memories and lessons of the storm remain. Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré was on the frontlines of the recovery.
“Living on the Gulf Coast here in Louisiana—everybody saw what happened during Katrina. They saw what happened in Gustav, in Rita, in Laura over in Lake Charles. We need to be prepared, and we need to prepare our infrastructure better,” Honoré said.
Gen. Honoré spoke about the lessons learned from the devastation, including improvements to the city’s infrastructure.
“A lot of money was spent reinforcing the levees and putting new pumps in New Orleans. A lot of mitigation work was done there with a $14 billion new levee system. But we all need to be reminded that if you put up a 14-foot levee, you can get a 15-foot tidal surge.”
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall, becoming one of the most intense storms to hit the U.S. during the Atlantic hurricane season. The storm left 80% of New Orleans underwater after the city’s levees broke. Katrina remains the costliest storm to ever hit U.S. shores.
Almost 20 years later, Honoré and 22 other Louisiana safety experts are calling on Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise to schedule the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act for a vote in an effort to keep communities informed in case of disaster.
“That is where the government sends the emergency messages through to the public-through AM radio - because of the reliability of them.”
In a letter addressed to Johnson and Scalise, the safety leaders note that AM radio is a critical part of public communication.
“While many communications platforms can be used to provide public warnings and vital information, AM radio is unique in both its geographic reach and its ability to remain on and available when other systems, such as cell and internet, go down during disasters.”
To read the full letter, click here.
