Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Hurricane DVD Meant For New Orleans Sat On Shelf
Community leaders in New Orleans prepared a DVD instructing residents about evacuating before a hurricane – but 70,000 of the DVDs were still sitting on warehouse shelves in Los Angeles when Katrina struck.
The stark message on the DVD: Save yourself, and help your neighbors if you can.
"Don’t wait for the city, don’t wait for the state, don’t wait for the Red Cross,” Rev. Marshall Truehill warns on the DVD.
The public service program on the DVD, titled "Preparing for the Big One,” was aimed at the one-quarter of the city’s population that did not own a vehicle or have available transportation out of town if an evacuation was ordered, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"A strategy was developed. The tapes were done. Commercials were prepared,” said Ann Duplessis, the democratic state senator who represents the Lower 9th Ward, home to many of the city’s poor. But the hurricane "just came too fast.”
The city had arranged to have the DVD produced by Total Community Action. If it had been ready on time, it would have been distributed through churches in New Orleans.
But it wasn’t until 11:00 a.m. on August 28, about 18 hours before Katrina made landfall, that most residents first heard about "Preparing for the Big One.”
That's when Truehill, pastor of the city’s First Baptist Church, appeared on TV in a taped segment to tell viewers that the DVD was coming soon.
A copy of the DVD, reviewed by the Times, shows Truehill telling viewers: "It’s your personal responsibility” to escape before a hurricane.
Mayor C. Ray Nagin says: "Everybody needs to have their own plans. Check with your neighbors, check with your relatives.”
The DVD also contains advice on clearing storm drains, packing an evacuation kit and keeping pets safe.
But for residents without transportation, the DVD provides little beyond the advice to find a ride with someone.
As far back as September 2002, FEMA had met with city and church leaders to discuss the problem of evacuating people who lacked transportation.
But problems arose. Among them was a concern that residents who gave their neighbors a lift out of the city could face legal liability if something went wrong, according to the Times.
Legislation was introduced last year to release drivers from liability in the event of a hurricane. But it was opposed in the Louisiana House by members who were concerned that drunken drivers could escape responsibility for an accident if they were transporting evacuees.
Community leaders in New Orleans prepared a DVD instructing residents about evacuating before a hurricane – but 70,000 of the DVDs were still sitting on warehouse shelves in Los Angeles when Katrina struck.
The stark message on the DVD: Save yourself, and help your neighbors if you can.
"Don’t wait for the city, don’t wait for the state, don’t wait for the Red Cross,” Rev. Marshall Truehill warns on the DVD.
The public service program on the DVD, titled "Preparing for the Big One,” was aimed at the one-quarter of the city’s population that did not own a vehicle or have available transportation out of town if an evacuation was ordered, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"A strategy was developed. The tapes were done. Commercials were prepared,” said Ann Duplessis, the democratic state senator who represents the Lower 9th Ward, home to many of the city’s poor. But the hurricane "just came too fast.”
The city had arranged to have the DVD produced by Total Community Action. If it had been ready on time, it would have been distributed through churches in New Orleans.
But it wasn’t until 11:00 a.m. on August 28, about 18 hours before Katrina made landfall, that most residents first heard about "Preparing for the Big One.”
That's when Truehill, pastor of the city’s First Baptist Church, appeared on TV in a taped segment to tell viewers that the DVD was coming soon.
A copy of the DVD, reviewed by the Times, shows Truehill telling viewers: "It’s your personal responsibility” to escape before a hurricane.
Mayor C. Ray Nagin says: "Everybody needs to have their own plans. Check with your neighbors, check with your relatives.”
The DVD also contains advice on clearing storm drains, packing an evacuation kit and keeping pets safe.
But for residents without transportation, the DVD provides little beyond the advice to find a ride with someone.
As far back as September 2002, FEMA had met with city and church leaders to discuss the problem of evacuating people who lacked transportation.
But problems arose. Among them was a concern that residents who gave their neighbors a lift out of the city could face legal liability if something went wrong, according to the Times.
Legislation was introduced last year to release drivers from liability in the event of a hurricane. But it was opposed in the Louisiana House by members who were concerned that drunken drivers could escape responsibility for an accident if they were transporting evacuees.
