Long, turbulent hurricane season winds down

Katrina's chaotic kin
Wilma, Dennis and Rita, the other hurricanes that hit the U.S., were not as deadly or destructive, but they also exposed weaknesses: There were 14-hour traffic jams as Houston emptied out ahead of Rita, which struck the Texas-Louisiana coast on Sept. 24, and South Florida was crippled for days after Wilma knocked out power to more than 6 million people on Oct. 24.

The president has ordered the Homeland Security Department to review disaster plans for every major metropolitan area. FEMA is also pledging to manage the flow of personnel and supplies better.

“We have to make it a much more nimble, more adaptable organization. ... We’ve got good people in place to make it happen,” said R. David Paulison, FEMA’s acting director. He added: “As long as I’m here, I can tell you, we will not have another Superdome.”

Polls say unpreparedness persists
Despite government warnings that people be prepared to survive on their own for three days after a catastrophe, polls found that a majority of Americans are no better prepared for a disaster than they were before Katrina.

“The biggest thing that can be done to prevent loss of life is to motivate people to develop their own individual hurricane plan and know what to do before the next hurricane,” said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, which won praise for its accurate forecasts. “Some of these folks, take Mississippi in Katrina, they died because they didn’t have a hurricane plan.”

But some Americans have learned their lesson.

“Next time they say evacuate, I’m gone,” said Tracy Haywood, 38, of New Orleans, who spent three days stranded on a roof during the storm before being rescued.

MORE FROM KATRINA: THE LONG ROAD BACK

Katrina: The Long Road Back Section Front

Apologetic Nagin visits N.Y. Bush sees rebirth from ‘sadness’ of Katrina Special report: Rebuilding lives Katrina exodus felt far and wide A tangled tale of Katrina survival ‘New Orleans is still crying’ Brian Williams: We were witnesses Developers' past includes fraud Special report: Rising from Ruin Dateline video blogs: Covering Katrina Katrina: The Long Road Back Section Front   Add Katrina: The Long Road Back headlines to your news reader: