Editorial - Most Louisiana residents experienced hurricane preparation, response, and recovery to various extents this year, and for some, it was a repeat performance. At some point during those hectic weeks of Gustav and Ike, I remember being asked if I was a First Responder. Without hesitating I replied that I was a Second Responder. If you are reading this you may be a Second Responder also.

Everyone recognizes that the First Responders to a disaster are those with the mission to save lives and secure the situation i.e. police, military, medical workers. But not as well known is the role of the Second Responders as the next wave of people that enters a disaster area. In my opinion, the key professionals among the Second Responders are the engineers, but recovery is a multi-disciplined, team effort that includes lawyers, accountants, contract administrators, risk managers, and the like. One of the major differences between First and Second Responders is that long after the First Responders have left, the Second Responders will still be working on recovery, sometimes for years. First Responders are sprinters, while Second Responders are marathon runners. Other differences include that Second Responders are usually not trained in crisis management and working under the challenges and constraints that a disaster causes. From my own experience, Hurricane Katrina was a huge learning curve for my engineering staff, me, and the private consulting engineers that assisted us. We learned about such things as FEMA regulations and project worksheets, insurance claims, public adjusters, class action lawsuits, and hazard mitigation.

One major difference is that First Responders choose their careers knowing the mental, physical, and emotional commitments required, even under extraordinary circumstances. Families of First Responders understand that commitment. It takes a disaster to demonstrate how critical the skills of Second Responders are to recovery. In the past three years our recovery team experienced the sudden loss of two talented, committed professionals. I am told that this is not uncommon under the stress of long-term recovery work. I also know that while many Second Responders want to make the commitment to being the last to evacuate, or to remain, or to be the First to return, their personal situations may not allow them to do so. I am able to make my commitment because my personal situation allows and my family supports that commitment.

Engineers who are Second Responders assess physical damages, estimate repair/replacement costs, prioritize projects, design and inspect emergency repairs, and coodinate recovery efforts. For the Second Responders to do their jobs well requires commitment, time, money, effort and training from the top down and from the bottom up. In other words, the whole organization has to buy into the Total Quality Management (TQM) approad to disaster management-PLAN-ACT-REVIEW-CHANGE. This is absolutely necessary when disaster strickes the area in which the Second Responder works and/or lives. Hurricanes are one of hte few threats that provide warning, but many other hazards do not. Therefore, the TQM approach starts with planning ahead by both the Second Responders and their employees. Planning includes a written emergency operations plan, a continuity of operations plan, and a hazard mititgation plan. If the Second Responder doesn't pre-plan, then he or she cannot fulfill a commitment to follow the employer's plans.

The emergency operations plan will identify who are the Second Responders, what do they need to perform their duties, and who are the critical partners they will work with. The plan will outline who does what and when. It will provide a timeline for key decisions such as dismissal, evacuation, satellite work locations, and entry into the disaster area. This plan will indicate the lines of authority and list responsibilities. Alternate work arrangements such as means of communicating and accessing files will be addressed. The continuity of operations plan will prescribe how to operate with only the essential resources to do the critical tasks to perform core functions until normal operations can resume. With each mock or real disaster, there will be opportunities to review if any planning assumptions were wrong, variables were overlooked or outcomes failed. These plans are expected to be reviewed and revised at least annually.

As engineers we know that risk is a mathematical function of threat, vulnerability, and consequence. The hazard mitigation plan will be an exercise to identify the possible threats, determine which critical assets are vulnerable to those threats, and quantify the consequences of damage to those assets. The purpose of the hazard mitigation plan is to ensure that the commitment, time, money, effort, and training are directed to the most likely threats to the most vulnerable areas so as to minimize the loss. Remember, Second Responders are only as good as their ability to respond, and not all emergencies have to become disasters.

- Deborah D Keller, P.E.

This editorial was featured in the February 2009 Louisiana Civil Engineer Journal