THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN KATRINA’S AFTERMATH
by Olayinka Arowolo MBA

In order to effectively manage a crisis, smart applications and technologies need to be in place. These technologies have to support the overall contingency plan and essentially adapt in real-time to the existing scenario.  The level of chaos in any disaster is a function of the overall management system in place.  This begs the question; what technologies does the federal government have in place to effectively manage emergencies and control the level of chaos.  Hurricane Katrina was one of the biggest tests on how to effectively manage the aftermath of a disaster.  The grade in this case is an embarrassing and costly “F” for the Federal Government.  The storm surge breached the levees that protected New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain.  Most of the city was subsequently flooded by the Lake's waters.   In the aftermath of Katrina, the confusion that ensued could be traced back to a fundamental breakdown in communications.  Communications is a key element to properly ensuring that the level of disaster does not escalate in a chaotic situation.  The basic capability to communicate vital information is critical to the effort of maintaining law and order.  The radio communications system for the New Orleans police and fire departments dissolved as its radio towers lost their backup power generators in the ensuing flood.

With regular phone and cellular service knocked out in Katrina's wake -- the New Orleans mayor's office had to cobble together an Internet phone link with the outside world -- first responders were simply unable to share essential information.  Federal Emergency Management Agency officials claim they didn't know for days about thousands of people camped out, thirsty and hungry, at the New Orleans convention center.  Rescuers in helicopters could not talk to crews patrolling in boats.  National Guard commanders in Mississippi had to use runners to relay orders. 

The Katrina disaster revealed America’s continued lack of critical communication technologies that must be implemented sooner than later by the Federal Government.   Four years after the 2001 terror attacks exposed the need for more robust, interconnected communications, and with nearly a billion dollars appropriated by Congress for the task last year, the United States still lacks a uniform telecommunication system that can keep all emergency responders in touch with one another.

The ability to communicate is not exclusive to voice data.  Video, photo images, and text are all ways of effectively conveying information.  For example, Aroviz International, an Atlanta-based technology firm, is pioneering a community-oriented application that will allow users to create groups based on cell phone users over the net.   Using this portal any user can send data over the Internet to cell phones in the group they create.  The core capability is the ability to simultaneously send data to multiple cell phones in a matter of seconds from a single PC.  The Federal Government and charitable organizations like the Red Cross could use the application to communicate and reunite displaced families.  The ability to “blast” over 10,000 cell phones with video, text and photo files in a matter of seconds could assist in locating lost children and displaced relatives.  Using this application, the Government could have created cell phone groups of rescuers, police and firefighters and sent them information over the net from a central PC.  Such technology could have greatly enhanced the hurricane rescue efforts.   

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.  Some services using VoIP may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers.  In the case of an emergency, secure connections can be set up to ensure communications between localities and the federal government.  Voice over IP can be employed over wireless networks that do not utilize conventional ground fiber.  This technology has been developed and commercialized by the telecommunications industry; however, its potential has broader implications if adopted in the name of homeland security.

In the face of natural disasters and emergency situations, technology has a significant role to play with regard to crisis management.  When unexpected emergency scenarios occur, the chaos that ensues is expected but not unmanageable.  The Federal Government has a responsibility to invest in more technology that supports crisis management and contingency planning in the aftermath of disasters, whether natural or man-made.     

Olayinka Arowolo is president of Atlanta-based Aroviz Online and Associates, LLC. Aroviz is a provider of video mail and audition automation software platforms.


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