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Date of Report:
10/2006
Source:
Delta Region AETC
On Saturday, August 27, 2005, the city of New Orleans was warned of an
approaching hurricane and a voluntary evacuation was suggested. The
following day the hurricane was upgraded to a category 5 and a mandatory
evacuation was ordered by the Mayor. All Delta Region AETC (DAETC) staff
left the city. On August 29th, Hurricane Katrina made landfall east of New
Orleans, causing extensive wind damage in the New Orleans area. The
following day two levees surrounding the city were breached and the city
flooded, leaving about 80% of the city underwater for several weeks. DAETC
employees were scattered and unable to return to their homes or office for
weeks to months.
Challenges
There were many challenges associated with dealing with this disaster.
Below are the challenges identified by DAETC.
Meeting the Basic Needs of Employees:
Several employees left the
state immediately after the hurricane. When they were able to come back
into the city, some found they had lost everything, including their
homes and cars. The DAETC staff continued working from their temporary
locations.
Maintaining Communication:
Initially, communications were
difficult. The cell phone system based in New Orleans was down for
several weeks. Calls could not be placed, but could be received. Text
messaging was still functional, therefore this was the primary means of
communication.
The Project Coordinator maintained contact with the Project Officer at
HRSA. Initial communication took place within a few days of the
hurricane and thereafter a plan was implemented to remain in constant
contact, several times per day, to keep HRSA apprised of the situation.
Financial matters were very difficult to deal with as they required email
or fax of forms. In some cases, drives up to 150 miles round trip were
made to obtain needed signatures and this was accomplished with the kind
assistance of LPS staff.
Boosting Morale of Employees:
DAETC set up weekly conference calls
for Central Office and Louisiana LPS employees to deal with training
logistics and planning. Meetings were held at the Principal
Investigator's house monthly to have some face-to-face time. These
meetings were very important in maintaining morale. Although there was
no power in the office building, the team entered with flashlights 3?4
months after the hurricane for the first time to obtain necessary
records, paperwork, and laptops. Unfortunately about six months after
the event, many of our monitors and computers were stolen. DAETC was
able to move back into the offices eight months after the initial
evacuation.
Thoughts about future employment or funding, in addition to dealing with
personal losses, affected morale. Face-to-face meetings were crucial. The
DAETC team is used to working closely together. It was challenging to
often do all the components of planning and execution on an individual
level rather than in a team, the norm prior to this disaster. Dedication
to the mission of the AETCs was key to keeping us focused on our ongoing
efforts.
Offering Training at the Regional and Local Level:
The Mississippi
LPS, Arkansas LPS, and the Shreveport Clinical Training Site were able
to continue offering trainings. The Medical Director began setting up
Level III trainings at various clinics throughout Louisiana three weeks
after the evacuation, spending 2-4 days per week traveling to these
trainings (while still unable to return home). In February, the first
formal preceptorship for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician
assistants was held at the temporary HIV clinic in New Orleans. In
April, the Annual Statewide HIV Conference was executed in Alexandria,
LA with over 100 participants. A statewide teleconference was offered in
January that was also offered monthly beginning in April, and was
broadcast to fourteen sites throughout Louisiana.The nursing
preceptorship was placed on hold for the year.
Retaining Employees:
Grant money is sometimes referred to as ?soft
money? but after the hurricane was some of the ?hardest money? available
at Louisiana State University due to the commitment by HRSA for
continued funding. Many of the employees have stayed with the program
but a few have left.
Lessons Learned
Scanning of all relevant documents, such as financial papers, to a
web-based site was a suggestion from our Project Officer. If there had
been flooding to the office level, all paperwork may have been lost. This
approach may offer some security in the event of future disasters.
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