The Commissioner — Summer 2006

Commissioner's Voice

Lessons from a Disaster

Mandeville (Louisiana) Planning Commission & Zoning Commission

By Nixon Adams

No amount of planning can prepare a community for the combination of storm surges, tornado-force winds, and widespread flooding that hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought to the Gulf Coast. However, planning lessons can be learned — or relearned — from our experience with these storms. Some lessons are obvious: Development shouldn't be allowed in some areas; buildings should be raised and built to meet tougher standards; floodwalls, bridges, utility, and communications systems should be more disaster resistant; and most important, some competent authority must manage the disaster response.

Some lessons are more subtle. In my town, there was storm surge damage, but most problems were caused by fallen trees. Immediately following Katrina, it was obvious that the impact of thousands of trees falling on homes, streets, and utilities was much worse in our newer subdivisions. The difference was the grid system of streets in our older areas versus the limited entrances, cul-de-sacs, etc. in newer areas. Because of connectivity, most of our older sections were accessible within a few days, whereas some areas of newer subdivisions were inaccessible for weeks. Maybe good planning principles really do work! We were also reminded that an urban forest needs to be managed. Not surprisingly, native species like live oak, cypress, magnolia fared well, while others did not. Trees in clusters survived better than those in narrow greenbelts and parking lot islands. Trees that were incorrectly selected, sited, and maintained caused a lot of damage.

We also learned that not all of the impact of a storm is caused by its destruction. Our area, thanks to geography and extremely competent response by local public officials, recovered relatively quickly and became a haven for those from harder-hit regions. As a result, our population exploded to its prestorm 10-year growth forecast literally overnight. We'll be dealing with the effects of this on traffic, infrastructure, and every other aspect of community life for a long time.

Finally, we learned we had a lot of friends around the country, and the response of the planning profession was particularly gratifying. We greatly appreciate the APA/AICP Planning Assistance Team sent to assist in our recovery efforts. Their expertise and dedication gave those of us involved in planning a whole new appreciation for the profession.