IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New
Orleans & Southeast Louisiana
June 3, 2004
IEM, Inc., the Baton Rouge-based emergency management and homeland
security consultant, will lead the development of a catastrophic
hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New
Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners
Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates, IEM Director
of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a
base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the
recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through
November. National weather experts are predicting an above normal
Atlantic hurricane season with six to eight hurricanes, of which three
could be categorized as major.
The IEM team will complete a functional exercise on a catastrophic
hurricane strike in Southeast Louisiana and use results to develop a
response and recovery plan. A catastrophic event is one that can
overwhelm State, local and private capabilities so quickly that
communities could be devastated without Federal assistance and
multi-agency planning and preparedness.
Thomas said that the greater New Orleans area is one of the nation’s
most vulnerable locations for hurricane landfall.
“Given this area’s vulnerability, unique geographic location and
elevation, and troubled escape routes, a plan that facilitates a rapid
and effective hurricane response and recovery is critical,” he said.
“The IEM team’s approach to catastrophic planning meets the challenges
associated with integrating multi-jurisdictional needs and
capabilities into an effective plan for addressing catastrophic
hurricane strikes, as well as man-made catastrophic events.”
IEM President and CEO Madhu Beriwal is the recipient of a s pecial
merit award from the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (
LEPA ) for her work in New Orleans hurricane emergency preparedness.
IEM, Inc. was founded in 1985, and is one of the leading emergency
management corporations in the U.S. While some organizations include
emergency management as one of many business areas, helping to plan
for and manage emergencies is IEM’s core business . IEM’s clients
include some of the foremost federal emergency and defense
organizations in the U.S., including the Department of Homeland
Security/FEMA, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. www.ieminc.com
Established in 1956, Dewberry is a multidisciplinary planning,
engineering, and design firm, employing more than 1,600 individuals.
As FEMA’s largest contractor, Dewberry plays a significant role in the
national effort to reduce the impact of both natural (flood, fire,
earthquake, tropical storm, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, and winter
storm) and man-made (hazardous waste, terrorism, etc.) hazards on
people, property, and the economy. www.dewberry.com
URS Corporation provides planning, engineering, architecture, and
applied science to hundreds of government agencies and private
industrial and commercial companies worldwide. The company has more
than 26,000 employees -- the largest Architectural & Engineering firm
in the U. S. for the fourth consecutive year.URS has approximately 500
employees in Louisiana. URS has over 30 years of experience in hazard
mitigation planning and engineering support work for FEMA and other
customers. www.urscorp.com
James Lee Witt Associates, LLC, established in 2001 by the former
director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is a leader in
public safety and crisis management. Headquartered in Washington,
D.C., with offices in Atlanta, Chicago and Sacramento, James Lee Witt
Associates works with state, local and foreign governments,
corporations, hospitals, universities and utilities in conducting
vulnerability assessments, after-event audits and reviews, developing
all-hazard emergency and continuity of operations planning, as well as
with the telecommunications industry on wireless interoperability.
www.wittassociates.com
--
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" -- Ambrose Bierce
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy." -- John Updike
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
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