NEW ORLEANS -- Ten Marines from Marine Forces Reserve headquarters acted as evacuees during an exercise May 23 to test the capabilities and readiness of the city in the event of a direct hit by a hurricane.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many citizens were unaccounted for, and there are many still missing. In order to help prevent that from happening again, the city implemented a computer system to process the evacuees’ personal information.
“The evacuees enter this facility (the Earnest N. Morial Convention Center) and are given a wrist band with a barcode,” said Rose Marie Brousard, an organizer for the city. “Then, the barcode is scanned into the computer system, and they’re transferred to their evacuation location by buses provided by the state.”
The bracelets will be scanned at several checkpoints along the route from and evacuee’s home to his or her final destination, keeping track of everyone, Brousard said.
Retired Lt. Col. Jerry Sneed, the city’s Homeland Security Planner, was in charge of the operation at the command center in the convention center.
“The operation here will help account for all assisted-evacuation evacuees,” said Sneed. “Then, the city can let the state know exactly where the residents have been evacuated to and what address have been evacuated.”
Throughout the exercise, Marine and civilian “evacuees” mingled together and went through the motions of the city’s evacuation plan.
“It was very interesting to hear the stories of people who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina,” said Cpl. Jose Resendiz, facilities noncommissioned officer at MarForRes. “I really appreciate what they went through, and they seem to appreciate what the Marines did for them.”
As the event continued, the Marines were brought to a senior citizen center where they played the role of infirm evacuees, and later, they went by city bus to the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal where they boarded an Amtrak train.
“The trains will be implemented to quickly evacuate the elderly and the hospitalized,” said Sneed. “Many of the casualties from Hurricane Katrina were the elderly and the sick. The implementation of the trains will help to prevent that from happening again.”
The day ended with the everyone safely evacuated.
“I think it’s very necessary to do these drills,” said Sgt. Gertrudis Aviles, logistics and supply NCO for MarForRes. “If a plan isn’t tested, you have no foresight as to whether or not it will work.”
Both MarForRes and the city of New Orleans have run hurricane drills to improve their overall hurricane preparedness.