Disaster Response Through Community Engagement Louisiana Sea Grant - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Disaster Response Through Community Engagement Louisiana Sea Grant Programming: 2005-2015 Katrina and Rita: A Decade of Research and Response Louisiana State University, August 28, 2015 Rex H. Caffey, Roy Kron, and Lauren Land Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter

The Marine Extension Program (MEP) Nearly 50 years of Embedded Faculty and Staff Agents Specialists and Associates Julie Falgout, Extension Assistant Thomas Hymel, Marine Agent Julie Anderson, Fisheries Carol Franze, Associate Marine Agent Brian D. LeBlanc, Water Quality Vacant Mark Shirley, Marine Agent Jon. W. Bell, Seafood Quality Lauren Land, Coastal Sustainability Victoria Bell, GIS Support Kevin Savoie, Marine Agent Albert ‘Rusty’ Gaudé, Marine Agent C. Gregory Lutz, Aquaculture Rex H. Caffey, Resource Economics Alan Matherne, Marine Agent Shared parish Anne Dugas, Extension Associate John Supan, Molluscan Shellfish Thu Bui, Assistant Marine Agent Agent office location Rebekah Jones, GIS Support Leslie Davis, Extension Associate

Louisiana Fisheries Community Recovery Coalition (LFCRC) • MEP conference calls led to a multi sector coalition United Commercial Fishermen's Association Southern Shrimp Alliance • LFCRC Charge Plaquemines Parish Oyster Association Omega Protein • Assess impacts Menhaden Advisory Council of the Gulf of Mexico LSU AgCenter • Prioritize needs Louisiana Wildlife Federation • Louisiana Shrimp Association Request aid Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board • Allocate aid Louisiana Sea Grant Louisiana Oyster Task Force Louisiana Oyster Dealer and Grower's Association • Conduit for Federal agencies Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Louisiana Charter Boat Association • FEMA, NOAA, USCG, HUD Lake Pontchartrain Fishermen's Association Jefferson Parish Marine Fisheries Advisory Board Delta Commercial Fishermen's Association Coastal Conservation Association Blue Water Fishermen's Association Vietnamese Commercial Fisherman's Union

Assessing Economic Losses • NOAA commissions economic assessments in LA, MS, and AL • MEP : Novel Impact Modelling • ADCIRC Hindcast • Trip Ticket Data • Damage Functions • Estimates of revenue and 100 infrastructure losses (firm level) Percent Damage 75 • Economic basis for ~ $240 50 25 million in disaster aid programs 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Surge Depth (feet)

Facilitating Vessel Recovery • Fall of 2005: 40,000 LA boats missing or in need of recovery • MEP Agent Gaude issues nationwide call for assistance • Port of Valdez Responds • Donates 40 Ton Mobile Lift • 4000 mile transit from Alaska • Reassembly in Empire, LA • 50 vessels per day at peak

Helping Businesses Reopen • Lack of infrastructure was impeding fisheries sales • MEP Agents Schexnayder, Gaude, and Savoie facilitated donation of three ice plants from Shell Oil. • Morris Ice Company worked with agents on design, transport and setup

Addressing Seafood Safety Concerns • Contamination concerns over the dewatering of New Orleans, BP oil spill • 2010 Survey: 56% consumers concerned over Gulf seafood • MEP specialists Bell and Lampila developed mass media programming to dispel misinformation

Mapping and Marking Debris and Inundation • Coastal waterways clogged with thousands of obstructions • MEP Agents coordinated local efforts to mark and remove marine debris • MEP Specialist and agents developed a rapid assessment protocol for mapping surge extent boundaries

Rebuilding for Future storms • Myriad of new policies regarding flood zones, rebuilding, insurance changes • Sea Grant Legal Advisory • LA Homeowners handbook • LA Coastal Hazard Mitigation Guidebook • Coastal resiliency outreach • Harbor of Refuge • Community Rating System • Local government Fiscal Analysis

Risk Reduction Outreach • MEP specialist Wolcott developed “The Next Storm Surge” community meetings • Real time modelling output from the Coastal Emergency Risk Assessment (CERA) • Hydrodynamic modeling evolving to inform long-term coastal risk related to climate change

Addressing Economic Resiliency Dockside prices of shrimp in Louisiana • Globalization of domestic $2.50 Actual Prices $2.00 Adjusted Prices seafood is the larger threat $1.50 $1.00 • Real price of LA shrimp in 2015 $0.50 $0.00 less than in 1978 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 Year Volume of U.S. imports of foreign shrimp • MEP Agent Hymel fosters 1,400 1,200 renaissance in seafood 1,000 • Louisiana Direct Seafood 800 600 • Certified Louisiana Seafood 400 • Louisiana Fisheries Forward 200 0 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012

Some Lessons Learned • Informational Exchanges with Sea Grant programs in Florida (2005), Texas (2008), New Jersey and New York (2012) • Being embedded provides a first hand perspective on a community’s disaster recovery needs • We are not first responders - field and campus faculty must take care of their own basic needs first • Misinformation is rampant in the information vacuum following any disaster

Some Lessons Learned • Providing a web-based FAQ clearinghouse can reduce speculation and direct press inquiries to subject matter experts • Speculation Kills: The best expert is one that’s walling to say - “we don’t know, yet” • There is a rhythm to recovery and teachable moments

Thank you