Hurricane Danielle
The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Danielle to hurricane status, but its present course suggests it is unlikely to strike the East Coast. The 2010 hurricane season is particularly stressful, as it represents the fifth anniversary of Katrina, bringing back painful memories for those affected. It is forecast to be especially severe, it coincides with another disaster in the Gulf Coast and this is a time when financial resources are strained.
One of the programs developed by Texas emergency authorities, in drawing on the lessons of Katrina, was to consider in some detail the evacuation needs of disadvantaged people. There may be those with cars who lack money for gasoline to make a long evacuation trip. The state arranged for people who need rides to register in advance so that no one would be left behind. We will all breathe a sigh of relief when the peak hurricane season is behind us. Meanwhile, we need to apply innovative thinking such as this example in Texas to plan for extreme demands on limited resources.