Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré talks preparedness, Hurricane Katrina’s 20-year anniversary

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — June 1 is the start of hurricane season and forecasters predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin this year.

Lieutenant General Russel Honoré was a key figure in the response to Hurricane Katrina. He spoke to residents about the importance of being prepared.

“We’ve got to take into account that on any given day, Mother Nature can break anything built by men,” Honoré said. “Things will happen. We’ve got to be prepared to bounce back,”

Twenty years after Katrina, he said he is proud of the response from local leaders since then.

As Honoré reflected on that horrible day in 2005, he said it was the worst disaster in terms of loss of life.

“The people who died were elderly, disabled and poor,” Honoré said. “In some cases, all three. The majority of them were alone at home. How do we talk through the evacuation plan to make sure no one is left behind?”

With uncertainty about how FEMA will respond to future recovery efforts, Honoré said it’s up to those in the community to ensure that what happened in 2005 doesn’t happen again.

“Be prepared to be your own first responder,” Honoré said. “There’s a burden on that person you look at in the morning to be prepared. And when you get prepared, how do you get your family and your friends ready? And don’t forget your neighbors.”

Despite the city’s progress since Hurricane Katrina, he points out one critical issue that remains unresolved.

“That subsurface, the drainage, and the drinking water pipes still need to be addressed, “Honoré said. “We still got an issue with how we get the water out of the city during heavy rains. That infrastructure was not fixed, and it could be done better, in my estimate.”

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