Critical analysis on the role of buses during disaster : a case study of Katrina

Abstract

Despite the vast research by Americans on the Katrina’s failures, little is known about the failures of bus deployment through pre-evacuation of Katrina in New Orleans. The overall image that emerges from the literature is negative: unsuccessful and poor management of buses through Katrina, many vulnerable residents had been left by the Local government; the buses were flooded in parking lots and many non-drivers had been forgotten by the Local government. The objective of this study is to find out the other nations’ experiences in using the buses as a major mean to evacuate the non-drivers. Canada, Cuba, Japan and USSR were selected based on the frequency of disaster occurrence; also the cases were chosen by considering their success in deploying the buses for evacuation. Discusses which has done with the findings yields the suggestions in three main fields: Management of assets (buses), Federal aids to assist the Local authorities, identification of vulnerable residents and prepare them to face the events. This study increases the efficiency of bus operation among disaster prone countries that face frequent disasters.