Hurricane Katrina 10 Years Later: Lessons from the Category 5 General
Stephanie Dula 20 Jul 2015As we approach the 10th anniversary of one of the most devastating natural disasters to impact the United States, we’re revisiting this tragic period in American history and all the warnings it held for supply chain management, logistics, and ultimately, preparedness.
Preparedness remains one of the most critical lessons we can learn from the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, and it’s one that Lt. General Russel L. Honoré is well equipped to teach us. Honoré, also known as the “Category 5 General,” famously came in and took swift control of post-hurricane New Orleans, which had succumbed to chaos as people remained trapped with no access to food, water, or supplies.
Related: See the “Category 5 General” speak live about fostering a ‘culture of preparedness’ at INNOVATE 2015: The Purchase-to-Pay Innovate Summit in New Orleans, Sept 12-14.
Drawing on his extensive military expertise, straight-talking Honoré spearheaded the Task Force responsible for the massive search-and-rescue mission following the storm, as well as the restoration of order in the area. His message has major implications across private and public sectors, and his idea of a ‘culture of preparedness’ is more critical than ever as Purchase-to-Pay operations look for new ways to streamline processes and cut costs.
Corporate Preparedness in Action
Looking back, we can find a few notable instances of such corporate preparedness that paid off in the aftermath of the storm, even amidst the enormity of the logistics challenges facing the Gulf Coast. Wal-Mart effectively delivered an unrivaled $20 million in cash donations, 1,500 truckloads of free merchandise, and food for 100,000 meals directly into the hardest-hit areas. Clearly Wal-Mart’s massive scale and prevalence of stores throughout the area helped, but the organization had also mastered the art of supply chain management and logistics, which helped them react quickly and efficiently while other organizations floundered.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) represents another preparedness success story to come out of the post-hurricane period. Two of P&G’s four major coffee producing facilities in the area were located in Orleans Parish, an area that sustained some of the most significant flooding. Access to these facilities was restricted to helicopter only during the first weeks immediately after the storm, and yet despite all these obstacles, P&G was one of the first businesses to resume operation.
How did they do it? P&G’s success can largely be chalked up to innovation and a well developed response plan. Without local water access, the company managed to drill a well on property. They also relied on an extremely sophisticated system of emergency measures they had spent years practicing and perfecting. “Hurricanes entering the Gulf of Mexico automatically trigger a transfer of inventory to distribution centers outside the New Orleans area, the sending of inventory backup tapes to headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the advent of hurricane shutdown procedures.”
We know now that for every company that managed to weather the storm, hundreds more were not able to withstand the widespread economic disruption it caused. It’s a good time to reassess how our own institutions are prepared for disaster, natural or otherwise. Luckily for us, General Honoré has agreed to present our keynote address this year, directly from New Orleans at INNOVATE 2015: The Purchase-to-Pay Summit, almost exactly ten years after the historic disaster. To learn more about fostering a ‘culture of preparedness’ in your organization, register now to see the “Category 5 General” speak live!
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