STAKEHOLDER CRITICAL MASS:
Harnessing the Talents of the Private Sector via the National
Response Plan By Thomas P. Marian
It had all the markings of an epic storm – a Category 5 monster with hurricane force winds extending scores of miles beyond the eye and a projected storm surge that rivaled Camille’s: except Hurricane Katrina was much larger than Camille. Indeed, it was a deadly menace that created an unprecedented wake of destruction.
U. S. Coast Guard personnel stationed in New Orleans were keenly aware of the dangers Katrina posed to the low-lying areas of the Gulf Coast. Yet, hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico were a fact of life that required constant training and the annual exercise of “battle tested” hurricane plans. These plans were an integral part of the National Response Plan (NRP). While there are many moving parts and numerous governmental entities that participate in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the private sector’s support and participation is an important element of this construct. Accordingly, as Katrina bore down on the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, the seasoned New Orleans-based command and control staff ensured that the NIMS-based unified command included private sector port stakeholders. As demonstrated so many times before, these stakeholders would bring a depth and breadth of experience that significantly enhanced the Coast Guard’s ability to gather and distribute information on the state of the maritime transportation system (MTS).
Under the overall command of Rear Admiral Robert F. Duncan, Eight District Commander, a unified command was established in Alexandria, Louisiana. Similarly, consistent with the NRP, operational units from Mobile, Alabama, to Morgan City, Louisiana, ramped up their respective “incident command systems” so as to be poised to serve those that would be impacted by Katrina. Rear Admiral Duncan understood that members of the port community were force multipliers during the assessment and recovery phase of natural disasters or major waterways incidents. He had witnessed and nurtured the synergistic spirit that enabled Coast Guard personnel to leverage the contacts and knowledge of private-sector port stakeholders in restoring maritime commerce following major port closures attributed to hurricanes, prolonged fog and major vessel casualties.
