Govenor's Hurricane Conference - New Orleans

Early next week begins the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (GOHSEP)Hurricane Conference. It's timed perfectly to happen right along withthe beginning of H-Season 2011 - I like that. With luck, all synapses willl be firing properly, allowing everyone to be as mentally engaged as they should be right now. Time to check the BS at the door and get serious about planning and preparedness.

Interestingly, in the 2011 DHS budget, though there are 12 DHS grant programs totaling $2.1 billion to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector, the TOTAL budget was actually REDUCED by $780 million from the FY 2010 enacted level, nearly a quarter of FY 2010 DHS grant funding.

Hmmm...let's review:

 Heightened level of concern of OBL retributions? Check
 Economic impact of the pay of police, firefighters and EMS? Check
 Worst outbreak of tornadoes in history? Check
 Significantly increased threat of 2011 hurricanes? Check
 Border infiltration on the rise? Check
 Elevated concerns about "lone wolf" terrorists? Check

So, sure, why not cut the funding needed to prepare and respond to these challenges? Thanks, Washington, DC, your timing is perfect!

So, how do we do more with less? My suggestion is to develop stronger public / private partnerships. Outsource what you can, without impacting your day-to-day operations, or - most importantly - public safety.

Why?

Top 10 Reasons Organizations Outsource

1. Reduce and control operating costs
2. Improve organizational focus
3. Gain access to world-class capabilities
4. Free internal resources for other purposes
5. Resources are not available internally
6. Accelerate reengineering benefits
7. Function difficult to manage/out of control
8. Make capital funds available
9. Share risks
10. Cash infusion

Source: Survey of Current and Potential Outsourcing End-Users
The Outsourcing Institute Membership, 1998

So, why not consider carefully those elements of preparedness, response and mitigation that you can safely and effectively hand off to a trusted partner? It just makes sense. By establishing pre-event contracts, incorporating your partner into your daily operations and having regular exercises, you KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT when the stuff hits the rotary oscillator.