If one truth is apparent from the relatively limited death toll of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, it’s that the United States appears to have gotten better at how it responds to hurricanes, The New York Times reports.
Between the two massive storms, the combined death toll in Texas and Florida thus far is 85—even though the damage is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina left more than 1,800 people dead.
So what’s changed in the years since Katrina? Brian Wolshon, an LSU civil engineer professor and evacuation expert, attributes the political will arising after Katrina—and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks—for revolutionizing the way the American government coordinates disaster response.
The events served as a catalyst for improvements in weather forecasting, evacuation policies and hurricane-resistant building practices.
“There’s no doubt that we’re doing better,” Wolshon says. “The stuff we’re doing is not rocket science, but it’s having the political will, and the need, to do it.”
