47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

Figure 4-49:Broken communicationsmasts at Pass ChristianPolice Station4.4.11 Equipment and AuxiliaryInstallationsSpecialized equipment such as vehicles, rescue equipment, andfire pumps were the most common types of equipment lost duringHurricane Katrina. Damage to vehicles and other equipment seriouslyaffected the operations, and frequently prevented speedyrescue and response efforts.In many cases throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, the vehicleswere stored immediately outside on facility parking lots while mostof the specialized equipment was stored inside in apparatus bays.In other cases, as in Pass Christian, Mississippi, the police departmentstationed its vehicles in a remote location that was thoughtto be safe, but the entire area flooded and all vehicles were rendereduseless. In Pass Christian the fire department, locatedapproximately a quarter of a mile from the coastline, had fourfirefighting trucks and two rescue trucks ruined during the storm,hampering firefighters’ efforts in responding to emergencies thatrequired the use of their equipment. Gulfport Police Departmentand the New Orleans District Levee Board Police Department deployedtheir vehicles all over the area to ensure that the vehicleswould be available on short notice after the storm.4-66 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL FACILITIES