Survival

How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family from Disasters

Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré (U.S. Army, ret), Ron Martz

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9781416599012
• eBook ISBN:
  9781439101810
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Military Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

It seems as though the frequency of natural disasters occurring around the nation and the world is increasing. Every day, there are new stories about earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and forest fires ravaging some part of the globe. There's also the threat of terrorist attacks at home and abroad. More than ever before, we need to think about the unthinkable and not depend on government to protect us from harm.

Highly regarded as a hero during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Gen. Russel Honoré was the right leader at the right time. Combined with his extensive and impressive military background, his rugged upbringing in rural Louisiana gave him the experience and know-how in a hurricane-prone environment to lead the Katrina recovery effort. Survival is part personal memoir and part account of the events of Hurricane Katrina, but all in service to providing a useful guide filled with practical suggestions on how each of us can effectively respond to catastrophic events.

The potentially devastating effects of natural disasters and terrorist attacks should not be taken lightly, and General Honoré explains how our culture has moved far from a mind-set to protect our communities from the harm that nature and our fellow humans can do. But we can learn from our experience and history and change our culture into one of preparedness -- as long as we have the will.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Glossary of Abbreviations
• Prologue
• 1 The Patience of the Poor
• 2 Hurricane Born and Hurricane Bred
• 3 Learning the Zumwalt Rules
• 4 Command, Control, and Occasional Chaos
• 5 Theater Immersion Training for War and Disaster
• 6 First Army’s Storm Surge
• 7 Running Against the Wind
• 8 Sorting Out the Super Mess at the Superdome
• 9 “You’re Looking at a Calendar and I’m Looking at My Watch”
• 10 “Get Those Damn Weapons Down!”
• 11 “A John Wayne Dude”
• 12 Mike Brown’s Exit
• 13 Avoiding the 1,200-Mile Screwdrivers
• 14 Dancing with Rita
• 15 Wilma: Twisted Sister Number Three
• 16 The “E” in E-mail Stands for Evidence
• 17 The Role of the Media in a National Disaster
• 18 How America Can Create a Culture of Preparedness
• Epilogue
• Appendix 1: Joint Task Force–Katrina Command Group
• Appendix 2: Joint Task Force–Katrina Hurricane Assessment: Ten Quick Wins
• Appendix 3: Nineteen Rules for Leadership During a Disaster
• Appendix 4: Battle Drill: React to Media Contact
• Appendix 5: Emergency Kits
• Sources
• Acknowledgments
• Photographic Insert