STEPPING STONES IN THE EVOLUTION OF A NATIONAL HURRICANE POLICY

Like most government policies directly affecting the welfare of the na tion, the evolution of a coherent national policy on hurricane warning s, public preparedness, and subsequent disaster relief has been event motivated-a product of crisis management. This process began near the turn of this century, first with the Spanish-American War, which place d an urgent requirement for warnings to protect naval vessels from hur ricanes, and second following the hurricane disaster at Galveston in 1 900, reaching maturity after the Camille disaster in 1969. The latter, for the first time, resulted in a spontaneous effort by both federal and state governments and the university community, particularly by th e social scientists, which led to the present hurricane policies. The result of successive crisis management actions by the government and, after Camille, the broadly based response and analyses by the scientif ic and engineering communities, led to the evolution of a national pol icy on hurricanes that identifies and assigns responsibilities and act ions required for each phase of a threatening event, from anticipation and preparedness, to relief and recovery from a hurricane disaster. T he plan that evolved is a remarkable example of cooperation between fe deral, state, and local organizations devoted to the protection of lif e and property, and recovery from disaster. And it is a tribute to the altruism with which both government and private organizations have co llaborated to protect and promote public welfare. Nevertheless, the me chanics of relocating coastal residents from harm's way in the face of a hurricane emergency remain complex and in some areas uncertain, con sidering the ever-increasing time required for systematic evacuation.