10 years after Hurricane Katrina, U.S. needs to prepare for the next big one

Thomas M. Kostigen | Special for USA TODAY

A decade after one of the costliest and deadliest disasters slammed into New Orleans, many communities remain dangerously vulnerable to future storms akin to the next Hurricane Katrina.

As towns and cities along the Gulf Coast commemorated the anniversary of the storm's landfall this week, many recalled the chaotic recovery efforts while others saluted the cleanup that has allowed some places to adapt and flourish.

"Although some will celebrate the resiliency and recovery of the Gulf region, many continue to feel the painful consequences of Katrina a decade later," said Gulf South Rising, a coalition of frontline Gulf Coast communities.

Councilwoman Audrey Salvant of Ironton, La., said her community remains under threat from floods and hurricanes because funding never materialized to allow residents to elevate their homes so floodwaters can flow under the structures. Those comments scratch at the real dialogue that should be happening: what to do about future weather threats.

Extreme weather resiliency and adaptation measures throughout the U.S. are woefully inadequate. Levees are lacking, flood barriers are

broken, water resources are scant and emergency shelters are sporadically located.

Even more alarming, in the largest-ever study of power outages in the U.S., a group of UC Berkeley scientists found blackouts are getting chronically longer because of severe weather. Without power, all kinds of breakdowns occur — from looting and violence to communication and transportation disruptions.

As Tropical Storm Erika heads toward the East Coast, it's clear that resiliency efforts need to be fully addressed. The 100 Resilient Cities program pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation is a step in the right direction.

The plan is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. Education, awareness and resources aim to battle disasters and their after-effects such as high unemployment, inefficient public transportation, and food and water shortages, among other shocks and stresses.

But it shouldn't be just 100 cities around the world that arm themselves with the right type of defenses to weather future storms — all cities and towns should be minding their vulnerabilities.

If climate forecasting models are accurate, this year will see a record-strength El Niño rear its head and unleash violent weather throughout the world. This is no time to look back and lay blame or promote praise in regard to Hurricane Katrina. That storm is a reminder, but it is the future storms we should be worried about and take steps to prepare for.

FEMA — blasted in the days after Katrina struck — has revised its website to detail resources and preparedness plans. It's worth reading and taking action now — for the future and with a remembrance of storms past.

Thomas M. Kostigen is the founder of TheClimateSurvivalist.com and a New York Times best-selling author and journalist. He is the National Geographic author of "The Extreme Weather Survival Guide: Understand, Prepare, Survive, Recover" and the NG Kids book " Extreme Weather: Surviving Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Hailstorms, Thundersnow, Hurricanes and More!" Follow him @weathersurvival, or email kostigen@theclimatesurvivalist.com.

MORE FROM THOMAS M. KOSTIGEN: