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Falmouth Forum Series 2006-2007
Hurricane Katrina: Wake-Up Call and Lessons for Cape Cod
October 13, 2006 - Lillie Auditorium, 7:30 PM
Lectures are free and open to the public.
Arthur W. Adelberg, Senior Counsel for Special Investigation, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Abstract:
Katrina was the first major test of a national emergency response system developed in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Why all levels of government failed the test, and what needs to be done, are the subjects of this lecture. With increasing threats of natural and man-made disasters, everyone has a stake in whether government acts on the lessons of Katrina. But Katrina also demonstrated the importance of personal responsibility in preparing for disasters. This is especially true on Cape Cod. The Cape shares many of the attributes that contributed to the disaster in New Orleans—exposure to major hurricanes, high population density, and limited evacuation routes. Residents of the Cape should take an interest not just in the emergency preparedness plans of their government officials, but their own preparedness as individuals as well.
In dealing with Katrina, government confronted not just the wrath of Mother Nature, but the sloth of human nature. Unfortunately, more frequent natural and man-made disasters are becoming a fact of life. We have only ourselves to blame if we fail to overcome the aspects of our human nature that leave us poorly prepared when disasters strike.
Arthur A. Adelberg
An attorney with 30 years of public and private sector experience, Arthur Adelberg was recruited by Senator Susan Collins, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to serve as senior counsel for the committee’s special investigation of Hurricane Katrina from November 2005 through April 2006. He is the co-author of the committee’s May report, Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared.
Mr. Adelberg began his professional career at the federal trade commission where he handled litigation of oil and tobacco industries. Noted for his expertise on matters of energy policy, he has testified in congress on numerous occasions. He also served as a consultant for the State Department’s agency for international development on electric industry reform in Eastern Europe.
Recently he founded the consulting firm, Energy Advisors, LLC, which specializes in electric utility market and management issues. He is also senior counsel for a Washington, D.C. firm which specializes in commercial litigations. For almost 20 years he served as executive V.P. and CFO for Central Maine Power Company, CMP Group, Inc. and Energy East, Inc.
Mr. Adelberg spent many summers at the MBL working as a lab assistant where he met his wife Lisa. They currently reside in Vero Beach, Florida and Camden, Maine.
Admission to this Falmouth Forum presentation is free and open to the public. A buffet dinner is available before the lecture at 6:00 p.m. in the Swope Center located near the auditorium. Dinner tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance at either Eight Cousins Children’s Books, Main Street, Falmouth, or at the MBL’s Communications Office in the Candle House in Woods Hole. Dinner seats are limited and tickets are only available until they sell out or until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10. For more information, contact the MBL Communications Office at: (508) 289-7423 or
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