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11.	The emergency management directors in the New Orleans area found the FEMA Introduction to Hurricane Preparedness course, co-sponsored by TPC/NHC personnel, to be essential for effectively utilizing NWS tropical cyclone products and services during Hurricane Katrina.
12.	IMETs served a critical role in the aftermath of Katrina by supporting the Louisiana EOC, the NOAA HAZMAT Team, and WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge. They filled gaps in the weather observation network due to the storm’s impacts by installing BLM’s FireRAWS equipment and established a portable data reception/transmission system for use by WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge and local officials.
13.	SRH deployed two teams to help in restoration and recovery efforts of the impacted offices.
CONCLUSION
The impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast was tremendous. The storm surge devastated coastal Mississippi, and much of New Orleans was inundated with 15 to 20 feet of water. Katrina spread hurricane force winds well inland and spawned 62 tornadoes in eight states. The loss of life and extraordinary damage made Katrina the costliest hurricane in U.S. history and the deadliest hurricane in 77 years.
Katrina caused significant disruptions in the communication infrastructure surrounding New Orleans. NWS offices in Louisiana and Mississippi experienced communications outages, and NWS continuity of operations plans were implemented, engaging offices from Texas to Florida for service backup functions.
The SAT evaluated the effectiveness of NWS services and operational procedures with respect to this event, paying particular attention to continuity of operations procedures/plans, coordination and collaboration with emergency managers and decisionmakers, and forecast and warning accuracy. The team found that the NWS performed exceptionally well before, during, and after Katrina. This was confirmed by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from users of NWS products and services. Overall, the timeliness and accuracy of NWS forecast products were well above performance standards.
Throughout the event, NWS field offices provided high quality forecast and warning information to the public, mass media, and emergency management officials. Feedback from all groups was very positive. WFO New' Orleans/Baton Rouge issued a statement one day prior to Katrina’s landfall that outlined the potential devastating impacts of the hurricane on southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi. Due to the unprecedented detail and foreboding nature of the language used, the statement helped reinforce the actions of emergency management officials as they coordinated one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history.
Service backup for offices affected by the communications outage was effective and transparent to most users and partners. However, single points of failure need to be addressed, and communication devices that do not depend on the local infrastructure
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