Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans

At 8:00 A.M. on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States
including New Orleans, LA. Although many people have been evacuated, not all had the time or
the means to evacuate before the hurricane. And in some cases, people refused to evacuate. With
winds that exceeded 125 mph and storm surges of water that broke through retaining walls, the
hurricane pounded the city of New Orleans, destroying 275,000 homes, killing people, and
leaving devastation in its wake. The hospitality industry was by no means untouched. As just one
example, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans was badly damaged and stayed closed for
several years following the hurricane. Meetings expecting to use New Orleans as a destination
during hurricane dates and for more than a year afterward either had to find another location or
make a rough decision about whether to go through with using New Orleans in the hotels that
were back in business, despite the clean-up going on around the city.

What if you had a meeting planned in New Orleans on August 29, 2005
 Would you cancel it?
o Given the prior situation, I would most probably cancel my meeting. This is to
prevent accidents, not only for myself, but also for my co-workers and colleagues
that I would meet up with. This would also prevent us from causing more
problems to face.
 Go through with it and hope for the best?
o Going through it and risking the safety of the people included in the meeting
would only cause problems and accidents. Given the storm surge and wind is
getting stronger, problems and accidents might arise just like traffic accidents and
drowning .
 Where would you find the information to monitor to help you make a decision about what to
do with your meeting?
o Finding information are reachable in any means just like in the internet, news
television, and radio stations. In addition, keeping in mind tto only believe in
reliable and credible sources.
 Would you go through with holding a meeting in New Orleans six months after the
hurricane, despite the clean-up going on around the city?
o The clean-up going around the city is huge and stressful. Hence, making it an
accident prone area. Falling debris and the like are the most of the causes of the
accidents during a clean-up after a hurricane.
 What are the pros and cons?
o Meeting in New Orleans would only have an advantage for the people who are
near with it and accessible to it. Disadvantages are New Orleans is being hit by a
Hurricane, leading it to an accident-prone area. Water and wind are the things that
would be the most cause of accidents. Hence making the meeting a dangerous one
instead of the otherwise.