Saving for a rainy day

Natural disasters | Hurricane-ravaged communities this year won’t discount the value of making their own disaster plan | John Dawson

There's a big difference between the mood of the Gulf Coast hurricane preparation conference a year ago and the one held last month. According to Beaumont Mayor Guy Goodson, that difference is summed in two words: Katrina and Rita.

Mr. Goodson was there last year when state and county officials convened to go over disaster plans and evacuation routes prior to the 2005 hurricane season. "Last year it was sort of like being a college student," Mr. Goodson said. "We didn't have the firsthand experience, so it was a lot of cerebral information."

But what a difference a year can make. In the months since Hurricane Rita followed Katrina ashore on Sept. 24, causing massive damage in Beaumont and across the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coasts, Mr. Goodson has traveled to Denver; Charlotte; Boston; Portland, Ore.; and Charleston, S.C., to talk about how his city responded to a Category 3 storm in a banner year of hurricanes.