Released on = August 25, 2007, 9:17 pm

Press Release Author = Perils For Pedestrians Television

Industry = Entertainment

Press Release Summary = The National Conference on Disaster Planning for the Carless
Society will be featured on Episode 130 of \"Perils For Pedestrians\". The program
will be carried on The Universityhouse Channel (DISH Network 9411) Tuesday, August
28, at 9:30 PM EDT.



Press Release Body = The University of New Orleans hosted The National Conference on
Disaster Planning for the Carless Society earlier this year to address the issues
raised in the aftermath of Katrina. In an interview with \"Perils For Pedestrians\"
host John Z Wetmore, conference chair John Renne says, \"The evacuation of Hurricane
Katrina, while being the most successful evacuation probably in U.S. history, was
also the worst evacuation in U.S. history, because if you had a car you could
evacuate, but if you didn\'t have a car you couldn\'t get out.\"

What lessons could be learned from the disaster that befell New Orleans when
Hurricane Katrina struck two years ago? One lesson was the difficulty of evacuating
households who did not drive or did not have access to cars. In Orleans Parish, 27
percent of households did not have access to a car. Trapped in the city, they
became the tragic images seen on television around the world. Renne goes on to
say, \"New Orleans is not unique in terms of having a carless population or being
vulnerable to disasters. There are seven cities that have a higher percentage of
carless people.\"

One of the key issues raised was who to include in disaster planning. One of the
problems with much planning in the past has been the failure to include
representatives of groups with particular challenges to evacuating. Along with the
usual transportation planners and emergency management specialists, including people
with disabilities is essential if their needs are to be understood and addressed.

AARP was the leading sponsor of the conference. Senior citizens were especially
vulnerable to Katrina\'s devastation. Almost two thirds of the fatalities in Orleans
Parish were over 65. As the United States population ages, disaster planning for
the elderly will become even more critical.

Could similar disasters happen elsewhere? Renne reports, \"I looked at evacuation
plans from all over the country, and I found that the evacuation plans in other
major cities are actually worse than the plans that we had in New Orleans, so it\'s a
real wake up call for our country to begin looking at these issues.\"

Other stories on the program include a look at \"Steps To A Healthier New Orleans\",
and a look at pedestrian and bicycle planning in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

\"Perils For Pedestrians\" is a public affairs television series that looks at issues
that affect pedestrians. \"Perils For Pedestrians\" appears every Tuesday evening on
The Universityhouse Channel (DISH Network channel 9411) at 9:30 PM Eastern Time,
6:30 PM Pacific Time. Episode 130 can also be seen on Google Video at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid

Web Site = http://www.pedestrians.org

Contact Details = John Z Wetmore, Producer
Perils For Pedestrians Television
5305 Bradley Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20814
john@pedestrians.org
301-654-5305