Until Katrina, we never thought there would be a possibility that we would have to provide transportation farther than the county line. Because of Katrina we said: Whoa. We need to be ready to take people outside the county.

I don't think anybody could be ready totally 100 percent for a catastrophe event like Katrina, but we are working toward improving our readiness.

The more we have growth along our beaches and barrier islands, shelter is always going to be an issue.

The governor can compel law enforcement to take people out of harm's way, but I've never known that to happen. There are always going to be some people who flat won't leave.

You might have to resort to bull horns to communicate. It's always going to be a problem.

We all learn from our mistakes and others' misfortune.