His opening one-liner segued into a discussion of Hurricane Rita, when Houston evacuees were parked on freeways – angry and confused – for longer than that. With hurricane season at its peak, Johnson wants to make sure area residents are prepared if another storm hits, so they do not repeat the many missteps before and after Rita.

“That was the largest disaster in U.S. history caused by man,” he said. “We weren’t prepared for it.”

To emphasize his point, he recalled being in Florida after a major storm, with still sweltering temperatures complicating relief efforts. Volunteers, he said, were receiving 18-wheeler truckloads of clothes and blankets to stay warm but did not have enough food or water to go around. He said volunteers threw more supplies in Dumpsters than they handed out to storm victims. Residents can avert such problems with coordination.

“Preparedness is the key,” Johnson said. “Be as prepared as possible to take care of yourself for 10 days. You will change a disaster into an inconvenience. Disasters happen when you’re not ready for them.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many residents without a means to leave needed to escape a toxic and ravaged New Orleans. City officials couldn’t use any of the 150 buses parked on a central lot because they were full of water, Johnson said.

In preparation for a storm, residents need to ensure that proper resources will be available after it strikes, he added.

With Hurricane Ike still fresh on the minds of many, he encouraged residents to become part of a Community Emergency Response Team. To earn CERT certification, participants must complete a multi-week course that teaches preparedness basics such as CPR.

The next team training in Humble begins Sept. 2 and ends Nov. 10. Classes are hosted Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information or to register, contact Carole Chambers at 281-446-4928 or cchambers@humblepolice.com.

Johnson is part of the area’s Community Response Task Force, an all-volunteer organization comprised of county government officials, businesses, and civic and faith-based groups. The perception that emergency services do not need volunteerism has changed, he said.

“Everybody in emergency services is reaching out because we need all of you,” he said. “We have to take care of each other.” He joked that those who shun preparedness could bank on the prediction made by Katrina evacuees he met a few weeks ago. “They practiced a strange religion,” Johnson said. “They sacrificed a few chickens and promised there would be no hurricanes.”