Pinnacle Entertainment

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Support

September 2005 – December 2005

James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA) was retained by Pinnacle Entertainment to support their overall response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The JLWA emergency management team was deployed in the immediate aftermath of the Hurricane to the site of Pinnacle's property in Biloxi, Mississippi, Casino Magic. The land-based hotel and the barge which held the casino were completely destroyed by the storm. Pinnacle's other properties on the West Bank of New Orleans and in Lake Charles, Louisiana suffered relatively minor damage to the physical facilities but experienced significant business disruptions. JLWA provided logistical assistance for the casinos and accessed immunization services for their employees.

In Biloxi, JLWA staff advised the Casino Magic General Manager on technical matters regarding emergency management protocols and augmented the casino staff during the critical period when many staff members were either unaccounted for or on personal leave. JLWA's support and expertise enabled management to move from the response phase to the recovery phase and effectively communicate with state and local public safety professionals about Pinnacle's concerns.

JLWA established an incident management system with a team composed of JLWA and personnel from Pinnacle's corporate office. This blended team became the unified command structure that coordinated the company's response and recovery efforts and eventually made recommendations on mitigation and preparedness efforts for future incidents.

In summary, JLWA assisted Pinnacle Entertainment with:

• Staff augmentation
• Logistical support (e.g., procuring trailers, gasoline, physical security, asset relocation)
• Securing remediation services
• Individual and family assistance, including opening an alternative office, staffing the employee assistance center and accessing immunization services
• Technical assistance pertaining to FEMA, SBA and Red Cross services
• Facilitation of key introductions to local FEMA leadership
• Government relations activities
• After-action interviews and a "hotwash" for key staff, and
• Overall management of resources

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