EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESSHow FAST can YOU be
Ready???
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Preparation

• Business Continuity Plan
• Internal focus
• Maintain critical functions
• Mass Fatality Plan
• External focus
• Large number of fatalities

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Key Elements

• Establish off-site back-ups
• What if facility is destroyed?
• What if community is destroyed?
• Drive away kit
• Computer system
• Servers based off site
• Laptops in go mode
• Communications
• Cell phones, walkie talkies, ham radio

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Staffing
Decisions

• Emergency 800
• Who is needed
• Where to report
• Set up in emergency location

• Critical functions
• Minimum resources
• Equipment needs
• Source of funds

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What if ?

• Local office/intake office down for filing of
  records
• Hospitals down
• Funeral homes down
• State office down

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Revisit Plan

• Update regularly
• Maintain relationships with partners
• What has changed?
• What needs to be added, deleted?
• Technology makes some steps easier
• Communicate

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Mass Fatalities - How Many?

• Valujet, 1996 110 deaths
• Columbine, 1999 15 deaths
• 9/11, NY, PA, DC, 2001 -- 2996
• Tsunami, 2004 -- 295,608
• Katrina, 2005 -- lt1700
• Earthquake, 2005 lt80,000

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Challenges
Obstacles

• ID remains
• Determine COD
• Record track events
• Storage
• Disposition
• Morale
• Communicate with families

• Access to area
• Public health hazards
• Chain of command-whos in charge?
• Criminal activity

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Legalities

• Emergency orders
• Financial
• Liabilities
• Confidentiality
• Presumptive death filing

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Partnerships

• DMORT teams
• Hospitals
• Medical examiners/coroners
• Funeral directors
• Cemeteries/crematories
• Vital records offices
• Law enforcement/military
• Media

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Florida counties with Hurricane deaths certified
by Medical Examiners, 2004
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Jeanne
Ivan
Bonnie
Charlie
Frances
Dennis
Wilma
Katrina
Rita
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CATEGORY 4 CATEGORY 3
CATEGORY 2
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CATEGORY 3 CATEGORY 1
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Deaths by date related during the hurricane
season, Florida 2004
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Summary of 2004 hurricane deaths

• 124 deaths reviewed and recorded through medical
  examiners FDLE
• Typical decedent was elderly white male
• Swath (interior) counties had larger share of
  mortality

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Lessons Learned - Post Impact

• Tree, yard, home clean-up by non-professionals
• Flooding - motor vehicle drownings
• CO2 deaths
• No insignificant hurricane - all have potential
  for morbidity, mortality significant
  destruction
• Advance preparation for future hurricanes is
  essential

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Electrical Power Disruption

• Prolonged power outages
• Increased use of portable gas generators
• Fire risk - increased use of candles
• Downed electrical power lines electrocution
  risk
• Restoration of electric power accidental
  electrocutions
• MVA due to loss of traffic signals

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Have You Met the Challenge?

• The longer it takes for a return to normalcy,
  the greater the damage to the citizenry
• the clock is ticking are you ready?