Disaster Preparedness

Disaster-Recovery Legislation Gaining Momentum

August 10, 2007

U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), David Vitter (R-La.), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) praised the Senate's unanimous passage Aug. 3 of a loan bill that will improve assistance to business owners and homeowners after disasters. The legislation passed as the two-year anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma approached.

The Big One's Coming, So Get Ready

By Jerry Laws · July 2007

Office Depot recently conducted a survey that found 71 percent of businesses do not have a disaster plan in place. Federal data indicate more than 40 percent of businesses never reopen after a disaster affects them, according to the company. Because 80 percent of its customer base is small to medium-sized businesses, Office Depot considers it important to help them protect their businesses, said Tom Serio, Director of Global Business Continuity Management for the company, which has 52,000 associates and about 1,500 stores worldwide.

Spill Response: Utilizing Local Resources

By Karen Hamel · July 2007

TANK overfills. Forklift punctures. Floods. Earthquakes. Willful destruction. Spill response planners are tasked with creating plans for any possible spill incident that could occur at a facility. Often, however, the “best” or “ideal” plan to handle a situation is scrapped because of budgetary, manpower, or space constraints. Sometimes, less-than-perfect plans are developed because plan coordinators aren’t aware of the wealth of resources available in their communities. Acknowledging that the facilities may not need to purchase or store all of the items they could ever possibly need is an important first step toward achieving a more ideal spill response plan.

The Role of Safety in Business Continuity

By Dr. Shawn Adams, C.P.C.U., A.R.M., PHR, CHCM · July 2007

OVER the past few years, disasters and emergencies have garnered much attention in American society. From the disaster that did not occur, Y2K, to the attacks on the World Trade Center, the blackouts in 2003, the multiple hurricanes making landfall during 2004 in Florida, Katrina in 2005, and the droughts and subsequent wildfires as well as the flooding and mudslides in the Northwest in 2006, it seems like a steady drumbeat of bad headlines have caught America’s attention for the past few years.

Peer-Reviewed Disaster Medicine Journal Announced

May 29, 2007

The American Medical Association's official publication will be a bridge between clinical response and public health, AMA says.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week Highlights Readiness

May 22, 2007

May 20-26 is National Hurricane Preparedness Week this year. President Bush's proclamation of the event calls on government agencies, private organizations, schools, and the media to share information about hurricane preparedness. "I also urge all Americans living in vulnerable coastal areas of our Nation to take appropriate measures and precautions to protect themselves against the effects of hurricanes," it says.

Federal Flu Portal Offers Pandemic Preparedness Checklist

April 10, 2007

Posted on March 21 at http://pandemicflu.gov is a five-page Health Insurer Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist that will be of use to other types of organizations, too, as they work on preparedness.

Facing Unexpected Hazards

By Linda Johnson Sherrard, MS, CSP · August 2006

"IT showed something bad. . . . Come check this thing out, it showed something!" were the gasping utterances of a dirty, sweat-streaked, very excited (and obviously frightened) maintenance fellow. The multi-gas monitor, after months of use, had sounded an alarm that startled the crew while working in a tunnel.

Predicting the Unpredictable: PPE Planning for a Natural Disaster

By Dr. James Zeigler · August 2006

IF you feel that there have been more "once in a lifetime" natural disasters in the past few years to last 10 lifetimes, you're not imagining things. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which publishes a World Disasters Report annually, calculates that from 1994 to 1998, reported disasters averaged 428 per year.

Disaster Roles and Responsibilities for Safety Managers

By Dr. Shawn Adams, C.P.C.U., A.R.M., PHR, CHCM, Dr. Bill Lowe · March 2006

IN the wake of a most devastating 2005 hurricane season with deadly storms named Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, many safety managers will undoubtedly find top management asking tough questions: "What are our risks and threats to customers, employees, operations and property? What type of enhancements to plant safety and emergency planning and response are justified?"

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