| According to the government, a disaster is | | | | Government agencies, healthcare professionals |
| defined as "a natural or man-made force the | | | | and public health advocates have looked at ways |
| destructive impact of which overwhelms a | | | | to determine the best ways to mitigate the |
| community's ability to meet healthcare demands." | | | | potential impact of a disaster with massive |
| The awareness of the limits of emergency | | | | causalities or what is known as a mass casualty |
| response capabilities to the challenge of disasters | | | | incident or MCI. These MCI's may involve natural, |
| has increased dramatically over the last few | | | | biological, chemical, radiation, nuclear, or other |
| years due to the attacks against the United | | | | agents and all have been given considerable |
| States by terrorists and the recent natural | | | | attention. |
| disasters. The hospitals around the country know | | | | Each type of incident has its own intimidating |
| that what were once theoretical threats to our | | | | tasks and are unique with their own issues. |
| safety are now a troubling reality. Not only have | | | | Differences between scenarios hold challenging |
| natural disasters increased throughout the United | | | | implications for preparedness training and hospitals |
| States but the surfacing of foreign | | | | across the nation are practicing for many |
| state-sponsored terrorism, the proliferation of | | | | different levels of these disasters. The natural |
| chemical and biological agents, the availability of | | | | disasters across the nation including the hurricanes |
| materials along with scientific weapons expertise | | | | and tornadoes have different challenges than if |
| and the increases of indiscriminate attacks all point | | | | the disaster were to be a biothreat. Some of |
| toward a growing threat of an unconventional | | | | what was seen in New Orleans has been replayed |
| disaster. It has become quite obvious due to the | | | | and studied for improvements in the efforts to |
| terrorists attacks in New York on September | | | | handle such a disaster. |
| 11th and the deliberate anthrax contamination of | | | | For those people living near the Momence Illinois |
| United States postal facilities that there is a critical | | | | hospital they may not be concerned about the |
| need to fortify the efforts of hospital disaster | | | | disaster relief of a hurricane for themselves. They |
| preparedness. | | | | may be interested in knowing if a tornado were |
| People living in the area of the Peotone Illinois | | | | to touch down if the hospital is ready to handle |
| hospital or the Manhattan Illinois hospital would like | | | | such a disaster. They may also be concerned |
| to be assured that their hospitals are prepared for | | | | about other disasters and although the United |
| disasters both man-made and natural. Hospitals | | | | States will never be able to say that terrorism |
| across this nation are all taking a look at their | | | | won't happen again we can prepare for what may |
| disaster preparedness by examining their current | | | | happen and the hospitals of the nation along with |
| disaster plans, improving those plans is needed | | | | the agencies in place to help, are doing what they |
| and conducting disaster drills to challenge them | | | | can to prepare. |
| and find more areas for improvement. | | | | |