THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ

UMDNJ - SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

>>>NJCPHP News PHlash <<<

SPECIAL HURRICANE KATRINA EDITION

AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 9 2005

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This is a special edition of the NJCPHP Phlash about the response to Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region. Although the devastation is immense and it will take years to rebuild and restore the region, there are important lessons to be learned from this event even though we are less than two weeks from the disaster.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S:
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Washing away- The Times-Picayune (06/23/02)
[2] Disease and coordination vie as major challenges- The New York Times (08/31/05)
[3] Storm exposed disarray at the top- The Washington Post (09/04/05)
[4] Local experts say feds should have expected scenario- The Advocate (09/06/05)
[5] Health workers say they were ready for Katrina- Reuters (09/06/05)

II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] Medical, Psychological and Environmental Surveillance Needs for Workers Involved in Incident Response under the National Response Plan (9/28/05)
[2] Self Care and Wellness Training for First Responders

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Correction: UCLA Centers for Public Health Preparedness guidebook link
[2] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health Agencies
[3] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS:

[1] Washing away- The Times-Picayune (06/23/02)
A five-part series was written three years ago by the Times-Picayune, the New Orleans newspaper, about what would happen if a major hurricane were to hit the city. The potential problems of the city's protective levees, evacuations, massive cost, flooding, and decreasing wetlands were all accurately foreseen in the series.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/

[2] Disease and coordination vie as major challenges- The New York Times (08/31/05)
Federal officials have stated that public health conditions in the Hurricane Katrina affected Gulf Coast were severe and the coordination of relief efforts has been a major challenge. Disease outbreaks, animal bites, food and water contamination, and carbon monoxide poisoning are some of the major health concerns. The lack of electricity, food, water, and medical supplies has forced relief agencies to deal with this crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/31/national/nationalspecial/31health.html

[3] Storm exposed disarray at the top- The Washington Post (08/04/05)
The devastation that Hurricane Katrina has created in Gulf Coast region has uncovered the lack of preparedness and response from federal agencies. The author states that the Department of Homeland Security was unprepared for a natural disaster of this magnitude because more of its resources have been devoted to anti-terrorism. The reduction of FEMA's capability and budget since 9/11 has led to the failure in response to Katrina.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301653.html

[4] Local experts say feds should have expected scenario- The Advocate (09/06/05)
Hurricane researchers from Louisiana State University and emergency officials from the region say that the damage from Hurricane Katrina should not have been a surprise to federal officials. The local experts have done previous models,
including an exercise last summer, that predicted the flooding of New Orleans. Federal agencies have to respond
to the disaster regardless of advance knowledge.
http://2theadvocate.com/stories/090605/new_scenario001.shtml

[5] Health workers say they were ready for Katrina- Reuters (09/06/05)
Federal health workers from the U.S. Public Health Service say that they were prepared for Hurricane Katrina. They were sent to Louisiana before the storm made landfall and set up a field medical shelter. Teams of health workers and supplies were assembled to be ready.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050906/hl_nm/health_dc_1

• post-disaster surveillance
• integration of exposure assessment into medical surveillance and evaluation
• critical factors in implementing surveillance programs
• pre- and post-disaster planning, training, surveillance and risk communication needs for first responders, first receivers, skilled support personnel, and related workforces
  
  COST: free; lunch and dinner reception included
  
  CONTACT: Patricia Walker at walkerpa@umdnj.edu

For more information, or to register for this event, visit http://www.njcphp.org/ptp_conf.cfm

[2] Self Care and Wellness Training for First Responders

September 13, Burlington County; September 19, Morris County.

For more information (or to register for this event) visit http://www.njcphp.org/events/first.responders.cfm or contact Denison Scott at 732-235-9753.

For a complete listing of preparedness training events and educational course offerings, please visit the ASPH Centers for Public Health Preparedness Online Education Calendar at: http://www.asph.org/acphp/educationCalendar.cfm

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS

[1] Correction:
UCLA Centers for Public Health Preparedness guidebook link The correct link for the guidebook, Writing A Disaster Plan: A Guide for Health Departments, is www.cphd.ucla.edu. Please disregard the link from News PHlash,
Issue 16.

[2] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health Agencies.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) have announced formal efforts to explore development of a voluntary accreditation system for state and local public health agencies. As part of the project, a steering committee will be established to write definitive recommendations for structuring the system. The committee also will evaluate the feasibility and desirability of accrediting state and local public health agencies. The steering committee's recommendations will be released in one year. For more information, visit
http://www.naccho.org/press/releases/PressReleaseAugust1.cfm.

[3] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers
The New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps launches a new website to sign up volunteers. Individuals interested in
joining a dedicated group of individuals that can be relied upon in the event of a bioterrorist or natural disaster should visit http://www.njmrc.nj.gov/hcpr/ to sign up for this important group.

For more information, or to view the NJCPHP News PHlash Archive, please visit us at www.njcphp.org

Please send any subscription inquiries to baronre@umdnj.edu

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The New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at UMDNJ, UMDNJ- School of Public Health does not claim responsibility for accuracy of facts and information presented. All opinions expressed are those of the original authors and do not represent the views of NJCPHP staff or affiliates. NJCPHP News PHlash, a bi-weekly news bulletin, is distributed free of charge electronically, with the intention of sharing information of interest and value to our subscribers.
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The New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at UMDNJ, UMDNJ- School of Public Health does not claim responsibility for accuracy of facts and information presented. All opinions expressed are those of the original authors and do not represent the views of NJCPHP staff or affiliates. NJCPHP News PHlash, a bi-weekly news bulletin, is distributed free of charge electronically, with the intention of sharing information of interest and value to our subscribers.

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