WASHINGTON 鈥撀燞elping people survive and recover from disasters can depend on聽authorities having聽well prepared responses developed through practice聽drills – like what’s聽happening locally and nationally next month.
Nationally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is 聽in May based on the scenario that a major hurricane has聽made landfall near Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Locally: “It’s called Operation Atlantic Fury and it’s actually a two week exercise that the city is participating in with our regional partners,” Director of Emergency Management at MedStar Washington Hospital Center,聽Craig DeAtley said.
Speaking for the that鈥檚 organized through the city鈥檚 Department Of Health, DeAtley said the District’s health care community will participate in the drill聽on May 7.
“We will be focusing on the response to a major hurricane that comes through the National Capital Region and wreaks all sorts of havoc to include injuries and fatalities and compromised structures and various other types of problems,” DeAtley said.
The coalition includes聽everything from hospitals to first responders, dialysis centers to poison control and the medical examiner. Members聽meet and drill regularly to prepare聽unified responses to聽any and all emergencies – be they weather related, terrorism or a big transportation accident.
“And then we focus on producing documents,聽guidance documents, largely after-action reports – all in an effort to enhance the preparedness and improve the performance,” DeAtley said.
The coalition hosted a “” conference last Thursday, in which 海角精品黑料 participated, to explore how聽public information聽officers in health care can best work with the聽media to聽share聽information during events聽such as聽mass shootings.
