Newsroom
Scientists and citizens collaborate on Cahooots GIS Map of Gulf Coast oil spill
Information sharing and collaboration among the general population for disaster management and response is a very powerful thing. Take the current BP Gulf Coast Oil Spill disaster for example. Since the start of this catastrophic event, Cahooots is being used by thousands of individuals, agencies, and response groups to post, share, and gain information about […]
Are You In Cahooots?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you probably have at least heard of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Many of you probably already have a Facebook account and, like me, update your status a few times a day. The extreme popularity of social networking sites is […]
Defining and Developing Leadership in Healthcare Emergency Management
The word ‘leadership’ is used liberally. We see it used in reference to managers, directors, and decision-makers, and its meaning is frequently “person in charge” or “person responsible.” In healthcare emergency management – and particularly when a disaster occurs that has tested a community’s response system – scrutiny of the response begins with evaluating the […]
An Unorthodox Nursing Career
After graduating last year with my Master’s degree, I figured it was time for me to continue my quest to bring emergency management to the nursing masses. Advance for Nurses is a regional magazine that takes unsolicited article submissions. I figured the worse they could say is “no” and was surprised when they embraced the […]
HazMat Planning: Know What’s Traveling Through Your State’s Backyard
Transportation of hazardous chemicals is critical to the sustenance and growth of inter- and intra-state commerce. Hazardous chemicals, some extremely hazardous, are transported using highways corridors, pipelines, rail, and waterways in every state of the continental US. While movement of these chemicals is a necessity, safety of the communities adjacent to transportation routes and safety […]
Is the U.S. ready for a public/private aeromedical evacuation model?
Since August 2008, when deployed to New Orleans to assist with the evacuation of transportation-dependent citizens during Hurricane Gustav, I have been involved in evacuation planning in one capacity or another. At the recent National Evacuation Conference in New Orleans, several IEM colleagues and I delivered presentations on our experiences with the planning and execution […]
Signs of Rebuilding in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Reports from the ground in Haiti The mountains and hills of Port-au-Prince are surprising. I didn’t expect to the find the city located in such beautiful environs. And anytime I start thinking about the natural beauty of a place, I like to imagine what the first people to see it thought. Like at the end […]
Home Grown! Haitian coffee. Haitian porridge. Haitian orange juice!
Reports from the ground in Haiti I haven’t yet mentioned the coffee in Haiti – it is fantastic. Locally grown. Haiti is the rare coffee-exporting country that has a local market for coffee. In fact, the Haitian farmers believe they are getting the better of the exporters, because they will export the larger beans, and […]
Arrival in Haiti; Start of a Recovery Mission
Reports from the ground in Haiti When I got off the airplane in Port-au-Prince, there was a band playing what sounded like New Orleans French Quarter music. That tells you something right there. And it is hot, even by Louisiana standards. I’ll tell you what was hotter – standing in a madhouse group of people […]
Hospital Preparedness: A Critical Community Infrastructure
Hospitals are community symbols. Their ability to provide patient care is an indicator of a functioning society. During disasters their continued ability to provide patient care is essential, not only for disaster victims, but for their role in representing a resilient community that can withstand adversity. Hospitals are also dependent upon critical infrastructures, e.g., power, […]