Yesterday, West Virginia reported its first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). All 50 States now have confirmed cases. The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams recently stated, “We are at a critical inflection point in this country…”. His comment was later followed by, “When you look at the projections, there’s every chance that we could be Italy.”
Field hospitals play a critically important role in disaster response, from natural calamities like flooding or hurricanes, to outbreak of disease and violent conflicts. These facilities are the primary drivers for reducing the human life consequences of disaster, and helping […]
According to the World Health Organization, natural disasters kill approximately 90,000 people and affect almost 160 million people each year, worldwide. The importance for governments, local municipalities, first responders, as well as international aid organization to rapidly respond to such […]
Natural disasters of all types and intensity carry risk of fatalities. Even minor inclement weather scenarios can have tragic effects and loss of life. Deployable morgues fill a critical need within effective medical care operations at disaster sites. Disaster response […]
BLU-MED® 25-bed mobile hospital deployed in Leogane following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The 2016 hurricane season is in full swing and the forecast for the season’s peak (occurs around September 10 each year) is promising to be a devastating one. […]
Deadly earthquakes have struck regions of Ecuador and Japan in the past week, resulting in hundreds of deaths, thousands injured, and leaving a combined total of almost 450,000 in need of aid and/or shelter. The extreme and sudden effects of […]
Flooding causes a sudden state of emergency that can force communities to evacuate residents to safety, displace families from their homes and cause damage to vital infrastructure. In South Carolina, heavy rains swamped local communities, triggering President Barack Obama to […]
Emergency preparedness extends beyond communities that have a high probability of experiencing manmade or natural disasters. Even if a region is not historically disaster-prone, unforeseen catastrophes can still occur. In fact, Ready.gov states that, during a person’s lifetime, most communities […]
Sept. 11, 2015 marked the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a tragic event that shook many Americans to their core. In addition to showing our ability to come together, both nationally and in smaller communities, the attacks identified […]
If your local agency or organization is responsible for disaster response planning and preparation with a helicopter, then you should consider including a helicopter hangar in your disaster response program. These structures help to maintain readiness of the aircraft that […]
In the recent weeks, the rampant wildfires on the west coast have burned almost 1.7 million acres and driven whole communities from their homes. More than 28,000 firefighters and other support personnel are battling fires from Sacramento, California, to northeastern […]
Disaster response requires additional considerations and needs when the affected community is in a remote location. Without the support of nearby medical treatment facilities and emergency response infrastructure, these communities can be affected more severely in disasters than urban settings. […]