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Contents of Report
Pages 1-15

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From page 1...
... as the natural sciences (Kennedy, 2002J. The Natural Disasters Roundtable Forum on Countering Terrorism, held at The National Academies in Washington, D
From page 2...
... For natural disasters, this may include such things as monitoring fault lines to determine potential danger from earthquakes, obtaining data for forecasting hurricane tracks in order to evacuate potential victims, or conducting research to better understand climate change. For technological disasters, a priors knowledge may include risk assessment of potential infrastructure failures or employee training to prevent accidents.
From page 3...
... A summary of the major areas discussed during the forum is presented, focusing on a generalized approach to disaster management, specific lessons learned from past incidents, and challenges and opportunities for improved disaster response. DISASTER MANAGEMENT Whether considering natural, technological, or terrorist-induced events, many of the comments of forum participants focused on disaster management issues related to preparedness, detection, response, and recovery.
From page 4...
... In addition to large-scale infrastructure, like electrical power, localized infrastructure such as health care systems are equally essential. Public health speakers at the forum such as Eric Noji, Kim Shoaf, Sam Stratton, and Donald Weiss noted that two crucial preparatory functions are maximizing laboratory capacity and creating flexible health care systems.
From page 5...
... For preparation purposes in general, nearly every governmental and private organization has a disaster response plan dictating action in emergency situations. For instance, at the federal level, Federal Response and National Contingency plans exist; locally there are numerous city and county emergency response plans which mobilize specialty teams and support functions Jackson, 2002)
From page 6...
... Additionally, education, thorough medical examinations, and modern lab systems with adequate capacity are necessary for rapid diagnoses of existing and novel strains, which further facilitate effective information exchange. Response Even with comprehensive preparedness and detection measures in place, disasters occur and therefore response is the essential next step in disaster management.
From page 7...
... Thorough execution of all assessment functions is crucial to effectively responding to victims and the disaster site; furthe~n~ore, it helps prepare for the final phase of recovery. Several forum presenters provided specific examples of Lindell's emergency assessment functions.
From page 8...
... technique used to determine structural soundness after earthquakes was applied to the World Trade Center area for rapid assessment of the surrounding structures (Nishenko, 2002~. .¢ Recover According to Stratton, the heal, and most important component of disaster management is recovery of the disaster site and the people affected directly and indirectly.
From page 9...
... LESSONS LEARNED Two primary lessons learned from past disasters crosscut each of the disaster management components: the need for effective organization and communication. Several forum participants noted the insularity among all disaster personnel, including policymakers, emergency managers, first responders, public health workers, physicians, and researchers.
From page 10...
... For instance, the West Nile Virus was difficult to detect because only one CDC laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado was equipped to test for it ~YIeiss, 2002~. Noji discussed the anthrax outbreak and compared the difference of working with previous viral outbreaks to the classified information constraints of anthrax as "working half blind-folded".
From page 11...
... Communication with and utilization of such groups may alleviate some of the burden of response and recovery. Finally, Rotanz described celebrity visits to Ground Zero that occurred after the attack on the World Trade Center buildings as a worker morale booster.
From page 12...
... The following summarizes discussion by forum participants on the links between lessons learned and implementation strategies. Lindell observed that what may prove to be the most difficult challenge of predicting and mitigating future terrorist attacks is that terrorists are intelligent adversaries.
From page 13...
... Symbolism is deeply connected to terrorism such that symbolic people and places often are targeted, again to instill fear and threaten values; but past terrorist targets also become a symbol of survival. Similarly, landscapes of hazards include representative symbols of past terrorist events as well as vulnerability to potential future threats.
From page 14...
... Policymakers, emergency managers, first responders, public health workers, physicians, and researchers came together at the Natural Disasters Roundtable forum. They shared experiences and concerns, and discussed ways to integrate efforts to improve emergency management in all types of disaster situations.
From page 15...
... Extensive planning and preventive measures are needed for all disasters, but equally important is the ability to improvise solutions for unforeseen problems that inevitably develop. · Efficient local response is essential for natural, technological, and terrorist-induced disasters.


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