In recent years, natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, have forced many people to vacate their homes and seek safe haven inside of hospitals, but last winter a Consumer Reports study showed that hospitals are vulnerable to flooding, lacking innovation with generators, and pose safety concerns in the event of natural disaster.

See the infographic from the Safety and Emergency Management program at Eastern Kentucky University at Imaging Economics Online that highlights hospitals in terms of disaster preparation titled Natural Disasters and Hospital Safety.

 The infographic showcases the top five at risk states, including New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Alabama, and the estimated property damage to look at what demographics need to think most about their safety and the quality of their hospitals during an emergency. The infographic highlights hospitals key safety concerns and uses Hurricane Sandy as a case study. For instance, 89% of hospitals in New York were declared disaster areas during Hurricane Sandy, and the infographic analyzes how they held.

Thanks to Joseph Lapin, Creative Director, Circa Interactive, for the for the link. Anyone wanting more info should contact the faculty at EKU at the website noted above.

Why can’t DHS do more than one thing at a time? The arguments from Republican lawmakers seem ridiculous to me!

Republicans assail DHS officials for focusing on climate change
House Republicans lambasted the Obama administration Wednesday for making climate change a high priority at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some excerpts:

The GOP argued at a hearing that the emphasis comes at the expense of other, more important, activities at DHS, and puts the country at greater risk from terrorists, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The hearing of the Homeland Security Committee’s oversight subcommittee focused mostly on last year’s Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which said climate change and its effects “present major areas of homeland security risk.”

“I am shocked that the department continues to make climate change a top, top priority,” said subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.), citing the risks from terrorist groups, cyberattacks, incompetent airport screeners and other threats.

Over 1.6 million Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries rely upon electricity-dependent medical and assistive equipment, such as ventilators and wheel chairs, in our communities. Severe weather and disasters that cause power outages can be life threatening for these individuals.

How can we empower community and electricity-dependent Medicare beneficiary health resilience?

Every hospital, first responder, electric company, and community member can use the map to find the monthly total of Medicare beneficiaries with electricity-dependent equipment claims at the U.S. state, territory, county, and zip code level and turn on “real-time” NOAA severe weather tracking services to identify areas and populations that may be impacted and at risk for power outages.

http://www.phe.gov/empowermap/Pages/default.aspx

Can This Capsule Help You Survive A Tsunami? Aerospace engineers have built a reinforced pod that they believe will protect inhabitants from the biggest storms in the world.

Thanks to Franklin McDonald for the citation.

After a thunderstorm arrived on July 4th, when the National Mall was crowded with visitors, local officials initiated their sheltering plan. See: Initiating ‘Safe Haven’: 200,000 July 4 revelers get shelter from the storm.

It wasn’t a drill. It was happening, and now: Open the doors, suspend the bag checks, turn off the magnetometers, let everyone inside.

The plan had been developed to shelter masses gathered on the Mall in the case of an emergency weather situation, but the evacuation ahead of Saturday’s Independence Day celebration also signaled what might happen in the face of a terror threat: “Operation Safe Haven.