1. Disaster Preparedness
Presentation by Courtney E. McFarland, Pamela Johnston, Vonda Mayer and Ashley Newcomer

2. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Federal Government Agency
FEMA’s mission: “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards” (About FEMA, 2014)

3. Introduction: FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA’s history can be dated back to the Congressional Act of 1803
The first act of Federal disaster relief came after a devastating fire in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1802
Congress suspended bond payments for several months for these merchants
April 1, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the executive order that created FEMA- Federal Emergency Management Agency.

4. History of FEMA (1979-present)
FEMA has morphed into more than originally designed as it has encapsulated other organizations over the course of 35 years:
The Federal Insurance Administration
The National Fire Prevention and Control Administration
The National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program
The Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration
The Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD
Civil defense responsibilities were also transferred to the new agency from the Defense Department’s Defense Civil Preparedness Agency

5. Divide and conquer: Region III
FEMA divides the United States into Regions in order to best serve each area
Headquarters in Philadelphia
Regional Administrator: MaryAnn Tierney
Region III consists of:
Washington DC
Delaware
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
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6. Team FEMA National Disaster Recovery Framework
Complex web of divisions and organizations feed down from the Federal government to the community level.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Highly trained citizens within a community to respond to disasters within their area behind the first responders.
Teens and adults
Urban Search and Rescue (US&R)
This team of people have 4 functions to search, rescue, technical (structural specialists) and medical.
Canine’s are used to help with search efforts
Emergency Communication Specialists

7. Role of the Nurse in FEMA
Nurses contribute leadership, planning and expertise to disaster preparedness and response. Using problem solving skills and delegating care gives the nurse the ability to quickly adjust to extreme situations and give quality care to patients.
Working for FEMA, nurses are able to volunteer and train people in their community and distribute preparedness materials. They are also able to work directly with hospitals or local community leaders to create emergency response plans.

8. Hurricane Katrina (August 23-30, 2005)
Category 5 Hurricane, 140mph, Louisiana touch down
“most catastrophic natural disaster and costliest hurricane in U.S. history” (Louisiana Recovery Office, 2014)
Death toll: 1,836 and counting
Cost: 60 billion and counting
***Cost and Death toll are still being calculated due to the severity of damage and degree of mass casualty***

9. FEMA response to Katrina
Provided 5.8 billion dollars to help recover and rebuild homes
Provided temporary housing of trailers to families who lost their homes
Funded replacements/repairs, rentals and hotel accommodations for victims
Funded 11.9 billion to rebuild community hospitals, schools, government buildings, and healthcare facilities
$$$

10. FEMA response to Katrina
According to the Louisiana Recovery Office webpage on fema.gov, FEMA is still helping governments in Louisiana affected by Katrina to rebuild.
FEMA provided an adequate response to hurricane Katrina and still is providing an adequate response that compliments other government agencies and volunteer efforts to help those affected.

11. 4 Stages of Disaster Preparedness
Prevention (or mitigation)-preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects
Prevention takes place before and after emergencies and includes any activities that prevent emergencies, reduces the chances of an emergency happening, or reduces the damaging effects of an inevitable emergency
Preparedness-preparing to handle an emergency.
Preparedness take place before an emergency happens and includes plans or preparations to save lives and help to response and rescue operations.
Response-responding safely to an emergency.
Response takes place during an emergency and Includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in an emergency situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.
Recovery-recovering from an emergency.
Recovery takes place after an emergency. Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency.
training.fema.gov/.../is10_unit3.doc

12. Nurses Role in Disaster Management
Prevention
Identify Community Risk Factors
Public Education
Vaccination Programs
Disaster planning
Preparedness
Public Education
Disaster Drills
Disaster Training for Nurses
Know Emergency Communication Plan
Know Evacuation Shelters
Prevent the Spread of Disease
Identify Support Agencies and Personnel
Response
Medical Treatment for the Injured
Personal Safety
Triage
Recovery
Evaluating the incident and identify areas for improvement
Long Term Care for Injured
Restoring Community Health

13. If you’re a nurse, you can help!
Here is a list of organizations through the American Nurses Association (ANA) that nurses can register with as volunteers in the event of a disaster.
A nurse must be pre-registered in order to be verified and will be given access to disaster training. During a disaster, the nurse will be deployed through one of these recognized systems, as they are all integrated in local, state and national response plans (ANA, 2014).
Community Emergency Response Team
American Red Cross
Medical Reserve Corps
National Disaster Medical System

14. References
About FEMA | FEMA.gov. (2013, April 30). About FEMA | FEMA.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from About Hurricane Katrina | FEMA.gov. (2013, January 28). About Hurricane Katrina | FEMA.gov. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from katrina Disaster Nursing. (2011, February 16). Nursing Management. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from Disaster Nursing: What You Need to Know. (2013, September 12). Simmons School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2013 April 30). Retrieved July 20, 2014, from About FEMA: How Much Did Hurricane Katrina Cost?. (2012, October 13). LiveScience. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from Louisiana Recovery Office | FEMA.gov. (2014, February 26). Louisiana Recovery Office | FEMA.gov. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from

15. References
The Four Phases of Emergency Management. N.d. Animals in Disasters. Module A, Unit 3. Retrieved from
Volunteer Now! (2014). American Nurses Association. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from Environment/DPR/VolunteerNow