Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 7, Issue 1 , Pages 59-66, March 2006

Pediatric Disaster Preparedness in the Wake of Katrina: Lessons to be Learned

  • Margaret A. Dolan, MD

      Affiliations

    • Member, American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Richmond, VA
    • ,
  • Steven E. Krug, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests and correspondence: Steven E. Krug, MD, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Childrens Plaza, Chicago, IL 60614.

Hurricane Katrina exposed numerous gaps in disaster preparedness when it stuck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. Lack of coordination, communication failures and delays in the recovery responses of local, State and Federal disaster authorities resulted in increased morbidity and mortality for both children and adults. This paper focuses on some of the longstanding pediatric disaster preparedness issues that were exposed in the recent experience with Hurricane Katrina, the important lessons to be learned, and offers a series of recommendations towards improving pediatric disaster readiness.

Keywords: pediatric disaster readiness, disaster response and recovery, evacuation and reunification, children with special health care needs

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PII: S1522-8401(06)00005-X

doi:10.1016/j.cpem.2006.01.004

Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 7, Issue 1 , Pages 59-66, March 2006

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