In 1989, a tornado took place in Folcroft, PA, which led to the injury of 7 people. The tornado went 50 miles of distance, causing harm to local facilities. A fierce thunderstorm caused widespread wind damage in Berks County’s northern part, including an eight-mile-long strong Tornado that wreaked havoc on the town of Lyons. There are various things that healthcare organizations can do in such situations to help the people put in danger by a risk caused to their lives by a disaster.
One of the primary tasks of healthcare specialists during tornados is to help evacuate people from damaged or destroyed buildings. Evacuation can be done in three ways: horizontal, vertical, or complete. Every department should have its own evacuation plan that takes into account the category of a patient being transported, such as a baby, an intensive care patient, or a patient with specialist equipment. While patients are evacuated to a staging area, the Hospital Command Center directs the rescue operations, providing patients with transport and open beds at other places (Kearns et al, 2017). Those patients who require immediate evacuation are transported first, and it is necessary to provide the patient’s chart for any specific medications so they can resume care. In such scenarios, it is crucial that different agencies and healthcare providers communicate to achieve maximum efficiency in helping all patients. Different hospitals and local and federal healthcare departments must interact in such cases.
In conclusion, one of the primary goals of healthcare providers and agencies during tornados is to properly aggregate their resources and specialists to efficiently help people at risk. Such assembly can be led by local or federal emergency agencies to help local healthcare facilities to evacuate people. There are specifics during evacuations of injured patients, which should be controlled as well. It is necessary to both help patients who require intense and immediate care and provide the necessary medications and care to others.
Reference
Kearns, R. D., Stringer, L., Craig, J., Godette-Crawford, R., Black, P. S., Andra, D. L., & Winslow, J. (2017). Relying on the National Mobile Disaster Hospital as a business continuity strategy in the aftermath of a tornado: The Louisville experience. Journal of business continuity & emergency planning, 10(3), 230-248.