For immediate release:
June 18, 2007
Contact:
Nanci Gonder, Chief
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062
An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in southeast Missouri, severely affecting five states located along the New Madrid fault. Hundreds of fatalities. Tens of thousands of injuries, including crush injuries, spinal injuries and broken bones. Damaged water treatment systems, resulting in no public water supply. Displaced residents needing sheltering and food. Extensive building damage. Power outages. Communications system breakdowns. Highway obstructions.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), local public health agencies and hospitals will face this scenario beginning Tuesday, June 19, as they participate in Missouri’s New Madrid Earthquake Exercise and test their ability to respond in a rapid and coordinated manner. Public health’s efforts will focus on the distribution of medical supplies through the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), and several hospitals will test their ability to care for a large number of patients through an alternate care site. The state health department will also operate its Department Situation Room during the three-day statewide exercise, in conjunction with the State Emergency Operations Center.
The federal government established the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) program to deliver large and continuous quantities of medical items to the site of a national emergency quickly. In the event of an earthquake, the SNS would provide medicines and medical supplies to hospitals and treatment centers. On the first day of the exercise, the Department of Health and Senior Services will operate a Receiving Staging and Storage (RSS) site in Kansas City where DHSS would receive supplies from the SNS program and then quickly sort and fill the orders from local public health agencies and hospitals. To bring supplies closer to the area needing the supplies, a Regional Distribution Site (RDS) will be set up in the Central Missouri area and tested for the first time this year.
“This is the fourth year we have conducted a Strategic National Stockpile full-scale exercise,” said Jane Drummond, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, “and each year we continue to test new components of our plans. This training is an example of the work we are doing to ensure a rapid and coordinated response to any public health emergency.” Full-scale SNS exercises have been held in Kansas City in 2004, St. Louis in 2005, and Springfield in 2006. This year will include testing public health’s roles and responsibilities after an earthquake, processing the SNS Managed Inventory shipments, operating a regional distribution site, and opening an alternate care site.
More than 85 local public health agencies across the state will review their local plans and participate by working in their local emergency operations center or conducting tabletop exercises. The scenario will vary depending on a county or city’s proximity to the earthquake epicenter and the number of days or hours since the earthquake occurred. The entire state could be involved as they work to handle the influx of citizens evacuating to western Missouri and other parts of the state. The time periods begin with the initial hours after the earthquake and stretches to day 45 to allow agencies to address the enormous relocation and recovery efforts.
“Missouri has received a high rating from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its SNS preparedness efforts at the state and local levels,” Drummond added. “We continue to practice so that we can ensure that during an emergency we are ready to receive and distribute the SNS medications and medical supplies to residents quickly.”
New this year will be the testing of an alternate care site, which would be set up by hospitals during a mass casualty event to handle an overflow of patients. Several hospitals in western Missouri and partner agencies will operate the alternate care site in Liberty, Missouri, on the second day of the exercise. Since an alternative care site would need additional supplies during an emergency, the SNS would become even more important to support their operations. More than 40 alternate care sites have already been identified in the state, with continuing efforts to identify additional sites, enhance partnerships and procure resources for the sites.
“This training will help us to be better prepared and make us more aware of our roles, responsibilities and the teamwork needed to successfully help save lives and protect the public’s health during an emergency,” Drummond said.