CIMIT Forum: Population Evacuation and Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform

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Population Evacuation and Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform

6.22.2010

SPEAKER:
Michael F. Zanker, MD, FACEP, Director, Health Security Coordination Division, Office of Health Affairs, US Department of Homeland Security

MODERATOR:
Paul D. Biddinger, MD, FACEP, Director of Operations for Emergency Medicine and Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness, Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Director, Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness; holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health

Forum Summary

Hurricane Katrina called attention to a number of challenges, some expected and some unanticipated, associated with mass evacuations. Evacuation planners learned, for example, that they needed to focus more intently on populations with special needs. Other obstacles that they encountered involved citizens unwilling to be evacuated. Many people were hesitant to leave their homes without their pets, and others had become apathetic in the wake of previous hurricanes.

In general, mass evacuations involve weighty financial considerations and jurisdictional conflicts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cannot reimburse the public or other federal departments for expenses incurred relocating people until there has been a presidential declaration of emergency, and state governors sometimes delay requesting federal assistance because states are liable for one quarter of the amount that they received from the federal government. Transportation contracts can be problematic when multiple states or agencies compete for the same resources, and neighboring states often have incompatible systems for tracking people.