Summary of the RSM/NYAM Conference on Disaster Management

On June 12th and 13th, 2007 the New York Academy of Medicine and the Royal Society of Medicine of London jointly convened a conference on leadership and responsibility in disaster management. The goal of the conference was to share experiences in an effort to enhance the management of disasters through more effective collaboration among government responders at various levels, the health infrastructure and the media. The US experience was examined with relation to the events of 9/11, the anthrax letters and Hurricane Katrina and the UK experience was examined with regard to the 7/7 subway and bus bombings in London and the polonium 210 poisoning event. Participants included senior figures from both the US and the UK who participated in the crisis responses.

A summary of major points from the conference follows:

1. Terrorist attacks and natural disasters both have major impacts on the psychological, social and economic infrastructures of society. As a result, all such crises are inherently political events; at the same time, the response decisions should be based on the best scientific knowledge available.

2. Initially, crises are characterized by chaos and confusion; these can be significantly mitigated by careful advance planning and preparation.

3. Effective, designated, competent leadership is mandatory in planning as well as managing disaster situations. Key leadership planning functions include: reviewing and prioritizing risks, repeating response exercises at least annually, and providing performance feedback down the chain of command. Planning for disasters should be visible to the public, and should include a focus on rebuttal of misinformation and rumors.

4. Clear and effective public communication and engagement of the public are critical to effective disaster management.

a. Communications with the public must be accurate, timely, open, honest and context-setting.

b. Government spokespersons should have expertise and credibility, and must understand that relationships with media representatives are central to reduction of misinformation that can create or exacerbate panic during disaster responses.

c. The probability of reliable reporting is enhanced if specialized health correspondents have primary responsibility rather than general reporters or news desks.

d. The media serves an important role in community cohesion during disasters. It is important to recognize this function and extend it responsibly, in cooperation with government officials and the health infrastructure.

e. The importance of the ethnic media must be recognized; this is a primary source of information for 13% of the US population. The traditional ethnic media count an estimated 51 million readers, who must be addressed.

f. “Citizen journalists” have emerged as important factors in recent disasters through the dissemination of information via websites and blogs. They are important extensions of traditional media mechanisms with which their efforts should be coordinated.

g. The resiliency and backup of telecommunications capacities must be protected and extended.

5. Centralized response systems can provide efficiency and reduce confusion and redundancy. A centralized command structure managed and coordinated hospital and emergency response systems, including ambulance, police, and fire, in a rapid and highly effective manner after the 7/7 subway bombings.

6. Vertical and horizontal coordination is important. In the UK, vertical coordination from the cabinet level to the relevant agencies and horizontally across agencies proved critical to a smooth response in the 7/7 disaster. The US experience with vertical and horizontal coordination during the 9/11 crisis echoed the UK performance during 7/7. During the anthrax letters and Hurricane Katrina disaster, however, the capabilities and effectiveness of US federal agencies varied widely and interfaced poorly with state and local efforts, which contributed to considerable confusion and delays. Collaborations should be developed and practiced in advance; across levels of government and across agencies. Relevant types of expertise should be identified in advance and interdisciplinary collaborations should be fostered from the highest levels.

7. Preparedness should be separated from crisis management. Elected officials and appointed officials must know their roles and responsibilities before a disaster occurs: who makes which decisions must be agreed upon a priori. Experts must be identified and recruited in advance. Crisis teams should be in place in advance, proper rehearsals should be conducted, and plans should be audited regularly. The public should be kept informed of these activities.

8. Overall, a strong national framework promotes effective disaster response. An understanding of the national framework within which leaders must work is mandatory for effective emergency planning and preparedness at the local, regional (state), and federal levels.

-by Laura Kahn, MD, Associate Research Scholar, Program on Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, and Jeremiah A. Barondess, MD, President Emeritus, The New York Academy of Medicine

Posted on July 5, 2007

 Print   Subscribe

 

Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org

Press Release Archive