The train was cut open like a can of tuna. We didn’t know who to treat first. There was a lot of blood, a lot of blood. —Enrique Sanchez, Madrid…

Management of large numbers of fatalities is one of the most difficult aspects of disaster response. Natural disasters, in particular, can cause large numbers of deaths, as underscored by the…

An Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) team is a specialized group of individuals with appropriate equipment, skills, and training that may be called into action during the disaster response phase….

The management of animals is an important part of any field response to disasters. Whether it is the management of displaced, injured, or ill animals after a natural disaster or…

The technical term geographic information system (GIS) describes a relational computer system that captures, stores, manages, retrieves, analyzes, and displays geographic data. Practically understood, a GIS allows users to understand…

Disasters occur with or without warning, and they can be “sudden” or “sustained.” With respect to disaster response, the terms volunteer and bystander are often used together, though they are…

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines surveillance as “the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data in order to plan, implement and evaluate public health interventions.” There are three…

PPE, for personal protective equipment, has become a rather common acronym in the lexicon of health care providers. The acronym has been common in fire services, emergency medical services (EMS),…

On a day-to-day basis most organizations function independently of one another. They are able to carry on with their routine activities and operate without the assistance of other agencies, jurisdictions,…

Disaster management is most effective when responding agencies are well trained, well practiced, and familiar with the hierarchy needed for disaster response. Before a major incident, responding organizations and personnel…