NR_443 Week 5 Discussion, Disaster Preparedness

NR_443 Week 5 Discussion, Disaster Preparedness Preparing for disasters, terrorist threats, or communicable disease outbreaks is an important part of public health nursing. • Share an overview of a natural or human-made disaster that has occurred in your area in the last 20 years. o Include a URL and reference to the event. This may be a news article. • Describe how your community was impacted. • Describe lessons learned and changes made to preparedness. Hurricane Irene impacted thousands of New Jersey residents, confining them to their homes while leaving them without electricity, broken power lines, heavy floods, and dangerously strong winds. However, despite the fury of Hurricane Irene's arrival, Bloomfield's diligent officials worked endlessly throughout the night to ensure the safety of the community. It was the busiest day in Bloomfield Fire Department's history, according to fire officials. They responded to 550 calls for assistance related to the hurricane over a span of 2-3 days. "Their performance was outstanding, and I am extremely proud of them," said Chief Inspector Samuel Infante, "Their tireless work showed how well trained they are. Although the fire department was understaffed at the time, and still is, I don't think we could ask for a better response."(Sophia, 2012) The officials said an event such as Hurricane Irene was rare, the Bloomfield Fire Department purchased water rescue equipment. "We realized we didn't have the equipment at the time for, what we call, swift water rescues," said Fire Chief Joseph McCarthy, "We bought two bags, which would minimize the danger to our personnel. Extra pumps for removing water from basements were also purchased and the Office of Emergency Management now has regular meetings to discuss and plan for such emergencies. The experience of dealing with a disaster makes everyone better prepared to handle it in the future" (Sophia, 2012). Town officials aren't the only ones who need to be prepared for emergencies, residents should also be ready. A hurricane, a major blizzard - they don't catch you by surprise. There's plenty of time to prepare. "Every storm and event bring new problems that we may not have seen before. But with the experience these men and women have and their ability to problem solve quickly we will continue to bring the people of Bloomfield the protection and safety they need in times like these," said Mayor McCarthy as residents of Bloomfield, NJ should learn how to board up and tape their windows, have a sump (Sophia, 2012). Pump installed that runs with or without electricity, purchase a portable generator to provide electricity for basic living needs such as lights, heat, microwaves, and have a licensed electrician wire their portable generator with an interlock directly into your main electrical panel. References: Sophia, Rodriguez (August 28, 2012).Retrieved February 6, 2019, from