Evaluation Shows Significant Improvement in Local Hospitals' Disaster Preparedness

U.S. hospitals are significantly better prepared for disasters and
public health emergencies now than they were in 2001, but much work
remains to be done, according to a University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center study.

The study by the university's Center for Biosecurity was released today
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The study was
produced under contract with the agency.

The center was charged with conducting an independent evaluation of the
HHS Hospital Preparedness Program and the program's impact on health
care preparedness for mass casualty disasters. The program was
established by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to improve hospitals'
preparedness for all types of disasters.

"Hospitals are the foundation of the local health care response to
man-made and natural disasters. Each community's success in responding
and recovering depends in no small part on how well prepared the local
hospital is to withstand and respond to disaster," said Dr. Craig
Vanderwagen, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and
a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. "The HHS Hospital
Preparedness Program (HPP) has continually worked with states and local
communities to bolster that planning and response capability across the
country."

The study evaluated the first five years of the program from 2002 to
2007. It found that the most useful indicators for measuring the
preparedness of hospitals are ability to surge to accommodate additional
patients during disasters, how well hospitals do in training their staff
for disasters and realistic exercises, and how well hospitals perform
during actual disasters.

Hospital senior leaders now actively support and participate in
preparedness activities, hospital emergency operations plans are more
comprehensive and better coordinated with community emergency plans and
local hazards, and disaster training has become more rigorous, the
report said.

As additional indicators of improvement, hospitals have stockpiled
emergency supplies and medicines, have improved communication systems
and conduct more frequent and higher quality disaster exercises than in
the past, the study said.

The study showed that HPP has been the catalyst for new health care
coalitions throughout the country. As a result, it said, many
communities can now respond more effectively to disasters. Through these
coalitions, hospitals are now working collaboratively on disaster
preparedness with other hospitals, public health departments and
emergency managers.

The report also found that health care planning for catastrophic
emergencies at the individual hospital level is still in the early
stages and that a large-scale emergency could "overwhelm the medical
capabilities of communities, regions or the entire country and require
drastic departures from customary health care practices." The report
concluded that bridging this gap would require significant changes in
the way health care is delivered.

"Hospitals have made tremendous improvements with the funding and
guidance the program provides, and we recognize that much remains to be
done for our nation to become fully prepared for catastrophic public
health and medical emergencies," Vanderwagen said. "Continual progress
requires a sustained commitment and partnership among all levels of
government, private industry and non-government organizations."

The study's findings are based on a year of research and analysis,
including interviews with 133 individuals involved with hospital
preparedness in every state and at local levels across the country.

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More Than 900 Defendants Charged with Disaster-Related Fraud by Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force During Three Years in Operation

The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force has brought federal charges against 907 individuals in 43 federal judicial districts across the country since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southern Louisiana in August 2005, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced today. The Task Force, chaired by Friedrich, reported the charges as part of its accomplishments during its third year of operation in 2007-2008.

In September 2005, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Justice established the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force. The Task Force is charged with deterring, detecting, and prosecuting individuals who try to take advantage of the disasters related to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gustav, and Ike, as well as other natural disasters. The Task Force tracks referrals of potential cases and complaints, coordinates with law enforcement agencies to initiate investigations, and works with the appropriate U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to ensure timely and effective prosecution of disaster-related fraud cases. By using the investigative assets of federal law enforcement agencies, federal inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement, together with the prosecutorial resources of the 93 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Task Force can act quickly and aggressively to bring to justice those who would further harm the victims of these natural disasters.

“Whenever a natural disaster strikes, there will always be unscrupulous people willing to take advantage of victim assistance and rebuilding efforts,” said Matthew Friedrich, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division and chair of the Task Force. “Those who would try to profit from the misfortunes of disaster victims should know that the Department of Justice, federal investigative agencies, and inspectors general will continue their aggressive pursuit of disaster fraud.”

Notable accomplishments for the Task Force in the past year include the following:

* Joint Command Center . To date, the Command Center has received and screened more than 26,000 complaints relating to disaster fraud and referred more than 17,000 of those complaints to law enforcement for investigation. In addition, in 2008 the Command Center disaster fraud hotline was made available to receive complaints about possible fraud relating to the California wildfires, the Iowa floods, and most recently Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

* Prosecutions . Throughout the past year, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country have prosecuted numerous hurricane-related cases that involved a wide range of crimes including emergency-benefit fraud, identity theft, procurement fraud, and public corruption. The ability to prosecute disaster-related fraud cases was enhanced when the Emergency Disaster Assistance Fraud Penalty Enhancement Act of 2007 was enacted into law in January 2008. Examples of fraud cases include:

+ Contract Fraud/Corruption . On May 15, 2008, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana indicted a former contract employee for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a dirt, sand and gravel subcontractor in connection with a $16 million hurricane protection project for the reconstruction of the Lake Cataouatche Levee, located south of New Orleans. Both defendants were charged with one count of conspiring to commit bribery; one defendant was charged with two counts of offering a bribe to a public official; and the other defendant was charged with one count of demanding and agreeing to accept a bribe as a public official.

+ Investment Fraud . On Feb. 8, 2008, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas indicted a man on two counts of wire fraud relating to his alleged operation of a fraudulent investment scheme. Beginning in 2006, the defendant allegedly falsely told investors he was using their money to purchase and refurbish Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers, but failed to ever purchase the trailers and failed to return the investors’ money.

+ Charity Fraud . On Nov. 28, 2007, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas sentenced two brothers to 111 months and 105 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in fraudulently operating a Web site that purported to raise money on behalf of the Salvation Army for Hurricane Katrina victims. The defendants registered http://www.salvationarmyonline.org on Sept. 3, 2005, less than a week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. The website stated that it was “The Salvation Army International Home Page” and falsely purported to solicit charitable donations for Hurricane Katrina, and later Hurricane Rita, relief. A link on the website directed contributors to donate via PayPal, a service that allows for online money transfers. The defendants created numerous accounts with the service and registered those accounts using the names and identification information, including Social Security numbers, of other individuals not involved in the fraudulent scheme. The accounts, however, were linked by the brothers to bank accounts belonging to one or both of them. The fraudulent website collected more than $48,000 before all the accounts were frozen.

+ Charity Fraud . On Sept. 24, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana sentenced a defendant to 17 months in prison for mail fraud in connection with Katrina disaster-relief funds granted to the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, the church where he ministered. The congregation’s building was devastated by flood water from Hurricane Katrina; but the church did not have flood insurance so the congregation applied for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan and a grant from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to offset the cost of rebuilding. The church was awarded a $252,000 disaster loan from the SBA and a $35,000 grant from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. According to court documents, the defendant created a scheme to defraud the church of the $35,000 Bush-Clinton grant for his own personal benefit by having the fund’s check mailed to his house and then deposited into a bank account that he established and controlled. The defendant created a similar scheme to defraud the church of the SBA loan money by having the SBA wire the initial $10,000 disbursement of the disaster loan into the same bank account. He spent at least $10,000 of the relief money on a new Dodge Durango for himself.

+ Embezzlement . On June 6, 2008, a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama indicted a former FEMA manager for embezzlement of a trailer intended for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, embezzlement of a government vehicle and obstruction of justice. The indictment alleges that the defendant, while the manager of the FEMA emergency housing unit in Selma, Ala., which FEMA used for the storage, transportation, and delivery of travel trailers in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, embezzled a 39-foot Cherokee Travel Trailer and his government vehicle, to which he had access by virtue of his management position with FEMA. It also charges him with attempting to corruptly influence the ongoing investigation against him in the Middle District of Alabama.

+ Individual Assistance Fraud . On Sept. 30, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas unsealed an indictment charging a defendant with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and disaster assistance fraud for her role in submitting multiple false applications for emergency benefits to FEMA. The new statute under which the defendant is charged was enacted in January 2008 as part of the Emergency Disaster Assistance Fraud Penalty Enhancement Act of 2007. According to the indictment, the defendant submitted multiple false claims to FEMA for assistance relating to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. It also alleges that the defendant not only used slight variations of her name and Social Security numbers belonging to others, but assisted her husband and two relatives in filing multiple false FEMA claims using Social Security numbers belonging to others.

+ Individual Assistance Fraud . On June 9, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas sentenced eight defendants for their roles in a FEMA fraud conspiracy involving more than 70 applications for Katrina and Rita benefits on behalf of residents in area apartment complexes who were not victims of the hurricanes. The leader of the group was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $92,958 in restitution and forfeit the Lincoln Navigator she purchased with the fraudulent funds.

+ Individual Assistance Fraud . On Jan.10, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama sentenced a defendant to 43 years in prison—the longest sentence to date handed down in a Katrina- or Rita-related fraud case. At trial, the jury found the defendant guilty of 22 counts involving the filing of false claims for Hurricane Katrina disaster assistance, theft of funds intended for victims of Hurricane Katrina, threatening a witness from another Hurricane Katrina case, conspiracy, drug distribution, weapons charges, and making false statements to federal authorities. The defendant’s sentence comprised 34 years of statutory mandatory minimum sentences for the threatening of a witness, for the drug and gun charges, and for the aggravated identity theft. The additional nine years related to the defendant’s theft, conspiracy to defraud FEMA, and drug distribution charges. As related to the Katrina fraud, the sentencing judge additionally found that while the defendant was successful in stealing $80,000 from FEMA, her intent was to steal more than $500,000 in FEMA funds.

The Task Force includes the Criminal, Civil, and Antitrust Divisions of the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys' Offices, the FBI, the Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, federal inspectors general, and various representatives of state and local law enforcement.

The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force continues to combat fraud relating to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gustav, and Ike, as well as their aftermath. To date, the Command Center has received nearly 667 calls regarding potential Hurricane Gustav-related fraud and nearly 466 calls regarding potential Hurricane Ike-related fraud. Members of the public can report fraud, waste, abuse or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations through the Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, the Disaster Fraud Fax at 225-334-4707 or the Disaster Fraud e-mail at disaster@leo.gov. Individuals can also report criminal activity to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or www.fbi.gov.

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Disaster Preparedness Tips for Businesses in Paths of Tropical Storms Hanna and Ike

BUSINESS WIRE --Agility Recovery Solutions, a provider of disaster recovery and business continuity services, issued its top-five disaster preparedness tips every business in hurricane-prone states should take in advance of a storm:

1. Create an employee communication plan.

Create a phone and e-mail tree for all employees and their spouses or closest relatives, including personal e-mail addresses and phone numbers at potential employee evacuation sites. Make sure employees know ahead of time how to exchange or obtain information should standard lines of communication fail.

2. Assess your critical business functions.

Evaluate and document company functions and determine what processes, employees, equipment and materials are critical for your daily operations. Prioritize these functions and determine a process for restoring them.

3. Plan for an alternate location.

Devise a plan for recovery if your office is inaccessible. Where would you go to continue basic operations? Alternate site options include your home, a branch or second location, the site of a similar business or a vendor that provides mobile office recovery.

4. Back up your data and plan to restore your technology.

Make sure to store your data in an off-site, safe and secure location, preferably 50 miles or more from your site. Verify that you are able to retrieve your data. Outline a plan to replace PCs, software, servers, printers and fax machines should your office be affected.

5. Assemble an emergency disaster recovery kit.

An emergency kit should contain items such as fresh water, non-perishable food, flashlights, extra batteries, battery-powered radio, first aid kit and copies of important documents and records.

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News to Use in Fayette, Coweta, Atlanta and all of Georgia

UGA Workshop Helps Counties Handle Animals During Disasters

After Hurricane Katrina, Don Hamilton and other University of Georgia employees took care of 3,000 abandoned animals for 10 days at a shelter in Mississippi. The experience sparked them to develop a workshop to help keep Georgia animals and citizens safer during disasters.

They’re now taking the “Handling Animals during Disasters” planning workshop to counties around Georgia.

“If you don’t have a place to shelter animals in disaster, people aren’t going to evacuate,” said Hamilton, homeland security coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Georgia requires that each of its 159 counties have a local emergency operations plan. This plan contains a section on agriculture and natural resources, which includes handling companion animals. This is also required through the national Pet Evacuation Transportation Standards Act.

“After evacuation and disaster, there’s a tremendous problem with abandoned animals – dogs, cats, birds and livestock,” said Jeff Doles, director of Peach County’s Emergency Management Agency. “Before you can re-inhabit an area or allow citizens to return, you have to control the animal population. Now the encouragement is to take your animals with you so they don’t have to take care of themselves.”

Through the workshop, UGA experts helped Peach County research and develop its plan and guided various county players through mock disaster situations.

“They did a lot of groundwork where the rubber hits the road,” Doles said. “I can’t tell you how much help they were to us. We’re a small county. It would be virtually impossible for us to accomplish a plan of the magnitude we’ve got using our local resources.”

In February, Dole, UGA Cooperative Extension coordinator Frank Funderburk and others from the Fort Valley area tested their on-paper plan for handling animals in a disaster situation.

The two mock disasters “taught us to adapt,” said Doles, who is also the county’s fire chief. “We had some problems that we identified in our exercises, but we had a lot of strengths. I think it’s some of best training done in a while.”

The Georgia Department of Agriculture was a key player in the effort. UGA’s Fanning Institute helped facilitate it.

The county’s board of commissioners has since added the animal plan to the local emergency plan, which the city and county use to respond to and recover from any manmade or natural disaster.

As part of the plan, Doles is the first person county officials will call if there is a disaster. The third person on that list is Funderburk, who keeps a copy of the plan close by, ready to grab in case a tornado hits a veterinarian’s office or a hurricane sends evacuees up I-75, pets in hand, looking for shelter.

“I hope we don’t ever have to use it, but at least we’ve got a plan,” he said.

Hamilton is now helping emergency management officials in Brooks and Houston counties develop their own plans. These counties were chosen because of their proximity to Georgia’s interstates, their willingness to participate and their local resources.

The workshops are funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency on behalf of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Homeowners, Renters and Businesses are Urged To Prepare for Disaster Before it Strikes

As several states recover from the destruction and loss of life caused by recent tornadoes, floods and wildfires, and other areas prepare for the beginning of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season on June 1, the U.S. Small Business Administration is urging the public to develop an emergency plan before the disaster hits.

“Every threat, from wind storms, floods and wildfires, to power outages and computer system failures, reminds us to be proactive when it comes to planning strategies to survive a disaster and recover quickly,” said SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza. “The catastrophic events of the last few years demonstrate the need for preparedness at the individual level, to diminish the risk to life and property.”

The SBA stands ready to help communities recover in the aftermath of a disaster. Following the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005, the SBA approved more than $5 billion in disaster loans to 102,700 homeowners and renters in the region. Businesses in the area were approved for 16,780 business disaster loans worth $1.6 billion.

During the past two years the SBA has been preparing to respond to major disasters by reengineering the Disaster Assistance program with a significant focus on customer service, direct accountability, and new technologies that have quadrupled processing capacity. In June 2007 the agency completed its Disaster Recovery Plan, which includes procedures to better handle future catastrophic disasters, and has begun testing this plan through simulations conducted with outside experts.

Disasters strike in all seasons. Since Oct. 1, the SBA has responded to 137 declared disasters, including those for drought. Of those, 118 are open at present.

Disaster preparedness for homes and businesses should include:

A solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the plan beforehand. Keep emergency phone numbers handy. Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors. Ask an out-of-state friend or family member to be your “post-disaster” point of contact – a person to call to provide information on your safety and whereabouts.

Adequate insurance. Disaster preparedness begins with having adequate insurance coverage—at least enough to rebuild your home or business. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered. Businesses should consider “business interruption insurance,” which helps cover operating costs during the post-disaster shutdown period. Flood insurance is essential. To find out more about the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the Web site at www.floodsmart.gov.

Making copies of important records. It’s a good idea to back up vital records and information saved on computer hard drives, and store that information at a distant offsite location. Computer data should be backed up routinely. Copies of important documents and CDs should be stored in fire-proof safe deposit boxes offsite.

Protection of windows, doors and roofing. Installing impact-resistant window and door systems, or simple plywood shutters installed before the storm hits can enhance their ability to resist impacts from wind-borne debris. Hire a professional to evaluate your roof to make sure it can weather a major storm.

A “Disaster Survival Kit.” The kit should include a flashlight, a portable radio, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, non-perishable packaged and canned food, bottled water, a basic tool kit, plastic bags, cash, and a disposable camera to take pictures of the property damage after the storm.

More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html. The Institute for Business and Home Safety (www.ibhs.org ) also has information on protecting your home or business. For learn more about developing an emergency plan, visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.

Georgia Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration for 14 Counties Damaged By Mother’s Day Tornadoes

Governor Sonny Perdue announced that President George W. Bush approved a Federal Disaster Declaration today for the 14 counties that Governor Perdue requested aid for following the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that hit Georgia on May 11-12.

“I am grateful to President Bush and FEMA Director Paulison for their quick action in offering assistance,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This Federal Disaster Declaration will broaden our capability to recover from these devastating storms.”

This means that individual assistance is now available to disaster victims in 10 counties: Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, and Twiggs.
The President has also designated that Bibb, Carroll, Crawford, Emanuel, Glynn, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, Treutlen, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties will all be able to receive federal funds to help offset 75 percent the cost of the initial emergency response, debris removal and restoration of damaged public facilities.

For the counties receiving individual assistance, aid can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Governor Perdue made the request May 16 for a federal declaration after touring the areas and reviewing preliminary damage assessment figures.

Residents and business owners in Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, and Twiggs counties who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.fema.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday.

GEMA is the lead state agency for coordination of emergency and disaster response activities. For more emergency information and updates, visit http://www.gema.ga.gov/.