| Tuesday, November 15, 2005: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM | |||
| Special Session: Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts: A Nursing Perspective | |||
| Learning Objective #1: discuss the major lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. | |||
| Learning Objective #2: value the role of nurses in the Huricane Katrina Relief Efforts. | |||
| Hurricane Katrina left a more than 150 mile path of destruction along the coast of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Thousands of people were left without anything except the clothes they were wearing during hte storm. Many federal, state, and local agencies assisted in the aid efforts. The Biloxi Mississippi HIgh School was designed by the American Red Cross as a "special needs" shelter were evacuees were placed that needed medical care beyond what was available at the regular shelters. Several disaster medical assistance teams affiliated with FEMA along with Navy corpsmen, nurses, and physicians assisted the Mississippi Department of Health nurses, technicians, and social workers in providing medical care to the evacuees in the immediate time after the Hurricane. Three Zeta Rho members were deployed by the Mississippi Board of Nursing to assist at the Biloxi Special needs shelter. The presentation will consist of a review of services provided by each of the agencies at that shelter and will detail the role that the nurses played in assisting the evacuees. The presentation will also give STT attendees a review of the terminology that has now become second nature to the people of the region and to Katrina evacuees. Furthermore, the presentation will discuss the main "lessons" learned in the aftermath of a natural disaster including: (1) Hurricane warnings by the National Weather service were not heeded; people did not evaucate or prepare adequately for the storm. (2) Chaos prevailed for days and weeks after Hurricane Katrina. (3) As a result of the hurricane damage, there will be political, social, economic, and health care effects for years to come. | |||
| Organizer: | Tammie Mann McCoy, RN, MSN, PhD | ||
| Presenters: | Tammie Mann McCoy, RN, MSN, PhD Kathy McShane, RN, MSN | ||