Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Big Bend prepares for Influenza pandemic
Reported by: Patty Santos
A natural disaster is headed our way sometime in the future...so says emergency teams. But the community is not completely ready to handle any form of medical or natural emergency.
Saturday, more than 2 dozen organizations had a mock drill to ready the city for an influenza pandemic. Emergency groups say your neighborhood might not be ready.
"We tend to think it won't happen here," says Chris Floyd with Big Ben Coed.
Floyd is training area organizations how to prepare for a worst case scenario.
"It's not about weather, hurricanes or tornadoes or an influenza pandemic," he says. "It's about thinking about a disaster preparedness plan."
This time leaders have to come up with a game plan to keep you alive and get the resources needed.
"We have limited resources some planned, others didn't," says
Neighborhood Association president Stephen Hogge.
He represents more than 60 neighborhoods associations in Leon County and admits he's not prepared.
"One thing is to come up with a plan with these real life and death decisions."
"If we don't have an epidemic people tend to forget and lose interest," says Arthur Young-Blood of the Department of Financial Services.
That's why Floyd says mock drills like this one held at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church are reminders to get people talking.
"It's about neighborhoods working as a team," says Floyd.
He says this might be the only practice they get before something real strikes.
http://www.wtxl.com/Global/story.asp?S=11335777&nav=menu594_2_4
Reported by: Patty Santos
A natural disaster is headed our way sometime in the future...so says emergency teams. But the community is not completely ready to handle any form of medical or natural emergency.
Saturday, more than 2 dozen organizations had a mock drill to ready the city for an influenza pandemic. Emergency groups say your neighborhood might not be ready.
"We tend to think it won't happen here," says Chris Floyd with Big Ben Coed.
Floyd is training area organizations how to prepare for a worst case scenario.
"It's not about weather, hurricanes or tornadoes or an influenza pandemic," he says. "It's about thinking about a disaster preparedness plan."
This time leaders have to come up with a game plan to keep you alive and get the resources needed.
"We have limited resources some planned, others didn't," says
Neighborhood Association president Stephen Hogge.
He represents more than 60 neighborhoods associations in Leon County and admits he's not prepared.
"One thing is to come up with a plan with these real life and death decisions."
"If we don't have an epidemic people tend to forget and lose interest," says Arthur Young-Blood of the Department of Financial Services.
That's why Floyd says mock drills like this one held at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church are reminders to get people talking.
"It's about neighborhoods working as a team," says Floyd.
He says this might be the only practice they get before something real strikes.
http://www.wtxl.com/Global/story.asp?S=11335777&nav=menu594_2_4