Susan M. Smith

Hand/Wrist Disorders Among Sign Language Communicators

The study assessed the frequency of self-reported hand/wrist problems among sign language communicators, including interpreters, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals, and educators. Comparisons were also made between sign language communicators and the general population regarding the frequency of medically diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome. A survey was mailed to attendees of a national conference that focused on the quality of postsecondary educational opportunities for students with hearing deficits. Fifty-nine percent of 184 respondents reported experiencing hand/wrist problems. Twenty-six percent reported experiencing hand/wrist problems severe enough to limit the ability to work, and 18% reported a medical diagnosis of wrist tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or both. The frequency of self-reported, medically diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome for the surveyed sign language communicators was five times the rate experienced by working Americans between ages 18 and 60 years (Tanaka, Wild, Seigman, Halperin, Behrens, & Putz-Anderson, 1995). The study supports increased emphasis on and availability of hand/wrist disorder risk reduction programs for sign language users.

Disaster planning and response: considering the needs of the frail elderly

The worlds population is expanding with more individuals living beyond their sixth decade of life. These changing demographics present a challenge for emergency management professionals. While there is diversity among older adults worldwide, unique common factors influence the ability of the frail elderly to maintain their health and well-being when faced with a disaster. Numerous factors need to be considered when planning for emergency preparedness and the response needs of the frail elderly. This paper will identify some of the common challenges that emergency management professionals face in planning to meet the needs of the frail elderly during and after disasters. The strategies employed to minimise the impact of a disaster on this vulnerable group will also be discussed.

Crisis management preparedness of school districts in three southern states in the USA

The following paper describes the results of a baseline study to assess the status of crisis management preparedness in public school districts in three southern states in the United States. Self-reported responses were collected by distributing a 22 question self-reporting survey to all school districts and systems in the states of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Threats by students were indicated as requiring district team activation by 40% of responding districts. This baseline study indicated that 95% of responding districts have some type of district crisis management plan, 77% have a district crisis management team and 88% have a part- or full-time director designated for crisis situation. While these initial findings sound promising, the low number of districts (less than 50%) self-reporting at least one full day of training in the last year and no full-scale drill is indicative of a very low level of crisis preparedness. This lack of preparedness reported in combination with the relatively high level of crisis incidents, such as student deaths, violence (fights), weapons on campus, and student threats, gives rise for concern, and districts should pay special attention to increasing future training efforts and performing more full-scale drills. Overall, crisis plans should be improved in order to ensure adequate school district crisis preparedness.

Effective evacuation planning: an assessment of evacuation planning efforts implemented during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons in the USA

In 2004 and 2005 the south-eastern USA experienced a record number of severe storms initiated by hurricanes, including hurricane Katrina which caused catastrophic damage in August 2005. Some communities in the south-eastern USA have devised effective evacuation plans that can, and have, saved lives and properties. Other communities have minimal pre-planning and poor evacuation or sheltering plans. Communities with poor evacuation plans and minimal pre-planning can experience major loss of life as well as increased health risk to those surviving a disaster. This paper discusses the specific elements needed to create a successful evacuation plan. Specific examples of successful and problematic evacuation attempts will be outlined from the state of Florida and the city of New Orleans. Communities can benefit from modern technology to achieve advanced warning and effective evaluation. Hurricanes are one of those disasters that can be predicted far enough in advance to generate effective warning and evacuation if pre-planning is adequate.

Local government involvement in disaster preparedness in the USA

The federal governments role in community disaster preparedness in the USA has historically been limited to assisting communities after a disaster has occurred. Recent years, however, have seen an increase in the complexity of disasters, making it more difficult to manage the response. Local organisations often do not have the resources or the training to effectively react to the needs created by a disaster. With the support of federal and state programmes, changes must be implemented to better enable local governments to effectively work with communities to prepare for and respond to all disasters, whether natural or man-made. It will be the responsibility of citizens and local government officials to work together to adapt the programmes to their communities preparedness needs. This paper will address the evolution of government involvement in disaster preparedness and examine the history of comprehensive community disaster preparedness planning in the USA.

Disaster response: community mental health service capacity in the USA

Following a natural disaster such as a major hurricane or flood, the ability of community mental health facilities to respond during the recovery stage of the disaster with adequate resources and capacity to meet community needs is critical to the recovery process. Community mental health agencies have a critical role to play in preparing for and responding to large-scale disasters, such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita of the 2005 storm season. The timely provision of mental health services to disaster victims has long been recognised as an important component of effective emergency management. In addition to a discussion of the findings from previous research studies conducted throughout the USA addressing the issue of mental health community response following a disaster, this paper will present the survey findings of a retrospective research study designed to assess the status of emergency disaster preparedness and client service capacity at community mental health facilities prior to and following the Katrina/Rita disaster in the southern USA. This discussion will also provide a qualitative assessment of the responses provided by community mental health administrators one year after Katrina/Rita, when they were asked to identify the resources needed by their facilities to effectively address future disasters.

Research implications: an evaluation of residential evacuation practices following a train derailment/oleum spill incident

This research paper outlines the specific elements involved in the evacuation of approximately 3000 residents following a train derailment in the spring of 2002 in a suburban community in the Southeastern United States (USA). The derailment caused the release of an oleum (sulphuric acid) spill/plume. A major focus is the post-accident assessment of the procedures used for the evacuation, including recommended improvements/modifications. These recommendations were designed to improve future compliance with evacuation procedures in residential neighbourhoods.

The land use guidance system: a disaster mitigation tool for rural communities

As rural communities grow, the need to mitigate disasters and manage growth responsibly increases. Growth management and disaster planning and mitigation strategies designed for urban regions have been adopted by few rural communities in the USA. The Land Use Guidance System, a practical and successful management tool designed and implemented by three rural communities in the south-eastern USA, will be described and evaluated. This tool can be used to reduce hazards caused by unplanned development. The Land Use Guidance System (LUGS) promotes compatible mixed land uses, supports practical prevention measures to reduce hazards, promotes safety, supports open communication and the communitys ability to actively participate in growth decisions. These characteristics have been reported by local citizens to make the LUGS culturally acceptable in their rural regions. The LUGS system was selected after communities compared LUGS to traditional urban mitigation methods such as zoning [1,2].