Can it get any worse?
THE TWO FEATURE articles presented in this issue of Frontiers of Health Services Management speak to the challenges of Hurricane Katrina. The Tulane experience lists a multitude of problems, solutions, and successes, whereas the article by Drs. Rodriguez and Aguirre speaks to the impact on the infrastructure following the hurricane. In the federal report, "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina," the White House (2006) has labeled Katrina as "the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history." Dr. E. L. Quarantelli (2006) might call Katrina a catastrophe. Regardless of what one calls the event, Hurricane Katrina has shown that the challenges leading up to and following a disaster/catastrophe will overwhelm everyone. People must understand that they cannot wait for a government, any government, to help them. We must be prepared to help ourselves.
Boland
Richard T
RT
Disaster Management Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D035082:Federal Government; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006752:Hospital Planning; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008922:Mississippi; D012941:Social Responsibility; D017741:Survivors