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Task Force St. Bernard: Operational Issues and Medical Management of a National Guard Disaster Response Operation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Carl J. Bonnett ,
Tony R. Schock ,
Kevin E. McVaney ,
Christopher B. Colwell  and
Christopher Depass
Carl J. Bonnett*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA Colorado Army National Guard, Centennial, Colorado, USA
Tony R. Schock
Affiliation:
Colorado Army National Guard, Centennial, Colorado, USA
Kevin E. McVaney
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
Christopher B. Colwell
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
Christopher Depass
Affiliation:
Colorado Army National Guard, Centennial, Colorado, USA
*
Carl J. Bonnett Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, 777 Bannock St. Mailcode 0108 Denver, CO 80204, USA Email: carl.bonnett@dhha.org
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Abstract

After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States on 29 August 2005, it became obvious that the country was facing an enormous national emergency. With local resources overwhelmed, governors across the US responded by deploying thousands of National Guard soldiers and airmen. The National Guard has responded to domestic disasters due to natural hazards since its inception, but an event with the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina was unprecedented. The deployment of >900 Army National Guard soldiers to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana in the aftermath of the Hurricane was studied to present some of the operational issues involved with providing medical support for this type of operation. In doing so, the authors attempt to address some of the larger issues of how the National Guard can be incor- porated into domestic disaster response efforts. A number of unforeseen issues with regards to medical operations, medical supply, communication, preventive medicine, legal issues, and interactions with civilians were encoun- tered and are reviewed. A better understanding of the National Guard and how it can be utilized more effectively in future disaster response operations can be developed.

Keywords

convergent volunteerismdisaster credentialingdisaster medicineHurricane KatrinaNational Guard
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 2007 , pp. 440 - 447
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2007

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