A new government report confirms what many in the facility management profession dread: most American cities are unprepared for events on the scale of Hurricane Katrina or 9/11.
According to a story in the AP,
The shortcomings in emergency planning, including antiquated and uncoordinated response guidelines, are cause “for significant national concern,” the Homeland Security Department found.
Documents made available to the AP did not cite individual cities or states, and a Homeland Security official suggested that portion of the report would be released later.
It criticized the states and cities in several key areas, including:
Failing to address emergency needs for sick, elderly or poor people unable to help themselves.
Being too slow to issue disaster warnings and other alerts to the public.
Failing to designate a clear chain of command during major disasters.It found that the 18 hurricane-prone states, from Maine to Texas, appeared to be better prepared for disasters than the rest of the country.
