The Scenario
Your facility is in a Southeast U.S. regional network of hospitals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a warning for a Category 4 hurricane placing two facilities directly in the path of the eye of the storm. It is likely that the remaining facilities will be hit less severely, yet they will still experience heavy rain and high winds. The hospitals poised to bear the brunt of the storm are to be evacuated—the others will be hardened and ride it out.
The Challenges
Outdated Disaster Plans. Only one of the hospital sites has a current hurricane preparedness plan. All other network facilities, including both of those in the direct line of the storm, have out-of-date plans that don't include a coordinated response among facilities.
ICS Charts are Incomplete. The Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) Incident Management Team (IMT) charts for the majority of facilities are outdated. They still identify personnel who have left the facilities and include positions that are no longer occupied.
Uncoordinated Community Response. Communication is sporadic and the community response is uncoordinated.
Misdirected Resources. The three outlying hospitals request resources. One is in desperate need of a generator. Plywood arriving from a state disaster cache is directed to the wrong location
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