James Delli Gatti
Hurricane Sandy, Flooding and fury
Reference: Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.
Theme: Social Media and disasters
Summary: This news article is about the nurses of the Jersey Shore University Medical Centers coordination with the states disaster personnel the week before the crisis in order to prepare for the impending catastrophe. Along with their planning to ensure that the hospital had enough supplies and equipment in order to get them through the storm they also prepared the hospital facility its self with a sand bag perimeter in order to prevent flooding of the facility as well as created a place for hospital staff to eat and sleep for up to a week in the facility if needed.
One thing that the staff was underprepared for was the loss of telecommunications at the facility. The nursing staff turned to FaceBook in order to provide safety information from FEMA and address questions and concerns of the public;
"We rerouted our phone system to our CFO's (chief financial officer) cell phone, and she triaged calls as they came in, "said Barnett, who lived in and at some points worked out of a friend's house because her own home lacked electricity and heat. Social media, Facebook in particular, took on new meaning. NJSNA used it to post information as soon as it came in on anything they believed would be useful: volunteer information for Red Cross and state emergency centers, emergency numbers, FEMA notices, and the location of stations that were selling, and in some counties, providing free gas to nurses who needed it to get to work."(Trossman,2012)
The hospital staff was able to receive information and pass along emergency information to the public through the use of social media.
Application to the lesson topic: The nursing staff at this major hospital was able to use social media to communicate emergency information to the public in a timely manner even when the power was out to their building through the use of cellular technology.
Application to emergency services: During an emergency situation emergency service personnel are expected to be able to think on their feet. They are expected to come up with solutions to communication issues; among many other things, during a disaster. You never know when certain technologies that you rely on will fail you, so it is always important to ensure that you have alternate means to complete your tasks.
Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.
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