Dr. Irwin Redlener addressed employees, volunteers and special guests at the Special Preparedness Month event in The Hall at Chapter headquarters. (Photo: Anita Salzberg)

"As of mid-2007, the U.S. generally remains ill prepared for major catastrophic events,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, at a special Red Cross Preparedness Month presentation at Chapter headquarters in Manhattan on September 24. “It is urgent that our national leadership defines and promotes preparedness.”

Dr. Redlener, author of the recent book, Americans at Risk: Why We Are Not Prepared for Megadisasters and What We Can Do, urged that the U.S. continue to work on plans to cope with catastrophic, “high consequence” events—pandemics, bio-terror attacks, nuclear detonations, earthquakes or hurricanes—that could overwhelm federal and local response capacity. He cited a need for changes that can be made to assure our safety in case of these events, including:   

• Better technology for bioterrorism detection
• Improved emergency radio inter-operation between agencies 
• An enhanced health care system
• A more precise determination of which agencies are responsible for America's preparedness response
• Better collaboration between government, the private sector and non-govermental organizations (NGOs)
• Improved regional planning and resources

Dr. Redlener also discussed some good news on the preparedness front, namely: 

• A significant increase in bio-terrorism funding
• Growth in the expertise of key federal, state and local agencies
• Improved inter-agency communication
• A measurable improvement in emergency public health communication

He also praised the Red Cross and its partner agencies for their proficiency at responding to everyday emergencies such as fires, blackouts, floods, and building collapses, and commended the tremendous effort between New York City, ARC/GNY, and the Office of Emergency Managment in creating the New York City Coastal Storm Evacuation Plan.

“Experience shows that people rally around and help in times of disaster, he said. “Helping one another is a basic human instinct. The more prepared we are as individuals, the more prepared we will be as a community and as a nation.”