October 5 , 2007

Ken Ma
NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5354 Office
954-830-4177 Cell
kennma@nova.edu

South Floridians Encouraged to Prepare for Disasters

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. ---- Nova Southeastern University’s Institute for Child Health Policy’s director said Friday that South Floridians should use the University’s resources to prepare for natural disasters and man-made disasters.

Deborah Ann Mulligan, M.D., FAAP, FACEP, said the public should utilize the University’s training and preparedness resources because a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that many first responders do not have written-responses for mass-casualty events or procedures to deal with the needs of children during disasters.
The study, entitled “Prehospital Preparedness for Pediatric Mass-Casualty Events”, was released this week across the country.

Mulligan, who is also an emergency medicine physician and expert in disaster medicine, said the study comes during a month when Florida has faced a large-scale disaster: Hurricane Wilma. Many citizens and emergency responders alike where not prepared for it.
 “As we approach the most active month for hurricanes, we are reminded about the need to prepare for disasters toward the end of season,” Mulligan said. 
Another hurricane, Katrina, taught the public that children and families will suffer if there are no comprehensive disaster plans for them, Mulligan said.

Nova Southeastern University can teach the public how to prepare for such disasters by providing families with a readiness kit to help them prepare for such disasters. The comprehensive kit, which Mulligan created with federal funding, teachers families the essentials to survive things such as hurricanes, floods, terrorism, among others. It’s available in both English and Spanish at this link: www.aap.org/family/frk/frkit.htm

NSU also offers training for health professions and first responders through its Center for Bioterrorism and All-Hazards Preparedness. These people are trained to prepare for and respond to the aftermath of terrorism, non-intentional man-made disasters, natural disasters, and, should it occur, a pandemic flu. More information is available at this link:
www.nova.edu/allhazards