Lessons Learned from the Missouri Disasters of 2011 Missouri Hospital Association
No one could have predicted the number and magnitude of the
natural disasters that affected Missouri in 2011. But, such is
the nature of disasters, and that is why planning and
preparedness pays off.
Many hospitals throughout Missouri activated their emergency
operations plans and the hospital command centers because of the
2011 disasters. In situations such as the January blizzard and
the floods in southeast and northwest Missouri, the activation of
both the emergency operations plan (EOP) and incident command
(IC) were by all accounts very successful. There was adequate
notice and time to prepare, and the communication systems were
uninterrupted.
Although the financial damage for all three events was
substantial, the impact on the health care system was manageable.
