# 1122
Yesterday the GAO released a study showing shortfalls in the Federal Pandemic Flu Response plans citing overlapping areas of responsibility, and a lack of training and testing as the major failings.
Feds See Problems With Bird Flu Plans
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Federal investigators said Monday that the nation's preparedness for a potential influenza pandemic is hindered by a lack of training and testing.
The Government Accountability Office said the Bush administration's bird flu plan provides a broad description of the responsibilities of federal agencies. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services is to lead the medical response. Homeland Security would lead other aspects of the response. But, there would undoubtedly be overlapping responsibilities that are not clearly defined.
Since the release of the plan in May 2006, national pandemic exercises involving multiple agencies have not been conducted. Such exercises would show which agencies understand their responsibilities, the GAO said.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., one of the lawmakers to request the report, said he was alarmed that key federal leadership roles were not adequately defined or tested.
"It is vital to resolve questions of turf, responsibility, and performance in advance, rather than in the heat of an actual pandemic," said Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
In the past two years the Federal Government, Individual State Governments, and various agencies have become very good at producing elaborate and comprehensive looking pandemic plans, often with glossy artwork covers and lots of charts and graphs inside.
A mandate was issued 2 years ago that every Federal agency, and every state, must have a comprehensive pandemic plan. Since then thousands of pages have been generated; some good, some bad, some simply incomprehensible.
As I've read many of these plans, both on the Federal and State levels, I've come away with an uneasy feeling that many of these were produced just to show due diligence. Not all, but a lot. In some cases the writers appear to be more concerned about meeting a requirement than producing a workable plan.
The variance between state plans, with some states planning for a repeat of the mild 1957 pandemic, while others are gearing up to face a 1918 style disaster, shows how little leadership there's been on the Federal level. At a minimum, you'd think the states would all be planning for the same level of disaster.
Many of these plans have sizable gaps in them, where they state that authorities should plan to deal with various crises, yet fail to indicate how they should do so.
A prime example of `and then a miracle happens', is the admission that hospitals will be quickly overrun, and that ad hoc flu facilities must be established in schools or civic centers. Exactly who will man these facilities, and where they will get their medical supplies, is generally left unsaid.
The HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) will be responsible for the medical related aspects of a pandemic, but Homeland Security will reportedly handle most other aspects. Already we've seen conflicts in internal documents from these agencies, and right now it isn't clear where the lines of responsibility will be drawn.
The last thing we will need during a crisis is gridlock or a turf war between lead agencies.
DHS and HHS both agree that more training and testing is needed, and support those recommendations by the GAO. More tests and drills are already planned.
Unfortunately, for all of the failings of the Federal plans, they are far superior to most State and Local plans. And it will be at the state and local level where the real battle against a pandemic will take place.
All pandemics, like politics, are local. And many cities and communities have no plan at all.
Should a pandemic strike anytime in the foreseeable future, I expect the response at the Federal, State, and local levels to be chaotic at best. DHS and HHS will be issuing mandates on the Federal level, while 50 governors, and thousands of mayors and EOC's (Emergency Operations Centers) will likely be ignoring them and doing pretty much whatever they think is advisable (or possible) at the time.
Obviously, we need more time to prepare. Years, not months. Maybe we get them, maybe we don't.
