# 715
Apropos to my last blog entry, the sense of urgency among government agencies, organizations, and businesses just isn't there yet. The Emergency Management Director for Bamberg county is calling upon everyone to get involved, and follow through with pandemic planning.
The question is. Will people listen?
‘I need more response, more support’
Emergency Management director: Attendance at May 2 pandemic influenza planning meeting critical
By MINNIE MILLER
T&D Correspondent
Sunday, April 29, 2007More representatives from local government entities, organizations and businesses must become involved in planning for possible health emergencies, the county’s Emergency Management System director says.
A meeting to form committees for the Emergency Health Powers Act in a Public Health Emergency for Bamberg County agencies, organizations and businesses will be held at the Bamberg County Library, located at 3156 Railroad Avenue in Bamberg, at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 2. Lunch will be provided.
Sharon Hammond, emergency management director for Bamberg County, said that in order to insure the best care for the residents of Bamberg County during a health emergency, it is imperative to have representation from every agency, organization and business inside the county at Wednesday’s meeting.
“Everyone expecting to participate in an emergency and expecting reimbursement for expenses incurred must be National Incident Management System compliant by Sept. 30, 2007,” Hammond said. “Information on NIMS is offered by my office.”
The Bamberg County Emergency Management System sponsored meeting on pandemic influenza planning held April 18, which included a telecast from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, was attended by 26 individuals from across the county. Several additional participants viewed the telecast at their offices. Hammond said the turnout was good but not good enough.
“We sent out about 68 invitations to this meeting (on pandemic planning),” Hammond said. “I need more response, more support. We need to follow through with our planning.”
Hammond said agencies across the county need to work out a plan and guidelines to follow in case of a pandemic. She encouraged agencies to draft an Emergency Operations Plan and bring a copy to the May 2 meeting.
Martha Hammett, Bamberg County Rescue Squad, reminded those at the April meeting that government funding would not be available if all entities in the county were not NIMS compliant. Hammett also noted that individual families need to have a plan.
“What would your family do on the home-front and how can neighbors work to help each other when a pandemic hits?” Hammett asked.
In a case of pandemic influenza, it is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of the population could be sick at any given time, DHEC’s Matthew Penn said. This would include local responders, law enforcement and medical personnel.
South Carolina’s Pandemic Influenza Plan was published in April 2005 and addresses creating educational programs on preventing influenza transmission, tracking influenza cases, a vaccination program, distribution of medicine and public health authority disease control. In a worst-case scenario, infected individuals could be quarantined or isolated to curb spread of the disease.
