Re Kyle Sterry's message:
Until this disaster happened I always thought that in preparing for a
likely and imminent danger it was a basic rule everywhere to move the
disabled and sick first, and also to empty as far as possible all hospitals
in order to clear as much space and medical and nursing resources for the
expected casualties.
Today's announcement of an inquiry is very welcome: I trust that colleagues
from around the world will feed into it information on "best practice"
elsewhere. For example, under the UK county and regional emergency plans
that I was involved with through the '70s and '80s, there would have been
no question of starving people "having to loot" for food, water or fuel,
since all available stocks in shops, warehouses and filling stations etc.
would have been immediately requisitioned for controlled distribution by
the emergency management authorities on a "take now, pay later". The same
would apply to all available buses, mini-buses, ambulances and similar
transport during the pre- and post-disaster evacuation periods.
Patrick Boylan
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