WAILUA — Kaua‘i is preparing for the threat of a bioterrorism attack or man-made or natural disaster. Officals from the Kaua‘i District Health Office of the state Department of Health are working with government leaders on a plan to respond
WAILUA — Kaua‘i is preparing for the threat of a bioterrorism attack or man-made or natural disaster.
Officals from the Kaua‘i District Health Office of the state Department of Health are working with government leaders on a plan to respond to any such events that might hit Kaua‘i, a state “bioterrorism preparedness” expert said at a meeting held at the Aloha Beach Resort Wednesday.
Dr. David Lane, the bioterrorism preparedness planner for the Kaua‘i DOH office, said parts of the plan will involve coordination of services, public awareness, training and emergency exercises.
A workable and successful plan takes into account preparation for man-made and natural disasters, education, awareness and training, Lane said.
“We will have all those elements, and we will continue to do these things in the upcoming months and years. My job is to pull together all the pieces (from the DOH end),” he said. Lane was one of the keynote speakers on the third and final day of the DOH-sponsored bioterrorism conference held at the Aloha Beach Resort in Wailua. Lane’s comments were tied to an overview of bioterrorism preparedness on the Neighbor Islands.
Up to 70 emergency responders, medical personnel and community leaders from across the state attended yesterday’s meeting.
DOH officials are working with civil defense agencies, police and fire departments and “community partners” to develop plans and procedures to respond to a bioterrorism event that could involve the release of such biological agents as anthrax or smallpox, DOH officials said. Lane said the DOH Kaua‘i office is put the final touches on an agreement with Mayor Bryan Baptiste to use the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall as a storage area for medical equipment and medicine that would come from the Centers for Disease Control, based in Atlanta, in the event of a bioterrorism attack on Kaua‘i, Lane said.
