New disaster plan released

The Bush administration released a much-anticipated report outlining steps it wants to take to improve the nation's disaster preparedness in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Near the top of the list is an expanded role for the department of Health and Human Services, which the White House wants to take the lead in providing medical assistance in future disasters. The report also recommends that FEMA maintain a larger stockpile of emergency supplies and medicines.

In response to the death of frail patients at hospitals and nursing homes during the storm, the administration wants evacuation plans to specifically address steps that can be taken to move the sick and the elderly to safe locations in the event of an emergency, a measure that will require hospital involvement.

- see the article from The New York Times
- read this White House report