"Philly could be quickly overwhelmed in disaster"

Report: Philly could be "quickly overwhelmed" in major disaster

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The city of Philadelphia needs to be better prepared to handle a major disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or a terrorist attack, according to a new report on the city's emergency readiness.

The report by consultant James Lee Witt, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says gaps in resources and procedures mean the city could be "quickly overwhelmed in a large-scale or catastrophic event."

The million-dollar review, ordered by Mayor John F. Street, began in January. The report was to be released at a news conference Thursday.

The report concludes that Philadelphia lacks current strategies, documents, staffing and tools for handling a major disaster, as well as "well-defined" processes for helping residents with special needs. The city also does not have a comprehensive evacuation strategy with neighboring counties, cities and states, the report said.

The analysis includes 200 recommendations to make the city safer. The administration does not have an estimate of how long those steps would take to put in place or how much that would cost.

"This can't be a report that sits on the shelf," Pedro Ramos, the city's managing director, told members of the editorial board of The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday.

The city plans to double the $450,000 budget for the city's emergency management office and hire a deputy managing director to oversee an overhaul of the office, Ramos said. The report said the current five-person emergency management staff was insufficient.

In light of what happened in New Orleans, the report looked at how well Philadelphia could handle things without help for 72 hours after a catastrophe, and found that the city Office of Adult Services could help as many as 2,000 people and the American Red Cross could shelter about 10,000. But if 100,000 or more people were displaced, the city would have to make a "comprehensive effort" to line up contracts to feed and shelter them, the report said.

Cited as the two most urgent matters for the city were ensuring communications for rescue workers in rail and subway tunnels and equipping city ambulances with two-way radios to talk to hospitals. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has estimated that wiring the tunnels to ensure communications would cost at least $20 million.

Ramos said the city could make some recommended changes, such as an increased role for public health and medical officials in emergency planning. Others would need federal action, such as providing 100 more Transportation Security Agency inspectors at Philadelphia International Airport.

Ramos said a $1 million-plus public education campaign was planned for September to inform residents about what they should do in an emergency. He said the city had to make emergency information more accessible.

"We can't expect the public to go fishing through Web sites for information," he said. "We're going to be coming at you like a Frito-Lay campaign to get you to buy into emergency preparedness."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_PHILADELPHIA_DISASTERPAOL-?SITE=PASTR&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

ummmm. 72hours? lightbulbs are still off in PA. (and I'm sitting in the dark here!) lol