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Comments re. Japan response:
Dr Gerry Moy, Consultant
March 17
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Dear Colleagues,
If one looks at natural disasters as "unplanned mass gatherings", we might envisage the adaptation of our VIAG tools to address various severity scenarios. We know that careful planning and preparedness are the keys to control and timely response, but there is always some chaos of the moment. This is obviously true with natural disasters. While we all agree that self-responders can make matters worse, perhaps it is possible to harness this phenomenon, for example, by providing them with something useful to do, preferably away from the affected area. You might recall in the Hollywood Westerns, women would send the men folk out to "boil water" during a child birth.
However, it may be that some self-responders have skills that may be useful. For example, if local healthcare workers are overwhelmed by mass casualties, additional doctors and nurses would obviously be helpful. Right now in Japan I am sure they would be interested in experienced nuclear plant technicians who would willing to use up their annual exposure limits to try to help forestall a nuclear meltdown. Unfortunately, there is probably no mechanism in place to identify, transport and support such persons in a timely and coordinated manner.
Note that I have not had any experience in a natural disaster and I have no idea who these self-responders are and whether they have anything to offer. It is also unclear in what capacity they are entering the country and how they maintain themselves, i.e. hotels and meals. However, my point is that VIAG might explicitly address this "problem" and if possible, develop a mechanism to channel these human resources to be part of the "solution".
Best regards,
Gerry
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