Business Recovery Status Report #15: Presidential Disaster #1763, October 17, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Business Recovery Status Report #16: Presidential Disaster #1763, October 24, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Business Recovery Status Report #17: Presidential Disaster #1763, October 31, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Business Recovery Status Report #18: Presidential Disaster #1763, November 7, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Business Recovery Status Report #19: Presidential Disaster #1763, November 14, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Business Recovery Status Report #20: Presidential Disaster #1763, November 21, 2008

Safeguard Iowa Partnership launched a survey to the business community to capture the impact from the 2008 disasters. Five hundred eighty surveys were completed and compiled for the report submitted to the Rebuild Iowa Office Economic and Workforce Development Task Force on August 20, 2008.

Influence of the menstrual cycle on the sweating response measured by direct calorimetry in women exposed to warm environmental conditions.

The whole body sweating response was measured at rest in eight women during the follicular (F) and the luteal (L) phases of the menstrual cycle. Subjects were exposed for 30-min to neutral (N) environmental conditions [ambient temperature (Ta) 28 degrees C] and then for 90-min to warm (W) environmental conditions (Ta, 35 degrees C) in a direct calorimeter. At the end of the N exposure, tympanic temperature (Tty) was 0.18 (SEM 0.06) degrees C higher in the L than in the F phase (P less than 0.05), whereas mean skin temperature (Tsk) was unchanged. During W exposure, the time to the onset of sweating as well as the concomitant increase in body heat content were similar in both phases. At the onset of sweating, the tympanic threshold temperature (Tty,thresh) was higher in the L phase [37.18 (SEM 0.08) degrees C] than in the F phase [36.95 (SEM 0.07) degrees C; P less than 0.01]. The magnitude of the shift in Tty,thresh [0.23 (SEM 0.07) degrees C] was similar to the L-F difference in Tty observed at the end of the N exposure. The mean skin threshold temperature was not statistically different between the two phases. The slope of the relationship between sweating rate and Tty was similar in F and L. It was concluded that the internal set point temperature of resting women exposed to warm environmental conditions shifted to a higher value during the L phase compared to the F phase of the menstrual cycle; and that the magnitude of the shift corresponded to the difference in internal temperature observed in neutral environmental conditions between the two phases.

Iowa 2008 Summer Storms After-Action Report, April 27, 2009

In the summer of 2008, the state of Iowa suffered from a series of severe storms that produced tornadoes and heavy rainfall, which resulted in widespread flooding. The Summer Storms1 lasted from late May through mid-August, with the most intense storms occurring over a month-long period from May 25 to June 25. The Summer Storms exacted a major human and economic toll on Iowa, resulting in 18 fatalities and 106 injuries, forcing the evacuation of approximately 38,000 Iowans, and impacting 21,000 housing units. Iowa’s public and private sectors suffered significant monetary damages. Eighty-six of the ninety-nine counties in the state were included in the Governor’s disaster declarations.

Audit report on the ADLM Counties Environmental Public Health Agency for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the ADLM Counties Environmental Public Health Agency for the year ended June 30, 2009

Lessons learned after 2 full scale disaster exercises in a Swiss pediatric hospital

Introduction: Following a disaster, up to 50% of mass casualties are children. The number of disaster increases worldwide, including in Switzerland. Following national order, the mapping of the various risks of disaster in Switzerland will be completed by the end of 2012. Pre-hospital disaster drills and plans are well established and regularly tested. In-hospital disaster plans are much less frequently tested, if only available. Pediatric in-hospital full scale disaster exercises have never been reported in Switzerland. Based on our local constraints, we set up and evaluated a disaster plan during two full scale exercises. Methods: In a university hospital treating more than 35 000 pediatric emergencies per year, two exercises involving mock victims of a disaster aged 9 to 14 years old were successively set up over a period of 3 years. The exercises were planned during the day, without modification of the normal emergency room activities. The hospital staff was informed and trained in advance. Variables such as the alarm timing and transmission, triage set-up and function, special disaster medical records utilization, communication and victims' identification were assessed. Family members participated in the second exercise. An evaluation team observed and record exercises activities, identifying strength and weaknesses. Results: On two separate occasions, a total of 44 mock patients participated, were triaged, admitted and treated in the hospital according to usual standards of care. Alarm transmission was not appropriate during the first exercise. Triage overload occurred on one occasion. In-hospital communication needed readjustment. Identification and in-hospital tracking of the children remained problematic. Hospital employees showed great enthusiasm and stressed the positive effect of full scale exercises on their knowledge of the hospital disaster plan. Conclusions: Performing real life disaster exercises in a pediatric hospital was very beneficial. The disaster plan was adapted to local needs and updated accordingly. An alarm transmission protocol was elaborated and tested. Triage set-up was adapted and tested. A hospital identification plan for injured children was created and tested. Full scale hospital exercises evaluating disaster plans revealed several weaknesses in the system. Practice readjustments based on local experience were made. A tested pediatric disaster plan adapted to local constraints could minimize chaos, optimize care and support in the event of a real disaster. Children's identification and family reunification following a disaster remains a challenge.

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of the Green Bay Levee and Drainage District in Lee County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of the Green Bay Levee and Drainage District in Lee County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of the Iowa River - Flint Creek Levee District in Des Moines County and Louisa County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of the Iowa River - Flint Creek Levee District in Des Moines County and Louisa County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of Louisa – Des Moines County Drainage District in Des Moines County and Louisa County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Disaster Grants – Public Assistance program of Louisa – Des Moines County Drainage District in Des Moines County and Louisa County, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Iowa Disaster Recovery Framework

This Iowa Disaster Recovery Framework (IDRF) is meant to detail a lasting, flexible structure and system to coordinate and manage disaster recovery in the long-term. The IDRF provides a structure to engage stakeholders such as individual Iowans, local and tribal governments, businesses, voluntary, faith-based and community organizations as well as state and federal agencies to identify and resolve recovery challenges both before and after disaster events. It applies to all disasters, recovery partners, and recovery activities.

Iowa Disaster Recovery Tabletop Exercise - After Action Report / Improvement Plan

On June 24, 2010, the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) held a discussion-based tabletop exercise for the purpose of creating a framework to support disaster recovery coordination within the State of Iowa. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the tabletop exercise, summarize and analyze exercise results, identify strengths which should be maintained and built upon, identify areas for further improvement, and support development of recommendations and corrective actions.