In order to address this type of question our group had to conduct research. We had to develop a research process. We decided to use the management-research hierarchy model as a basis for our research. The initial research that was conducted was informational. The informational research was to find out how other hospitals react to a hurricane. The problem with this type of search was that a hospital will not have a specific hurricane plan. We had to change our informational outlook. In other words we expanded our search category.
A hurricane is considered a disaster. To be specific it is a natural disaster. So we all searched, "How a hospital prepares for a natural disaster". Bingo, we found numerous resources concerning hospitals and how they prepare for these types of incidents. The fist article was titled, "Hospital Disaster Preparedness: Meeting a Requirement or Preparing for the Worst?"(Paul V. Richter [PVR], 1997). This article explained in detail a hospital plan for disaster in West Columbia, SC. The article was written as a basic manual for all hospitals to follow. It was submitted to South Carolina Hospital Association as a guide. Many things are explained in this article. It explained in detail how the different departments within a medical facility should handle disastrous situations.
Next we need to find out specific data concerning hurricanes. Hurricanes cause major
References: C.W. Johnson (2005). Emergency Planning After Hurricane Katrina: Using Task Analysis with Observational Studies to Simulate Hospital Evacuations. Retrieved July 8, 2006, from http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~johnson/papers/Katrina.PDF Makola M. Abdullah, Shealy C. Gross, Terri R. Norton, G. Dale Wesson (2005). ALTERED BUILDING CLASSIFICATIONS FOR A HURRICANE LOSS ESTIMATIONMODEL. Retrieved July 7, 2006, from http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~abdullah/publications.htm Paul V. Richter (1997, Jan 14). Hospital Disaster Preparedness: Meeting a Requirement or Preparing for the Worst? Hospital Disaster Preparedness, January, pp. 1-14.