|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Rural U.S. Officials Feel Unready for Terrorism
Most rural areas in the United States would be unprepared for a bioterror attack or terrorist strikes on nuclear power reactors or food supplies, a survey of health officials in 26 U.S. states has found (see GSN, Dec. 22, 2004). Released today, the study sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Pittsburgh indicates that rural officials feel they need additional resources to deal with such scenarios, the Associated Press reported. “I don’t think anyone in rural America is asking for the kinds of resources that urban America is getting,” said Michael Meit, director of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Rural Health Practice. “We just want to make sure that rural areas aren’t forgotten about, and that we’re getting enough resources to be prepared at an adequate level.” “There are specific, direct targets in rural America,” he added. The survey examined 26 states, 18 of which were defined as rural by the U.S. Census Bureau. Of the rural states, 18 percent received high rankings for bioterrorism preparedness, while 63 percent of the urban states ranked high on the list. Only 6 percent received funding from a federal readiness program for large-scale public health emergencies, while 75 percent of urban states saw some of that money. The survey noted rural vulnerabilities. Nuclear plants are usually are based in rural communities and the potential for agricultural terrorism remains a concern. “One cow down can paralyze an entire beef industry,” the survey said (Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, March 22).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
