Critical Care

official impact factor 4.60

Editorial

Falling towers, crumbling levees, and viral mutations

Donald B Chalfin

Author Affiliations

Director, Critical Care Consult Service, Critical Care Outcomes Research, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and Chief Scientific Officer, Analytica International, Inc., New York, New York, USA

Critical Care 2006, 10:106 doi:10.1186/cc3938

Published: 14 December 2005

Abstract

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed an entire beloved city and shattered a large part of the US Gulf Coast. Unlike the destruction of 9/11, it is difficult to say at the time of this writing whether or not this region will ever be fully restored. In light of these and other man-made and natural disasters, the world needs to revisit its approach to disaster planning and preparedness to insure that we can best meet the needs of those likely to be affected by future calamities.