Preparing the National Capital Region for a Pandemic

Due to the globalization of the world economy and more frequent international travel a pandemic influenza is becoming more likely. The National Capital Region (NCR) has worked with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop an emergency response plan. Last year, the NCR released a strategic plan to address preparedness and collaboration efforts of the area jurisdiction, which include the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, 12 local jurisdictions, three branches of federal government, and over four million Americans. However, this strategic plan does not explain how the NCR should respond to any particular emergency. Since emergency response is a local responsibility, as recognized by the National Response Plan, each local jurisdiction has developed its own set of emergency operations. Thus, those operations plans prescribe how the jurisdiction in the NCR would respond to an emergency such as a pandemic outbreak. This hearing will examine the various pandemic response plans in the region and the overall preparedness of the NCR in the event of such an emergency.