MUSCATINE, Iowa - If a tornado swept through Muscatine tomorrow, Unity HealthCare has a plan.

Twice a year, Unity performs disaster drills for response to all different types of disasters, including floods, chemical spills, a power loss at the hospital and even ice on the streets.

Aside from those drills, the hospital works alongside local companies to practice for disasters, such as a recent training session for a hypothetical ammonia spill at Monsanto. The hospital isn’t necessarily planning for every conceivable incident, said Jane Caes, Unity’s vice-president of public health, but it is planning for the most likely disasters.

Two drills a year are necessary for the hospital to retain its accreditation with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. However, Caes said the hospital goes beyond that with its extra disaster response training and works with local companies.

“All of our disaster planning starts from a hazardous vulnerability analysis,” Caes said. “It’s analysis we do internally with the (Muscatine) County Emergency Management administrator to look at what our most likely disasters are and how to respond to them.”

That planning covers not just natural disasters but outbreaks of infectious diseases such as monkey pox and polio, both of which have appeared in Iowa over the past years, Caes said.

The list of disasters is long, but if Caes had to pick, she said it’s a tornado that’s the most likely problem.

“They’re right up there,” she said. “But infectious diseases are right at the top, too, and becoming more prevalent.”

Should a tornado strike, Unity would begin treating as many victims as necessary through its emergency room. It would also issue medicine to deal with possible infections from water contamination. The hospital would join with other first responders and set up a representative at a Muscatine County emergency operations center, which would be set up in response to the disaster.

As ready as the hospital or any public body can be, an informed citizenry will still make disaster response much easier, Caes said.

“Everyone has a responsibility to be aware,” she said. “Whether it’s a tornado that knocks out your power lines or an infectious disease.”

Contact Peter Rugg at: 563-263-2331 Ext. 322 or peter.rugg@muscatinejournal.com