S. Fla. banks, U.S. Treasury conduct pandemic-response drill
BY NIALA BOODHOO
nboodhoo@MiamiHerald.com
The U.S. Treasury Department today is helping South Florida banks conduct the first-ever test of financial systems should a flu pandemic hit the country.
The Treasury Department and FloridaFirst, a regional financial coalition set up in response to last year's hurricane season, are conducting the drill at the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center.
Some experts have warned it is a case of when, not if, the avian flu mutates into a form that can pass among humans and becomes a global pandemic. If that happens, businesses should be prepared for employee absenteeism as high as 50 percent, and many other challenges including quarantines, they say.
FloridaFirst was set up last October with the goal of preparing financial institutions to respond to threats or events caused by terrorism or natural disasters. It was the second such coalition created in the United States.
The Treasury Department is hoping today's exercise in Miami will encourage other regions across the country to conduct similar drills, said spokeswoman Jennifer Zuccarelli. More than 70 people are participating.
''We're hoping that this gets them moving to prepare for a potential catastrophe,'' she said.
BY NIALA BOODHOO
nboodhoo@MiamiHerald.com
The U.S. Treasury Department today is helping South Florida banks conduct the first-ever test of financial systems should a flu pandemic hit the country.
The Treasury Department and FloridaFirst, a regional financial coalition set up in response to last year's hurricane season, are conducting the drill at the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center.
Some experts have warned it is a case of when, not if, the avian flu mutates into a form that can pass among humans and becomes a global pandemic. If that happens, businesses should be prepared for employee absenteeism as high as 50 percent, and many other challenges including quarantines, they say.
FloridaFirst was set up last October with the goal of preparing financial institutions to respond to threats or events caused by terrorism or natural disasters. It was the second such coalition created in the United States.
The Treasury Department is hoping today's exercise in Miami will encourage other regions across the country to conduct similar drills, said spokeswoman Jennifer Zuccarelli. More than 70 people are participating.
''We're hoping that this gets them moving to prepare for a potential catastrophe,'' she said.