Use of Simulation in a Computerized Environment in Disaster Planning

Abstract

further treatment. Meanwhile, the normal emergency care in the region was secured. One-third of the victims died, one-third were hospitalized, and the rest were sent to emergency shelters. DVI and post-traumatic stress disorder played an important role in post-incident management. On 25 August 1984, the Mont Louis, a French Roro Ship collided with the car ferry Olau Brittannia prior to reaching the Belgian coast. The Mont Louis carried 30 cylinders with 15 tons of UF6. Belgian authorities did not have a full understanding of the content of the cargo and the nature of its risks (radioactivity) until three weeks after the crash. On 14 December 2002, the Tricolor, a cargo ship with "shoebox" construction similar to the H O F E , transporting 3,000 cars sunk after a collision a few miles out of Zeebrugge. The crew was rescued. Despite all kinds of warning systems, 10 near-collisions and two real collisions occurred within two weeks of the accident. The high density of maritime traffic in the Channel (20% of the world's maritime traffic) requires planning with cross-border help. The International Maritime Organization made many efforts to make sea traffic safer, but human failure still is possible. The rescue of victims with the combination of drowning, hypothermia, and trauma is very difficult. Catastrophic events at sea always are complex.