The Unsinkable Titanic: What the TItanic Taught Us About Disaster Preparedness is a PPS that details the changes in how we prepare for a disaster based on the Congressional Hearings of 1912.

1. Karen Saucier Lundy, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor Emeritus

8.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD9-
z6Nw2FM&feature=fvwrel

9.  Of the 2, 223 people aboard the Titanic, only
706 survived.
 900 crew members
 Tickets for the Titanic capped out at $4,350
(which is more than $95,860 in 2008 dollars).
 April 10, 1912 46-ton luxury liner, Great
Britain to NYC.
 April 15, 1912 Sunk within 2 hours after ice
cap impact
 Last survivor died earlier this year.

12. BOARDING PASS LIFEJACKET

13.  Violet Jessop, an ocean liner stewardess and
a nurse was one of the survivors of the
Titanic. She is also well known for surviving
the Britannic in 1916, the sister ship to
Titanic. Violet also survived an earlier fiasco in
1911, when she was aboard the RMS Olympic,
when it collided with another ship, HMS
Hawke. Served as WWI nurse with Red Cross.
She passed away on May 5, 1971 of
congestive heart failure.

15.  -March 31, 1909 in Belfast (Ireland)
-The Titanic was constructed by the Harland &
Wolff company
 - Titanic construction took about 3 years and
$7.5 million to complete
 - It took around 3000 laborers to construct the
Titanic
 - The vessel featured 16 watertight
compartments with steel doors designed to
close within 25 seconds, keep any flooding out of
the ship’s interior

16. BOARDING THE TITANIC LIFEBOATS

17.  Planning and preparation
 Staff training
 Community/population education
 Disaster plan
 Primary prevention
 Assessment of risk, vulnerability analysis,
inventory.

18.  The Titanic was supplied with only enough
life boats/jackets to accommodate about half
of its maximum number of passengers
 Only one ‘trial test’ 6-7 hours total, never ran
engines at full speed prior to voyage.
 No staff preparation/drills prior to departure.
 No evidence of disaster plan, roles in disaster,
had 24 hour lookout.

19.  Early warnings
 Mobilization
 Evacuation
 Organization of team, role definition.
 Health care workers put on “call.”
 Community members must take warnings
seriously and be ‘disaster prepared’.
 Problems: desensitized, previous
experience.

20.  Ice warnings on third day, noted by captain.
 Warning that icebergs were within 5 miles of
Titanic on day of disaster.
 No discussion of potential risks, captain
retired to his quarters, speed was not reduced
(at full speed due to need for surprise early
arrival at NYC).
 Passengers had no advance warning of
icebergs.

21.  Holding on, endurance.
 Shock of population.
 Secondary preparation, involvement of
disaster leaders in setting priorities.
 Knowing and implementing the Plan.
 Triage of evacuation.

22.  April 14 1912 - 10:13 pm lookout signaled
bridge “Iceberg right ahead.”
 Office ordered to put helm ‘hard astarboard”
and reverse engines.
 Captain alerted.
 Ship hits iceberg, causing slight roll.
 Hole ripped in steel plating of ship.
 Impact slight and not noticed by crew or
passengers.
 Boiler room flooded.

23.  Population/community face consequences.
 Begins DURING the impact phase and
continues until ALL threats and hazards have
passed.
 Secondary prevention to minimize damage,
further complications.
 Three parts: isolation, rescue, remedy.

24.  Compartments filling with water, bow sinking, no emergency
whistles or warnings to avoid ‘causing chaos.’
 Captain issues distress call, Carpathia (58 miles away) responded,
Californian (19 miles away) ignored distress call.
 Many lifeboats lowered into the water were only half full
 Many Titanic lifeboats drifted off to sea before they could even be
properly deployed.
 “Women and children first”, FIRST CLASS THAT IS. CHAOS.
 Boats suspended 70 feet, slammed into boat side.
 Congress noted this was most serious lack of preparation for
disaster.
 12:47 am Titanic breaks in half, sinks.
 Deaths: drowning, exposure, trauma.
 Survivors rowed toward ‘lights’ of Californian.

25.  60% of first class survived.
 42% of second class survived.
 25% of third class survived.
 25% of staff survived.
 GENDER: 75% women survived; 25% men.
 Rescue from Carpathia and Californian.
 Returned to New York and Nova Scotia with
survivors.
 Prayer service for the dead 8:30 am, Captain of
Carpathia
 Public media notification: April 15, 1912

27.  Healing beings.
 Goal: Restore population/community to
predisaster conditions.
 Evaluation and reflection, lessons learned,
implementation of research based changes in
disaster preparedness.
 Secondary and tertiary prevention.
 PTSDT

28.  Facing the ‘saved by technology’ value of
industrial and scientific revolution.
 Congressional hearings: May 1912
 Revolutionary changes from Titanic disaster:
 Inspection certificates mandated lifeboats, staff
training, position of lifeboats, lifeboat staff
responsibilities.
 Disaster drills.
 Passenger instructions, lifeboat assignments, paths to
safety, instructions in each room.
 Electric searchlights, 24/7 radio operator.
 All ships required to meet construction standards.

29.  Ellen Church, nurse and pilot, suggested that nurses
be put on commercial flights to make passengers
feel more comfortable about flying.
 Church became the world's first stewardess on May
15, 1930.

32. AVIATION AVIATION

33. EVACUATION SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

34. SHIP EVACUATIONS CAMPUS SHOOTER EDUCATION

35. SECONDARY PREVENTION DECONTAMINATION DRILLS

36. SULLENBERGER ALL 155 PASSENGERS SAVED

37. PREPARED FAMILIES DRILL DRILL DRILL

40. ELDERLY NIGHTINGALE DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT