Are America’s Schools Safe?
June 2007

Schools should be a safe haven for teaching and learning and be free of crime and violence. Any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects those  directly involved but also has implications for the broader school community and the community at large.
(National Education Association)

The School Environment
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)

• 28% of students aged 12-18 report being the victim of bullying
• 11% report hate-filled words used against them
• 24% see gangs at school (an increase of 3% in the past two years)
• 11% of principals reported verbal abuse of teachers

Security Measures
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)

• Over 93% of students report that their school requires visitors to sign in
• 83% of public schools lock or monitor entrances during the school day
• Roughly 1% of schools required students to pass through metal detectors

For more information please visit: Indicators of School Crime and Safety - Bureau of Justice Statistics, here

Are Schools Becoming Safer?
(Youth Violence Project)

• Young People are 5% less likely to be victim of a serious crime at school than out of school (6% vs. 11%)
• 8.9% of students report carrying a weapon to school, down from 17.9% in 1993
• The rate of violent crimes has decreased from 13 students per 1,000 in 1994 to 6 students per 1,000 in 2003
• The trend in school homicides decreased, from 42 in 1992 to 13 in 2005
• Minority students report more fear of becoming the victim of a violent crime, but this fear has declined among all groups since 1995

Click here to visit Youth Violence Project

Do Your Part to Keep Kids Safe

While the frequency of violent crimes in public schools is relatively low, we must also acknowledge that even one death is too many.  The US Department of Education offers guidance to educators on how to keep students safe in a crisis, and the Department of Homeland Security and over 1,000 organizational partners work to promote child readiness in school and in the home as part of National Preparedness Month each September.

Insured Catastrophes
April/May 2007

A catastrophe, as defined by the insurance industry, is a natural disaster that causes a certain dollar amount, currently set at $25 million in insured damage.

National Statistics
(Insurance Information Institute)

• 2005 was the most costly year on record for the insurance industry, in terms of natural disasters. The year saw 27 named tropical storms, 15 of which were hurricanes.
• The most costly catastrophe in the United States was August 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Prior to that, 1992's Hurricane Andrew and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were the most costly insured events.
• The 1994 Northridge earthquake in California has been the most costly earthquake to date. It measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, resulting in 60 deaths, 12,000 injuries, and destroyed more than 8,000 homes.
• Over the 10-year period from 1993-2002, there were an average of 1,172 tornadoes each year in the United States.

Most Costly U.S. Terrorist Attacks
(Insurance Information Institute)

• 9/11 - $18.8 billion dollars in insured property losses
• 1993 World Trade Center bombing - $510 million in insured losses
• 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - $125 million in insured losses
• 1992 Los Angeles riots - $775 million in insured losses (previously the most cost

For more information please visit Insurance Information Institute (III) or the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) .

Insurance Industry
2006 Profits
(Associated Press)

• Allstate reported a record $5 billion profit
• State Farm Insurance’s profit climbed 65 percent
• St. Paul Travelers’ earnings rose six-fold
• American International Group’s rose eightfold.
• Rating agency A.M. Best estimates that the property-casualty industry earned $68 billion in 2006, up from $49 billion in 2005, and that profits could total $62.2 billion this year if the storm season is relatively benign.
• Policyholder surplus -- essentially reserves to cover future claims -- grew to a record of nearly $500 billion in 2006

To read the full article, click here.

Heart Smart
February/March 2007

Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death
emergencies—every second counts. If you see or
have symptoms, don’t wait longer than 5 minutes
before calling 9-1-1.

Minutes Count (American Heart Association)

• About 325,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease in an emergency department or before reaching a hospital.
• Brain damage can start to occur in just 4-5 minutes after the heart stops pumping blood.
• Death may be prevented if the victim receives immediate bystander CPR and defibrillation within a few minutes.
• With no bystander CPR, a victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7-10 percent.
• With immediate CPR and a first shock within 3-5 minutes, the reported survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 48-74 percent.
• If survival rates increased from 5-20 percent, about 40,000 more lives could be saved each year.

Coronary Heart Disease (American Heart Association)

• This year about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent coronary attack.
• About 452,000 will die.
• Coronary heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death.

EMS to the Rescue (National Institute of Health)

An ambulance is the best way to the hospital:

• EMS personnel can begin treatment en route.
• If your heart stops, EMS personnel have the equipment to restart it. Heart attack patients arriving by Ambulance tend to receive faster treatment.

Ambulance Facts
(American Ambulance Association)

• 15,276 ambulance services in US
• 48,384 ground ambulance vehicles
• 840,669 EMS personnel
• Over 2/3’s of the nation’s largest 200 cities are served by non-fire-based ambulance services.
• EMTs are trained to deliver basic life support services and provide first aid, oxygen, splint and bandage application and CPR.
• Paramedics are trained to deliver advanced life support services and provide intravenous therapy, airway management, cardiac monitoring and defibrillation, medications and other advanced care.

For more information, visit www.americanheart.org and www.the-aaa.org.

Private Sector and Emergency Response
January/February 2007

“The era of us versus them is over. In times of disasters effecting the entire local population, all private-sector as well as public agencies must pool their resources in a common effort.”

BY THE NUMBERS

85%: Percentage of the critical infrastructure owned by the private sector

7,000: private emergency medical support personnel.

September 11th Terrorist Attacks (Families and Work Institute)

$10,000,000: In cash, for technical services and equipment donated by Microsoft.

$250,000: The net worth of Michelin tire donations, given to emergency response agencies for their rescue vehicles.

2,000: Number of cell phones with unlimited service that AT&T Wireless donated to relief workers and government agencies.

58: Number of vehicle donations made by the Ford Motor Company for rescue and relief efforts.

Hurricane Katrina
(CNN Money)

$1,200,000,000: total contributions from the private sector.

$17,000,000: The largest cash contribution to date, donated by Wal-Mart within two weeks of the hurricane. 
$10,000,000: in medical devices, power generators and water purification systems from General Electric.
$2,000,000: amount of food products donated by Campbell Soup Company

$1,000,000: worth of insulin donated by Eli Lilly

85,000: pounds of water and non-perishable food donated by and flown to New Orleans.

35,000: The number of 30-minute calling cards donated to victims by AT&T.  The company also established IP-based calling centers for relief workers and evacuees.

1,000: airline tickets to relocate residents donated by Continental Airlines

30: Number of mobile pharmacy units set up by CVS in areas impacted by Katrina

3: Starwood Hotels in New Orleans safely sheltered more than 1,500 individuals and families in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina.

New Year’s Resolutions
January 2007

“Make Safety Your New Year’s Resolution.”

Food Safety (USDA)

• Use an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and check to make sure that the temperature is 40 degrees F. or below and the freezer temperature reads 0 degrees F. or below.
  Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures above 40 degrees F.
• Do not leave pizza sitting out on the table or a "doggie" bag in the car overnight.
  Foods should not be left out more than two hours at room temperature, or 1 hour if it is over 90 degrees F. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Always separate cooked foods from uncooked foods when preparing a meal, including using separate cutting boards and knives.
  Cross-contamination could cause harmful bacteria from one food to be transferred to another food.
• Never lick the spoon or the bowl of homemade cookie dough or cake batter made with raw eggs.
  Salmonella - a very unpleasant and potentially dangerous illness can come from eating raw eggs - even one taste of raw dough could contain harmful bacteria.
• For questions about food safety, always call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800- 256-7072.
  

Traffic Safety (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

• Always buckle up Safety belts are the most effective means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in traffic crashes.
• Stay Alert Inattentiveness, carelessness, and driving too fast accounted for over 50% of the crashes in the past 10 years.
• Never drink and drive In 2005, alcohol related fatalities accounted for 39% of all traffic accidents. In fact, 1 occurs every 30 minutes.
• Drive sensibly not aggressively Aggressive driving techniques are linked to at least half of all traffic accidents.
• Weatherize your car and always adjust your driving to weather conditions Over 450,000 injury crashes occur annually in adverse weather conditions or on slick pavement.

 Personal Safety (US Department of Justice)

• Have lights in all entrances of your home as well as good locks on all doors and windows. In 2005, 77% (18.0 million) were property crimes.
• Be aware of your environment and take reasonable precautions. In 2005, there were an estimated 1.2 million motor vehicle thefts and an estimated 6.8 million (6,776,807) larceny-theft offenses.
• Mentally commit to doing everything you can to stay safe. In 2005, the estimated volume of violent crime in the Nation increased 2.3 percent,

For more ways to keep safe, read Your Inside Look at Crime Prevention: McGruff Files, developed by the National Crime Prevention Council.

Holiday Gift Giving
December 2006

“Show people you care by keeping them safe.” 

Fire Prevention Gift Ideas

• Smoke Alarms A working smoke detector more than doubles one’s chances of surviving a fire. (US Fire Administration)
• Flashlights to use instead of candles In 2002, 18,000 candle fires resulted in an estimated 130 civilian deaths, 1,350 civilian injuries and an estimated direct property loss of $333 million. (National Fire Protection Administration)
• Portable Fire Extinguishers Cooking is the leading cause of residential building fires in December, accounting for 41% of fires. A fire extinguisher can prevent most of these from getting worse. (US Fire Administration)
• Steady Fire Place Screen More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Heating fires account for 36% of residential fires each year. (US Fire Administration)

For more information, see the DHS Report on December and Holiday Fires.

Home Safety Gift Ideas

• Carbon Monoxide alarms According to the National Safety Council, 200-300 unintentional-injury deaths a year are due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Gift Certificate for First Aid/CPR Training Class Each year, 8,800 die as a result of injuries sustained in and around their homes.

Preparedness Gift Ideas

• Ready To Go Emergency Preparedness Kit Evacuations are more common than many people realize. Hundreds of times each year, transportation and industrial accidents release harmful substances, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. Fires and floods cause evacuations even more frequently. (FEMA)
• AM/FM Radio with NOAA, TV VHF, Flashlight, and Cell-Phone Charger The average U.S. customer loses power for 214 minutes per year. The average customer loses power once every 9 months, excluding hurricanes and other strong storms. (US DOE).
• Emergency Preparedness Kit Over 50% of Southerners say that recent hurricanes gave them motivation to prepare for a disaster. But just 35% of people in the West, 31%, in the East, and only 21% in the Midwest have been motivated to prepare. (American Red Cross) 

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Public Alerts and Warnings
November/December 2006

“The prompt notification of the public during times of emergencies and disaster situations is critical to the safety and well being of our citizens.” 

Emergency Alert System (EAS) (IPAWS/FEMA November 2005)

• 14,000+ broadcast television and radio stations
• 10,000+ cable TV systems
• Only 50-60% of broadcast stations relay state and local emergency messages
• More than 80% of EAS messages are weather-related; EAS was not activated during 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina!
• EAS technology is circa 1966
• President Bush signed an executive order to upgrade and overhaul the EAS on June 26, 2006.

Other Federal Warning Systems (Partnership for Public Warning)National Warning System (NAWAS) connects over 22,000 emergency management offices

• NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) delivers warnings in less than 10 seconds. NWS celebrated its 135th anniversary in 2005.
• NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) signals are accessible by 95% of the American population.
• Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) is the color-coded terrorist warning system. It has changed threat levels 16 times since its inception in March 2002.

National Weather Service (www.noaa.gov)

• Issues more than 400,000 weather bulletins each day
• Issues between 45,000 and 50,000 potentially life-saving severe weather warnings each year.
• Warning lead time for tornados has doubled to 12 minutes in the last 5 years.
• 3-4 day forecast is as accurate as the 2 day forecast 15 years ago. 

Alerting Businesses (Partnership for Public Warning)

• 23% of all businesses do not monitor public alerting systems for warnings about terrorist threats or other potential disasters.
• Those businesses that do monitor public alerting systems primarily rely on:
  
  

  TV	53%
  EAS	37%
  NOAA Weather Radio	27%

• Most businesses (85%) do not implement any specific actions when the Federal government raises the terrorist alert level.

AMBER Alerts (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

• Stands for - America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency
  Response
•  Uses EAS:
  
  

  Recoveries	305
  Total Plans	117
  Statewide	52
  Regional	28
  Local	37

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Identification and Authentication
October 2006

“Today, there is no reliable way to identify people. While the problem is clear, the solution is not.”

National ID
(TNS / TRUSTe study, August 2005)

Half of all Americans view a national form of ID positively

• Support for inclusion of biometrics varies by ID type:

• Nearly six in ten say that an iris scan is acceptable.

Computer Security Breaches (ID Theft Resource Center)

• In 2005 there were 151 incidents affecting more than 57.7 million people.
• As of August 2006, there were 148 incidents broken down as follows:

Emergency Responder Credentialing

Credentialing: providing documentation that can authenticate and verify the certification and identity of emergency responders to ensure that personnel representing various jurisdictions and functional disciplines possess training, currency, experience, physical and mental fitness, and capability for the position they are tasked to fill. (National Incident Management Systems)
 
Why it is needed?

• Oklahoma City Bombing - 28,000 First Responders
• World Trade Center: Up to 1,000 personnel worked daily at the disaster site, at least 40,000 total. Site had over 30 access points where unauthorized individuals could gain access.
• Hurricane Andrew: 2,000 firefighters
• National Capital Region: 200,000 first responders are being equipped with biometric smart card IDs

Source: Washington State Emergency Responder Training Assessment and Recommendations

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National Preparedness Month
September 2006

“Being prepared for a disaster is often the key to surviving one.”

Why is Family Preparedness Important?

Because in 95% of emergency situations, local bystanders are the first available responders. (Citizen Corps PowerPoint Presentation)

Consider these ratios:

• 1 firefighter for every 265 people (National Fire Protection Association (2003))
• 1 EMT/paramedic for every 325 people (Journal of Emergency Medical Services (2004))
• 1 sworn officer for every 334 people (National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (2003)

Because being prepared reduces loss of lives and property.

10 Most Costly US Disasters
(2005 $ millions)

(1) Property coverage only.
(2) Adjusted to 2005 dollars by the Insurance Information Institute.

Source: ISO; Insurance Information Institute.

How prepared are our families?

While 67% of individuals consider emergency preparedness a very important issue, only…

• 42% have put together their own emergency supply kit.
• 32% have put together a family emergency plan.
• 22% have actually taken the initiative to receive more information on how to get themselves or their families prepared.
• 11% of households have done all three.

Click here to learn more facts about national preparedness.

How prepared are our communities?

56% of the populace feel that the country is not ready for another disaster (AP/ Ipsos Poll on Attitudes about disaster preparedness, August 2006)

American Red Cross
In community preparedness and response, the American Red Cross:

Responded to 72,883 disasters across the country - more disasters on record than reported in the past six years. Of note: fires accounted for 92 percent of the figure, the largest percentage of eight potential types of disasters.

Trained 5,152,027 individuals, families and businesses to be prepared for unexpected situations such as power outages and winter storms - the highest number on record as trained for a given year.

Please note: The above figures are based on American Red Cross fiscal 2004-2005 year statistics from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005.

Workplace

There is a 12% decrease in workplace preparedness since 2001.

Only 51% of employees have received emergency preparedness information and/or training from their employer.

Public Schools and Daycare Centers

96% have a staff member, other than the nurse, with CPR training.

94% have a staff member, other than the school nurse, with basic first aid training.

81% of public schools (K-12) have established a relationship with local EMS personnel for possible emergency situations

51% of daycare centers have provided parents with information regarding their emergency or disaster plan

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Fireworks & Safety
July/August 2006

In 2004, 9,600 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.

In 2004, five out of six (85%) emergency room fireworks injuries involved fireworks that Federal regulations permit consumers to use.

On the July 4 Independence Day holiday in a typical year, fireworks are the leading cause of reported fire, accounting for more outdoor fires in the U.S. than all other causes of outdoor fires combined.

In 2003, an estimated 2,300 reported structure or vehicle fires were ignited by fireworks.

National Fire Protection Association

Fireworks Safety Tips from the U.S. Fire Administration

• The best way to enjoy fireworks is to visit public fireworks displays put on by professionals who know how to safely handle fireworks.
• If you plan to use fireworks, make sure they are legal in your area.
• Never light fireworks indoors or near dry grass.
• Always have a bucket of water and/or a fire extinguisher nearby. Know how to properly operate the fire extinguisher.
• Do not wear loose clothing while using fireworks.
• Stand several feet away from lighted fireworks. If fireworks do not go off, do not stand over them to investigate; douse them with water and carefully dispose of them.
• Always read the directions and warning labels on fireworks. If the fireworks are not marked with the contents, directions, and warning labels, do not light them.
• Supervise children around fireworks at all times.

U.S. Fire Administration

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has estimated that approximately 10,000 Americans have been injured annually in fireworks-related incidents over the past decade, with serious misuse accounting for a large majority of the incidents.

National Council on Fireworks Safety

Between 2000 and 2005, CPSC has reports of 36 fireworks-related consumer deaths.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Additional facts, figures and reports

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Healthcare & Technology
May/June 2006

Healthcare is the last industry to move from paper to digital.

Consider this:

• More pets have electronic health records than citizens.

• There is more information technology in a grocery store than in your average hospital.

44,000 people die annually from avoidable medical errors; equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every other day!

(HIMSS, David Clark,
Director of Integration & Interoperability)

It is estimated that HIT can reduce healthcare costs up to 20% per year – by saving time and reducing duplication and waste.

(www.hhs.gov)

On May 11, 2005, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt (above) issued a news report citing investment in information technology (IT) as an essential, high priority for the American health care system and the U.S. economy.

Incorporating IT into the US health system could save $170-200 billion per year.

(HIMSS, David Clark,
Director of Integration & Interoperability)

U.S. spending on healthcare was 48% higher than Norway, the second-highest spender at $3,807 per capita in 2003.

(G.F. Anderson; B.K. Frogner; R.A. Johns; and U. Reinhardt in Health Journal)

however...

The U.S. - at 43 cents per capita - is spending less than a 10th of the second-lowest country, Australia on health technology. Canada is spending $31.85 per person and Germany $21.20.

(G.F. Anderson; B.K. Frogner; R.A. Johns; and U. Reinhardt in Health Journal)

At the end of the 1990s, most industries were spending about $8,000 per worker for IT. But the health care industry was investing only about $1,000 per worker.

(www.hhs.gov)

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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
April/May 2006

What is a traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain.

(www.cdc.gov)

What causes TBI?

• Falls (28%)
• Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%)
• Struck by/against (19%)
• Assaults (11%)
• Other (10%)
• Unknown (7%)
• Other transport accident (5%)

(www.cdc.gov)

At least 1.4 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries in the United States every year.

(www.cdc.gov)

There currently are at least 5.3 million Americans living with a disability as a result of brain injury.

(www.biausa.org)

Brain injury claims more than 50,000 lives and leaves more than 80,000 individuals with lifelong disabilities each year.

(www.biausa.org)

In prior conflicts, TBI was present in at least 14-20% of surviving combat casualties; preliminary information from the current war in the Middle East suggests that this number is now much higher.

(Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center)

Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

• 50,000 die;
• 235,000 are hospitalized; and
• 1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department

(www.cdc.gov)

Direct medical costs and indirect costs (such as lost productivity) of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the U.S. in 2000.

(Finkelstein E, Corso P, Miller T and associates, 2006)

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FY2007 Budget Request
February/March 2006

President Bush’s Budget Request for FY2007 includes the following requests for Homeland Security:

1. An increase of $50 million for the National PreparednessIntegration Program which provides funding to execute medical preparedness coordination, catastrophic planning,emergency communications improvements, and command and control alignment.

2. An increase of $294.6 million for the Targeted CapabilityGrants Program for a total of $1.4 billion to further the department’s national preparedness goals.

3. An increase of $29 million in funding will support FEMA’s initiative to Strengthen Operational Capability and reinforce essential support functions within its Readiness, Mitigation, Response, Recovery, and National Security programs.

4. An increase of $5 million will fund FEMA’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) upgrade.

5. An increase of $36.3 million for information security and infrastructure to support the IT Infrastructure Transformation Program (ITP).

(www.dhs.gov)

Read the budget briefing from the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, the budget calls for the following provisions,

1. $1.3 billion for HHS to continue providing assistance to States, localities and hospitals to upgrade public health capacity and $593 million to maintain a national stockpile of medicines and vaccines for use following an event.

2. $838 million for Urban Area Security Initiative Grants

3. $668 million in homeland security grants to states

4. $293 million for Assistance to Firefighter Grants

5. $116 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HIT) to address barriers to the adoption of interoperable health information technology nationally

6. $50 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to extend State contract work for HIT demonstrations and initiate an Ambulatory Patient Safety Program

7. $2.3 billion for pandemic influenza preparedness

(www.whitehouse.gov/omb)

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Pandemic Flu
January/February 2006

“If left unchallenged, this virus could become the first pandemic of the 21st century. We must not allow that to happen…It is essential we work together, and as we do so, we will fulfill a moral duty to protect our citizens, and heal the sick, and comfort the afflicted.”

President George W. Bush
September 14, 2005

In the last century, the United States and the worldhave been hit by three influenza pandemics and viruses from birds contributed to all of them (www.whitehouse.gov).

1918 influenza pandemic caused at least 500,000 U.S. deaths and up to 40 million deaths worldwide.

1957 influenza pandemic caused at least 70,000 U.S. deaths and 1-2 million deaths worldwide.

1968 influenza pandemic caused about 34,000 U.S. deaths and 700,000 deaths worldwide (www.hhs.gov).

In 1997, the first recorded outbreak among people took place in Hong Kong. Avian flu struck again in late 2003 and has infected over 120 people in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia and killed more than 60 a 50 percent mortality rate (www.whitehouse.gov).

Three conditions must be met for a pandemic to start:

1. a new influenza virus subtype must emerge;
2. it must infect humans and causes serious illness; and
3. it must spread easily and sustainedly (continue without interruption) among humans.

The H5N1 (Avian flu) virus in Asia and Europe meets the first two conditions: it is a new virus for humans (H5N1 viruses have never circulated widely among people), and it has infected more than 100 humans, killing over half of them.

However, the third condition, the establishment of efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus, has not occurred (www.cdc.gov).

Pandemic Influenza Plan (11/02/05) The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services has released its Pandemic Influenza Plan, as well as guidance documents for state and local partners, on its official Web site for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza.

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Holiday Safety on the Road
November/December 2005

Over 600,000 Washingtonians left from and returnedto the Capitol city over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and AAA estimated that across the nation, over 37 million people traveled 50 miles or more from their homes.

As these traffic flows continue to increase over the next couple of months, it will be important for travelers to be aware and alert of their surroundings when on the road.

In 2004, accidents involving large, heavy trucks accounted for 5,190 fatalities and about 116,000 injuries (American Trucking Associations).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that aggressive drivers cause 2/3 of all fatal crashes and are responsible for nearly 35% of all crashes (AAA.com).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 25 percent of all tow-away crashes are related to some form of driver inattention (AAA.com).

Driver fatigue results in an estimated 1550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary loses each year (AAA.com).

Only 14% of speeding-related fatalities occur on Interstate highways (NHTSA 2004 Traffic Safety Facts).

One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2004 resulted from a collision involving a large truck (NHTSA 2004 Traffic Safety Facts).

There were 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities in 2004 – 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year (NHTSA 2004 Traffic Safety Facts).

It was predicted that 21.7 million people would fly on U.S. airlines over the Thanksgiving travel season between November 19 and November 29, slightly more than the record number that took to the air a year ago (Air Transport Association).

In 2004, the National Transportation Safety Board reported only one fatal airline accident in over 10 million scheduled departures (Air Transport Association).

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The American Red \Cross estimates that Hurricane Katrina relief efforts will exceed $2 billion, meeting the urgent needs of nearly one million families (American Red Cross).

An estimated 9.7 million people living in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi experienced hurricane force winds (US Census).

When it made landfall, Katrina was a Category Four storm featuring gusts topping 140 miles per hour (225 kilometers an hour). Category Five storms Hurricane Camille, which struck the Mississippi coast in 1969, and Hurricane Allen, which made landfall near Brownsville, Texas, in 1980, both packed maximum sustained winds of about 190 miles an hour (306 kilometers an hour) (National Geographic News).

Since Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the Red Cross has provided nearly 400,000 hurricane survivors with more than 2.8 million overnight stays in 1,250 shelters across 25 states and the District of Columbia (American Red Cross).

An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was under water, up to 20 feet deep in places (Associated Press).

The deadliest U.S. hurricane on record was a Category Four storm that hit the island city of Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Lacking today's warning forecasts, some 8,000 people lost their lives when the island was destroyed by 15-foot (5-meter) waves and 130 miles per hour (210 kilometers per hour) winds (National Geographic News).

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