Nurses on the Front Line: When Disaster Strikes, 1878-2010

Nurses on the Front Line examines how nurses have responded to both natural and man-made disasters in the United States, Canada, and other nations over the course of the previous and current centuries. It documents 12 disasters, including the Galveston hurricane of 1900, the 1942 Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, September 11th, and Hurricane Katrina.

More than a simple narrative, this text provides intimate first-hand experiences-through letters, memoirs, oral histories, and newspaper articles-of health care workers, survivors, and civic and private organizations that reflect on the character and speed of responders during a disaster. It illustrates how nurses can restore stability in the aftermath of a chaotic event and analyzes the nurses' role as part of a community response.

• Explains in detail what nurses can expect during disasters and what measures to take when disaster strikes
• Examines previous natural disasters and calls into question whether disasters were caused by accidents or intentional/unintentional human error
• Discusses policy implications of the different disasters, focusing on the federal government's response
• Investigates the roles and effects of race, class, and gender during a disaster

Barbra Mann Wall, PhD, RN, FAAN is Associate Professor and Associate Director, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Arlene W. Keeling, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Centennial Distinguished Professor of nursing at the University of Virginia School of Nursing, and associate director of the Eleanor Crowder Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry.