ABSTRACT
Mass fatality events are not rare occurrences; in the rst half of 2008 alone, 101 natural disasters were reported in seven countries, with approximately 229,043 fatalities. In addition, in the United States alone, each year approximately 60,000 people are reported missing, which has been termed “the largest silent mass catastrophe in North America.” A mass fatality incident is dened as any situation where there are more fatalities than can be properly handled (recovered, examined, identied, and disposed of) using local resources only, with or without the presence of biological, chemical, and/or radiological contamination. By method, mass fatality incidents could be natural cataclysms, accidents, or deliberate acts such as terrorism.
