A procedure for coping with mass casualties or massive disruptions of normal health care services as a result of human or natural catastrophes. In the U.S., the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Organizations (JCAHO) requires that all hospitals have a written plan in place and that drills be performed twice a year to assess the plan’s usefulness. The plan should address major problems such as airplane crashes, contamination of the water supply, earthquakes, electrical power failures, explosions, famine, fire, flood, or terrorist attacks. The plan may be for a local community, region, or state and should link health care resources with other public services and the media. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also requires disaster planning and drills at airports on a regular basis.