Special report. Recent natural and man-made disasters: testing hospital disaster plans and security departments in real-life situations.

In 1995, hurricanes, windstroms, hailstroms, and record flooding challenged the disaster-coping capabilities of hospitals in the Florida Panhandle, New Orleans, and Texas. And, in Carrollton, GA, a severe test of a hospital's disaster plan literally dropped out of the sky. In this report, we'll present some firsthand accounts of what happened; how hospital security and emergency personnel responded; and what lessons all hospitals can learn from these unusual, but not unforeseen, occurrences.