Many hospitals could be unprepared to deal with a deluge of dead bodies in the instance of a mass fatality such as an earthquake or flu pandemic, and most haven’t even formulated a plan, according to those studying death in disaster. In a recent assessment, Los Angeles County learned only eight of 103 hospitals in the county had a written plan to address a mortality surge that would overwhelm morgue capacity.

“Hospitals want to start working on this, but they don’t know where to start,” Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency Planning Coordinator Tamiza Teja, said at the Natural Hazards Workshop in July. “What we’re trying to do is provide some tools.”

Teja’s agency, in partnership with county emergency services, public health, and coroner departments, just released those tools in the form of a guide called Mass Fatality Incident Management: Guidance for Hospitals and Other Healthcare Entities. Although geared to hospitals in Los Angeles County, the guide’s checklists, action plans, organizational charts, fact sheets, and other resources were created to be easily adapted by individual healthcare agencies.

The guide is available on the Los Angeles County Health Services’ website.