County holds disaster-planning seminars for businesses

The seminars – held 7:30 a.m. March 20 and 22 at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 202 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway – will teach business owners and leaders how to protect their business interests. A planning guide will be provided.

County officials say that historically, three pandemics emerge per century and that the world is overdue for another occurrence. Health officials consider a pandemic a global epidemic of influenza and say that what’s been referred to as the “bird flu” meets the criteria.

A midlevel epidemic could affect 15 percent to 35 percent of the U.S. population and cost the economy between $71 billion and $166 billion, according to the chamber’s Web site, www.springfieldchamber.com.

Seminar reservations should be made by March 15 at (417) 864-1083.