The dramatic evacuation of a team of Cornell health educators – eight students and their leader – from Kenya during post-election violence early this month could not have been accomplished so rapidly if the travelers had not prepared for emergencies in advance.

"All international travelers should have an emergency plan in place before they leave on their trips," said Allen Bova, Cornell director of risk management and insurance, "even if they are going into areas of the world deemed safe." He noted that the Kenyan violence erupted without warning and caught the Kenyan government, international agencies and the U.S. State Department off guard.

Cornell has resources available for all of its travelers at http://www.international.cornell.edu/topic/travel/, including the International SOS service (ISOS) that helped the university hire a security team to guard the undergraduates and their adviser in Kenya. In incidents in which the U.S. State Department issues warnings to Americans to leave an area, ISOS would handle the entire evacuation procedure, Bova said.

All faculty, students and staff, including people enrolled in study abroad programs and Cornell Adult University, are automatically covered under the ISOS program while they travel on university business. Cornell people can also purchase insurance from ISOS for personal travel through the online link. On-the-road assistance can be improved if travelers register with ISOS before every trip and provide details about their itinerary and personal medical profiles. Bova advises travelers also to register with the U.S. State Department.

"You can use these sites' secure online systems to store copies of your critical documents," he said.

Bova, the University Counsel's office and David Wippman, Cornell vice provost for international relations, worked with the Kenya group and reviewed the details of the trip before the students left Ithaca, which proved critical when the violence broke out.

Bova stressed these important emergency planning tips for international travelers:

• Always have a method of communication back to the United States.
• Register with ISOS before leaving the United States.
• Review travel plans with Bova's office.
• Make sure to have international health insurance. Know where Western medical centers are located.
• Check out Gannett Health Services' Travel Clinic and get necessary immunizations before the trip.
• Become familiar with the safety, health and security of the countries to be visited. The U.S. State Department's Web site at http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html has a wealth of information, including warnings about trouble spots.