DISASTER MANAGEMENT
The united nations defines a disaster as a serious
disruption of the functioning of a community or a society. Disasters involve
widespread human, material, economic or environmental impacts, which exceed the
ability or the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.The
red cross and red crescent societies define disaster
management as the organisation and management of resources and responsibilities
for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies , in particular
preparedness , response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of
disasters.
TYPES
OF DISASTERS
There is no country that is immune from disaster ,
thought vulnerability to disaster varies. There are four main types of disaster
·
Natural
disasters: including floods , hurricanes , earth quakes and volcano
eruptions that have immediate impacts on human health and secondary impacts
causing further death and suffering from (for example) floods , landslides ,
fires , tsunamis.
·
Environmental emergencies: including
technological or industrial accidents, usually involving the production, use or
transportation of hazardous material,
and occur where these materials are produced, used or transported, and forest
fires caused by humans.
·
Complex emergencies:
involving a break-down of authority, looting and attacks on strategic
installations, including conflict situations and war.
·
Pandemic
emergencies: involving a sudden onset of contagious
disease that affects health, disrupts services and businesses, brings economic
and social costs.
·
Any disaster can interrupt essential
services, health care, electricity, water sewage/garbage removal,
transportation and communications. The interruption can seriously affect the
health, social and economic networks of local communities and countries.
Disasters have a major and long-lasting impact on people long after the
immediate effect has been mitigated. Poorly planned relief activities can have
a significant negative impact not only on the disaster victims but also on
donors and relief agencies. So it is important that physical therapists join
established programmes rather than attempting individual efforts.
·
Local, regional, national and
international organisations are all involved in mounting a humanitarian response
to disasters. Each will have a prepared disaster management plan. These plans
cover prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery.
DISASTER
PREVENTION
·
These are activities designed to provide
permanent protection from disasters. Not all disasters, particularly natural
disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be
mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design
standards. In January 2005, 168 governments adopted a 10-year global plan for
natural disaster risk reduction called the hyogo framework. It offers guiding
principles, priorities for action, and practical means for achieving disaster
resilience for vulnerable communities.
DISASTER
PREPARDENESS
·
These activities are designed to
minimise loss of life and damage-for example by removing people and property
from a threatened location and by facilitating timely and effective rescue,
relief and rehabilitation. Preparedness is the main way of reducing the impact
of disaster. Community-based preparedness and management should be a high priority
in physical therapy practice management.
DISASTER
RELIEF
·
This is a coordinated multi-agency
response to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term results. Relief
activities include rescue, relocation, providing food and water, preventing
diseases and disability, repairing vital services such as telecommunication and
transport, providing temporary shelter and emergency health care.
DISASTER RECOVERY
Once emergency needs
have been met and the initial crises is over, the people affected and the
communities that supports them are still vulnerable. Recovery activities
include rebuilding infrastructure, health care and rehabilitation. These should
blend with development activities, such as building human resources for health
and developing policies and practices to avoid similar situations in future.
Disaster management is
linked with sustainable development, particularly in relation to vulnerable
people such as those with disabilities, elderly people, children and other
marginalised groups. Health volunteers overseas publications address some of
the common misunderstandings about disaster management.
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