Good for health science students for colleges

1. disaster preparedness
Abdirisak Mohamed

2. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst

3. Disaster preparedness
• Disaster preparedness –It is ongoing multi-sectoral activity. Integral part
of the national system responsible for developing plans and programmes
for disaster management, prevention, mitigation, response, rehabilitation
and reconstruction.
• These plans are policy, administrative decisions, and operational activities
which pertain to various stages of a disaster at all levels.
• Plans for these programmes are drawn up, usually during the non-
disaster period.
• A large component of the plans are also implemented during the
non- disaster phase either as precautionary activities or in
anticipation of a disaster.

4. Classification of disaster according to speed
of onset
• To effectively prepare for disaster we should understand classification
of disasters based on speed of onset and scope .
• SPEED OF ONSET
• 1 Sudden onset: little or no warning, minimal time to prepare. For
example, an earthquake, tsunami, cyclone, volcano, etc.
• 2 Slow onset: adverse event slow to develop; first the situation
develops; the second level is an emergency; the third level is a
disaster. For example, drought, civil strife, epidemic, etc.

5. CLASSIFICATION based on the scope
1. Minor Disaster: Any disaster that is within the response capabilities
of the Local Government and results in only minimal need for State
and Federal assistance.
2. Major Disaster: Any disaster that will likely exceed local capabilities
and require a broad range of State and Federal assistance.
3. Catastrophic Disaster: disaster that will require massive State and
Federal assistance, including immediate military involvement.

6. Framework For Disaster Preparedness Programmes
1. Planning: Preparedness plans should have clear objectives with
roles and responsibilities also clearly spelt out.
2. Hazard and vulnerability assessment: This is to determine what
impact should be expected with certain hazards and what could
be done about them.
3. Information system: A viable and effective information system
which ensures feedback should be aimed at.

7. Contd. Framework For Disaster Preparedness
Programmes
4. Logistical readiness: A satisfactory state of readiness to mobilize resources
in the most efficient and effective manner in order to minimize losses as a
result of a disaster.
• Preparedness programmes should identify resources for use and from
where they could be obtained for preparedness and response phase of
disaster.
• Preparedness can also take the form of ensuring that strategic reserves of
food, equipment, water, medicines and other essentials are maintained in
cases of national or local catastrophes.
5. Emergency personnel/contact lists
6. Evacuation plans and training

8. Contd. Framework For Disaster Preparedness Programmes
7. EARLY WARNING SYSTEM- A valid reliable and functional warning system is
essential though not applicable to all disasters.
8. PUBLIC INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND TRAINING: The ultimate purpose is to
ensure that affected communities can play their expected role in the case of
disaster.
9. REHEARSALS AND DRILLS:
 Serve the purpose of sharpening skills and testing systems.
 Drills give the opportunity to identify gaps and refine plans.
• 10. RESPONSE MECHANISMS: - i.e. activating that portion of the preparedness
plans which deals with the relief phase, after impact. The means by which
disaster relief is coordinated and mobilized from governmental and non-
governmental organisations to help victims of a disaster.

9. PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS
• Public health interventions and specific disease control
measures are a priority for reducing morbidity and
mortality in disaster affected communities.
• These include provision of:
• Water
• Housing
• Sanitation
• Vector control
• Vaccination
• Treatment services

10. Medical Preparedness & Mass Casualty
Management
 Developing and capacity building of medical team for
Trauma & psycho-social care, Mass casualty
management and Triage.
 Determine casualty handling capacity of all hospitals.
 Formulate appropriate treatment procedures.
 Involvement of private hospitals.
 Mark would be care centers that can function as a
medical units.
 Identify structural integrity and approach routes.
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11. Disaster risk reduction (DRR)
• Disaster risk reduction: physical measures to reduce the vulnerability and
exposure of infrastructure to natural hazards as well and to provide coping
and adaptive infrastructure in case of a disaster event.
• Natural hazards need not be natural disasters. Preventive action is possible,
especially when advance knowledge of the nature and occurrence of such
hazards are available to the general public.
• Human vulnerability is the relative lack of capacity of a person or
community to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from the impact of
a hazard. Factors that increase human vulnerability to disasters include
rapid urbanization, population growth, and lack of knowledge about how
to effectively resist the effects of disasters and poverty. Of all the factors,
poverty is perhaps at the root of what makes most people vulnerable to
the impact of most hazards.

12. Disaster risk reduction recommendations
 policy, planning and capacity building in disaster management
• Physical prevention; example, building sea-walls against storm surge
or flood shelters during flood events.
• Capacity building at institutional and systemic level in disaster
preparedness.
• The above policy and planning of physical measures designed to
reduce risks will have far reaching socio-economic and environmental
benefits that will keep the country functioning at all levels; for
example the continued provision of food, potable water and health
care and at the same time there will be less damage to infrastructure.

13. Disaster risk reduction Examples
• Examples of DRR measures that countries can adopt into their planning and policy are listed
below:
• Proper planning to mitigate flooding in flood prone areas and alternate
• infrastructure for the provision of food and potable water.
• Provision of raised flood shelters as those constructed in Bangladesh.
• The improvement of water supply systems in rural areas to provide sufficient potable water
supply during floods or droughts.
• Enhance community-based disaster preparedness by focusing more on the roles of women.
• Improve wireless communication that is robust and integrated with both electronic and manual
system.
• Train farmers to diversify food crops as a strategy to survive in the event of disaster.
• Set up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) locally and internationally to provide for the
acquisition of resources which can be depleted by disaster and or become scarce.

15. The Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)
• At the national level, an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) needs to be
established to set out the scope of activities required for community
preparedness and response. It must declare what the community can
realistically do. The EOP allows the community to respond to threats
and engages responders in the short-term recovery and must be
flexible to be valuable in real and potential emergencies. EOPs are
general and do not include the administrative plan, the mitigation
strategy, the long term recovery or the Standard Operational
procedures. Those areas of disaster management are contained in
separate documents.