This document outlines the types and effects of various natural disasters. It defines a natural disaster as a major adverse event caused by natural processes that can cause loss of life, property damage, and economic impacts. The document then discusses different types of natural disasters like floods, cyclones, ice storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and fires. It describes the typical effects of each type of disaster, which commonly include drowning, exposure, injuries from building collapses or debris, respiratory illnesses from ash or smoke, and infrastructure damage. The document stresses that natural disasters can have significant negative impacts on public health.

1. Natural disasters and
their management
By /MahmoudShaqria
‫شقريه‬‫محمد‬‫محمود‬

2. •Out lines:
1. INTRODUCTION
2. Definition of natural disaster
3. Types of natural disaster
4. Definition and effect of each type
Floods
Cyclone, tropical cyclone, hurricane
Ice storms
Hailstorms
Earthquakes
Volcanic eruptions
Avalanches and landslides

3. Solar flare
Tornadoes
Fires
5-Consequences of Natural Disasters
6-Disaster Management
7- Goals of Disasters Management
• THE RESCUE STAGE
• THE RECOVERY STAGE
• Role of the nurse in recovery
• Management of flooding

4. INTRODUCTION
• natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting
from natural processes of the Earth; examples are
floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes.
A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage
property, and typically leaves some economic damage
in its wake, the severity of which depends on the
affected population's resilience (ability to recover) and
also on the infrastructure available

5. •Definition of natural disaster
• A natural disaster is defined as an event of nature,
which overwhelms local resources and threatens the
function and safety of the community.
• strategy will be able to quickly adjust and adapt to
unforeseen situations and complications.
• An emergency strategy that is myopic and static in
nature is doomed to fail as the disaster situation
grows, becoming both complex and unpredictable.

13. •1-Floods
• A flood is an overflow of water that 'submerges' land.
• It is a temporary covering the land with water which is usually not
covered by water.
• . Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of
water, such as a river or lake, which overflows, causing some of the
water to escape its usual boundaries.
• While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal
changes in precipitation and snow melt, it is not a significant flood
unless the water covers land used by man, like a village, city or other
inhabited area, roads, expanses of farmland,

14. • The greatest risk of mortality from a flood is predictably drowning.
Second only to drowning, exposure to the elements accounts for a
large percentage of the deaths and critical injuries that occur in floods.
In many cases, individuals who are caught in rising
floodwaters wait for rescue in any refuge that can be found including
trees, tops of buildings and
automobiles. Depending on the extent of the flooding and the
availability of rescue personnel,
people may spend hours to days openly exposed to inclement weather.
The lower the ambient temperature falls below 15ºC, the greater the
risk of accidental hypothermia.

15. •Cyclone
• Cyclone, tropical cyclone, hurricane, and typhoon are different names
for the same phenomenon, which is a cyclonic storm system that
forms over the oceans. The determining factor on which term is used
is based on where they originate. In the Atlantic and Northeast
Pacific, the term "hurricane" is used; in the Northwest Pacific it is
referred to as a "typhoon" and "cyclones" occur in the South Pacific
and Indian Ocean

16. • aggressive development of vulnerable coastal areas has lead to an
increase in hurricane related deaths, injuries, and economic costs.
the greatest mortality originates from the secondary disasters that
have been triggered such as small tornadoes, flash flooding, and storm
surges. In coastal regions (within 30
miles of a salt-water coast), the level of a hurricane’s storm surge is one
of the strongest predictors of mortality.
Winds are the second deadliest aspect of a hurricane. The wind of a
hurricane often causes property damage along with the collapse of
houses and other wooden structures.

17. •Ice storms
• An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by
freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service
defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the
accumulation of at least 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) of ice on
exposed surfaces

18. • The immediate effect of a severe winter storm
• is usually felt in disruption of traffic patterns
• severe spike in automobile accidents. Trauma from traffic collisions
can vary from orthopedic injury, to severe vascular compromise, to
life threatening bruising to the thorax and abdomen.
• Head injuries, fractures, and bruising are also caused by falls in icy
walking conditions and are more common among the elderly.

19. • Exposure to the elements is also of great concern in a winter storm.
Individuals may incur frostbite from extended exposure to the
unusual cold. Severe cases may require amputation.
• Since power lines and phone systems are commonly disrupted in a
severe winter storm, death from carbon monoxide poisoning and
hypothermia is also a large concern as individuals
• frequently use inappropriate heaters indoors in an attempt to stay
warm.

20. •Hailstorms
• Hailstorms are precipitation in the form of ice, with
the ice not melting before it hits the ground.
Hailstones usually measure between 0.2-inch (5
millimetres) and 6 inches (15 centimetres) in
diameter.

21. • Earthquakes
• An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the
Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface,
earthquakes manifest themselves by vibration, shaking, and
sometimes displacement of the ground. Earthquakes are caused by
slippage within geological faults. The underground point of origin of
the earthquake is called the seismic focus. The point directly above
the focus on the surface is called the epicenter.

22. • Earthquakes by themselves rarely kill people or
wildlife. It is usually the secondary events that they
trigger such as building collapse, fires, tsunamis
(seismic sea waves) and volcanoes. Many of these
could possibly be avoided by better construction,
safety systems, early warning and planning

23. • Earthquakes induce a high level of mortality due to crush
injuries from falling objects. The
• greatest risk of injury from an earthquake is either indoors
or in close proximity to buildings and other structures.
• The risk of injury in open areas such as fields or in the
countryside is very low.
• Furthermore, injury severity is inversely related to the
distance from the epicentre of the earthquake. Injuries and
deaths are generally increased with the magnitude of the
earthquake,
•increased ground motion, and structural damage.

24. •Volcanic eruptions
• Volcanic eruptions have immediate life threatening health effects as they
eject tonnes of airborne pollutants into the atmosphere. Like smoke from
large forest fires, the airborne pollutants may
• cause new respiratory diseases or exacerbate existing conditions. With
volcanoes, however, the sheer magnitude of a large eruption can literally fill
the atmosphere with tonnes upon tonnes of
• ash and lethal gases. If caught within close proximity to an eruption, even
individuals with no respiratory illnesses will find it hard to breath.

25. •Common effects of toxic volcanic gases such as
• carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphuric acid include acute
respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary edema, irritant conjunctivitis,
joint pain, muscle weakness, and cutaneous bullae.
Burns due to superheated steam or from secondary fires started by the
eruption are also common. In many instances mudslides occur in conjunction
with volcanic eruptions as the topographical contour of the hillside is changed
rapidly. Mudslides, which are commonly seen in
flooding situations as well, can lead to crush injuries, severe internal bleeding,
multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and asphyxiation.

26. •Avalanches and landslides
• A landslide is described as an outward and downward slope
movement of an abundance of slope-forming materials including
rock, soil, artificial, or even a combination of these things.[5]
• During World War I, an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 soldiers died as a
result of avalanches during the mountain campaign in the Alps at the
Austrian-Italian front. Many of the avalanches were caused by
artillery fire

27. •Solar flare
• A solar flare is a phenomenon where the Sun suddenly releases a
great amount of solar radiation, much more than normal. Solar flares
are unlikely to cause any direct injury, but can destroy electrical
equipment.
• The potential of solar storms to cause disaster was seen during the
1859 Carrington event, which disrupted the telegraph network, and
the March 1989 geomagnetic storm which blacked out Quebec.
• The most powerful flare ever recorded occurred on November 4,
2003 (estimated at between X40 and X45)

28. •Tornadoes
• A tornado is a violent and dangerous rotating column
of air that is in contact with both the surface of the
Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud, or the base of a
cumulus cloud in rare cases. It is also referred to as a
twister or a cyclone,
• although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in
a wider sense, to refer to any closed low pressure
circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes,
but are typically in the form of a visible condensation
funnel, whose narrow end touches the Earth and is
often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust.

29. •Fires
• While ninety percent of the forest fires in the United States are caused by
human action, ‘natural’ forest fires most often occur due to lightening
strikes in dry and windy conditions.
• The greatest health impact of a forest fire is, its effect on the surrounding
air quality.
• Due to opportune local conditions, many smaller fires can contribute to
poor air quality of one particular area.
• At the very best, the build up of smoke and pollutants in the air decreases
visibility, and at the very worst it leads to new respiratory problems or
exacerbates existing conditions.

30. •Consequences of Natural Disasters
• Natural disasters have a significant impact on the public health and
well-being of populations affected. Negative health impacts can be
direct (e.g., injuries) or indirect (e.g., malnutrition and increase in
infectious diseases). In the aftermaths of a natural disaster, these
health issues are compounded by the damage done to health
systems, water and sanitation infrastructure, and the displacement of
communities affected. Displacement is quite common after major
natural disasters due to increased homelessness

31. •Disaster Management
 Disaster management is the discipline that involves preparing,
warning, supporting and rebuilding societies when natural disasters
occur.
 It is the continuous process in an effort to avoid or minimize the
impact of disasters resulting from hazards.

32. • Goals of Disasters Management
1) Reduce (Avoid, if possible) the potential losses (lives & infrastructure)
from hazards.
2) Reduce the risks by timely measures, short-term and long-term policies
3) Assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster when
necessary.
4) Achieve rapid, effective, sustained & durable recovery & rehabilitation.

33. • THE RESCUE STAGE – DISRUPTION OF THE INITIAL
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
• In the hours following a major natural disaster, the immediate rescue effort
originates from the affected community itself. Local resources are quickly
recruited and reorganized to suit the obvious needs at hand. In many
instances, this is done on a case-by-case basis, and medical response
measures may be initiated before the complete picture is considered
• . Within the first 24 hours the focus must remain on ensuring that the most
critically ill and accessible patients receive the appropriate medical attention
and care.
• However, with many natural disasters, the situation is further complicated
by the massive disruption of critical infrastructure which prevents an
appropriately organized and comprehensive medical response.

34. •medical care in a disaster situation is usually given by
physicians and health care workers who are not specifically
trained in emergency medicine. In these circumstances, there
is usually a diffuse response to the disaster with no centralized
point of organization. Here the hospital’s role rarely extends
beyond providing medical care and community or regional
organization is sporadic at best.

35. • After providing appropriate and timely emergency medical care, the next priority
for the survivors of a natural disaster is shelter.
• Shelter is a basic human need that protects individuals against the elements, and
secondly allows for the restoration of proper public health practices that will
protect against long-term health consequences.
• Finding appropriate shelter for all victims usually becomes a priority around the
48-hour mark after a disaster.
• At this stage the rescue operation is most likely continuing.

36. • A suitable communication system is vital to the proper integration of a multi-
organizational response with the relay of information to and from field
command posts to an emergency operations centre.
• During a communication disruption, the loss of the ability to call for
emergency aid will have an obvious effect of postponing appropriate medical
care to many individuals.
• Additionally, the isolation that stems from a lack of communication and
information transfer can also have psychological effects as family groups find
themselves without direction or reassurance from authorities.

37. • THE RECOVERY STAGE
• One of the primary goals of local health officials in the wake of a major
disaster is to resume the normal health practices of the region. This includes
the normal operations of all local hospitals and clinics, disease monitoring
systems, and all public health programs.
• Additionally, any disease control programs that were in operation before the
disaster must continue.
• Despite common misconceptions, most outbreaks following a natural disaster
are not exotic or rare diseases.

38. •Role of the nurse in recovery
 The nurses remain teaching proper care.
 Make sure immunization records are up to date.
 Provide care to acute and chronic illnesses.
• Nurses need to be alert for environmental health hazards during the
recovery phase of a disaster. During home visits as lack of water or
electricity

39. Thank you….