This document provides a rapid assessment health checklist to gather information about a disaster affected population. The checklist includes questions about [1] the number of people affected and vulnerable groups, [2] the characteristics of the area such as location and development programs, and [3] questions about immediate health problems, access to healthcare, food security, shelter needs, and sanitation issues. The questions are designed to gather baseline data on the scope of needs.

1. Disaster
Health Checklist
Rapid Assessment

2. Number and status of people
• What is the approximate number of people
(with a rough percentage of women, children and
children under five)?(size, economic status and
location of communities)
• What are the reported numbers of deaths,
injuries and illness last year?
• Are there especially vulnerable groups? Who
are they, and what are their numbers?

3. Characteristics of the area and baseline data
• Where? District, block, Panchayat
• What is the geographic extent of the Panchayat/
area?
• What types of development or aid programmes
were or are operating in the area?

4. Health
• What are the immediate and obvious health
problems (wounds, respiratory infections,
gastrointestinal diseases and parasites, malaria,
measles)?
• Are health facilities functioning regularly?
• Where are the health centers and hospitals?
• Are there adequate health workers for the
facilities?
• Have there been disruptions in supply of
medicines, medical equipment or in the cold
chain in last year? Of what magnitude? When?

5. Food
•Are any groups without enough food?
• If so, is this because food is unavailable or
because the people lack purchasing power?
• Are households able to prepare food?
• Are there visible signs of malnutrition – children
too thin or with oedema (swollen belly)?
• In a quick check using a mid upper-arm
circumference strip, are there children who
classify as moderately or severely malnourished?
What percentage of those sampled?

6. Shelter
• Do people have shelter?
•Is it cold enough to need blankets?
•Do they need mosquito nets