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1. Disasters: definition, main concepts, characteristics and classification.
Disaster –
- low probability but high impact of event
- challenging situations that lead to isolation
- natural phenomena or human actions -> help from outside is needed
Definitions:
WHO: a sudden ecological phenomenon of sufficient magnitude to require external assistance.
Glossary:
- A serious disruption of a community/ society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community/ society using its own resources 2) Situation or event, which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to national or international level for external assistance
Other: 1) when “the number of patients presenting within a given time period are such that the emergency department cannot provide care for them without external assistance”,
- “an imbalance in the availability of medical care and a maldistribution of medical resources versus casualties within a community”
- simply “they know a disaster when they see one”
Disaster cycle
1- mitigation/ prevention 2- Preparedness -Disaster- 3-Response 4- Recovery —> 1
1) reconstruction (Recon II) , legislative planning (LP), schedule vulnerability and risk assessment (VRA) 2) threat assessment (TA), resource assembly and acquisition (RA&A), jurisdictional cooperation, drill and exercise (D&E), writing a plan
-DISASTER-
- activation of emergency protocol (AEP), medical assistance and first aid (EMS), shelter and evacuation
(S&E), search and rescue (S&R), secondary damage reduction (SDR)
- Damage Assessment (DA), clean up (De-con), restoration of critical systems and facilities (Restore), providing temporary basic needs (TBN), Basic reconstruction (ReconII) -> 1)
Basic characteristics of disasters
- suddenness of the event
- heavy general and medical situation (damaged infrastructure, water, electricity, roads, buildings; isolation)
- lack of corresponds between the necessary means and strength and those we actually have (bandages and medicine needed; self and mutual assistance; payment of used materials; coordination and services)
- Affecting wide territories (help from regions situated far away or from foreign countries is needed, risk of start of an epidemic due to pollution and dead people and animals)
- psychological problems (acute stress reaction; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSDs); adjustment disorder or enduring personality change)
Classification
1. Natural
- meteorological: storms, hurricanes, tornados, sudden cool down/ warm up
- topological: floods, landslides, snow slides (lay of the region)
- tectonic: earthquakes, volcanoes (progress in earth cores)
- space connected: meteorites
2. Anthropogenic
- breakdowns: in industries, energetic, agriculture (fire, toxic/chemical pollution)
- transport accidents: railways, water and air transport, road accidents with many injured
- socio-economical disasters: mass hunger, riots, terrorism
- military operations
- others: collapse of bridges, buildings, epidemics, ecological catastrophes
3. Global
- thinning of ozone layer
- global warming
- magnetic storms
4. Contemporary (new disaster)
- raised use of psychoactive substances
- raised violence
- false spiritual of the Globalism
- demographic
2. Organization of public protection in case of disasters. Structure of Civil Protection.
Organization for protection of the population in catastrophes
- Legislation: laws and standardized documents for the functions of rescue organizations
- building of organizations
- developing of a plan
- education and preparation of the population
- effective system for informing population
- perfecting medical system
- preconditioning for displacement of population in need
- management of the proceeding in protection of the population
Basic principles for protection
- everyone has right to be protected
- priority of saving human life
- publicity information on disaster risk and activities of executive bodies of disaster protection
- priority of preventive measure
- responsibility for execution of the protection measure
Normal stress reactions after a disaster
- temporary emotional reaction: shock, fear, grief, anger, hopelessness, emotional numbness
- cognitive reactions: confusion, disorientation, worry, memory loss, unwanted memories
- physical reactions: tension, fatigue, difficulty with sleeping, change in appetite and sex drive, interpersonal reactions to relationships
Key concepts
- disaster (WHO definition)
- disastrous state: specific condition following a disaster, which requires the application of special measures for a set period of time that have for a goal conduct actions for reducing the losses and liquidation of the consequences
- crisis: unexpected/ sudden change of the set conditions of life, which affects health, the property of large portions of the population, environment, culture, etc.
- preventive actions: analysis, observation, array of actions, reducing of risk factors