CU1

• DISASTER: Disasters are serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources
• DISASTER: Ecologic disruptions or emergencies of a severity and magnitude that result in deaths, injuries, illness and property damage that cannot be effectively managed using routine procedures or resources that require outside assistance
• DISASTERS: Hazards are conditions or events with the potential to cause harm, and their identification is a crucial aspect of risk assessment and disaster preparedness
• DISASTER NURSING: The adaptation of professional nursing knowledge, skills and attitude in recognizing and meeting the nursing, health and emotional needs of disaster victims.
• DISASTER: "A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources." WHO
• DISASTER: A sudden, catastrophic event that causes significant disruption, destruction, and distress, often overwhelming the affected community's ability to cope using its resources
• INTRODUCTION: Disaster nursing is a specialized field within the broader scope of nursing that focuses on providing emergency healthcare during and after catastrophic events
• DISASTER: Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of a community
• Natural hazards

  • Earthquakes
  • Floods
  • Disease outbreaks
• Understanding and mitigating hazards

  Essential components of effective disaster management strategies to minimize the impact of adverse events on individuals, communities, and the environment
• Disaster is any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area
• Disaster is a catastrophic situation in which daily living patterns are disrupted, people are plunged into helplessness and suffering, and victims are in need of clothing, shelter, health care, and other necessities of life
• Major effects of disaster: Premature death, Impaired quality of life, Altered health status, Damage to properties
• Main features of disasters

  • Unpredictability
  • Unfamiliarity
  • Speed
  • Urgency
  • Uncertainty
  • Threat
• Disaster is a serious destruction of the functioning of the community or society, involving widespread human, material, economic, or environmental impacts that exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources
• Types of hazards and disasters

  • Natural: Geophysical
  • Meteorological
  • Hydrological
  • Climatological
  • Biological
  • Man-made
• Common disasters in the Philippines

  • Typhoon
  • Earthquake
  • Fire
  • Volcanic eruption
  • Drought
• Hazards

  Conditions or events with the potential to cause harm
• Disaster originated from Greek words DUS (bad) and ASTER (star)
• Disaster is an occurrence, either natural or man-made, that causes human suffering and creates human needs that victims cannot alleviate without assistance
• Disaster is an event, natural or man-made, sudden or progressive, which impacts with such severity that the community has to respond taking exceptional measures
• Human-made hazards

  • Industrial accidents
  • Chemical spills
  • Unsafe infrastructure
• DISASTER acronym breakdown: D – disruption of function of a large number of people, I – impact involves human, material, monetary, and ecological losses, S – sudden devastating and unexpected event, A – affect different levels of society: household level, community level, and provincial level, S – safekeeping measures are the utmost concern, T – total damages to life, limb, and property are appalling, E – exceed the capacity of a neighborhood or the general public to manage by means of its own resources, R – recovery takes months or years
• Health-related effects of disaster

  1. Premature Deaths, Illness and Injuries

  2. Exceeds capacity of local health care system

  3. Destruction of local health care infrastructure

  4. Disables the health care unit to respond to emergencies

  5. Environmental Imbalances

  6. Increased risk of communicable diseases

  7. Environmental hazards

  8. Affects psychological, emotional, and social well-being of the population

  9. Disrupts the adaptation and normal coping

  10. Shortage of food and Water

  11. Severe nutritional deficiencies

  12. Large Population Movement (Refugee)

  13. Health consequences of crowded living condition
• When is an event a disaster?

  • At least 20% of the population are affected and in need of emergency assistance or whose dwelling units have been destroyed
  • A great number or at least 40% of the means of livelihood such as bancas, fishing boats, vehicles and the like are destroyed
  • Major roads and bridges are destroyed and impassable for at least a week, thus disrupting the flow of transport and commerce
  • Widespread destruction of fish ponds, crops, poultry and livestock, and other agricultural products
  • Epidemics
• Top 10 global natural disasters

  • Cyclone
  • Earthquake
  • Tornado
  • Volcanic eruption
  • Tsunami
  • Flood
  • Wildfire
  • Drought
  • Avalanche
  • Landslide
• Categories of man-made disasters

  • Complex Emergencies
  • Technologic Disasters
  • Disasters that Occur in Human Settlements
• Disaster classification based on onset

  • Sudden-Onset Disasters
  • Slow-Onset Disasters
• Common disasters in the Philippines

  • Typhoon
  • Earthquake
  • Fire
  • Volcanic eruption
  • Drought
• Disaster classification based on duration

  • Acute/Short-Term Disasters
  • Chronic/Long-Term Disasters
• Phases of a disaster

  • Pre-Impact Phase
  • Impact Phase
  • Post-Impact Phase
• Internal Disasters

  • Disruption of normal hospital function due to injuries or deaths of hospital personnel or damage to health care facility
  • Earthquakes that occur within a country's boundaries
  • Localized flooding in a specific city or region
  • Industrial accidents within a particular industrial facility
• Impact Phase: The impact phase occurs when the disaster actually happens. It is a time of enduring hardship or injury
• Global natural disasters

  • Cyclone
  • Earthquake
  • Tornado
  • Volcanic eruption
  • Tsunami
  • Flood
  • Wildfire
  • Drought
  • Avalanche
  • Landslide
• Technologic Disasters

  • Release of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants (e.g., Chernobyl disaster in 1986)
  • Unintended and harmful events in industrial facilities (e.g., Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984)
  • Accidental release of hazardous chemicals (e.g., Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989)
• Categories of disasters

  • Internal Disasters
  • External Disasters
• Disaster classification based on impact

  • Natural Disasters
  • Man-Made or Technological Disasters
  • Complex Emergencies
• MAN MADE DISASTER
• External Disasters

  • Exhaustion of health care/hospital resources due to large volume of patients with varying types of injuries being admitted
  • A hurricane originating in the ocean and making landfall in a coastal region
  • The spread of a pandemic that starts in one country and affects neighboring nations
  • Transboundary pollution affecting multiple countries
• Pre-Impact Phase: It is the initial phase of disaster, prior to the actual occurrence. A warning is given at the sign of the first possible danger to a community with the aid of weather networks and satellite many meteorological disasters can be predicted. The earliest possible warning is crucial in preventing loss of life and minimizing damage. This is the period when the emergency preparedness plan is put into effect emergency centers are opened by the local civil, detention authority. Communication is a very important factor during this phase; disaster personnel will call on amateur radio operators, radio and television stations. The role of the nurse during this warning phase is to assist in preparing shelters and emergency aid stations and establishing contact with other emergency service group