Natural disaster and their management

Crises management

1. Natural disasters and their management By / Mahmoud Shaqria محمود محمد شقريه

2. Out lines : INTRODUCTION Definition of natural disaster Types of natural disaster 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.

6. 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,

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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 .

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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 .

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

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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 .

31. 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

32. Thank you….