DISASTER

 A disaster is a serious disruption, occurring over a relatively short time, of

the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human,
material, economic or environmental loss and impacts, which exceeds the
ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own
resources.
DEFINITION
 A Disaster may be defined as any occurrence that cause damage, ecological
disturbance, 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. (W.H.O)
 A disaster can be defined as an occurrence either natural or manmade that
causes human suffering and creates human needs that victims cannot
alleviate without assistance. American Red Cross (ARC)

Basic Concept of Psychosocial Support

 Disasters may result in loss of loved ones or property
 The emotional effects may manifest immediately or may appear later
 The more severe the disaster – i.e. greater the perceived threat to life,
greater the exposure to destruction, hearing distressing things- the more
negative the outcome
 Survivors and personnel working in such scenarios experience stress
 It is important to know the signs of burnout and how we can reduce the
effects of stress through psychosocial support
 Psychosocial support refers to the actions that address both the
psychological and social needs of individuals

Psychological Responses to a Disaster

 The psychological responses to a disaster can be divided into three
different categories, which are:
 thoughts
 feelings, and
 behavior
THOUGHTS
The major thoughts responses are;
 Recurring dreams / nightmares
 Reconstructing the events in mind
 Difficulty in concentration
 Repeated thoughts or memories of the disaster
FEELINGS
 Fear and anxiety when reminded of disaster
 Lack of involvement and enjoyment
 Depression
 Feeling irritable
 Sense of hopelessness/emptiness/deep loss

Behavior
 Overprotective about safety and self and family
 Startling easily
 Experiencing problems falling sleep
 Tearful for no apparent reason
ACCEPTANCE OF SITUATION
 People use various methods to come to acceptance of their situation

 Usually starts with denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally

acceptance stage

 The time taken by different individuals for these stages varies according to
individuals

 Many people cope and move on with their lives after accepting their
situation
There are groups which are more vulnerable to the psychological
consequences of disasters like:
 Elderly persons
 Children and adolescents
 Women (especially pregnant or lactating)
 Single-parent families
 Extremely poor people
 People with disabilities or health conditions
 The bereaved
 Rescue and relief workers
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT
 A smaller number of people disrupt due to broken family and community
networks as a result of emergencies
 
 A psychosocial response by CHW here might be to involve in family tracing
and reunification or it could involve the encouragement of social support
networks

CHW- Qualities for basic Psychosocial Support

 Active listening
 Good communication skills
 Trustworthiness
 Approachability
 Patience
 Kindness
 Commitment
 Caring attitude
 Non-judgmental approach
 A good knowledge of psychosocial issues
MIGRATION
 Human Migration is the movement by people from one place to another
with the intention of settling, permanently or temporarily in a new location.
TYPES
 Immigration and Emigration
 In-migration and Out-migration
 Gross and Net migration
 Internal and External migration
CAUSES
 Marriage
 Employment
 Education
 Lack of Security
IMPACTS
 Over populated in one area and low populated in another area
 Unemployment to Native Worker in their own place
 Crime rates and Security Threats are increased
 It affects Cultural Practice and Behaviour of Native People
 Migration purposefully done for Smuggling, Contract Killer and Human
Trafficking
EMERGENCY
Emergency is a state in which normal procedures are interrupted and
immediate measures need to be taken to prevent that state turning into a
disaster.
REASON AND KIND OF EMERGENCY
 Disaster ( Natural Calamities ).
 Man Made ( Industrials ).
 Medical Emergency.
 Lack of Knowledge.
 Men, Women & Children.
Action Plan : Disaster
 Preparedness
 Response
 Mitigation
 Recovery
 Know the Risks
 Make a Plan
 Get an Emergency Kit
Health and Safety :
 Clean up during disaster recovery involves many occupational hazards.
 Hazards are exacerbated by the local environment.
 Individual workers should be aware of the Potential hazards.
 Employers are responsible for protecting workers.
Flood Associated Injuries:
 Sharp and Blunt obj under murky waters & Contaminated water.
 Risk of Drowning & Hypothermia.
 Miliaria (Sweat Rash) & Contact Dermatitis.
 Immersion Foot Syndrome.
Earthquake Associated :
 Falling Debris.
 Crush Injuries.
 Trapped under Rubble.
 Burns.
 Electric Shock.
Direct Release:
 Magnesium, Phosphorus, Ammonia, Silica.
Intentional Release:
 Insecticides.
 Chlorine dioxide.
 Unintentional Release:
 Crude oil Components.
 Benzene, N-hexane, Hydrogen Sulphide, Cumene, Ethylbenzene,
Naphthalene, Toluene, Xylenes, PCB’s.
 Agrochemicals.
 Asbestos.
Man-Made & Technological : Disaster
 Chemical Spills and Ground Water Contaminations.
 Work Place Fires cause significant property damage and loss of life.
 Threats posed by Extremist groups.
 Cyber Terrorism attack against Computer and Networks.
 Hazardous Material.
 Power Service Disruption and Blackout.
 Nuclear Power Plant and Nuclear Blast.
 Radiological Emergencies.
 Chemical Threats and Biological Weapons.
 Cyber attack.
 Explosion.
 Civil Unrest.
When Emergency Occurs :
 Take a deep breath.
 Count to 10, Tell yourself you can handle the situation.
 Check for danger, Protect yourself and the injured from FIRE, EXPLOSION or
Other Hazards.
 Try to look at the situation as a whole.
 What is the most serious problem and what to do first?
 The most obvious problem is not always the most serious.
 Treat the most life-threatening problem like bleeding or shock first.
 If you think the person has a spinal injury, do not move him or her unless
the danger is great.
 Check for broken bones and injuries.
CONCLUSION
 During a emergency of any kind first the response should be calmness.
 Then the situation of the emergency has to be analysed.
 Then the Nature of the emergency, Cause of the emergency and Quality of
the emergency has to be analysed.
 Only after that the response has to be planned in that situation.