CARE OF CHILDREN DURING DISASTERS

Children depend on daily routines: They wake up, eat breakfast, go to school and play with friends.
When emergencies or disasters interrupt this routine, children may become anxious. In a disaster, they'll
look to you and other adults for help. How you react to an emergency gives them clues on how to act. If
you react with alarm, a child may become more scared. They see our fear as proof that the danger is
real. If you seem overcome with a sense of loss, a child may feel their losses more strongly.

Be aware that after a disaster, children are most afraid that

● The event will happen again.
● Someone will be injured or killed.
● They will be separated from the family.
● They will be left alone.

Preparing Children
● Teach children how and when to call for help.
● Check the telephone directory for local emergency phone numbers and post these phone
numbers by all telephones.
● Even very young children can be taught how and when to call for emergency assistance. Help
your child memorize important family information.
● Children should memorize their family name, address, phone number and name of school and
or/early childhood centre.
● They should also know where to meet in case of an emergency. Some children may not be old
enough to memorize the information.
● They could carry a small index card that lists emergency information to give to an adult or
babysitter.

After a disaster
● Keep the family together. While you look for housing and assistance, you may want to leave
your children with relatives or friends. Instead, keep the family together as much as possible and
make children a part of what you are doing to get the family back on its feet.
● Children get anxious, and they'll worry that their parents/guardians won't return. As adults, we
should walk in a manner that places us between the traffic and the child. As much as possible
we should never expose our child to the dangers of moving traffic, and never place children in
the front seat of vehicles (even outside emergency and disaster situations.)
● Encourage children to talk. Let children talk about the disaster and ask questions as much as
they want. Encourage children to describe what they're feeling. Listen to what they say. If
possible, include the entire family in the discussion

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY DURING DISASTERS

● Many people will have a disability, either short-term or permanent, that will limit their ability to
move around.
● Disabilities manifest themselves in varying degrees. Everyone needs to have a plan to be able to
evacuate a building, regardless of his or her physical condition. When preparing for a disaster,
we must consider carefully all aspects and categories of disabilities.
● The Five General Categories of Disabilities
 ○ Mobility Impairments
○ Visual Impairments
○ Hearing Impairments
○ Speech Impairments
○ Cognitive Impairments
● Important reminders for Persons with Disabilities during disasters
○ If in a wheelchair when the earthquake begins, lock your wheels
○ Keep service animals with the person in a safe place at home, or take them with you to a
shelter. (SERVICE ANIMALS ARE USUALLY ALLOWED IN A SHELTER)
○ Install at least one smoke detector on each level of your home, outside sleeping areas.
Install a system with flashing strobe lights for the hearing impaired.
○ Find the location of and learn how and when to disconnect main utility cutoff valves and
switches in your home during an emergency.
○ When traveling, know the types of disasters that threaten the area you will be visiting.
Let the hotel or motel front desk know of your possible needs in case of an emergency.
Describe the type of help you may need. Inform friends, family and/or your network
members of your travel plans, when you will leave and when you will return.

Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities

● Home Health Care and Home Bound Patients
○ Build a support team of people who are usually in the same area as you, and can help
you in an emergency if necessary.
○ The real first responders in an emergency are often your neighbors, friends and co-
workers.
○ Build support teams with many people at every place where you spend a large part of
your day: at work, home, school, or volunteer site. This is especially important when it is
hard to predict who will be where you are at any given time.
○ Practice with different people to figure out who will best be able to help you. Look for
people with the following qualities: Strong, Calm, Listens well, Communicates clearly,
Can guide you safely, and Attends to important details.
○ Work with people who are dependable and have the physical and emotional ability to
assist you reliably.
● Buddy Systems and Attendants: Do Not Rely on One Person
○ Do not depend on any one person.
○ If you rely on personal assistance services (attendants), they may also not be available
when you need them.
○ Therefore, it is important that your support team include other people.
● Plan Multiple Ways to Give and Get Information
○ Different communication systems work differently. In an emergency, some may work
when others fail. The more
○ systems you have available to you, the more likely it is that you will be able to contact
other people. Means of
○ communications include:
■ E-mail
■ Internet
■ Pagers
■ Text messaging
 ■ A standard phone that does not need electricity (most new phones, including
cordless ones, need to be plugged into an electrical outlet)
■ Cell phone
■ Low cost two -way radios
■ Ham radio

ROLE OF COMMUNITY OR PUBLIC HEALTH IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

What is Public Health?

The science and practice of protecting and improving the health of a community, through :
– preventive medicine
– health education including mental health and nutrition
– control of communicable diseases
– application of sanitary measures, and monitoring of environmental hazards.
(Source: American Heritage Definition)

• Population focused, not individual

• Assess health status of the population
• Develop and implement policy
• Promote access to health care

What is Public Health doing?

• Regularly Updates Key Agencies/Organizations with Information and Resources
• Conducts Drills and Exercises
• Develops Information Messages for the Public
• Uses an Incident Command System
• Continually Trains Public Health Employees and the Community on Emergency Response

Fundamental Obligations of Public Health Agencies

• Prevent epidemics and the spread of diseases

• Protect against environmental hazards
• Promote good nutrition and
• Promote and encourage healthy behaviors and mental health
• Respond to disasters and assists communities in recovery

Health System

• -The combination of health care institutions, supporting human resources, financing

mechanisms, information systems, organizational structures that link institutions and resources,
and management structures that collectively culminate in the delivery of health services to
patients.
(Lassey et al 1997)

Disasters and Public Health

• Summary of common health problems after disaster:
– Death and injuries
– Damage to health and facilities
– Population displacement –shelter overcrowding
– Increased risk to communicable disease
– Food and nutrition problems
– Water supply and sanitation needs
– Mental health & psychosocial needs
Challenges of Public Health Emergency Managers
• Policy gaps
• Information management
• Program implementation
• Logistics management
• Documentation
• Networking and coordination

Public Health functions during disaster differ from normal in 2 important ways:
• Decisions and actions must occur on an accelerated time-frame and with limited resources
• Response requires collaboration with other organizations (many non-health: fire, law, public
works)

Evaluating Effectiveness
• Constant evaluation is a key during response because you are not afforded a second chance
• Make sure you are headed in the right direction; no second disaster
• Rapid needs assessment – often regarded as “quick and dirty” – are as important as post-event
analyses and should be implemented frequently
Improving Policy and Plans
• Legal and policy review of public health in a disaster context is a crucial component in improving
plans for future disasters
• Laws about licensing and credentialing should also be reviewed
• A policy to improve capacity for better respond to any increased burder to illness and injury
 • Good policy can ensure that ample preparation and safeguards are in place for better response

Overall objective of DRRM from a public health perspective

• To assess the needs of the disaster-affected population
• To match available resources to the needs
• To prevent further adverse health effects
• To implement diseases control strategies for well-defined problems
• To evaluate the effectiveness of disaster response program
• To improve contingency plans for any future disasters