DISASTER IN THE COMMUNITY

B S N3 15 COMMUN I T Y H E A LT H N UR S I N G
AY 2023- 2024
Intended
Learning
Outcomes
• Upon completion of this chapter,
the student will be able to do:
• Discuss how disasters, natural
and human-made, affect people
and their communities.
• Describe the characteristics of
disaster.
• Describe the disaster
management phases of
prevention.
• Examine the nurse’s role in the
disaster management cycle.

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 What are Disasters

Disasters are identified as natural,

manmade, or a combination of both.

A natech (natural-technological)
disaster is a natural disaster that
creates or results in a widespread
technological problem.

An example of a natech disaster is an

earthquake that causes structural
collapse of roadways or bridges,
which, leads to downed electrical wires
and subsequent fires.

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 • Several characteristics have been used to describe disasters.
These characteristics are interdependent and therefore
important to consider in plans for managing any disaster event.
• Frequency
• Predictability
Characteristics
• Preventability
of Disaster • Imminence
• Scope and number of casualties
• Intensity

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Characteristics of Disaster
• Frequency refers to how often a disaster occurs. Some disasters
occur relatively often in certain parts of the world. example are
hurricanes, which occur with variable frequency between the months of
June and November in the Northern Hemisphere, and earthquakes,
which occur periodically throughout the world.

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 Characteristics of Disaster
• Predictability relates to the ability to determine when and whether a
disaster event will occur. Some disasters, such as floods, may be
predicted in the spring through monitoring of the snowmelt.

• Preventability /Mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce loss of life

and property by lessening the impact of disasters. It means taking action
now—before the next disaster—to reduce human and financial
consequences.
• Preventability assumes that all disasters are not inevitable and steps can
be taken to prevent them. Some disasters (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes,
and earthquakes) are not preventable, whereas others can be easily
controlled. For example, flooding can be controlled or prevented through
construction of dams or levees or deepening bayous.

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Characteristics of Disaster

Imminence is the speed of onset of an impending disaster and

relates to the extent of forewarning possible and the anticipated
duration of the incident.

Weather forecasters can tell when a hurricane may be developing

days ahead of its expected arrival and can give the time of arrival, the
general direction it will take, and an approximate location for its
landing and forward movement.

The scope of a disaster indicates the range of its effect. The scope
is described in terms of both the geographic area involved and the
number of individuals affected, injured, or killed.

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Characteristics of
Disaster

• Intensity is the characteristic

describing the level of destruction
and devastation of the disaster
event.
• Factors contributing to the
amount of damage from a
disaster event such as a
hurricane are the distance from
the zone of maximum winds, how
exposed the location is, building
standards, vegetation type, and
resultant flooding

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 Current
Examples
• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
• 7.8 earthquake struck southern and
central Turkey and northern and
western Syria.
• There was widespread damage in
an area of about 350,000 km2
(140,000 sq mi), about the size of
Germany.
• An estimated 14 million people, or
16 percent of Turkey's population,
were affected.
• Development experts from the
United Nations estimated that about
1.5 million people were left
homeless

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Middle East Roundup:
Disaster in North
Africa –Libya floods

• More than 11,300

presumed dead in Libya
after catastrophic flooding
breaks dams and sweeps
away homes.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/16/world/lib
ya-flood-death-toll-rise-derna-intl-
hnk/index.html

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 Middle East Roundup:
Disaster in North Africa
– Morocco quake.
• a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck
central Morocco, about 45 miles
southwest of Marrakech

• The quake killed nearly 3,000 people

and injured more than 5,500—numbers
that are expected to increase as search
and-rescue operations continue

• The disaster was Morocco’s most

powerful earthquake in more than a
century and its deadliest since 1960

• More than 380,000 people have been

affected by the earthquake

• https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-earthquake-situation-
report-2-september-14-2023

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BSN315: Disaster in the Community

Disaster
Management
Stages

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Disaster Management Stages

1. Prevention Stage

• The population demographics and vulnerabilities,

as well as the community’s capabilities, should be
analyzed.
• Primary prevention measures include educating
the public regarding what actions to take prepare
for disasters at the individual, family, and
community levels.
• Early identification of ill or exposed persons, rapid
implementation of preventive therapy, special
infection control considerations, and collaboration
or communication with the public are essential in
controlling the spread of cases.

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Disaster 2. Preparedness
Management • Measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effect of
disaster.
Stages • All community disaster plans should address the following
elements: Authority, communication, control, logistical
coordination of personnel, supplies and equipment,
evacuation, rescue, and care of the dead.

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Disaster
Management Stages

3. Response

• Activities a hospital, healthcare

system, or community health sector
take immediately after the disaster
incident occurs.
• Search, rescue, first aid, field care,
triage activities, referral services,
clearing, feeding, and sheltering
victims.

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Disaster
Management Stages

4. Recovery

• Getting the community back to its

pre-disaster status.
• Damage assessments
• Funding assistance
• Cleanup the damage
• Repair of homes and businesses
• Evaluation and revision of the
disaster plans
• Emotional care

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Disaster Management Team

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Role of Community
Health Nurses

• Nurses play important roles

throughout this cycle.
• Nurses bring clinical expertise,
leadership, flexibility, and
innovation to disaster management.
• They not only offer frontline care;
their knowledge of health systems,
social environments, patient safety,
and staffing makes them ideal
leaders in times of crisis.
• Even years after a disaster, nurses
counsel survivors and continue to
care for patients and communities.

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Nurses Role in the Management Cycle

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 The International Council of Nurses (ICN) developed disaster
nursing competencies to help clarify the role of the nurse in a
disaster and assist in the development of disaster education.
International • The competency domains are:

Council of • Risk reduction, disease prevention and health promotion

• Policy development and planning
Nurses (ICN) • Ethical practice, legal practice and accountability
Disaster • Communication and information sharing

Nursing • Education and preparedness

• Care of the community
Competencies • Care of individuals and family
• Psychological care
• Care of vulnerable populations
• Long-term recovery of individuals, families and communities

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 Primary Prevention

• Primary prevention of a disaster means keeping the disaster

from ever happening by taking actions that completely
eliminate its occurrence. This is the first aspect of primary
disaster prevention.

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 Secondary Prevention

• Secondary disaster prevention focuses on the earliest possible

detection and treatment. It corresponds to immediate and
effective response.

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 Tertiary Prevention

• Tertiary disaster prevention involves reducing the amount and degree

of disability or damage resulting from the disaster.
• Although it involves rehabilitative work, it can help a community
recover and reduce the risk of further disasters.

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Preparing for Disasters -Summary

1. Disaster planning is essential

for a community, business, or
hospital.

• It involves thinking about

details of preparation and
management by all involved,
including community leaders,
health and safety
professionals, and lay people.

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Preparing for Disasters -Summary

2. Establishing Authority &

Communication.
• Effective disaster plan
establishes a clear chain of
authority and develops lines
of communication, and routes
of transport.
• Establishing a clear and
flexible chain of authority and
communication is critical for
successful implementation of
a disaster plan.

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 Preparing for Disasters -Summary

3. Mobilizing, Warning, and Evacuating

• Disaster plans must specify the means of communicating warnings to

the public, as well as the precise information that should be included
in warnings.
• Planners should never assume that all citizens can be reached by
radio or television or that broadcast systems will be unaffected by the
disaster
• An evacuation plan is an essential component of the total disaster
plan. The plan should cover notification of the police, local military
personnel, or voluntary citizens’ groups of the need to evacuate
people, as well as methods of notifying and transporting the evacuees

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 Disaster Triage
• Triage is identifying and separating
individuals quickly according to
injury severity and treatment
needed.
• Disaster triage focuses on sorting
the greatest number of people as
fast as possible.
• Triage performed at the site and
again at the treatment area is very
different from triage that is routinely
conducted in the emergency
department.
• Aim: To sort patients based on
needs for immediate care.

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 Advantages of Triage

• It helps to bring sequence and organize to a chaotic scene.

• It identifies and provides care on focused group those are in
greatest need.
• It makes the difficult task decisions easier way.
• It help to assure that resources are used in the most
effective manner.

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UAE National Emergency
Crisis and Disaster
Management Authority
(NCEMA)
• Mission: Supervision and administration to
comply with the nation's policy regarding the
Emergency, crisis and disaster management
necessary procedures, through coordination &
cooperation with related entities.
• Aim: Establish National policy to promote and
reinforce the security and stability of the
community through the readiness of the
emergency, crises and disaster management
system.

• https://www.ncema.gov.ae/en/home.aspx

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 NCEMA Guide for Emergencies

• Offers advice on how to ensure personal safety during fires and

how to deal with various building components such as installations
and equipment.
• How to deal with emergencies in times of peace, i.e. natural
disasters and sudden power outages, and how to stock up on food
supplies.
• Offers instructions on measures that should be taken in times of
war to avoid crises, in terms of consumption levels, blood
donation, warnings, shelters and personal defense.
https://www.ncema.gov.ae/content/documents/NCEMA%20Eng%20
Daleel.pdf

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NCEMA Guide for Emergencies

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NCEMA Guide for Emergencies

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