Disaster Management

February 10, 2009

Disaster Management
 It is a discipline that involves:

 Preparing for disaster before it

occurs

 Disaster response

 Supporting and rebuilding society

after a disaster have occurred.
 Man-made:

Dam Failures resulting in Flooding

Hazardous substance accidents
Vehicle collision
Radiological accidents
Structural collapse
Terrorists Attacks
NATURAL
EVENTS
Earthquake
Forest Fires
Volcanic Eruptions
Tsunamis
Drought
Typhoon

Landslides
Tornadoes
Phases
Readiness / Mitigation

 Aims to prevent hazards from

developing into disasters or to
reduce the effects of disasters when
they occur.

 Focuses on long-term measures for

reducing or eliminating risk.**

 Most cost efficient method

 Readiness / Preparedness
 Common preparedness measures:

 Communication plans with easily

understandable terminology and methods.
 Proper maintenance and training on
emergency services ex. CERT
 Maintenance of disaster supplies and
equipment.
 Develop organization of trained
volunteers among civilian population.

Casualty Prediction**
Response**

 Action phase
 Putting the disaster plan into
action
 Prioritization sets in
 Primary concerns includes
safety, physical health and
mental health of the victims and
the members of the disaster
team
Recovery

 It includes actions taken to

restore the affected area to its
previous state.**
 Recovery includes preventing
the debilitating effects and
restoring personal, economic
and environmental health and
stability
Triage

 It is classifying victims according to

the severity of the injury, urgency of
treatment and place of treatment.

 In the emergency dept:

triage is classifying clients
according to their needs for care, the
kind of illness, severity of the
disease and resources available
Emergent (RED) Priority 1
 Life threatening situations
 Needs IMMEDIATE attention
 Continuous monitoring and
evaluation
 With great chances of survival once
stable
 Example: trauma in the chest,
severe respiratory distress, cardiac
arrest, limb amputation with massive
bleeding, acute neurological deficits
and chemical splashes in the eye
 Urgent (YELLOW) Priority 2
 Given to client who require treatment
and whose injuries have complications
that are not life threatening provided
they are treated within 1-2 hours
 These clients requires continuous
evaluation every 30-60 minutes
thereafter
 Example; simple fracture, asthma
without respiratory distress, fever,
hypertension, abdominal pain, or client
with a renal stone
Non-Urgent (GREEN) Priority 3

 Given to clients with local injuries

and do not have immediate
complications

 Clients can wait for hours for medical

interventions and evaluation every 1-
2 hours thereafter

 Examples: Minor lacerations, sprain

and cold symptoms
Guidelines for Prioritization

 Priorities are either high, intermediate or low

 Client needs that are life threatening or that
could result in harm to the clients if left
untreated is given high priority
 Non-emergency and non-life threatening client
needs are intermediate priorities
 Client needs that are not related directly to the
clients illness or prognosis are low priorities
Guidelines for Prioritization

 The nurse should intervene on the

actual or life threatening before a
potential/ risk concerns

Ineffective Airway has a high priority

compared to Risk for Fluid Volume
Deficit
Guidelines for Prioritization

 When prioritizing care, the nurse must

consider the time constraints and
available resources.

 If resources are inadequate, plan for

activation of medical resources or refer
to the nearest hospital institution
 Guidelines for Prioritization
 Remember:
 ABC’s of Life
 Airway, Breathing, Circulation

Prioritize:
A client with gun shot wound in the leg
A client with asthma showing signs of irregular
breathing patterns and wheezes
A client with blunt trauma in the chest
Guidelines for Prioritization

 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiologic Needs
Safety and Security
Love and belongingness
Self Esteem
Self Actualization
 Nurses’ Role in Disaster
Management
 Make a personal and family
preparations
 Be aware of the disaster plan of your
place/hospital
 Maintain a certification in disaster
training
 Participate in mock disaster drills
 Prepare professional emergency
response
Triage questions
 A client had sprain and
lacerations after a football game
 A client with fixed dilated pupils
and showing no signs of life
 A client with burns in the chest
and face
 A client with pneumonia
showing signs of hyperthermia
 A client with COPD with signs of
cyanosis and DOB