Disaster prevention and

Mgt
Aden Adde International University

Lecturer: Abdirahman Moalim Hassan

(BSCN, Master of Health service Mgt , Candidate PhD of Nursing Science )

Cabdirahman05@gmail.com

252615218180

LECTURE FOUR

CHAPTER TWO
 FACTORS LEADING TO DISASTERS

Learning objectives:

At the end of the chapter the students are expected to:

• Describe causes and consequences of deforestation.

• Mention predisposing factors for droughts.

• Identify impacts of droughts.

• Describe the need for climatic change adaptation with
respect to disasters.

• Describe impacts of floods and public health interventions

to reduce health effects.
• Mention major causes of air pollutions.

• Describe causes and impacts of global warming.

• Mention the causes, impacts and public intervention of

fires and explosions.
 Introduction
There are numerous factors that trigger the occurrence of
disasters ranging from natural to manmade predisposing
factors.

It is beyond the scope of this lecture note to discuss all.

Hence this chapter deals with some prominent factors that
lead to disasters.
This chapter is organized in such a way that it imparts
readers the magnitudes, impacts and, where possible, the
management (prevention and control) of these disaster
causing factors.
 Deforestation
• Definition: Deforestation is the removal or damage of
vegetation in a forest to the extent that it no longer
supports its natural flora and fauna.

• It is most frequently caused by humans taking care of

their immediate needs, while not being aware of the long-
term effects of their actions.
 A FAMINE AND THEIR
EFFECT ON POPULATION
A famine is a condition of a population in which a
considerable increase in deaths is associated with
inadequate food consumption.

Most famines occur when large numbers of people in a

region, who are already undernourished, cannot obtain
enough food
 Causes of famine include
• War, civil conflict, or social disturbance.

• Failure of a harvest due to climatic or other

environmental conditions, such as drought, flood,

• collapse of the food-distribution network and/or the

marketing system,

• Lack or disruption of an emergency food-support system

that ensures the rural poor have access to food during
shortages
 Consequences of famine
• Physiological — a significant increase in deaths, which is
mainly due to malnutrition.

• Psychological — altered patterns of behavior

• Social — weakened family ties Social bonds grow weak as

people begin to care only for themselves.
 Drought
is any unusual, prolonged dry period that is severe enough
to reduce soil moisture and water supplies below the
minimum level necessary for sustaining plant, animal, and
human life.
Effects of drought

• Immediate — occurs due to overtaxing and drying up of water

supplies; this results in loss of crops, livestock, and other
animals and no water for washing, bathing, and drinking

• Secondary — occurs due to a depletion of crops and grazing

for livestock

• Causes temporary migration of families to areas with better

grazing for remaining livestock, or to cities for alternative
sources of income.
 Conflicts can create famine as well as
disrupt famine-relief operations in the
following ways:
1. by disrupting the agricultural cycle

2. by driving farmers from the land

3. by interfering with the marketing processes

4. by destroying stores of harvested foods

5. by decreasing access to displaced persons

 Complex emergencies
May be caused by multiple factors.

e.g., war and drought in Somalia have a high risk of

Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) especially
malnutrition and poor sanitary conditions.
 Malnutrition
A condition in which health is impaired due to a lack ,
imbalance, or excessive intake of one or more nutrients.

For the sake of this presentation

Malnutrition encompasses a range of conditions, including

acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition and micronutrient
deficiencies.
 Effects of Malnutrition and
Micronutrient Deficiencies
Through interfering with their normal growth and
development, causing permanent disability or reducing their
ability to work.

Wasting and/or Edema (Acute Malnutrition)

Stunting (Chronic Malnutrition)

Micronutrient Deficiency Disorders

 Nutritional Assessment in
emergencies
Definition: - Nutritional assessment is an interpretation of
anthropometric, biochemical (laboratory), clinical and
dietary survey data to tell whether a person/ group of
people is well nourished or malnourished (Over nourished
or under nourished).
 Operational Definitions of Refugees
and Internally Displaced People
Definition

A refugee is a person who is outside his or her country of origin

or habitual residence because they have suffered (or fear)
maltreatment on account of race, religion, nationality, political
opinion, or because they are a member of a mistreated 'social
group or because they are fleeing a war. Such a person may be
called an 'asylum seeker' until recognized by the state where
they make a claim
Any person who: owing to a well-founded fear of being
mistreated for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group, or political opinion,
is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the
protection of that country
The concept of a refugee was expanded by the Convention's
1967 Protocol and by regional conventions in Africa and
Latin America to include persons who had fled war or other
violence in their home country.
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is
forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his
or her country's borders.

They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not

fall within the current legal definition of a refugee.
At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were 24.5 million
IDPs in some 52 countries.

The region with the largest IDP population is Africa with

some 11.8 million in 21 countries.
internally displaced persons are persons or groups of
persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave
their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as
a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict,
situations of generalized violence, violations of human
rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have
not crossed an internationally recognized State border.
It is very difficult to get accurate figures for IDPs because

populations are constantly fluctuating:

some IDPs may be returning home while others are fleeing,

others may periodically return to IDP camps to take

advantage of humanitarian aid.

While the case of IDPs in large camps such as those in
Darfur, western Sudan, are relatively well-reported, it is
very difficult to assess those IDPs who flee to larger towns
and cities.
It is necessary in many instances to supplement official
figures with additional information obtained from
operational humanitarian organizations on the ground.
The largest IDP populations can be found in Colombia, the
DRC, Iraq, Sudan and Azerbaijan each with IDP populations
of over one million.

An updated country by country breakdown can be found at:

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) Global
Statistics It has been estimated that between 70 and 80% of
all IDPs are women and children.
 Major Refugee Populations

• Afghanistan 2,100,000

• Sudan 606,000

• Burundi 530,000

• DR Congo 450,000

• Palestinians 420,000

• Somalia 400,000

• Iraq 368,000
THE END

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