Disaster Planning & Emergency Readiness

Introduction of the Webinar

• Nurses, the largest group of healthcare professionals, often work in different situations with limited resources, playing a vital role when disaster strikes
• Nurses serve as first responders, care providers, educators, and counselors
• It is critical that nurses comprehend Disaster Nursing's fundamental competencies and possess the capacity for prompt, effective response for the healthcare delivery system's success

Introduction to Disaster and Emergency Nursing

• Nurses are responsible for playing major roles during various disasters or calamities
• Millions of lives may be affected, potentially impacting mental, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects

Background: Emergency Nursing

• 1800s witnessed the increasing popularity of hospitals because of the growth in emergency care services
• The events are not considered critical, and structures have developed in numerous countries
• The first emergency room, initially termed "First Aid Room," originated in New York, to address neighborhood emergencies
• The "rule of thumb" was first in, first served
• Triage was introduced as medical advancements evolved
• The system aims to address the challenging aspects of managing the healthcare system due to differing perceptions and unique cases
• Triage is now used to manage the numerous people who are suffering, even in emergencies that could be treated to save lives
• Due to the rule of thumb, there are still many critical situations resulting in fatalities
• Emergency preparedness was overlooked as "routine" during the 19th and 20th centuries

US Disasters Between 1801-1900

• Three major disasters happened in the United States
  • Yellow Fever Epidemic (1888-1905)
    • Originated in Africa around 3000 BC
    • Spread by female Aedes aegypti mosquitos
    • Human-to-human transmission caused the loss of many lives
  • Johnston Flood (1889)
    • 99 entire families died, including 396 children
    • 2,209 people died
    • 124 women and 198 men were left widowed
    • Over 750 victims remained unidentified and rest in the Plot of the Unknown in Grandview Cemetery
    • Bodies were located as far away as Cincinnati and as late as 1911
    • 1,600 homes were destroyed
    • Property damage- $17 million
  • Galveston Hurricane (1900)
    • 8 September
    • Category 4 hurricane
    • Estimated 6,000 to 8,000 death toll
    • Yolanda victims did not comprehend the term Storm Surge
    • People mistook it as an ordinary typhoon because of their lack of experience with the intensity of Yolanda

Disaster Nursing Requirements

• LGUs, disaster response units, and city health personnels, should have education and know disaster terminologies
• Incident command system must adhere to a standard to prevent various perceptions that leads to sentiments pertaining to how we will react

Clarissa Harlowe Barton

• December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912
• The founder and first president of American Red Cross
• Graduated as an educator at 17
• An American Nurse during American civil war and an educator
• Saw the importance of volunteerism during the American civil war

Background: Emergency Nursing (Cont.)

• 20th Century
  • Influenza Pandemic (1918-1919)
    • The most severe pandemic in recent history
    • Resulted from an H1N1 virus of avian origin genes
    • 50 million deaths across the world
    • Have stabilized for about a year
  • Texas Ship Explosion
    • An industrial accident- largest non nuclear explosion
    • 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate
    • Certain aspects involve the hot weather or certain chemicals or fire that reacted with the ammonium nitrate (resulting in bombing out the areas of the port)
  • Alaska Earthquake (1964)
    • Close to Baguio's 1991 earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9
    • Attributed to Tsunami's

Disaster Requirements

• Serious disruption of community functioning that may damage lives
• Hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability, and capacity
• Affects: humans, materials, economic decreases, environmental losses
• Impacts determined after a disaster, depending on (RNA) rapid need assessment
• Within 3-4 hours up to 3 days the vulnerability and exposure of every individual needs to be a priority to avoid looting and make sure that the needs of the survivors are allocated properly
• Health Disaster; A catastrophic event with casualties that overwhelms the healthcare in that community
  • Example; Covid-19

Disaster Nursing Explained

• It's the adaptation of professional nursing knowledge, skills, and attitude in recognizing and meeting the physical and emotional needs of disaster victims
• Due to the emotional aspect, physical ailments are not the only cause for victims suffering

Emergency Nursing Explained

• A trauma or specialty within the field of professional nursing in the military
• Care given to a quick attention to prevent long term damage to a patient

Goals of Disaster Nursing Explained

• Provides patients with basic needs like food, water, and shelter

Other Disaster Nursing Information

• Identify risk and resources in the environment

Emergency Nursing Principles

• Rapid assessment of the situation and of nursing care needs is completed
• The safety of our "responders" is the highlight assessment
• Prevention for further injury and or illness is the goal
• Leadership and coordination is crucial
• Supervision and utilization of auxiliary medical personnel and volunteers involved
• Emotional support to the victims and their families for strengthening

Disaster Emergencies

• Mainly addressed in Luzon Visayas And Mindanao Regions
• Philippines is home to natural disaster and unending armed conflicts in some regions

Key Concepts: Crisis Management

• Emergency:
  • It can be defined as A serious or unexpected dangerous situation requiring immediate action Ex. Motor vehicle accident, smoke inhalation, or burns from a fire.
• Disaster
  • A catastrophe event that is long lasting, Ex. Typhoon or war Crisis- A time of intense difficulty that will leave someone a way out The Psychological first aid is important

Philippine vulnerability to disaster

• Samar and Batanes regions are prone to typhoons

Other Types of Disasters

• Earthquake prone areas in regions of Zambales
• Distribution of volcanoes- RED AREAS
• Potentially active volcanoes- ORANGE AREAS
• Inactive volcanoes- BLUE AREAS

Accidents armed conflicts and notable disasters

• It is the Worst Sea incident December 1987 M/V Dona Paz
• To enforce it, the mandate of the coast guard has sea marshals that are on big boats that are shipping

Types of Disaster

• Volcanic Eruption from Pinatubo in June 1991

Disaster level Explained

• The institution community has the ability to contain the incident and can respond effectively
• Assistance can be obtained from nearby authorities external resources
• The disaster exceeds local capacity or the region

Disaster Causes

• Human Erro
• Power Outages
• Hardware Error

Pre-Disaster Warning

• In phases there are warning signs especially in typhoons and in disaster and or calamity
• Important too due to PAGASA or THREATS.

Disaster Phases

• Threat
  • Days that consist of time to respond what needed
• Impact
  • Recover and or respond from a certain area.
• Heroic
  • Giving Importance to what will be needed in areas
• Honeymoon-
  • Rebuild communities- coordinate through stakeholders
• Disillusionment- Refocus on treatment or management on events

Role Of Mental Health Professionals

• After there had been a stressful event, that may require a lot, rebuild infrastructure

Current Disaster Management Cycle Phases

• MITIGATION
  • LEARNING OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED: Disaster in past and how can people can do to address
• PREPAREDNESS
  • Improved System
• RESPONSE

3 safety for big essence

• Life Safety
• Incident Stabilization
• Property Preservation It could demand and require initiatives in certain situations

Benefits of the role-play

• It could meet certain incident needs any size or kind, good for rapid or rapid organizational process