Understanding Disasters and Emergency Planning

Learning Objectives

• The learner will develop a clear understanding of what a disaster is and its effects on human lives.
• The learner will classify the major types of disasters based on their unique characteristics, including their consequences.
• The learner will identify societal factors that have contributed to increased losses (human and property) due to disasters.
• The learner will discuss the five areas of focus in emergency and disaster planning.
• The learner will gain understanding of disaster nursing's mission and goals.

Emergency Defined

• An emergency is an extraordinary event or situation.
• It requires an intense and rapid response.
• It can be managed with existing community resources.

Disaster Defined

• A disaster is an occurrence causing damage, ecological disruption, loss of life, and deterioration of health services, warranting extraordinary response from outside the community.
• Disasters inflict significant damage to life or property.
• Disasters substantially overwhelm a local community's resources.
• A disaster's impact depends on the location and population density where it occurs.
• It is considered a mass casualty incident (MCI) when emergency medical resources are overwhelmed by the number and severity of casualties (WHO, 2017).

Hazard Defined

• A hazard is any potential threat to public safety and/or public health.
• A hazard is any phenomenon with the potential to cause disruption or damage to people, their property, their services, their environment, and their communities.
• Classes of hazards: natural, technological, biological, and societal.

Vulnerability Defined

• Vulnerability is the susceptibility of a population to a specific type of event.
• It is associated with the degree of possible or potential loss from a risk that results from a hazard at a given intensity.
• Vulnerability is influenced by: demographics, age, resilience of the environment, technology, social differentiation, diversity, and regional/global economics/politics.

Capacity to Respond Defined

• Resource identification is essential for disaster planning.
• Capacity to respond includes the type and scope of available resources.
• Includes the presence of adequate communication systems.
• Also includes the structural integrity of buildings and utilities (e.g., water, electricity).
• Capacity includes the size and sophistication of the healthcare system.
• Human and physical elements are factors in capacity to respond.
• Organizations with specialized personnel and equipment.
  • Medical, Nursing, and emergency responders' groups.
  • Public works.
  • Volunteer agencies.

Disaster Risk Equation

• Disaster Risk = (Hazard x Vulnerability) / Capacity to Cope

Medical Disaster Defined

• A medical disaster is a catastrophic event with casualties.
• It overwhelms the health care resources in that community.
• Disasters may cause premature deaths, illnesses, and injuries, often exceeding the capacity of the local health care system.
• Disasters may destroy local health care infrastructure.
• Disasters may create environmental imbalances, increasing the risk of communicable diseases and environmental hazards.
• Disasters may affect the psychological, emotional, and social well-being of the affected population.
• Disasters may cause shortages of food and cause severe nutritional deficiencies.

Republic Act 10121

• Republic Act No. 10121 of 2010 is also known as the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010".
• RA 10121 strengthens the Philippine disaster risk reduction and management system.
• RA 10121 provides for the national disaster risk reduction and management framework.
• RA 10121 institutionalizes the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, appropriating funds.
• It was enacted on May 27, 2010.
• It aims to develop a framework and roll out resources.
• It enables the national government, local units, and other stakeholders to build communities that can survive disasters.
• RA 10121 makes sure that policies and plans are in place to prepare communities for disasters.
• Programs should increase awareness and knowledge of risks and hazards, and preparedness for effective response and early recovery.
• NDRRMC is the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

Highlights of R.A. 10121 of 2010

• Proactive way in dealing with disasters and risks.
• It strengthens community and stakeholder participation.
• Emphasis on risk reduction rather than response.
• Integration to climate change adaptation programs to reduce disaster impacts.

NDRRMC Roles of Disaster Risk Reduction Management Heads

• The Secretary of the Department of National Defense serves as the chairperson of the NDRRMC.
  • Leads the council in crafting policies and implementing actions.
• The Administrator of the DND-OCD is the Executive Director, serving as the secretariat of the council.
• The Secretary of DILG is the Vice Chairperson for Preparedness.
  • Establishes and strengthens community capacities to anticipate, cope with, and recover from emergencies and disasters.
  • Activities include: contingency planning, pre-emptive evacuation, local drills and simulation exercises.
• The Secretary of DSWD is the Vice Chairperson for Response.
  • Provides life preservation and basic needs to affected populations during or immediately after a disaster.
  • Activities include: relief, search/rescue/ retrieval operations, dissemination of disaster information, management of the dead/missing, evacuation, and coordination of civil/ uniformed services.
• The Secretary of DOST is the Vice Chairperson for Prevention and Mitigation.
  • Avoids hazards and mitigate potential impacts.
  • Aims to reduce vulnerabilities, enhance community capacities.
  • Activities include: community-based adaptation assessments, mapping, among other functions.
• The Secretary of NEDA serves as Vice Chairperson for Rehabilitation and Recovery.
  • Restores and improves facilities, livelihood, living conditions, and organizational capacities of affected communities.
  • Activities include: restoration of livelihood, shelter, and infrastructure.

Members of the NDRRMC

• Executive Secretary, Office of the President.
• Secretary, Department of Agriculture (DA).
• Secretary, Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
• Secretary, Department of Education (DepEd).
• Secretary, Department of Energy (DOE).
• Secretary, Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
• Secretary, Department of Finance (DOF).
• Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
• Secretary, Department of Health (DOH).
• Secretary, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
• Secretary, Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
• Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
• Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
• Secretary, Department of Transportation (DOTr).
• Secretary, Department of Tourism (DOT).
• Presidential Press Secretary, PCOO.

Coordination During Emergencies

• If a barangay is affected, the coordination starts with the Barangay Disaster Council (BDC).
• If two or more barangays are affected, the coordination goes to the City or Municipal DRRMC.
• If two or more cities/municipalities are affected, the coordination goes to the Provincial DRRMC.
• At the regional level, if two or more provinces are affected, coordination is handled regionally.
• If two or more regions are affected, coordination goes to the NDRRMC.

Disaster Management

• It uses the organization and management of resources.
• It uses responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies.
• Focuses on preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Helps organize a guide of basic principles for the nation to respond to disasters and emergencies.
• Its purpose is to maintain a safe environment.
• Its purpose is to continue to provide essential services to patients.
• Effective planning is the most important element.

Essential elements for successful disaster management

• Appropriate system capacities to support the delivery of services.
• Competent staff in disaster response roles.
• A clearly defined, executable, and practiced disaster plan.
• Strong pre-existing partnerships with collaborating organizations and agencies.

Four DRRM Thematic Areas

• Disaster Prevention and Mitigation: Avoid hazards and mitigate their potential exposure.
• Disaster Preparedness: Establish and strengthen anticipated capacities of communities.
• Disaster Response: Provide life preservation and meet basic subsistence needs.
• Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery: Restore and improve facilities while reducing risks.

Disaster Continuum

• The Disaster Continuum includes disaster management, warning, disaster preparedness, disaster mitigation, disaster prevention, emergency response, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)

• International agreement adopted by the UN in March 2015.
• Aims to reduce the loss of lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
• Emphasizes disaster risk prevention and management an integrated way.
• Offers a comprehensive, people-centered approach towards greater sustainability.

Key Priorities of the Sendai Framework

• Understanding disaster risk
• Strengthening disaster risk governance
• Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
• Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response

Seven Targets to Achieve

• Substantially reduce global disaster mortality.
• Substantially reduce the number of affected people.
• Reduce economic loss in relation to GDP.
• Reduce damage to critical infrastructure and disruption services.
• Increase the number of countries with national and local DRR strategies by 2020.
• Enhance international cooperation to developing countries.
• Availability and access to early warning systems and DRR information systems.

Targets of the Sendai Framework

• A: Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, averaging mortality per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015.
• B: Substantially reduce the number of globally affected people by 2030.
• C: Reduce direct disaster economic loss relative to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.
• D: Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure by 2030
• E: Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.
• F: Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries by 2030.
• G: Increase access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information/assessments by 2030.

Nurses and Disaster

• Disasters are occurring more frequently.
• There is need to prepare nurses for disaster.
• Nurses play an important role in disaster care as the largest manpower group in healthcare.
• World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to prepare healthcare workers for a disaster.
• Nurses should be equipped with knowledge/ abilities to work in a disaster and meet community needs.

Disaster Nursing Defined

• Adapting professional nursing skills to meet physical and emotional needs resulting from a disaster.
• Nursing of physiological, psychological, and social patient functions involving disaster prevention.
• Requires the application of basic nursing knowledge and skills in difficult environments.

Goals of Disaster Nursing

• To ensure that the highest achievable level of care is delivered through:
  • Identifying
  • Advocating,
  • Caring for all impacted populations throughout all phases of a disaster event
  • Active participation in all levels of disaster planning and preparedness.

Mission of Disaster Nursing

• Rescue victims to promote the healing of diseases.
• Provide for a proper disaster rescue environment.
• Guide affected individuals towards restoration of health.
• Provide life support for the victims.
• Alleviate the pain caused by health disorders.
• Support recovery and reconstruction.
• Provide support for disaster preparedness.

Disaster Nurse

• Is trained to adapt skills while recognizing and meeting the nursing physical and emotional needs resulting from a disaster
• They have the overall goal of achieving the best possible level of health for those impacted (Edmonson, 2017).
• Nurses must adapt nursing practices.
• Nurses must work to minimize health hazards and life-threatening damage (ICN, 2009).
• Nurses have roles in the emergency phase of a disaster to rescue life.
• Nurses roles safeguard the health of disaster sufferers.
• Nurses have special roles in disaster preparedness and aftermath long-term recovery.