Intro to Disaster Preparedness

characteristics of a disaster

 Natural or human-made incident causing disruption, destruction, or devastation

• Causes hardships for community

• Threaten health and safety

• Can overwhelm resources

 Complex emergency – multifaceted humanitarian crisis with breakdown of authority → internal or external conflict requiring international response

 Casualties

Number of human beings injured or killed by or as a direct result of an incident

Multiple-casualty incident: >2 but <100

Mass-casualty incident: >100

 Scope

Range of its effect, either geographically or in terms of the number of victims

 Intensity

The level of destruction and devastation it causes

Types of Disasters

Natural

• Hurricane

• Tornadoes

• Blizzards

• Mudslides

• Pandemics/Epidemics

• Tsunamis

• Blizzards

• Avalanches

• Drought

• Wildfire

• Heat Wave

• Volcanic Eruption

Human-Made

• Conventional Warfare

• Chemical Warfare

• Transportation Accidents

• Hazardous Material Spills

• Civil Unrest/Riots

• Terrorism/Bioterrorism

• Plane Crash

• Nuclear Plant Explosion

• Mass Transit Accidents

• Pollution

Disasters impact

Individual impact

• Physical and Emotional Impact

  • Injury or loss of life

  • Trauma, anxiety, depression

  • Loss of home or belongings

• Economic and Social Effects

  • Loss of income/employment

  • Displacement

  • Breakdown of social networks

Family Impact

• Family Disruption

  • Separation due to evacuation or injury

  • Strain on relationships

  • Increased caregiving needs

• Long-Term Recovery Challenges

  • Financial burden

  • Need for relocation or rebuilding

  • Education disruption for children

Community Impact

• Infrastructure and Services

  • Damage to: Roads, hospitals, schools

  • Power, water, and communication systems

  • Slower emergency response times

• Economic and Social Resilience

  • Business closures

  • Community displacement

  • Need for public health and aid support

The disaster management cycle and nursing role

• prevention

• mitigation

• preparedness

• response

• recovery

Prevention & Mitigation

Prevention

 Identify risks

 Risk and resource maps

 Assess vulnerabilities

 Educate public on actions to take during a disaster

 Community disaster plan

 Actions taken when a disaster cannot be prevented

 Construction of dams and levees

 Disaster drills and simulations

Prevention stage: risk & resources

Preparedness

 Developing personal, work, and family disaster plans

 Identifying community evacuation routes

 Identifying emergency shelter locations

 Developing a communication chain

 Performing regular drills

 Stockpiling food, water, medication, and first-aid supplies

 Making sure pet care is included (FEMA)

Response & recovery

Response

 First steps

• Determine whether state has sufficient resources to respond.

If not, request aid from federal government.

 Activate disaster plan

 Providing triage and ongoing care to victims

 Establishing disease surveillance if an outbreak or bioterrorism is suspected

 Evaluating any other public health needs that may arise

Recovery

 Begins when threat no longer exists

 Longest and most difficult stage

• Reunification

• Rebuilding structures

• Resuming activities (if possible)

• Establishing a “new normal”

• Referring workers and victims to mental health services

• Federal assistance, gradually back to local assistance

Triage

 Utilitarian approach

• “Do the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people while efficiently using resources” (Wagner et al., 2015 p. 305).

Two possible methods

Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START)

• JumpSTART for pediatrics

Sort, Assess, Lifesaving Interventions, Treatment/Transport (SALT)

Role of PHN in disaster recovery

Role of PHN

 Ongoing community assessment

• Physiological and psychosocial care

• Assist in reunification

• Referrals to mental health services

 Promote community resilience

Disaster prep coordination

Preparedness

• risk assessment, planning, drillls, MOUs

• Hospital, public health, EMS, NGOs

Response

• ICS, surge capacity, HCCs, public messaging

• EMS, emergency management, healthcare

Recovery

• COOP, mental health, rebuilding, data sharing

• social services, healthcare, CDC, FEMA

Nurse Firsthand Accounts

 Crisis management: Rapid assessment and triage, evacuation coordination, and care in austere conditions

 Emotional support

 Bearing witness: Documenting and sharing the impact of disaster

F I R S T H A N D A C C O U N T S

 Peterson Regional MC in Kerrville on night of July 3 got flash flood warning and called disaster preparedness team, prepped ER

 Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council mobilized and helped divert unnecessary ER traffic to prioritize flood victims, trauma sent to SA

 Hospital EO activated at 6:30 am

 Furnished medical supplies with Texas State EOC

 Gave care kits, Hep A and Tdap to responders in contaminated water

Response & Recovery

SNAP benefit replacement foods and approval of Hot Foods

• WIC and formula replacement

• Texas HHS Emotional Support Line

• FEMA housing, medical, dental, storage, child care, funeral expenses

• Medicaid early prescription refill

Texas Emergency Medical Task Force

• Over 43,000 patient encounters

• Activated 0545 from San Antonio (ambulance, AMBUS, incident support team)

student nurse emergency backpack