The Park Model

What is stage 1 of the model?

Occurs prior to the event, and shows quality of life at its normal level on the graph.

What happens following pre-disaster?

The disaster hits, causing a rapid and steep drop in quality of life and infrastructure.

What is relief following the disaster?

• Medical attention, rescue services and overall care are delivered.

• Can last from a few days to several days if very damaging. From here, quality of life starts to slowly increase.

What is rehabilitation following relief?

• People try to return to normal by providing food, water and shelter for the most affected.

What is reconstruction following rehabilitation?

• Infrastructure and property is repaired or rebuilt and crops regrown.

• Can take from weeks to several years.

What is the normal quality of life like in LICs such as Haiti?

• Normal is lower than HICs.

• Tends to return below normal following an event.

What is quality of life like in an HIC around a hazard event?

• Higher normal quality of life.

• Higher quality of life following an event.

What are the strengths of the Park Model?

• Takes into consideration normal quality of life so is contextualised.

• Can show different countries and regions to compare data.

What are the weaknesses of the Park Model?

• Doesn’t consider the extent of damage and how it differs between disaster types.

• Doesn’t account for if the QoL was low already due to previous disasters.