What is disaster management?

Disaster management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters

Types of disasters Disaster prevention Disaster preparedness Disaster relief Disaster recovery Objective of disaster management: The need to address disaster management What is disaster management? How national physical therapy organisations can contribute How individual physical therapists can contribute What physical therapists should consider before volunteering How physical therapists can plan ahead before volunteering Preparations physical therapists can make once they have volunteered What physical therapists can do in a disaster zone after the emergency Organisations involved in disaster management Resources Glossary of terms used in disaster management

Types of disasters
There is no country that is immune from disaster, though vulnerability to disaster varies. There are four main types of disaster.

Natural disasters. These disasters include floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions that can have immediate impacts on human health, as well as secondary impacts causing further death and suffering from floods causing landslides, earthquakes resulting in fires, tsunamis causing widespread flooding and typhoons sinking ferries Environmental emergencies. These emergencies include technological or industrial accidents, usually involving hazardous material, and occur where these materials are produced, used or transported. Large forest fires are generally included in this definition because they tend to be caused by humans. Complex emergencies. These emergencies involve a break-down of authority, looting and attacks on strategic installations. Complex emergencies include conflict situations and war. Pandemic emergencies. These emergencies involve a sudden onset of a contagious disease that affects health but also disrupts services and businesses, bringing economic and social costs. Any disaster can interrupt essential services, such as the provision of health care, electricity, water, sewage/garbage removal, transportation and communications. The interruption can seriously affect the health, social and economic networks of local communities and countries. Disasters have a major and long-lasting impact on people long after the immediate effect has been mitigated. Poorly planned relief activities can have a significant negative impact not only on the disaster victims but also on donors and relief agencies. So it is important that physical therapists join established programmes rather than attempting individual efforts. Local, regional, national and (where necessary) international organisations are all involved in mounting a humanitarian response to disasters. Each will have a prepared disaster management plan. These plans cover prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery (see below).

Disaster prevention
These are activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. Not all disasters, particularly natural disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design standards. In January 2005, 168 Governments adopted a 10-year global plan for natural disaster risk reduction called the Hyogo Framework. It offers guiding principles, priorities for action, and practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable communities.

Disaster preparedness
These activities are designed to minimise loss of life and damage for example by removing people and property from a threatened location and by facilitating timely and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation. Preparedness is the main way of reducing the impact of disasters. Community-based preparedness and management should be a high priority in physical therapy practice management.

Disaster relief
This is a coordinated multi-agency response to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term results. Relief activities include rescue, relocation, providing food and water, preventing disease and disability, repairing vital services such as telecommunications and transport, providing temporary shelter and emergency health care.

Disaster recovery
Once emergency needs have been met and the initial crisis is over, the people affected and the communities that support them are still vulnerable. Recovery activities include rebuilding infrastructure, health care and rehabilitation. These should blend with development activities, such as building human resources for health and developing policies and practices to avoid similar situations in future. Disaster management is linked with sustainable development, particularly in relation to vulnerable people such as those with disabilities, elderly people, children and other marginalised groups. Myths and Realities of Disaster Assistance summarises some of the common misunderstandings about disaster management.
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The need to address disaster management

Disasters are defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society. They involve widespread human, material, economic or environmental impacts, which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources (UNISDR 2009). At its 16th General Meeting, WCPT adopted a position statement ondisaster management. WCPT has put together a range of resources to support this policy. These outline the role of the physical therapist in disaster prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery. They provide guidance for member organisations in their efforts to develop their own roles and prepare for efficientresponses when natural disasters or other major crises strike. The aim is to ensure that physical therapists are more directly engaged at an organisational level as well as on the ground, so that they can provide services to affected individuals and communities, save lives, reduce the risk of longterm injury and improve outcomes for survivors.

Disaster management - How individual physical therapists can contribute

Physical therapists can contribute to disaster management in many ways, not only before, but also during and after a disaster. They can:

Contribute to policy development and local disaster planning; Work with their member organisation to support the organisations disaster management planning; Learn about risks and prevention strategies and prepare to react to disasters in their own homes, places of work, locality, region and further afield; Donate to relief efforts or raise funds for NGOs involved in disaster management; Support disaster relief organisations and raise awareness of the need for linkages between disaster relief, rehabilitation and development; Advocate for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or persons with disabilities, raising awareness of their needs at times of disaster. Actively engage in relief efforts, usually by volunteering to provide rehabilitation to survivors.

Disaster management - Volunteering

What physical therapists should consider before volunteering How physical therapists can plan ahead for volunteering Preparations physical therapists can make once they have volunteered What physical therapists can do in a disaster zone after the emergency

What physical therapists should consider before volunteering

Before volunteering to go into a disaster situation a physical therapist should ask themselves various questions.

Do I have the professional qualities to enter a hardship zone?

Am I committed to the aims and values of the organisation with whom I aim to work? Do I have minimum amount of professional experience post-qualification (specified by the organisation)? Do I have experience in supervising, training and managing others? Have I demonstrated ability to work well as a part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team? Can I organise, prioritise workload and use initiative? Do I have relevant travel or work experience in indigenous/remote/developing/cross-cultural communities? Am I available to work in the field for a minimum period (specified by the organisation)?

Do I have the personal qualities to enter a hardship zone?

Am I willing to work in potentially unstable environments? Am I willing to live with less than ideal accommodation? Housing, water, electricity and food supplies may well be compromised in emergency situations. Am I able to cope with stress? Am I able to financially support myself for the period of the commission? There are usually commitments at home even if the organisation you volunteer with finances the commission.

Am I healthy and physically fit enough to cope? o o o o o

Will I be able to cope with: working long hours; local food and restricted supplies; poor sleeping conditions (eg in a tent); using emergency toilet facilities; coping without clean water or electricity? Am I prepared for the possible physical and psychological effects, or even dying?

How physical therapists can plan ahead for volunteering

If you are committed to volunteer to help in disaster areas in the future, you can make some of the following preparations:

Seek advice and training; Improve your professional expertise of praticing in an emergency situation by: o joining the global health special interest group in your physical therapy organisation if there is one; o joining a global campaign such as the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative, which may provide opportunities to make people aware about safe schools and hospitals, to become a leader in emergency and disaster preparedness, or to become an advocate for risk reduction; o applying to join a pool of volunteers; o participating in online discussions to raise your own personal awareness; o volunteering at the local office of an NGO; Learn another language: Medicine Sans Frontires recommends French and/or English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, 1 Chinese, Swahili or Portuguese ; Undertake courses provided by governmental and non-governmental agencies; Establish and maintain appropriate physical activity levels;Get the health checks and up-to-date vaccinations you might require.

Preparations physical therapists can make once they have volunteered

The preparations should continue once you have volunteered.

Ensure you have had the necessary health checks and vaccinations; Write a will and prepare your affairs for the time of your absence, banking, bills memberships, registration etc.; Attend information sessions provided by government and non-government agencies; Learn about the physical, cultural and political context of the disaster zone. Prepare for your return: consider your friends and family and plan for your career post mission. Maintain professional and personal contacts and your professional skills.

What physical therapists can do in a disaster zone after the emergency

Once the immediate emergency is over and the television cameras and journalists have moved on there is still much work physical therapists can do in disaster zones to build for the future.

Work with the community to plan and implement rehabilitation activities based on an assessment of unmet needs and available resources; Deliver rehabilitation services; If there is no professional organisation of physical therapists, work with local physical therapists to build a representative group with the potential to become a WCPT member; Liaise with WCPT secretariat and regional officer for support in this endeavour. Advocate, with the physical therapy professional association, for physical therapy services for those affected by disaster and assess the need for physical therapy services; Work with the local professional association and government to develop physical therapist professional entry-level education programmes; Deliver continuing professional development courses; Work with the local professional association to develop education for physical therapy assistants and CBR workers, if appropriate; Work with the community in planning and implementing the physical therapy and rehabilitation elements of emergency preparedness plans.

Organisations involved in disaster management

Disaster management is a complex process involving international, national and local organisations each with a distinct role to play. To respond to disaster situations a coordinated effort is required.

The United Nations and its organisations The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Committee of the Red Cross International non-governmental agencies National organisations

The United Nations and its organisations

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is the arm of the United Nations responsible for bringing together national and international humanitarian providers to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures that a framework is in place within which each provider can contribute to the overall response effort. It also advocates for people in need, promotes preparedness and prevention and facilitates sustainable solutions. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) provides early warning of impending food crises, and assesses global food supply problems. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental agency which helps transfer refugees, internally displaced persons and others in need of internal or international migration services. The Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) provides assistance and advice to governments and other actors on human rights issues, sets standards and monitors rights violations. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assists disaster-prone countries in contingency planning and with disaster mitigation, prevention and preparedness measures. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) provides international protection and assistance for refugees, stateless persons and internally displaced persons, particularly in conflict-related emergencies. The United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) works to uphold childrens rights, survival, development and protection by intervening in health, education, water, sanitation, hygiene and protection. The World Food Programme (WFP) is the principle supplier of relief food aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides global public health leadership by setting standards, monitoring health trends, and providing direction on emergency health issues. WHOs role is to reduce avoidable loss of life and the burden of disease and disability. A range of technical guidelines for health action in crises and predeploymenttraining courses are available. A set of technical hazard sheets on earthquakes, drought, floods and landslides, is also available.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the worlds largest humanitarian organization made up of 186 member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The International Federations mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. The IFRC coordinates and directs international assistance to victims of natural and technological disasters, to refugees and in health emergencies. It combines its relief activities with development work to strengthen the capacities of National Societies and through them the capacity of individual people.

The International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a Swiss-based humanitarian organisation and founding member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement(1863). It is mandated by the international community to be the guardian and promoter of international humanitarian law, working around the world to provide assistance to people affected by violence. The ICRC provides physical rehabilitation to people injured by explosive weapons or other types of incident. ICRC organises, in collaboration with WHO, the Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) course to upgrade professionalism in humanitarian assistance programmes.

International non-governmental agencies

Leading international non-governmental agencies work through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. Their strong role in development works side by side with the recovery from a disaster and prevention and preparedness for any future disasters. CARE is a humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives. CARE works alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Handicap International works in partnership with local organisations and government institutions. It raises awareness of both governments and the general public on disability and landmine issues, mobilises civil society and implements action in emergency situations. Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is a network of health care professionals, organisations, corporations and donors united in a common commitment to improving global health through education. The website includes a volunteer toolkit and an informative newsletter Volunteer Connection. IMA World Health is an inter-church not-for-profit organisation based in the United States of America, which partners with USAID, the World Bank and many other organisations to build sustainable health care systems. International Rescue Committee (IRC) offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster and provides emergency response by experienced personnel for short-term assignments. Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) provides medical services in emergency situations. It recruits some physical therapists and other health professionals as well as physicians. Oxfam is an international confederation of 14 organisations working together and with partners and allies around the world to bring about lasting change. Oxfam works directly with communities and seeks to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them. Rehabilitation International (RI) is a global network of expert professionals who work to empower people with disabilities and provide sustainable solutions for a more inclusive and accessible society. It advocates for inclusion of people with disabilities in climate change and disaster management planning.

National organisations
Most nations have a national disaster management plan. National disaster management plans are aligned to the most commonly experienced disasters in that country or region and the resources available. Look at the disaster management plan for your country and region. Links to the national disaster management plan for Australia and Indiaare provided here as examples.

Disaster management - Resources

The following resources will be individually detailed below:

WCPT resources Disaster prevention Disaster preparedness Disaster relief Disaster recovery Information sources

WCPT resources
Policies o o o o o o
Policy statement: Disaster management and related policies: Policy statement: Ethical responsibilities Policy statement: Health human resources Policy statement: Primary health care Policy statement: Relationships with other health professionals Policy statement: Torture Policy statement: Description of physical therapy

WCPT Congress learning materials

Recording of WPT2011 discussion panel - Re-building for good: how physical therapy projects can bring long-term sustainable benefits in conflict zones and disaster areas

Articles in WCPT News

Physical therapists rehabilitate and rebuild in disaster zones

Disaster prevention resources

PreventionWeb is a website dedicated to the information needs of the disaster reduction community. There are lists educational resources and training programmes for the prevention of disasters. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction is a UN organisation geared to the prevention of disasters. Its website includes disaster statistics, a global platform for disaster reduction and a range of resources.

Disaster preparedness resources

The American Physical Therapy Association has published A Physical Therapists Guide to Community Emergency Preparedness for People With Disabilities and Special Needs which includes a list of online resources. A Resource Guide for Public Health Preparedness has been produced by the New York Academy of Medicine in partnership with National Library of Medicine. The Health Library for Disasters is an electronic information resource on public health for emergency preparedness and response and complex emergencies. The WHO Health Action in Crises web pages contain technical information for crises and crises management, useful templates, training information and tools to facilitate work in the field. Included is a Global assessment of the national health sector emergency preparedness and response (2008) and WHO Humanitarian Action Biennial Work Plan. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Early warning > Early action (2008) outlines the actions to take years, months, weeks, days and hours before disasters, giving a range of examples.

Disaster relief resources

The following volunteer databases are important in disaster relief:

The Center for International Disaster Information maintains a database for volunteers. The USAID medical volunteer database also includes volunteers other than physicians. Voluntary Service Overseas International regularly recruits physical therapists to serve in a variety of development situations. This organisation partners with several governmental agencies responsible for emergency relief. Health Volunteers Overseas has a page dedicated to volunteer positions for physical therapists and a volunteer toolkit with the information and tools to help prepare volunteers for their assignment. The International Federation of Cross and Red Crescent Societies recruits volunteers for local community development projects. Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies are in many countries of the world. Contact your local office to volunteer. The following are involved in helping children in emergency situations:

A new edition of 'Facts for Life' has been published jointly by UNICEF and WHO in collaboration with other UN agencies and the World Bank. This delivers essential information on how to prevent child and maternal deaths, diseases, injuries and violence and is designed to educate those who have influence over the safety and wellbeing of children. The International Foster Care Organisation has produced guiding principles on the care and protection of unaccompanied and separated children in emergency-affected countries. First developed in response to the tsunami in Asia in 2004, they have been updated in 2010 for the situation in Haiti following the earthquake. The document represents the views of the following agencies: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK (SCUK), the United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and World Vision International (WVI).

Resources on disaster recovery

The following resources are aimed at recovery planning:

The UN development group together with the World Bank has published a range of documents on post conflict needs assessment. The purpose of the Guidance is to inform strategic decision-makers (national and international) of the purpose, scope and benefits of a common platform for recovery planning. The following resources are aimed at community development:

Making it work (March 2009) is an international multi-stakeholder initiative aimed towards effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The manual is available in English, French and Spanish. The UN Development Group Toolkit is a repository of guidance, lessons learned and tools to support development. The following resources are aimed at mainstreaming disability:

A guidance paper for an inclusive local development policy by Charlotte Axelsson (2009) is available in English and French. This guidance paper aims to provide concrete directions for mainstreaming disability in local development. The following resources are aimed at recruiting rehabilitation volunteers: Voluntary Service Overseas is a UK based non-governmental organisation that recruits volunteer physical therapists to take part in recovery and development programmes in low-income countries. The following resources are aimed at pandemic disasters and communicable disease control: The WHO programme on communicable disease control in humanitarian emergencies produces a range of publications including A field manual - Communicable disease control in emergencies and

Information sources
The following sources may also provide needed information for those in disaster management:

The Community Tool Box is a global resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities. Promoting community health and development by connecting people, ideas and resources. This resource is also available in Spanish: Caja de Herramientas Comunitarias - Recursos prcticos ReliefWeb, administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is an on-line gateway to information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. Designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides information as events unfold, while emphasising the coverage of "forgotten emergencies". Source is an international information support centre designed to strengthen the management, use and impact of information on health and disability. Source has a unique collection of around 25,000 health and disability information resources. These include books, journals, manuals, reports, posters, CD-ROMs, websites and organisations. Many materials are from developing countries. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) has developed a listserve for libraries and public health workforce that facilitates the sharing of information on disaster preparedness topics. It also provides archives from previous discussions. Knowledge for Health has gathered key resources from a range of UN agencies into one place. The Haiti Relief Toolkit, though specifically developed in response to the earthquake in Haiti in February 2010, contains information of more general relevance. It contains technical and practical information that will help health workers respond to earthquake relief efforts, covering the vital sectors in emergencies - health, water, sanitation, food, security and shelter - and key field activities supporting the operations, such as logistics. A selection of systematic reviews and their conclusions is available from the Cochrane Library on Healthcare topics that aid agencies have reported as important. These are signposts to reviews that might be helpful to decision-makers. All countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can access the Cochrane Library for free via the Virtual Health Library (in English, Spanish or Portuguese).

Disaster management Glossary

Complex emergency - is a multifaceted humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires a multi-sectoral, international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing UN country programme. Such emergencies have, in particular, a devastating effect on children and women and call for a 1 complex range of responses . Community development - is a process to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities. Community development aims to integrate refugees into their host countries or to reintegrate them upon return to 2 their country of origin, while improving the living standards of the whole community . Disaster - is a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or 3 society to cope using its own resources . Preparedness - involves activities designed to minimise loss of life and damage, to organise the temporary removal for people and property from a threatened location and to facilitate timely and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation. See also prevention. Prevention - encompasses activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. It includes engineering and other physical protective measures, as well as legislative measures controlling land use and urban planning. See also preparedness. Recovery - is a focus on how best to restore the capacity of the government and communities to rebuild and recover from crisis and to prevent relapses into conflict. In so doing, recovery seeks not only to catalyse Emergency management - is the organisation and management of resources and responsibilities for addressing all aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and initial recovery steps. The term disaster 3 management may be used in place of emergency management . Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) - is an organised entity that is functionally independent of, and does not represent, a government or state. This term is normally applied to organisations devoted to humanitarian and human 2 rights causes . Mitigation - is the lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters . Sustainable development - involves activities that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of 3 future generations to meet their own needs .
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References
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2008). OCHA Glossary of Humanitarian TErms 2008. Accessed 12-04-10 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2006). UNHCR Master Glossary of Terms. Accessed 12-04-10 International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2009) UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction. Accessed 12-04-10

Conclusion on natural disaster?

Though developing countries in regions vulnerable to disasters received many development initiatives and investments, the increased frequency and magnitude of natural catastrophes associated with economic loss and human sufferings have considerably hindered those initiatives. This book has sought to derive conclusions from empirical evidence in order to integrate disaster risk management initiatives into development objectives. It can be seen in the preceeding chapters that human development and income levels of a country are crucial determinants for deciding upon how to effectively implement risk management approaches and post disaster management initiatives. In addition, it was found that participation by women in dynamic risk management process is imperative for any meaningful disaster counter measures, especially in the least developed countries. These generic phenomena can be seen not only in ADRC member countries but also through out Asia. The obvious vulnerability of this region to geo-physical and hydro-meteorological disasters in terms of demographic, socio-economic, and geo-physical factors justifies the need for prudent development policies and proactive risk management practices and also further investment for disaster reduction. This book also advocates the urgent need for country specific and regional initiatives to be integrated into cohesive disaster management approach with on going socio-economic development activities. Since disasters impact every single socioeconomic characteristics of a country, it can be concluded that designing development-oriented disaster prevention measures that incorpoprate the strength of human and economic resources would be an appropriate method of ensuring effective and pragmatic sustainable development

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Submitted to: Mrs. Agnes Sagaral NSTP Professor Submitted by: Rochdale Jayme BSPSYCH 1B