Fatima Hyghia T.

Himpon
Disaster Management

Components of Disaster Management:

1.
Preparedness
2.
Response
3.
Recovery
4.
Prevention / Reduction
Disaster Preparedness - It involves
measures to ensure that communities and
services are capable of coping with the effect
of disaster.

Examples for Disaster Recovery

Counseling programme for those
who lost the near ones. Restoring
services like roads, communication
link.
Providing financial support employment.
Reconstructing damaged buildings.
Reduction & Mitigation - It involves
measures to eliminate or reduce the
incidence of severity of disasters.

and

Disaster Management Cycle

Ways for Disaster Preparedness

Community awareness and education.

Proper warning system.

Mutual aid arrangement.

Mock drill, training practice.

Principles of Disaster Management

Minimize casualties
Prevent further casualties
Rescue the victims
First aid
Evacuate
Medical care
Reconstruction

Disaster Response - It involves measures

taken in anticipation of, during and
immediately after a disaster to ensure that
the effects are minimized.
Examples for Disaster Response

Implementing the disaster

management plan

Setting up medical camps and

mobilizing resources

Providing adequate shelter and

sanitary facilities

Development of search and

rescue team
Disaster Recovery - It involves
measures, which support emergency
affected areas in reconstruction of the
physical infrastructure and restoration of
economic and emotional well being.

Food

ELDERLY MANAGEMENT DURING

DISASTERS: BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL,
RADIATION
1. Biological Threats
Biological agents are organisms or toxins
that can kill or incapacitate people,
livestock and crops. A biological attack is
the deliberate release of germs or other
biological substances that can make you
sick.

The three basic groups of biological

agents that would likely be used as
weapons are bacteria, viruses and toxins.
Delivery methods include:
Aerosols
Animals

water contamination
Person-to-person

Before a Biological Threat

Contact authorities and seek medical

assistance. You may be advised to stay
away from others or even quarantined.

Use common sense, practice good

hygiene and cleanliness to avoid
spreading germs, and seek medical
advice.
If your symptoms match those described
and you are in the group considered at
risk, immediately seek emergency
medical attention.
If the disease is contagious expect to
receive medical evaluation and
treatment. You may be advised to stay
away from others or even deliberately
quarantined.
For non-contagious diseases, expect to
receive medical evaluation and
treatment.

A biological attack may or may not be

immediately obvious.

The following are things you can do to

protect yourself, your family and your
property from the effects of a biological
SYMPTOMS AND HYGIENE
threat:

If a family member develops any of the

Build an Emergency Supply Kit,
symptoms below, keep them separated from
Make a Family Emergency Plan.
others if possible, practice good hygiene and
Check with your doctor to ensure
cleanliness to avoid spreading germs and
all required or suggested
seek medical advice.
immunizations are up to date.

If someone is sick, you should practice

good hygiene and cleanliness to avoid
During a Biological Threat
spreading germs

The first evidence of an attack may be

A temperature of more than 100 degrees

when you notice symptoms of the

Nausea and vomiting

disease caused by exposure to an agent.

Stomachache

In the event of a biological attack, you

Diarrhea
should watch TV, listen to the radio, or

Pale or flushed face

check the Internet for official news and

Headache
information including signs and

Cough
symptoms of the disease, areas in

Earache
danger, if medications or vaccinations

Thick discharge from nose

are being distributed and where you

Sore throat
should seek medical attention if you

Rash or infection of the skin

become ill.

If you become aware of an unusual and

Red or pink eyes

suspicious substance, quickly get away.

Loss of appetite

Protect yourself.

Loss of energy or decreases in activity

If you have been exposed to a biological

agent, remove and bag your clothes and
After a Biological Threat
personal items. Follow official

Pay close attention to all official warnings

instructions for disposal of contaminated
and instructions on how to proceed.
items.

The delivery of medical services for a

Wash yourself with soap and water and

biological event may be handled differently
put on clean clothes.
to respond to increased demand. The basic
public health procedures and medical

Fatima Hyghia T. Himpon

protocols for handling exposure to

biological agents are the same as for any
infectious disease.
It is important for you to pay attention to
official instructions via radio, television,
and emergency alert systems.

2. Chemical Threats
Chemical agents are poisonous vapors,
aerosols, liquids and solids that have
toxic effects on people, animals or
plants.

They can be released by bombs or

sprayed from aircraft, boats and
vehicles.
They can be used as a liquid to create a
hazard to people and the environment.
A chemical attack could come without
warning.
Signs of a chemical release include
people having difficulty breathing;
experiencing eye irritation; losing
coordination; becoming nauseated; or
having a burning sensation in the nose,
throat and lungs. Also, the presence of
many dead insects or birds may indicate
a chemical agent release.

Before a Chemical Threat

What you should do to prepare for a

chemical threat:
Build an Emergency Supply Kit,
Make a Family Emergency Plan.

During a Chemical Threat

What you should do in a chemical attack?

Quickly try to define the

impacted area or where the chemical
is coming from.

Take immediate action to get

away.

If the chemical is inside a

building where you are, get out of
the building without passing through
the contaminated area.

If you can't get out of the

building or find clean air without
passing through the area where you
see signs of a chemical attack, it
may be better to move as far away
as possible and shelter-in-place.

If you are instructed to remain in

your home or office building, you
should:
Close doors and windows and
turn off all ventilation, including
furnaces, air conditioners, vents,
and fans.
Seek shelter in an internal room
and take your disaster supplies
kit.
Seal the room with duct tape and
plastic sheeting.
Listen to your radio for
instructions from authorities.

If you are caught in or near a contaminated

area, you should:

Move away immediately in a direction

upwind of the source.

Find shelter as quickly as possible

If you are outside, quickly decide what is

the fastest way to find clean air. Consider
if you can get out of the area or if you
should go inside the closest building and
shelter-in-place.

After a Chemical Threat

Decontamination is needed within

minutes of exposure to minimize health
consequences.
Do not leave the safety of a shelter to go
outdoors to help others until authorities
announce it is safe to do so.
Decontamination guidelines

Use extreme caution when helping others

who have been exposed to chemical
agents.

Remove all clothing and other items in

contact with the body. Contaminated
clothing normally removed over the head
should be cut off to avoid contact with
the eyes, nose and mouth. Put
contaminated clothing and items into a
plastic bag and seal it. Decontaminate
hands using soap and water. Remove
eyeglasses or contact lenses. Put glasses
in a pan of household bleach to

decontaminate them and then rinse and

dry.
AREAS PRONE TO RADIATION ACCIDENTS

Flush eyes with water.

POWERPLANTS

HOSPITALS

Gently wash face and hair with soap and

A. ISOLATION ROOMS
water before thoroughly rinsing with
B. X-RAY ROOMS
water.
C. TREATMENT ROOMS

Decontaminate other body areas likely to

HOME
have been contaminated. Blot (do not
swab or scrape) with a cloth soaked in
MANAGEMENT FOR THE ELDERLY DURING
soapy water and rinse with clear water.
A RADIATION DISASTER

Change into uncontaminated clothes.

Clothing stored in drawers or closets is
Risk management considerations:
likely to be uncontaminated.
Governments and communities can manage

Proceed to a medical facility for

disaster- related risks to the health of
screening and professional treatment.
people with disabilities and older people
WHAT IS RADIATION?
In risk reduction, including emergency
In physics, radiation is a process in
preparedness, by:
which electromagnetic waves (EMR) travel
Identifying people at risk, noting where
through a vacuum or through matterthey live and their specific needs and
containing media
how they can be addressed.
the existence of a medium to propagate

Including
them in planning processes and
the waves is not required
preparedness activities.
A different but related definition says
Ensuring transport, emergency shelter
radiation is a subset of these
and alert or warning systems and
electromagnetic waves combined with a
processes are accessible.
class of energetic subatomic particles
Training service providers and
with very high kinetic energies
emergency responders to be aware of
these are called ionizing radiation, and
specific needs and vulnerabilities.
the particles are termed particle radiation.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF RADIATION

In emergency response by:

Ongoing assessment of needs
Ensuring availability of health-care and
rehabilitation including drugs for chronic
conditions, trauma care and
rehabilitation for people who are injured
or who have lost assistive devices.
Ensuring physical accessibility of
transportation, service delivery points,
emergency shelters, latrines and other
services.
Ensuring equal access to essential
services, which may require specific
strategies such as 'fast track' queues to
allow access to food supplies, delivery
of goods directly to the person, extra
clothing and bedding for people with
specific health needs.

Fatima Hyghia T. Himpon

Ensuring accessibility of information on

location of supplies and services and
ongoing risks.
Linking them with appropriate social
support for ex- ample to neighbours

who can collect fuel or water on their

behalf.
In recovery and transition phase by:

Providing appropriate health and

rehabilitation ser- vices including

assistive devices, e.g. wheelchairs,

prosthetics as close as possible to where
people live.
Establishing systems for follow up care.
Including accessibility considerations in
the reconstruction phase to promote

participation, for example ensuring that

medium and long term hous- ing is
accessible.