Kumud Dhanwantri

 Injuries
 Death
 Physical disability
 Burns
 Epidemic
 Weakness/uneasiness
 Physical illness
 Sanitation
 Miscarriage
 Reproductive health
 Fatigue, Loss of Sleep
 Loss of Appetite
 Loss of life
 Unemployment
 Loss of Livelihood
 Loss of property/Land
 Loss of household articles
 Loss of crops
 Loss of Public Infrastructure
 Change in individual’s role
 Disruption of social fabric
 Isolation
 Change in marital status
 Sexual abuse & domestic violence
 Orphans
 Single parent children
 Family & social disorganization
 Migration
 Life style changes
 Breakdown of traditional Social Status
 Distress
 Flash backs
 Intrusion/Avoidance
 Hatred/Revenge
 Dependence/Insecurity
 Grief/Withdrawn/Isolation
 Guilt feeling
 Hyper vigilance
 Lack of trust
 Helplessness
 Hopelessness
“A more vulnerable group is defined as a
group which has some special needs in a
disaster and cannot comfortably or
safely access; and use the standard
resources offered in disaster
preparedness, relief and recovery.”

(California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services)

 Includes but is not limited to :

 Women
 Children
 Oldaged
 Physically and mentally challenged
 People with critical needs
 Deteoriation of health (lack
of food and nutrition)

 Restricted mobility
prevents from taking Early
Warnings and evacuation

 Greater stress

 Perceived to be victims
rather than responders
CHILDREN
 Health
Undernourishment, malnutrition, inadequate hygiene
and sanitation

 Psychological
Fear, anxiety, Childish or regressive behavior,
difficulty in sleeping and concentrating -
Play therapy ,story telling etc

 Education
Studies discontinued, schools being used as shelters
girl children dropouts
 Increased cases of
complications and
premature delivery amongst
women (children born are weak)
 feeding of infants (stress
interferes with the release of milk in mothers
and it weakens the immune system of child)

 Children born as a
consequence of gender
based violence
AGED POPULATION
 Vulnerable
Physical Impairments
 Natural aging process
• Impaired balance (balance
disorder)
• Decreased strength
• Poor exercise tolerance
• Deterioration of sight,
hearing, smell, taste, and
touch
• Unable to hear danger signals, alarms, etc.

• Difficulty in evacuation

• Difficulty in protection

• Difficulty in getting access to relief and

compensation money

• Difficulty locating avenues of escape

• Have to face the shock of losing all that they

had attained in life
 Home
 Family
 Security
 Visually challenged

 Hearing impaired

 Physically disabled

 Mentally challenged
 Dependent on life sustaining medications
such as with HIV/AIDS, on dialysis,
epileptic, diabetes, or are dependent on
medications to control conditions and
maintain quality of life such as pain
medications, seizure control medications
etc.
 Dependency upon health care facilities &
health care professionals
 In disasters, pre-existing medical
conditions inhibit ability to function and
are aggravated by
 loss of meds
 loss of health care venues (hospitals,
dialysis centers, pharmacies) and
 loss of power to access home for
nebulizers, oxygen therapy, suction
devices, injections etc.
 Establishmechanisms to support the
more vulnerable group to access their
entitlements

 Create opportunities for them to

participate in decision making.
 Location
 Consultation
 Needs Assessment
 Educate the special populations
specifically
Do’s and don'ts in a disaster
 Awareness Generation
Encouraging community to assist
vulnerable groups and involving them in
CBDRM process
 Policiesshould be more specific and
sensitive to the more vulnerable group

 Disastersshould be used as window of

opportunity to empower the vulnerable
group
 Personal Preparedness for
 People with Special Needs

Community-based Preparedness for

 People with Special Needs

Infrastructure Preparedness for

 People with Special Needs
 Define
 Locate
 Reach
 Plan
 Involve
 Manage