ACTIVITY

Discuss disaster nursing roles and responsibilities?

Nurses play a key role in medical treatment during natural disasters. A nurse’s responsibility in a
disaster includes caring for injuries and stabilizing patients. The nurses’ responsibility in a disaster is
instrumental and lifechanging. Because of their healthcare background, they can stand on the front lines
and provide care to those in need. A nurse’s role in emergency situations is primarily to provide care and
treatment to victims of natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Volunteers should
prepare for the possibility of working in primitive conditions. This type of nursing is collaborative and
physical. Many volunteers do additional tasks like distributing clothing, providing emotional support, or
sweeping floors. In disaster response, nurses aren’t afraid to get dirty literally.

Nurses have a vital role to play in all phases of disaster(s). Their knowledge of community
resources, their understanding of the needs of vulnerable populations, health workforce planning and
clinical knowledge and skills, allow them to play a strategic role in promoting cooperation of health and
social sectors, governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, including humanitarian
organizations and community groups, and make them of immense value during disaster risk prevention,
response, and recovery.

Cite the principles of community-based disaster risk reduction and management?

 Participatory process and content: involvement of community members, particularly the most
vulnerable sectors and groups in the whole process of risk assessment, identification of
mitigation & preparedness measures, decision making, implementation; the community directly
benefits from the risk reduction and development process
 Responsive: based on the community’s felt and urgent needs; considers the community’s
perception and prioritization of disaster risks and risk reduction measures so the community can
claim ownership
 Integrated: pre-, during and post-disaster measures are planned and implemented as necessary
by the community; there is linkage of the community with other communities, organizations and
government units/agencies at various levels especially for vulnerabilities which the local
community cannot address by itself
 Proactive: stress on pre-disaster measures of prevention, mitigation and preparedness
 Comprehensive: structural (hard, physical) and non-structural (soft, health, literacy, public
awareness, education and training, livelihood, community organizing, advocacy, reforestation
and environmental protection, etc) preparedness and mitigation measures are undertaken;
short-, medium- term and long-term measures to address vulnerabilities
 Multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary: considers roles and participation of all stakeholders in the
community; combines indigenous/local knowledge and resources with science and technology
and support from outsiders; addresses concerns of various stakeholders while upholding the
basic interest of the most vulnerable sectors and groups
 Empowering: people’s options and capacities are increased; more access to and control of
resources and basic social services through concerted action; more meaningful participation in
decision making which affects their lives; more control over the natural and physical
 environment; participation in CBDM develops the confidence of community members to
participate in other development endeavors.
 Developmental: contributes to addressing and reducing the complex relation of conditions,
factors and processes of vulnerabilities present in society, including poverty, social inequity and
environmental resources depletion and degradation

How have government agencies such as the NDRRMC, PAGASA-DOST, the Bureau of Quarantine, and
other institutions (CRED) helped with disaster preparedness and risk reduction?

- The NDRRMC and intermediary LDRRMCs shall always act as support to LGUs which have the
primary responsibility as first disaster responders. Private sectors, civil society organizations and
other volunteer groups shall work in accordance with the coordination mechanisms and policies
set by the NDRRMC and concerned LDRRMCs; PAGASA-DOST provide adequate, up-to-date,
and timely information on atmospheric, astronomical and other weather-related phenomena
using the advances achieved in the realm of science to help government and the people prepare
for calamities caused by typhoons, floods, landslides, storm surges, extreme climatic events, and
climate change, among others, to afford greater protection to the people; Bureau of Quarantine
has been effective surveillance and control measures on infectious diseases and other health
concerns with global impact through local and international networking; The Centre for
Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) has been active for over 40 years in the
fields of international disaster and conflict health studies, with activities linking relief,
rehabilitation and development. The Centre promotes research, training and technical expertise
on humanitarian emergencies, particularly in public health and epidemiology. By providing a
wealth of data on health issues arising from disasters and conflict, CRED seeks to improve
needs-based preparedness and responses to humanitarian emergencies.