Have you ever experienced a natural disaster in your area? Were you prepared for the disaster? How did you receive information about the disaster? Do you have an emergency plan in place for you and your family in case of a disaster? How frequently do you update your emergency plan? Have you participated in any disaster management training or workshops in ‘the past? 7. How effective do you think your local government's disaster management response was during the last disaster? 8. Did you have access to basic necessities like food, water, and medical supplies during the disaster? 9. Do you think your community is well-equipped to deal with a disaster? 10. What suggestions do you have to improve the disaster management response in your area? RenoDisaster assessment efforts can be grouped into two general categories, defined by the type of data they seek: 1. Situation assessment; This assessment, also called a damage assessment, seeks to determine what has happened as a result of the hazard, Situation assessments can help determine the geographic scope of the disaster, and how it has affected people and structures. Itis, in essence, a measure of the hazard’s consequences Data sought may include + Area affected by the disaster (location and size—can be plotted onto a base map or described in words) + Number of people affected by the disaster + Number of injured (morbidity) and killed (mortality) + Types of injuries and illnesses + Description of the characteristics and condition of the affected + Description of the medical, health, nutritional, water, and sanitation situation + Ongoing or emerging hazards and hazard effects, + Damage to infrastructure and critical facilities, + Damage to residences and commercial structures + Damage to the agricultural and food distribution systems. * Damage to the economic and social status of the affected area + Vulnerability of the affected population to ongoing disaster effects or to expected related or unrelated hazards + Current response effort in progress. 2. Needs assessment. This assessment involves gathering data on the services, resources, and other assistance that will be required to address the disaster. Its used to determine what is needed to both save and sustain lives. Disaster managers may use a range of methods to conduct this assessment, which could include: + Gathering of internal information. This entails gathering and reporting all information known by staff or affiliates. + Visual inspection. This involves using various methods of observation, including satellite imagery, aerial flyovers, and drive or walkthrough surveying. + Sample surveys. Information gathered by interviewing representative segments of the affected population, usually by one of the following four methods: - Simple random sampling. Members of the population are selected purely at random, = Systematic random sampling. Members of the affected population are sampled according to a pre-set pattern, such as every fifth house, every tenth name on a list, ete.* Stratified random sampling, The affected population is first divided into demographic groups (strata), and then members of each strata are randomly selected for sampling. = Cluster sampling. Affected people are sampled in groups or clusters, arranged geographically within the affected area, representative of the different geographic areas affected by the disaster. + Sentinel surveillance. Certain disaster characteristics or “early warning signs,” which tend to be indicative of larger problems, are monitored and reported when found, + Detailed critical sector assessments by specialists. Experts in various sectors, such as transportation, energy, health, or water supply, make targeted surveys of the infrastructure ‘component for which they are specially trained. + Ongoing interviews. People are designated to gather information on an ongoing basis to support updating the assessments. + Interviewing informants, Members of the affected population who are identified as being able to provide useful information regarding the situation and needs are contacted on a regular basis to report any findings they may have.