Professional Documents
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Disaster Management in Public Health
Disaster Management in Public Health
Public health
Arooba Sarfraz
PHLS-02
DEFINING DISASTER MANAGEMENT
DISASTER RELIEF
Introduction
The 2021 Surfside condo collapse in Florida
destroyed homes and lives. In the same year,
unprecedented deluges flooded Germany and
China, with tragic results. We cannot entirely
avoid disasters, but we can prepare for and
address them.
Prevention efforts and coordinated responses
to disasters save lives and lessen their impact
on communities. Professionals in disaster
management play a crucial role in preventing
suffering, protecting people’s livelihoods, and
helping communities recover. What is disaster
management? To answer the question, you
should examine how these professionals deal
with disaster — before, during, and after it
strikes.
Often, issues such as a poorly maintained levee system or other negligence can worsen the
outcome of a disaster. Such was the case when Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed New
Orleans’ levees in 2005.
By addressing deferred infrastructure maintenance and other causal factors, governments
and organizations can often prevent, or at least reduce, the fallout of disasters.
Disaster management involves examining and managing causal factors. It requires
assessing the extent to which a community can withstand a disaster. Some communities are
more vulnerable than others. For example, poorer communities have fewer resources to
prepare themselves for a storm or bounce back from flood damage.
Disaster management also involves analyzing exposure to loss. For example, homes built
below sea level may face greater exposure to flooding if a hurricane hits them.
PREVENTION PREPAREDNESS,
TO UNDERSTAND DISASTER
MANAGEMENT IT IS USEFUL
TO STUDY THESE ASPECTS
RESPONSE RECOVERY.
Prevention
o Mitigation and prevention efforts aim to reduce the potential
damage and suffering that disasters can cause. While disaster
management cannot prevent disasters, it can prevent them from
becoming compounded as a result of neglecting causal factors
and manageable risks. Mitigation specifically refers to actions
taken that can lessen the severity of a disaster’s impact. Investing
in measures that limit hazards can greatly reduce the burden of
disasters.
STRATEGIES
o Strategies that disaster management professionals implement to
protect vulnerable communities and limit hazards include the following:
• Raising awareness about potential hazards and how to address them
• Educating the public about how to properly prepare for different types
of disaster
• Installing and strengthening prediction and warning systems