DISASTER NURSING

Renato D. Lacanilao, RN, MAN

Lecturer
Learning Objectives

01 02 03
Discuss areas of focus in Assess constraints on a Formulate strategies that
emergency and disaster community’s or can use to assist children
planning – preparedness, organization’s ability to & families in immediate
mitigation, response & respond. aftermath of a disaster
recovery – and the critical
importance of evaluation.
POST IMPACT
POST IMPACT: Recovery, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation
1. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
-Supportive
-Communication Skills
-Assisted Coping Techniques
-Common Emergency Stress Reactions
2. Psychological First Aid (PFA)
-Role of Psychological First Aider in a Crisis
-Fear Management Strategies
3. Public Health Interventions
Guidelines in Disaster and Emergency Situations
A. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings
B. Infant and Young Child Feeding During Emergency and Disaster Situation
C. PAGASA Rainfall Warning System
D. Flood and Earthquake Warning System
Personnel Roles and Functions for Disaster Preparedness and Responses Plans
A. Incident Commander
B. Medical Command Physician
C. Triage Officer
D. Community Relations for Public Information Officer
E. NDRRM National and Local Council
F. Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)
G. National and Local Health Personnel
H. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
I. Civic Society Organization
J. Community Volunteers
 DISASTER
• The word derives from French “désastre” and
that from Old Italian “disastro”, which in turn
comes from the Greek pejorative prefix dus =
"bad" + aster = "star".
• The root of the word disaster ("bad star" in
Greek) comes from an astrological theme in
which the ancients used to refer to the
destruction or deconstruction of a star as a
disaster.
• The ancient people believed that the disaster is
occurred due to the unfavorable position of the
“planets” or “Act of God”.
• Disaster is a result of vast ecological
breakdown in the relation between humans
and their environment, as serious or
sudden event on such scale that the
stricken community needs extraordinary
efforts to cope with outside help or
international aid.
• Disaster can be defined as “Any
catastrophic situation in which the normal
patterns of life (or ecosystems) have been
disrupted and extraordinary, emergency
interventions are required to save and
preserve human lives and/or the
environment.”
Disaster
• Serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society.

Human losses
Material losses
Economic losses
g own Environmental losses
u sin
o pe e
to c s cop
i l ity rce
s ab sou
ed re
ce
Ex
WHO 1998
 Based upon Time
• Slow or Fast onset

Based upon Presence of Advance Notice

General Ways
• Advance Notice & No Notice
to Classify
Disasters Based upon size of Response Necessary
• Emergency, disaster or catastrophe

Based on the Type of Hazard

• Natural, technological, hybrid
 Natural
3 Classification • Ex. Typhoon, earthquake, tsunami
of Disasters
Based upon Man-Made (aka. Technological)
Hazard • Chemical explosion, oil spill

Hybrid
• Earthquake causing a fire
 • A serious disruption triggered by a
human-induced hazard causing
Human- human, material, economic or
environmental losses, which exceed
induced the ability of those affected to cope.
Disasters
• Classified
(1) Technological Disaster
(2) Environmental Degradation
•
 • includes hazardous substance
accidents (e.g., chemicals, toxic gases),
radiologic accidents, dam failures,
resource shortage (e.g., food,
electricity and water), structural fire
Man- and explosions and domestic
disturbances (e.g., terrorism, bombing
made and riots), Bioterrorism. Explosions ▫
Fires, Toxic materials, Pollution, Civil
Disasters unrest (e.g., riots, demonstrations),
Terrorists’ attacks ▫ Throughout history
natural and man-made disasters have
disrupted food and water supplies and.
salutation causing communicable
diseases, injury, illness and death.
 • Danger associated with technological
or industrial accidents, infrastructure
failures or certain human activities
which may cause the loss of life or
injury, property damage, social or
economic disruption or
Technological environmental degradation,
disaster sometimes referred to as
anthropological hazards.
• Examples include industrial pollution,
nuclear release and radioactivity, toxic
waste, dam failure, transport
industrial or technological accidents
(explosions fires spills).
 • Processes induced by human behaviors
and activities that damage the natural
resources base on adversely alter nature
processes or ecosystems. Potentials
effects are varied and may contribute to
Environmental the increase in vulnerability, frequency
Degradation and the intensity of natural hazards.
• Examples include land degradation,
deforestation, desertification, wild land
fire, loss of biodiversity, land, water and
air pollution climate change, sea level
rise and ozone depletion.
Disaster
Nursing
Timeline
 The Philippine
Disaster
and Risk Profile
Top 5 Deadliest Disaster Worldwide, 1900-2015

YEAR EVENT NUMBER OF DEATHS

As of May 2023 COVID 19 Pandemic 6,921,614
1941-1945 World War II 72 million
1918-1919 Pandemic Influenza 50 million
1914-1918 World War I 20 million
1928 China Drought 3 million
 Health Effects of Disaster

• Disaster may cause premature deaths, illnesses,

and injuries in the affected community, generally • Disaster may cause large population movements
exceeding the capacity of the local healthcare (refugees) creating a burden on other healthcare
system. system and communities. Displaced populations
• Destroy the local healthcare infrastructure and their host communities are at increased risk of
communicable diseases and health consequences
• Creates environmental imbalances, increasing the of crowded living conditions (Lam, McCarthy, &
risk of communicable diseases & environmental air, Brennan, 2015)
soil, and water hazards.
• Disaster frameworks for response are increasingly
• May affect the psychological, emotional & social shaped by globalization, changing world dynamics,
well being. social inequality, and sociodemographic trends
• Cause a shortages of food and cause severe (Tierney, 2012; WHO, 2016)
nutritional deficiencies.
 · Unpredictability

· Unfamiliarity

Main Features · Speed

of a Disaster · Urgency

· Uncertainty

· Threat
LEVELS OF DISASTER
Level I:
If the organization, agency, or community is able to contain the event and respond
effectively utilizing its own resources.

Level II:

If the disaster requires assistance from external sources, but these can be obtained
from nearby agencies

Level III :

If the disaster is of a magnitude that exceeds the capacity of the local community
or region and requires assistance from state-level or even federal assets
.
 • Disasters result from the
combination of hazards,
conditions of vulnerability
and insufficient capacity or
measures to reduce the
DISASTERS potential negative
consequences of risk.
 Pre-Impact Phase

Phases of a
Disaster Impact Phase

Post – Impact Phase

 • The initial phase of disaster, prior to the actual
occurrence. A warning is given at the sign of the first
possible danger to a community with the aid of weather
networks and satellite many meteorological disasters
can be predicted.
• The earliest possible warning is crucial in preventing loss
PRE-IMPACT

of life and minimizing damage. Period when the

emergency preparedness plan is put into effect
emergency centers are opened by the local civil,
detention authority.
• Communication is a very important factor during this
PHASE

phase; disaster personnel will call on amateur radio

operators, radio and television stations.
• Nurse role is to assist in preparing shelters and
emergency aid stations and establishing contact with
other emergency service group.
 • Occurs when the disaster actually happens. A time of
enduring hardship or injury end of trying to survive.

• It last for several minutes (e.g. after an earthquake,

IMPACT PHASE
plane crash or explosion.) or for days or weeks (e.g. in a
flood, famine or epidemic).

• It continues until the threat of further destruction has

passed and emergency plan is in effect.
• A time when the emergency operation center is
established and put in operation. It serves as the center
for communication and other government agencies of
health tears care healthcare providers to staff shelters.
Every shelter has a nurse as a member of disaster
action team. The nurse is responsible for psychological
support to victims in the shelter.
 • Recovery begins during the

POST – IMPACT
emergency phase and ends
with the return of normal
community order and
functioning.
• For persons in the impact
PHASE
area this phase may last a
lifetime (e.g. - victims of the
atomic bomb of Hiroshima).
ASSIGNMENT: News Critiquing
• Select a local or foreign Disaster Event that happens in the world and have some
reactions using the guidelines given.
• Criteria for Critiquing
• a. What is the name disaster event that happens
• b. Write the details of what happen in the disaster
• c. What are the concerns/situation/status/issue all about?
• d. How could you help? What can you do? How will you respond?
• e. What are the plan of care and prevention that you can propose to avoid this
situation?

• Submit in a short bond paper, typewritten, font size 12 Calibri font

• Insert a picture of the disaster event
• Deadline of Submission on May 7, 2023 @ 11:59pm