Unintentional Injuries & Natural Disasters and Emergencies

Introduction

According to WHO (1971), a natural disaster is “an act of nature of such magnitude as to create a catastrophic situation in which the day-to-day patterns of life are suddenly disrupted and people are plunged into helplessness and suffering, and, as a result, need food, clothing, shelter, medical and nursing care and other necessities of life, and protection against unfavorable environmental factors and conditions.” With what we have witnessed in the last few months (Harvey, Irma etc) we all can understand the impact natural disasters can have on the health and well-being of populations. Our media is swamped with heart breaking stories of lost human lives, destroyed homes and infrastructure, affected animals etc.

At the end of this Module you should be able to articulate the following:

1. Explain what the main types of natural and man-made disasters are.
2. Be knowledgeable about at least one recent natural disasters or Complex Humanitarian Emergency in U.S and in another country.
3. Understand the burden of disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
4. Describe what has been and is being done to dilute the impact of ND or CHEs.
5. Be familiar with at least two development organizations/NGOs working to address NDs and CHEs
TYPES OF NATURAL DISASTERS
Natural disasters include earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, heat waves and droughts. Open http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/ems/natprofiles/en/ for a discussion on some of these. Natural disaster have been happening for a long time – also see
http://www.disasterium.com/10-worst-natural-disasters-of-all-time/ for a historical perspective on the worst global disasters. We have come a long way – earthquakes used to kill us in millions, today because of advanced technologies and preparedness measures the impact on lives is not as grave as then.