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Disaster Preparedness and Response

by A. M. Zakir Hussain
*** Disasters with sudden and forceful impact will account for more injury and death and those which develop slowly will cause less direct devastation; some of them may however bring in more misery unless the society is cautious enough. ***
IN the 1988 earthquake that occurred in San Francisco, sixty people had died, and in the same year an earthquake of almost similar intensity took a toll of several thousand human lives in Armenia. This contrasting experience, coupled with our knowledge that in 1975 not a single soul was lost in Manchuria despite a shake up of 7.3 Richter scale, tells us in no unambiguous terms about the benefit of a preparedness programme against a disaster.
Different types of disasters carry different types of impacts. Those with sudden and forceful impact will always account for more injury and death and those which develop slowly will cause less direct devastation; the impact of some of which may. however, be Indirect and bring in more misery unless the society or the nation is cautious enough.
Keeping all this in mind the following may be proposed for adopting in the preparation to responding to a disaster.
Formation of coordination committee at every functional level with an information center for efficiency and accountability in relief distribution: Each committee should have representatives from the armed forces, police. Ansar. VDP, NOO. concerned government departments, public representatives and local elite. There should be supervisory linkages between coordination committees established at different levels. Each coordination committee should develop a coordinated action plan which will distribute, localize and frame time of the actions planned.
Establishment of a data bank and data collection system: There should be facilities to transmit the data upwards, downwards and horizontally even to individuals who are anxious to know the welfare and whereabouts of their near and dear ones. Different organizations may distribute relief service on their own but must be benefltted by data that would be available at these banks and on.the other hand, these organizations must also report their activities to these banks where up-to-date local data should be available on the following: (1) normal time local situation that is relevant to disaster e.g.. number and toca tions of vulnerabies. population density, communication system. condition of weather, wind and rain etc, cropping pattern and sufficiency, location and capacity of food godowns and types and amount of food 1n stock, price index of edibles, location and capacity of high rise areas and build Ings, hospitals and schools, location of food shops, shops for fuel and construction materials. Individuals and organizations that may volunteer their equipment or physical labour etc., number, type and location of publicly used sources of wa -ter and toilet, medical supplies
in store, number and type of skilled and unskilled manpower. endenilc disease pat tern, vector population and nutrition; (iff extent and type of post disaster damage to the above noted facilities, resources and individuals; (ill) experience of previous disas ters: magnitude, impact and coping mechanism, anthropo logical behaviour etc.; (iv) Ipca tion. type and strength of on going relief activities.
Provision of training to volunteers. social leaders and staff of relevant agencies on: (i) health information—why and how common diseases occur and how to prevent them: (it) evacuation, rescue, search, first aid. handling of injured and treatment of rrilhor ailments; (lii) surveillance of diseases. vector and nutrition; (iv) purification of water and sources of water; (v) methods of imparting and meaning of early warning signals; (vi) data collection; (vli) management of shelters: (vlii) relief distribution specially distribution and assessment of quality and value of food; (ix) Coordination: the degree of training should be as per Job required, community at large should also be trained on relevant aspects — health information, emergency tips etc. Building up of an evacuation. search, rescue, first aid and relief distribution system: Sufficient alternative transports with manpower and logistics useable on land or In water should be available at least during an early warning period with the local level committees. Arrangements for these should be made a prior ity while air-borne facilities should be available centrally
Stocking of relevant logis tics such as (1) medical sup plies and equipment: (if) clothings and linens; (ill) non perishable foods: (tv) fuel for transports (v) containers and pots for cooking, dispensing and storing foods and drink:
fvi) paraphernalia for lighting; (vil) packing materials: (viii) floating and water tight devices: (be) tube-wells and water purifying items and (x) spare parts etc. Some of those dispensing of which may need air borne service should be stored centrally. An active stock pll-' ing system should be followed in storing these so that they can be used up before their expire dates. A stock checking at least In the early warning period should be made and emergency items which are running short should be Indented immediately keeping the future requirement in view. The Items should be prioritized in order of importance and time they will be needed. Larger volume of fewer items rather than smaller amounts of many items should be indented for prompt delivery. A list of probable emergency items that may be needed in the first seventytwo hours and after the Immediate Impact of a disaster should always be kept ready.
Establishment of liaison with relevant International institutes and organizations, and UN agencies In order to seek their help when needed: Flexibility to concerned officials should be allowed for liaising with donour countries directly including home-country em hassles in foreign countries during disasters. Following may be enacted to facilitate these: (1) waiving of landing rights for vehicles carrying re lief goods; (ii) granting of visas at the ports of entry; (ill) per mission for procuring radio-transmitters and other modes of communication: (iv) rules for foreign volunteers — privl leges and limitations. Policies should also be framed to declare national, regional or local calamities rules that will govern such circumstances.
Establishment of a sorting system at the ports of entry for donated goods: 'Dangerous for health' items should be sent
back In the returning carrier Adequate facilities should be established for storing perish able and non-perishable items at the ports of entry and at feeder centres down the line. All foreign consignments except vaccines sent to NGOs may be released to them after the sorting with the condition that they (NGOs) will submit an account of these goods to the government.
Right of rescheduling jobs and their timing should be allowed to local level officials in disaster prone areas so that certain services, e.g.. vaccination. may be completed before the disaster season, ward boy may administer ordinary pain killers etc., in an emergency situation. Legislation to waive the necessity of death certificate in case of death that occurred clearly due to disaster etc., should be framed.
Establishment of permanent or temporary (tent) shelters in high rise areas, schools and/or hospitals in disaster prone areas with facilities of pure water and sanitation: These may also be used a stores for relevant logistics. These shelters should also have facilities for Impounding cattlehead and poultry birds and for the burial of dead bodies. Monitoring of foods pro-vided should be done for their quality and for need wise dis tributlon — as a right and not an act of charity to the encamped people. Visits to these camps by prominent people should be arranged for bolstering their morale. Water supply, sanitation and stores (if there is one) of these camps should be monitored from time to time. To be more efficient relief services should be provided In the shelters first and then to the afflicted community at large if the situation permits. Foods provided In the shelters should be tn cooked form meal by meal but at the community level these should be tn .the form of grains and tn quantities good for weeks or months for the whole family.
Establishment of a system of reconstruction/rehabilita-tlon/ restoration service: The following. in order of Importance. should ,get priority: (I) sanitation and water supply: (11) communication: fill) occupations: (tv) offices. housing and instltu lions. Food supply may have to be continued for supplemented until the next crop is harvested. A food for work programme. grant loan, subsidy etc. for occupational rehabilitation may be arranged which will also include help to students. Arrangements should be made to rehabilitate dependents who lost their iiu.irdians.
Documentation of the failures and successes of the recent relief operation, study of local anthropological characteristics such as. why the people behaved the way they did. what can be done about it in future, survey on the types and magnitude of loss, short and long term efforts of the disaster etc. should be sponsored for better actions In future.
The writer is Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology NIPSOM. Mohakhali. Dhaka