Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Impact on People
Natural Disasters
Natural Disasters strikes countries (both
developed & developing),
Consequences includes;
death or injury to humans,
damage or loss of ‘goods’, e.g.
buildings, communications, agricultural
land, forest, and natural environment
Due to diverse geo-climatic conditions
prevalent in different parts of the world.
Different types of natural disasters strike
according to the vulnerability of the area.
1
The big picture…
2
Effect on Developing Countries
3
Coupled Human/Natural Systems
• What is new:
– The global scale of these interactions and
their impacts
• lack of replicates
– The prospect of irreversible changes
• No going back
– The time horizons of consequences
• abrupt changes and consequences over decades
to centuries
4
Managing Natural Disasters
Multidisciplinary endeavour
Different stakeholders with different interests
Systemic
approach in
managing skills
and
competencies
5
Subsystems of the Skills System
Recruitment & Mobilization: Identifying critical
competencies and maintaining a person(s)/skills
inventory for disaster management phases
Training and Development: Public & targeted
programmed interventions for building hard/soft skills
needed to prevent and act on disasters
Economic Subsystem: Keeping track of demographics
indicating degree of vulnerability and interventions to
mitigate risk, and prevention of vulnerability
Appraising Preparedness/Action: Public drills, and
demonstrations of skills at all levels of activity
Identification of and Availability: Contactability of
specialists and knowledge of locations
Payment and Rewards: Remuneration and
compensation for services.
Preparedness Response
Measures to
prevent
disasters or the
effects
Prevention Development
mitigated
6
Information Management Activities
Expert Systems
Two-way access to global expert systems and
speedy transmission of information to target
locations
Image processing
7
Information Management Activities
Disaster
Physical Statistics History
Sub-Model Reports
Social
Sub-Model
Economic DMIS
Data
Sub-Model
Psychological
Sub-Model
Spiritual Early
Sub-Model Hazard & Disaster
Warnings &
Vulnerability assessment
Forecasting
Maps Maps
8
Data Needs
Data Needs
19 Population and distribution of Livestock
9
Decreasing vulnerability...
Reconstruction
Meta-Stability
Integration
Community
Cohesion
ief
Gr
Heroism
h
ug
Disillusionment
ro
Th
Pre-disaster
ng
ki
or
s-W
Warning
rm
or Threat
Te
to
Impact
g
in
Inventory
m
Co
Trigger Events
Zunin/Meyers
Adapted from
Decreasing vulnerability...
Increase preparedness for natural
disasters.
Increase adaptability (& efficiency) of:
agricultural systems,
municipal management,
water resources management,
public health systems.
Maintain healthy & resilient ecosystems.
Improve resources for conflict resolution.
10
Decreasing vulnerability...
Identifying Trauma
Emotional Cognitive
– Shock – Poor concentration
– Emotional numbing – Difficulty making
– Denial decisions
– Dissociation/unreality – Perseverance
– Panic/fear
Behavioral
– Hopeless/helpless
– Guilt – Withdrawal
– Pacing,
Physiological
– Elevated BP, HR – Exaggerated startle
– Fatigue, – Regressive behaviors
– Hyperventilation
– Headache
Decreasing vulnerability...
Psychiatric Disorders Following Trauma
Review of 177 Studies – 130 Samples
(Norris, PTSD Fact Sheet, 2001)
100
90
80
Percent of Samples
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PTSD DEPRESSION ANXIETY
11
Decreasing vulnerability...
Promising Early Intervention: Cognitive
Behavior Therapy
(Ehlers & Clark, 2003)
Decreasing vulnerability...
Interventions Are…
• Therapeutic
• Psychological First Aid
• A preventative measure
• Psycho-educational
• Supported by empirical evidence
12
Decreasing vulnerability...
Interventions Are Not…
• Psychotherapy
• To alleviate immediate pain
• A critique of the response to the
disaster
• Necessarily one-time sessions
Decreasing vulnerability...
Lessons Learnt…
• Symbols, rituals and spirituality are
important in coping and healing process
• People have an enormous capacity to
heal through natural support systems-
don’t get in the way
• We need to overcome the stigma that
surround mental health services
• We need to trust in the resilience of the
human spirit!
13