The role of integrated modeling and simulation in disaster preparedness and emergency preparedness and response: The SUMMIT platform

Author(s):  
Jalal Mapar ◽  
Keith Holtermann ◽  
Justin Legary ◽  
Karim Mahrous ◽  
Katherine Guzman ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Raya Muttarak ◽  
Wiraporn Pothisiri

In this paper we investigate how well residents of the Andaman coast in Phang Nga province, Thailand, are prepared for earthquakes and tsunami. It is hypothesized that formal education can promote disaster preparedness because education enhances individual cognitive and learning skills, as well as access to information. A survey was conducted of 557 households in the areas that received tsunami warnings following the Indian Ocean earthquakes on 11 April 2012. Interviews were carried out during the period of numerous aftershocks, which put residents in the region on high alert. The respondents were asked what emergency preparedness measures they had taken following the 11 April earthquakes. Using the partial proportional odds model, the paper investigates determinants of personal disaster preparedness measured as the number of preparedness actions taken. Controlling for village effects, we find that formal education, measured at the individual, household, and community levels, has a positive relationship with taking preparedness measures. For the survey group without past disaster experience, the education level of household members is positively related to disaster preparedness. The findings also show that disaster related training is most effective for individuals with high educational attainment. Furthermore, living in a community with a higher proportion of women who have at least a secondary education increases the likelihood of disaster preparedness. In conclusion, we found that formal education can increase disaster preparedness and reduce vulnerability to natural hazards.


Author(s):  
Peter D Hurd ◽  
Stephenie Lukas ◽  
Ardis Hanson

Pharmacists, and pharmacy students, normally have a limited exposure to the principles and structures of emergency management necessary to help coordinate effective and rapid responses. However, pharmacists’ work in disaster preparedness has taken many focuses. Community pharmacists develop emergency preparedness manuals, organize health-system pharmacy teams to respond to terrorism attacks, and identify essential actions for effective emergency response. This chapter focuses on the US health care system and emergency preparedness within its borders, starting with basic terminology and concepts and then moving onto the key components of U.S. National Response Frameworks and the role of pharmacists in the Frameworks and larger emergency preparedness and planning efforts.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joie D. Acosta ◽  
Anita Chandra ◽  
Jeanne S. Ringel

AbstractObjectiveAlthough recent emergencies or disasters have underscored the vital role of nongovernmental (NGO) resources, they remain not well understood or leveraged. We intended to develop an assets framework that identifies relevant NGO resources for disaster preparedness and response that can be used to assess their availability at state and local levels.MethodsWe conducted a search of peer-reviewed publications to identify existing asset frameworks, and reviewed policy documents and gray literature to identify roles of NGOs in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. A standardized data abstraction form was used to organize the results by NGO sector.ResultsWe organized NGO assets into 5 categories: competencies, money, infrastructure or equipment, services, relationships, and data for each of the 11 sectors designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the 2011 preparedness capabilities.ConclusionsOur findings showed that the capacity of each sector to capture data on each asset type needs strengthening so that data can be merged for just-in-time analysis to indicate where additional relief is needed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;0:1–6)


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Savoia ◽  
Jessica Preston ◽  
Paul D. Biddinger

AbstractIntroductionThe objective of disaster preparedness is to ensure that appropriate systems, procedures, and resources are in place to provide prompt, effective assistance to disaster victims, thus facilitating relief measures and rehabilitation of services. Disaster preparedness efforts include the identification of possible health scenarios based on the probability of hazards and vulnerability of the population as a basis for creating a disaster plan. Exercises that simulate emergency response, involving the health and other sectors, have been suggested as useful tools to test the plans on a regular basis and measure preparedness efforts; the absence of actual testing is likely to negate even the best of abstract plans.ProblemExercises and after action reports (AARs) are used to document preparedness activities. However, to date, limited analysis has been performed on what makes an exercise an effective tool to assess public health emergency preparedness (PHEP), and how AARs can be developed and used to support PHEP improvement efforts. The scope of this project was to achieve consensus on: (1) what makes an exercise an effective tool to assess PHEP; and (2) what makes an AAR an effective tool to guide PHEP improvement efforts.MethodsSixty-one PHEP experts were convened by the use of Nominal Group Techniques to achieve consensus on a series of characteristics that exercises should have when designed to assess PHEP and on the recommendations for developing high-quality AARs.ResultsThe panelists achieved consensus on a list of recommendations to improve the use of exercises and AARs in PHEP improvement efforts. Such recommendations ranged from the characteristics of the exercise audience to the evaluation methodology being used and the characteristics of the produced AAR such as its structure and content.ConclusionsThe characteristics of the exercise audience, scenario and scope are among the most important attributes to the effectiveness of an exercise conducted for PHEP evaluation purposes. The evaluation instruments used to gather observations need an appropriate matching between exercise objectives and the response capabilities tested during the exercise, to build the base for the production of a good AAR. Improvements in the design and creation of exercises and AARs could facilitate better reporting and measurement of preparedness outcomes.SavoiaE, PrestonJ, BiddingerPD. A consensus process on the use of exercises and after action reports to assess and improve public health emergency preparedness and response. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(3):1-4.


1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-278
Author(s):  
Maniza S. Zaman ◽  
Sandro Calvani

AbstractThe World Health Organization, Panafrican Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (WHO/EPR) was established in 1988, and officially opened in March 1989, as a practical and functional response to the identified need for a regional institution to deal effectively with the health and related consequences of both natural and man-made disasters. The principal objective of the Centre is to aid member countries in the prevention and/or reduction of the adverse health effects of disasters, be they direct or indirect, by strengthening national capacities for disaster preparedness and response. The WHO has reoriented its disaster operations unit to incorporate preparedness activities, particularly within an overall developmental framework which is crucial for reducing losses, both human and material, in the event of a disaster. In keeping with this focus, the Centre has defined its goals and activities: development of national disaster preparedness programs; training of national and international personnel in health emergency preparedness and response; production and dissemination of technical publications on disaster preparedness and management; undertaking risk assessment missions; and executing relevant research projects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Federico Rocchi ◽  
Isabelle Devol-Brown ◽  
Wolfgang Raskob

Recent EURATOM research efforts on Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) have been focussed on programs addressing some main knowledge gaps clearly identified in the outcomes of investigations carried out in Europe in response to the Fukushima accident. The PREPARE and FASTNET projects tried to solve similar problems adopting very complementary and synergic approaches. The main achievements of both projects are detailed in this paper. In particular, the problem of the fast estimation of time-dependent, long-lasting Source Terms is discussed. This problem is not only a technical one, but is also related to the experience and skill of the code users. As the EP&R is spanning a wide range in Europe, certainly far beyond the borders of individual states, it is mandatory creating a common and shared understanding of emergencies. Both PREPARE and FASTNET recognized the fundamental role of exercises to increase the experience of emergency responders in Europe. A general recommendation can then be formulated, in that more efforts should be dedicated in the future to the realization of such important exercises.


BJGP Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. bjgpopen20X101041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Dunlop ◽  
Amanda Howe ◽  
Donald Li ◽  
Luke N Allen

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