Governmental Roles and Responsibilities in Disaster Behavioral Health Response and Recovery

2012 ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
Richard Salkowe ◽  
Julie Framingham
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Response And Recovery

Adverse impact of international NGOs during and after the Bam earthquake: Health system’s consumers’ points of view

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Hesam Seyedin, PhD ◽  
Mohammad Reza Aflatoonian, MPH ◽  
James Ryan, OStJ, MCh, FRCS, DMCC, FFAEM
Keyword(s):  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Research Software ◽  
Emergency Assistance ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
International Ngos ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
The City

Background: On December 26, 2003, an earthquake occurred in the city of Bam in Iran which completely destroyed the city. National and international responses to the calamity were quick and considerable and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from all over the world conducted extensive emergency assistance, fulfilling a crucial role during the emergency.The present study discusses some difficulties and problems which originated from the activities of international NGOs during their response to the Bam earthquake.Methods: A qualitative study using semistructured interview technique was conducted with nineteen public health and therapeutic affairs managers who were directly responsible for response and recovery in Bam. Analysis of the data was carried out by the framework analysis technique and supported by qualitative research software, the Atlas.ti.Results: The study found that although international NGOs did their best to help people in the region, they also had some adverse impacts on the community in the disaster affected areas. The problems originated from lack of knowledge of cultural issues, inefficient timing for the delivery of funds and services, uneven goods delivery, and poor communication with local people and authorities.Conclusions: The study’s findings could have implications for the international aid organizations including the United Nations (UN). Some activities such as roles and responsibilities of the NGOs; networking; and coordination and education of the NGOs could serve as the cornerstone for improvement of their efforts during disasters.

Telecom, Traffic Cones, and the Big One: Identifying Transportation and Communications Emergency Support Workforces and Calculating Their Exposure to Seismic Peak Ground Accelerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-124
Author(s):  
Pierre M. Auza ◽  
Diana C. Lavery ◽  
R. Jayakrishnan ◽  
Yuko J. Nakanishi
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Occupational Classification ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Recovery Planning ◽  
Frequency Table ◽  
Peak Ground Accelerations ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Populations

Successful post-disaster response and recovery depends on prompt restoration of infrastructure, including transportation or communications. However, disasters can have an impact on the workforce responsible for restoration, for example, by damaging their homes. This study has two goals: 1. Identify workers potentially participating in restoring transportation and communications infrastructure; 2. Calculate these workers’ exposure to the peak ground accelerations (PGAs) of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in a Southern California scenario, and compare it with the rest of the working population’s exposure. Four steps are required. First, calculate the mean PGA for each affected public use microdata area (PUMA). Second, identify the infrastructure restoration workforce by specifying Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. When specifying, use the Emergency Support Function (ESF) Annexes for Transportation (ESF#1) and Communications (ESF#2) to clarify workers’ roles and responsibilities. This ESF-specific listing of codes is a novel contribution. Third, via frequency table, calculate the mean and standard deviation of transportation and communications workers’ exposure to PGAs in their PUMAs of residence. Finally, test the difference in mean PGA exposures between two populations: (a) transportation or communications workers and (b) the rest of the working population. This study finds that, for this scenario, transportation workers are exposed to statistically significant higher PGAs than non-transportation workers, and communication workers to significantly lower PGAs. For practitioners, knowing which worker categories a disaster disproportionately affects could justify pre-event investments in workforce preparedness and recovery planning efforts.

Definition and Functions of Health Unified Command and Emergency Operations Centers for Large-scale Bioevent Disasters Within the Existing ICS

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Burkle ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Michael Loehr ◽  
Michael D. Christian ◽  
David Markenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Emergency Operations ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Emergency Operations Center ◽  
Potential Structure ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Command Systems

ABSTRACTThe incident command system provides an organizational structure at the agency, discipline, or jurisdiction level for effectively coordinating response and recovery efforts during most conventional disasters. This structure does not have the capacity or capability to manage the complexities of a large-scale health-related disaster, especially a pandemic, in which unprecedented decisions at every level (eg, surveillance, triage protocols, surge capacity, isolation, quarantine, health care staffing, deployment) are necessary to investigate, control, and prevent transmission of disease. Emerging concepts supporting a unified decision-making, coordination, and resource management system through a health-specific emergency operations center are addressed and the potential structure, function, roles, and responsibilities are described, including comparisons across countries with similar incident command systems. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2007;1:135–141)

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