Disaster preparedness and management

Disaster Preparedness and Management

Disaster preparedness and management refer to proactive actions put in place to reduce the impact of a disaster. Handling an emergency necessitates teamwork and coordination. These include competent and efficient command and control, rapid damage assessment, deployment of search and rescue teams, and the advancement of emergency medical assistance to the affected individuals (Disaster Management and Emergency Preparation) (n.d.). The anticipating of specific sorts of disasters helps to lower the community’s susceptibility to such an occurrence and also improves preparedness for the essential mitigation techniques. As a result, early preparedness and disaster management plans reduce both human deaths and expenses.

Floods as the Most Frequent and Costly Disaster

Floods are the most frequent and costly disaster. Flooding occurs after a hurricane, thawing of snow, or prolonged rainfall. Floods expose people to risks of various diseases such as bilharzia, cholera, malaria, and typhoid. Therefore, an efficient disaster management plan should be well equipped with instruments for use by both the recovery personnel and those affected by the events. The safety of the victims and the recovery personnel should be prioritized. For this reason, securing enough vehicles to evacuate the residents is worth consideration during planning and budgeting (James, 2009). Moreover, adequate food and drugs for the victims are vital. Besides, having black mold spores is a useful high priority risk to the recovery personnel during the operation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, none of us is immune from disaster. They can occur anywhere and at any time without warning. Hence, having a disaster preparedness and management plan is essential in any organization. However, the program should be designed to cater for any uncertainties arising from such an event. Preparation minimizes future risks and saves on costs of mitigation. As the adage goes, prevention is always better than cure.

References

Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from

https://www.facs.g/quality%20programs/trauma/education/dmep

James, J. J. (2009). Prevention, Preparedness, and Wellness. Disaster Medicine and Public

Health Preparedness, 3(04), 188. doi:10.1097/dmp.0b013e3181c8abd9