DisasterPrepared

Local area and national government should conduct risk assessment of the threats that affect provinces of their countries and the local government within those areas should make plans and support organisations within those areas to become 'disaster prepared'. Recent disaster has demonstrated that this has not happened in some of the most vulnerable areas of countries that are prone to suffer from the catastrophic effects of disasters.

This page tries to highlight some of the measures that should be established to alleviate suffering from those citizens affected by disaster. They have been the results of in-depth observation (even if from afar) of events happening around the world that have seen the need for international aid and have had the input from a senior manager of the Emergency Rescue Foundation of Cebu who are no stranger to dealing with disaster and are well ahead of most in being 'disaster preparded'.

These two styles each have there own Search and Rescue (S&R) stages:

Pre warned stages:

Stage One: Pre event planning, training and preparation

Stage Two: Immediate pre event: activation of equipment, staff and resources (Including nofication and/or activation of international aid)

Stage Three: Immediate Event – nothing possible (unsafe)

Stage Four: Immediate Post event – up to 3 days – assess, activate and start . S&R – If stage two has been effective then local and possibly international assistance may be possible during this period especially towards the second / third day. If 'Disaster Prepared', locals will be functional and hopefully effective during this time.

Stage Five: post event S&R Phase: - up to 14 days – S&R and commence

rebuild (S&R units should consider staying for at least two weeks - There have been a number of instances when S&R units have returned home and local resources have rescued people from buildings alive)

Stage Six: Post event: post 14 days – rebuilding and re-establishing

Communities

Non-warned stages:

Stage One: Pre event planning, training and preparation

Stage Two: Immediate Event – nothing possible (unsafe)

Stage Three: Immediate Post event – up to 3 days – assess, activate and start. (S&R. Local assistance only. Little chance of national government assistance especially in the first and second days. No chance of international assistance until day 3+)

Stage Four: post event S&R Phase: - up to 14 days – S&R and commence

rebuild

Stage Five: Post event: post 14 days – rebuilding and re-establishing

communities

Things to be concerned about

Disease from bad water supplies – Disease Management

Native wild animals – Crocodiles and alligators, snakes, spiders, etc

Information on casualties – calls coming in can hamper rescue

Need to bury/burn the dead (temporary, quickly although with reverance, sensitivity and documentation)

Is there co-ordination of what different countries are sending – teams & aid?

Every country and organisation seems to be send assessment teams.

Hospitals can be damaged/swamped as well as other buildings – maternity

hospital on Sri Lanka, General hospitals (including A&E) in New Orleans.

Different people providing information web sites and tickers on news

channels etc. Sky, CNN, other media systems + local governmental and red cross etc. People unsure what they had seen, where they had seen it and what it meant. Possible need for a authorised web site.

Crocodiles eating people swimming off shore in the Tsunami and the plight and threat of animals in New Orleans

Ships not able to off load relief supplies as jetty has been washed away.

British Doctor working for the British Embassy complains about the lack of

British Medical Staff to evacuate the British Injured.

Displaced Children and child abduction threat

Two things seem to be key:

Co-ordination – getting the right items, in the right quantities, at the right time to the right places

Communications – communications in its fuller sense – radio, telephone, roads, etc. Getting to know who needs help; where they are; what is happening, where and when; knowing where the rescue resources are and being able to control them.

Difficulties with areas that are under the control or ‘patrolled’ by insurgent

Groups. Some communications early on (in the planning stages) needed with these.

There will be a need for:

Information Centre one internationally renown through the web and telephones that is equipped, practiced and has the system in place to co-ordinate people information from anywhere on any type of incident

International Rescue Visa – Entrance to any region in any country signed up by local countries

The need to have a fast contact structure with any insurgent groups to be able

to negotiate safe passage for S&R

Fast and efficient way to deal with the dead – Photo and bury in numbered plot

After a few days there is a need for cooked food rather than ingredients –

Mobile kitchens

Stores of equipment in each region –body bags, medical supplies, stretchers etc (see further section below)

Bridge Building equipment

Exceptional 4x4 vehicles

Helicopters

?Hovercraft

Medical Facilities

Heavy Lifting gear capable of being transported over difficult terrain

(elephants can be used if native to the area)

People trained to move bodies

Psychological help for those involved - survivors and helpers - Stress dogs

Pre Planning regarding the setting up of camps for survivors

Pre panning as to what to do with bodies

Ships carrying supplies to also carry the necessary boats, hovercraft to get the stores ashore

Counsellors for both victims and helper

Dog Food to stop them scavenging

4x4 that can ford deep rivers

Evacuation Teams for pre-planned evacuations

Portable X-ray Machines

Vehicle and motor Engineers to get vehicles and generators running

People to concentrate on animals – native dangerous animals, hungry dogs etc.

Resource centres need to contain:

ItemQuantity

Body bags 250

Spades 30

Sand Bags 500

Bottles of Water 1000

Water purification tablets 5000

Buckets 200

Stretchers (poles & canvas with spreaders) 100

Meals – Long life food packs and cans 500

Can openers10

Blankets 300

Rolls of Plastic Sheeting 200

Rolls of twine 50

Tent pegs 50 bags

Clothing pegs 500

Scissors 10

Sleeping Bags 100

Medical Kits 50

Generators 2

Floodlights 4 sets

Cans of Diesel Fuel 100

Hurricane Lamps 30

Cans of Kerosene 10

Candles 1000

Boxes of matches 50

Portable Stoves 10

Cooking utensils and pans 10 sets

Fuel for stoves 30 *

Torches 100

Batteries for torches 5 per torch

Portable Radios 40

Spare Radio Batteries 40

Plastic Capes 100

Axes 20

Knives 20 sets

Bolo knives 20 sets*

Tents 100

Resources may differ per the area and some items such as number of food items will depend on numbers of people expected to be affected. This list is based on the 'ideal' in the Philippines.

*Fuel for stoves and knives needs to be relevant for area. Gas canisters would be good but if they cannot be locally sourced this would be an issue.

Resource centres need to be in each village and in a secure, weatherproof, earthquake proof building/store house. This must be secure and maintained and between three and six people need to have keys. These people need to know where they are in the local Disaster Prepared Structure.

Ideal Local Teams (Gold, Silver, Bronze command structure):

Island/Province Manager (Gold)

Area Manager (Silver)

Food co-ordinator (Bronze)

Shelter co-ordinator (Bronze)

Information co-ordinator (Bronze)

Work co-ordinator (Bronze)

Medical controller (Silver)

Triage officer (Bronze)

Local teams should cover an area of no more than 5 square miles and could be village and / or district based. Each local team should have a resource centre.

Each team should include the above managers plus teams of first aiders, rescue teams, and teams to work on food collection and distribution, shelter arrangements etc.