Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T03:12:52.343Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Understanding Community-Level Disaster and Emergency Response Preparedness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2015

Crystal Shannon
Crystal Shannon*
Affiliation:
Indiana University Northwest, College of Health and Human Services, School of Nursing, Gary, Indiana.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Crystal Shannon PhD, MBA, RN, Indiana University Northwest, College of Health and Human Services, School of Nursing, 3400 Broadway, Dunes Medical Professional Building, Ofc. 3112, Gary, IN 46408 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Community-level disaster readiness is a major component of community health promotion. However, many readiness programs are focused on the response of emergency and health care personnel and not on the preparedness levels of local citizens. This potentially leaves the public unready and unprepared for emergency event response.

Methods

A 20-item survey on general states of disaster preparedness was delivered to the residents of a midsized midwestern county. The residents were asked to share their knowledge of local hazards, emergency systems, and personal preparedness.

Results

A convenience sample of 423 residents responded to the survey. Fifty-seven percent (n=241) reported limited personal preparedness. Seventy-six percent (n=321) acknowledged little to no familiarity with residential emergency systems, and 52% (n=220) reported that they did not know how to gain information on public health emergencies, such as pandemic flu and evacuation response.

Conclusions

Local citizens should become educated on the methods to support personal disaster and emergency readiness. Health care and emergency management organizations are encouraged to include these concepts in routine community health promotion activities and to pay special attention to known areas of community vulnerability. Failure to do so creates a population unable to support themselves in the provision of basic health and safety measures. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:239-244)

Keywords

emergency preparednessdisaster planninghealth promotiondisaster education
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , June 2015 , pp. 239 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Breckjord, EB, Stern, SA, Shugarman, LR, et al. Appendix A. Enhancing Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Management for Vulnerable Populations: Literature Review. http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2008/emergfrA.Pdf. Published 2012. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
2. National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The American Preparedness Project: Executive Summary: Where the US Public Stands in 2011 on Terrorism, Security, and Disaster Preparedness. 2011. http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/item/ac:148122. Published 2011. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
3. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction- Regional Office for the Americas. Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas: Annual Work Plan and Strategy 2014-2015. http://www.unisdr.org/files/39087_disasterriskreductionintheamericasa.pdf. Published October 2013. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
4. Humanitarian Health Action. Definitions: Disaster. World Health Organization website. http://www.who.int/hac/about/definitions/en/. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
5. International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Annual Report 2012. http://www.ifrc.org/Global/Photos/Secretariat/201401/1259900-IFRC%20Annual%20Report%202012-EN_LR.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
6. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Ready: Natural disasters. Website. http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters. Last updated December 18, 2013. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
7. Disaster relief. American Red Cross webiste. http://www.redcross.org/what-we-do/disaster-relief. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
8. Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency Publication 1. http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25272. Last updated July 30, 2013. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
9. Wells, K, Tang, J, Lizaola, E, et al. Applying community engagement to disaster planning. Am J Public Health. 2013;103(7):1172-1180. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Pew Research Center. Social networking fact sheet. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/. Accessed March 12, 2015.Google Scholar
11. Adams, L, Canclini, S. Disaster readiness: a community–university partnership. Online J Issues Nurs. 2008;13(3). DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol13No03PPT04.CrossRefGoogle Scholar