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Chapter Three: Overview and Concepts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2020

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Abstract

It is not possible for persons within and between the many disciplines involved in disasters to communicate with each other without clear definitions of the specific terms that are used. In many instances, the same terms have different meanings in different disciplines. Thus, a standardized set of definitions is provided in this chapter and in the associated Glossary of Terms. Some definitions discussed in this Chapter include: (1) disaster; (2) medical disaster; (3) hazard; (4) risk; (5) prevention; (6) modification; (7) event (including onset, duration, amplitude, intensity, scale, and magnitude); (8) impact; (9) mitigation; (10) preparedness; (11) damage; (12) vulnerability; (13) resilience; (14) absorbing capacity; (15) buffering capacity; (16) disaster management; (17) response; and (18) recovery. An annotated, comprehensive set of definitions is provided in the Glossary of Terms in these Guidelines.

Keywords

absorbing capacityamplitudebuffering capacitydamagedefinitionsdisasterdurationeventhazardimpactintensitymagnitudemanagementmedical disastermitigationmodificationonsetpreparednesspreventionrecoveryresilienceresponseriskscalevulnerability
Type
Conceptual Framework
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue S3: Health Disaster Management: Guidelines for Evaluation and Research in the “Utstein Style” , December 2002 , pp. 31 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2002

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