Question

Can you tell us more on FEMA and Red Cross role in a disaster? What is their role and how can nurses contribute to the "wellbeing" of these organizations?

Answer 1

Disasters are events that either natural or human made, and are inevitable. Disasters are events that have been occurring for a long time, throughout communities. In such situations, it is important that a person would respond to a disaster in the most appropriate manner along with attempting to recover from the disaster. Important aspects of disaster management are prevention of the management cycle, response, as well as recovery. The nurse plays distinct roles in each of the different phases of disaster management.

The following are the roles of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in preparing for and taking action towards catastrophic events:

The community should always be ready to handle critical situations such as terrorist attack or natural disaster. It helps to reduce loss of death, help the injured person, and prevent from catastrophic event. The FEMA is an agency that had been created under the Department of Homeland Security on 2005.

It is always prepared around the country for all hazards and managing situation through response and recovers from any national incidents. The following are the examples

Floods

Fire

Earthquake

Landslide

Tornado

Winter storms

Terrorism

Tsunami

It also offers guidelines to the communities about preparing and managing catastrophic events.

The role of American Red Cross (ARC) after natural disaster:

ARC is a nonprofit as well as humanitarian organization escorted by volunteers and is directed by the Congressional charter. Red Cross offers relief to fatalities of disasters. ARC works to protect and improve the human suffering, which is found everywhere. Its main purpose is to protect the life of human beings and their health during the critical situations.

Nurses contributions in these organizations during disasters:

Prevention (Mitigation a. prevention): Nurse would be involved in a number of primary prevention strategies. These include identification of environmental hazards along with serving the public for the purposes of migration.

Preparedness: Public health nurses help in disaster preparedness by accomplishing various elements of professional preparedness and personal preparedness first. Nurses would be ready to respond in a quick manner.

Response: The nurse responds by assessing the situations where she would be using the population based triage for assessment of communicable diseases. Surveillance is used in order to divide the population which is effected and is vaccinated for a life saving treatment.

Recovery: The role of the nurse is multifold and the connection of the nurse to community would be important in the recovery process. The nurse requires being flexible in the recovery process. There has to be awareness displayed by the nurses along with responding with vector control programs, sanitation system, water as well as food system along with mental health care.