Disaster- definition. Damaging Factors. Impact on medical support
Written by Anam Hussain
Disasters definition:
A disaster is a rare and unexpected vent of severe magnitude, to create severe damage and many casualties that overcome our ability to cope with the consequences, therefore we require external help
WHO definition: a disaster is a sudden ecological phenomenon of sufficient magnitude to require external assistance.
UN definition: A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale, due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity; leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and impacts.
Damaging factor is a factor by which a disaster negatively impacts: environment infrastructure and population
Damaging factors (7)
- Thermal:
- Thermal damaging factor defines the effects of extreme temperatures and/or temperature differences that cause hot or cold trauma.
- In most cases such traumas present irreversible changes in human tissues and organs.
- It is most commonly present in disasters such as: fires, industrial accidents, meteorological natural disaster
- Sharp and prolonged cold/heat waves expose population to increased risk of heart attacks in chronically ill patients and most vulnerable patients e.g. elderly, children, below the poverty threshold
- Blast (shock) wave:
- Is a high pressure wave that expands out in all directions. The difference between the pressure in the blast front and the pressure in the surrounding atmosphere can cause laceration to human tissues and damage to buildings
- Most often Blast waves are damaging factors in the following disasters: industrial failures (explosions), military action due to implementation of explosives in the form of conventional, aerial atomic bombs, vacuum bombs, fires and traffic accidents.
- Chemical/ toxic impact factor:
- These include highly toxic poisonous substances, chemicals and compounds which all have the ability to cause pollution in the environment they fall into and lethal/ severe damage to the human body because of intoxication.
- Size and duration of contamination depends on the chemical/element
- Chemical outbreaks occur in: industrial accidents when toxic chemicals released into environment, transport accidents from leaked fuels/lubricants, CO2 and CO release during burning processes, military conflicts/terrorist attacks (use of chemical weapons).
- Overpressure:
- This DF causes severe damages to buildings and also mass casualties in the affected population
- Frequent impact of overpressure is observed in: floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, storms when air or water pressure causes damages
- Ionizing Radiation:
- Damage occurs under the influence of ionizing radiation. Primary outbreak of radiation damage develops in: