Question

Effective communication system has great role in disaster response process, discuss what the role of social media in disaster response and management ? Provide a rationale for your response. Use a public health disaster example to illustrate your points

Answer 1

" A STITCH IN TIME, SAVES NINE. "

A disaster can be defined as "any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life or deterioration of heath services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area".

Disaster management is the one which plans to reduce vulnerability and impact of disaster. Social media is a tool which can reach millions with in a second helps both before and after disaster occurs.

Thus social media enables to quick response and rescue measures and helps in adapting to vulnerable situation.

Social media are forms of information and communication technology disseminated through social interaction. In recent years, social media has emerged as a popular medium for providing new source of information and rapid communications, particularly during natural disaster.

The benefits of social media...

Helps in fast broadcasting information.

Enable two way interaction between various victims and rescuing team.

The tracking of affected people become easy and quick due to tracking facility available to social media tools.

Helps rasing relief materials and money.

Data collection and updating alerts and notifications become easy.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

There are three fundamental aspects of disaster management..

>< disaster response

<> disaster preparedness

> disaster mitigation.

These three aspects of disaster management correspond to different phases in the so called "disaster cycle"

Disaster impact and response.

 

The management of mass casualties can be further divided into search and rescue, first aid, triage and stabilization of victims, hospital treatment and redistribution of patients to other hospitals if necessary.

Search rescue and first aid

After a major disaster, the need for search, rescue and first aid is likely to be so great that organized relief services will be able to meet only a small fraction of the demand. Most immediate help comes from the uninjured survivors.

Field care

Most injured persons converge spontaneously to health facilities, using whatever transport is available, regardless of the facilities, operating status. Providing proper care to casualties requires. Provisions should be made for food and shelter.

Triage.

Although different triage systems have been adopted and are still in use in some countries, the most common classification uses in the internationally accepted four colour code system.

Red indicates high priority treatment of transfer

Yellow signals medium priority

Green indicates ambulatory patients

Black indicates dead or moribund patients.

Tagging

All patients should be identified with tags stating their name, age, place of origin, triage category, diagnosis and initial treatment.