Disasters impact on entire communities.
The immediate effects include loss of life and damage to
property and infrastructure, with the survivors (some of
whom may have been injured in the disaster) traumatized
by the experience, uncertain of the future and less able
to provide for their own welfare, at least in the short
term. More than likely, they are left without adequate shelter,
food, water and other necessities to sustain life. Rapid
action is required to prevent further loss of life.
The Red Cross
and Red Crescent aims to respond to disasters as rapidly
and effectively as possible, by mobilizing its resources
(people, money and other assets) and using its network in
a coordinated manner so that the initial effects are countered
and the needs of the affected communities are met.
The primary aims of disaster response
are rescue from immediate danger and stabilization of the
physical and emotional condition of survivors. These go
hand in hand with the recovery of the dead and the restoration
of essential services such as water and power. How long
this takes varies according to the scale, type and context
of the disaster but typically takes between one and six
months and is composed of a search and rescue phase in the
immediate aftermath of a disaster followed by a medium-term
phase devoted to stabilizing the survivors’ physical
and emotional condition.
The social, economic and political consequences
of disasters are frequently complex. For instance, the disaster
may:
Moreover, the situation may be compounded
by a secondary threat, such as earthquake aftershocks or
epidemics.
It is essential that disaster response
activities do not make a bad situation worse by fostering
dependency or destroying existing community-support mechanisms.
Rather, they should lay the foundations for the subsequent
recovery of the affected population. Disaster situations
are highly fluid, evolve rapidly (often in unpredictable
ways) and therefore require a close degree of coordination
and cooperation between those involved in the response,
including the affected community itself.
