There are many forces on the planet, and they have both positive and negative ramifications on people’s lives. Earthquakes are some of the negative ramifications resulting from the many forces on the planet. Natural occurrences like earthquakes have fascinated and bewildered people for ages. The enormous rock slabs that make up the Earth’s surface, known as its tectonic plates, unexpectedly shift and unleash stored energy to cause these disasters. In addition to powerful natural disasters, earthquakes are a sobering reminder of how dynamic and ever-changing our world is. When earthquakes occur, they significantly impact the health sector, which is often overwhelmed due to the high number of casualties. This paper will discuss how these events make triaging victims challenging, public health issues might arise, and how interagency cooperation and local collaboration can be utilized during emergencies.
What issues resulting from an earthquake would make triaging victims a challenge?
A significant earthquake might overwhelm medical staff and facilities with the sheer volume of casualties. Earthquakes frequently occur in densely populated regions and the abrupt destruction of buildings and infrastructure. The widespread destruction often results in many injured people needing emergency medical care. The lack of medical personnel, resources, and facilities makes triaging casualties difficult in chaotic and resource-constrained situations ( Khanmohammadi et al., 2018). In addition, the extensive damage brought on by earthquakes can interfere with communication systems and make it challenging to coordinate emergency responses. The lack of coordination between the medical teams interferes with their ability to handle the high number of patients. Bruns (2020) posits that communication between first responders, hospitals, and relevant agencies is essential for effective triage. However, the flow of vital information might be significantly hampered by infrastructure damage, power outages, and the destruction of telecommunications networks, making it challenging for rescue teams to locate victims, gauge their statuses, and plan medical measures.
Another major challenge in earthquake triage is the limited time available for decision-making. The initial hours and days following an earthquake, often called the “golden period,” are crucial for saving lives (Achour & Miyajima, 2020). The immediate focus is locating and rescuing survivors trapped under debris, requiring specialized search and rescue teams. However, during this critical window, there may be little time to conduct detailed assessments or thoroughly examine victims before making triage decisions. This time constraint could impact the outcomes for individuals who require immediate medical attention if patients are improperly prioritized based on the severity of their injuries. It can be challenging for rescue and medical crews to access impacted areas and deliver timely aid due to the chaotic and dangerous conditions caused by an earthquake. Collapsed infrastructure, blocked roadways, and unstable structures pose significant risks to rescuers, limiting their ability to access victims quickly (Achour & Miyajima, 2020). Such delays in reaching the injured can further complicate the triage process, as patients may deteriorate or develop complications while waiting for medical aid.
What Public Health issues may ensue, and what can we do to mitigate the events?
Earthquakes have been linked to various public health issues, such as the spread of infectious diseases. In the event of an earthquake, critical infrastructure is damaged or destroyed. For example, some of the infrastructure that is often affected is water and sanitation systems ( Khanmohammadi et al., 2020). The destruction of essential infrastructure like water pipelines and sewage treatment plants can release hazardous bacteria into water supplies. This pollution exposes the affected community to infectious diseases such as Cholera, typhoid fever, and diarrheal disorders (Pal et al., 2018). To mitigate this, immediate efforts should focus on providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, including distributing clean water, establishing temporary latrines, and promoting hygiene practices such as handwashing.
Another public health issue is the overcrowding of temporary shelters or displacement camps. Reina et al. (2017) posit that earthquake destroys many homes, and people are often forced to gather in crowded and unsanitary conditions. When these shelters are overcrowded and unsanitary, they facilitate the transmission of communicable diseases. Reina et al. (2017) assert that when people are in cramped quarters with poor ventilation and little access to healthcare services, respiratory infections, influenza, and other infectious diseases are more likely to spread in such conditions. Developing well-ventilated shelters, supplying essential medical services, and implementing infection control measures, such as promoting good hygiene, isolating people with contagious diseases, and supporting vaccination campaigns, should be prioritized as part of mitigation efforts.
Injuries sustained during an earthquake can also pose public health challenges. Wounds and fractures are common; without proper medical attention and infection control, they can lead to complications and secondary infections. Mental health concerns are another significant public health issue after an earthquake. According to Tang et al. (2018), survivors often experience psychological distress due to the overwhelming fear of earthquakes. Survivors of an earthquake are likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Adequate mental health support services, including counseling, psychosocial support, and community-based interventions, should be provided.
How can interagency cooperation and local collaboration be effectively utilized?
Interagency cooperation and local collaboration are crucial in the effective response and recovery efforts following an earthquake disaster. In order to effectively address the numerous difficulties and requirements that occur, diverse organizations, governmental bodies, and community groups can collaborate and take advantage of each other’s skills, assets, and expertise. Cooperation and coordination can be used successfully by ensuring that information is disseminated in real-time with all the relevant parties responding to the crisis. Sharing information on the severity of the damage, the locations affected, the resources available, and any new needs is part of this (Zhou, 2018). Agencies and organizations can make informed decisions and adapt their response strategies by exchanging information. Collaborative decision-making can also improve collaboration during the emergency response. Zhou (2018) asserts that engaging in collaborative decision-making ensures that diverse perspectives are considered, and decisions are made collectively. This involves regular meetings, joint planning sessions, and consultations among stakeholders.
Coordinated resource sharing would be crucial in improving the efficiency of coordination and collaboration between agencies and all levels of government. Coordinated resource sharing involves sharing medical supplies, equipment, transportation assets, and personnel to ensure that resources are distributed where they are most needed (Zhou, 2018). Cooperation also helps avoid duplication of efforts and maximizes the impact of available resources. Engaging local communities is also vital in post-earthquake disaster management. Morganstein & Ursano (2020) posits that involving community leaders, local organizations, and residents helps ensure that response efforts are tailored to the affected population’s specific needs and cultural context.
In conclusion, earthquakes raise several complicated problems that might be difficult to solve, and addressing the challenges calls for a multifaceted strategy that takes into account such factors as efficient victim triage, prevention of public health problems, and coordination between different stakeholders both within the government and in the private sector. Knowing and being ready for these obstacles will help communities respond more effectively to earthquakes and lessen their toll on human life and prosperity.
References
Achour, N., & Miyajima, M. (2020). Post-earthquake hospital functionality evaluation: The case of Kumamoto Earthquake 2016. Earthquake Spectra, 36(4), 1670-1694.
Bruns, A. (2020). Crisis communication. In The Media & Communications In Australia (pp. 351–355). Routledge.
Khanmohammadi, S., Farahmand, H., & Kashani, H. (2018). A system dynamics approach to the seismic resilience enhancement of hospitals. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 31, 220-233.
Morganstein, J. C., & Ursano, R. J. (2020). Ecological disasters and mental health: causes, consequences, and interventions. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 1.
Pal, M., Ayele, Y., Hadush, M., Panigrahi, S., & Jadhav, V. J. (2018). Public health hazards due to unsafe drinking water. Air Water Borne Dis, 7(1000138), 2.
Reina Ortiz, M., Le, N. K., Sharma, V., Hoare, I., Quizhpe, E., Teran, E., … & Izurieta, R. (2017). Post-earthquake Zika virus surge: Disaster and public health threat amid climatic conduciveness. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-10.
Tang, W., Lu, Y., & Xu, J. (2018). Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression symptoms among adolescent earthquake victims: comorbidity and associated sleep-disturbing factors. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53, 1241-1251.
Zhou, L., Wu, X., Xu, Z., & Fujita, H. (2018). Emergency decision making for natural disasters: An overview. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 27, 567-576.
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