Role of social work in disaster management

 

Disaster defines, it is a phenomenon, that can cause destroy the social, economic, cultural life, damage to life, and property of people. Disaster is 2 kinds such as “Natural, Man-made, sudden or accidental” calamities these give a hazardous result which can create to the various situation; physical damage or destruction, loss of life, and drastic change to  the environment.

Natural disaster: it is a major effect of a natural hazard that affects to environment and human resources also leads to financial losses. Such as;

·         Floods

Floods are a natural disaster it comes during monsoon season. Results from water within a body of water, river or lakes, It overflows and breaks bridges. It caused by inadequate drainage.

·         Tsunami

It happens in the oceans, it leads to the volcanic eruption, earthquakes, and on the seafloors. It can travel over 300kmph. It comes up to 32 ft.

·        Hurricanes

It rotates circulate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. It can only occur over the Atlantic ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. The storms with winds come over 74 kmph.

·         Tornado

We can found this disaster all over the world. It is most common in the US.

·        Volcanic Eruption

volcanos are the lava due to fall down of rocks,  it filled in mountains, once the lava reaches the surface within a fraction it destroys to world.

·       Cyclones

A cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion. It has low pressure in an inside and high pressure on the outside. It turns into clockwise in NEWS sides of the hemisphere

·         Earthquakes

Earthquakes usually occur on fault lines or areas where tectonic plates meet. It caused by the release of built of pressure.

·         Landslides

Landslides are the movement of land down a slope by gravity. It happens in rain, floods, and earthquakes, etc. Not only cause through natural disasters but also through man-made disasters as slope grading or mining.

·         Blizzards

It is a kind of snowstorm made by heavy winds. Blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or 1/4^th mile or less and it most lasts for a prolonged period of time like three hours or more. Which causes death due to this. Ground blizzards require high winds to stir up already fallen snow.

·         Thunderstorms

Every thunderstorm produces lightning. There are mostly wet and dry sometimes the weather may rain or not rain. Due to warm humidity, cause thunderstorms.  

·         Droughts

Droughts are an extended period of months or years when in a region receives a low average of water whether the surface or underground water. It impacts to agricultural, environmental, health, economic, and social consequences.

·         Forest Fire

A forest fire or wildlife is an uncontrolled disaster, other names such as brush fire, desert fire, hill fire, grass fire, etc.

 

Impacts of Natural disaster

A.      Individual Impact- It leads to physically, economically, mentally which destroys poverty, loss of financial resources and also personal ills. Laterwards, it develops to severe  post-traumatic disorders which result in a state of depression.  Because of these significant people used to migrate from one place to another place.

B.      Community Impact-  It shows loss of economic resources, demographic, population, and cultural shifts are the main impact in the community,. People lose many opportunities in the disaster, and also they try to rebuild better and stronger communities than before.

C.      Economic Impact- Due to this, they face the loss of infrastructure where revenue tax reduce through the expense of reclamation efforts.

D.      Environment Impact- In this kind of disaster environmental impact plays a crucial role. Due to this global climate change takes place because of damaging the ecosystem in sea level, forest level, and many more. It leads to loss of coral reefs, reduction of edible fish supply, etc.

 

 

Role of  Social Worker Preparedness during a Disaster

 Disasters are something that can be stopped or prevented, it can do after and before disasters. The main aim is to reduce the amount of trauma caused by the above-mentioned disasters. There many ways to help and distribute reliefs to suffered people. Many NGOs and GOs related projects also taking the initiative to bring them from hazardous situations to normal. Another hand, as we saw different countries or states donates something that required in daily life. The disaster management team plays a vital role in rebuilding their lost status through charity works and including many more campaign. As we found, in every state, districts, and also village the Disaster Management team did  Disaster preparedness building were, affected areas of people they can move to top shelter immediately. It not only constructed in villages but also, in coastal areas too.

      Social Workers or the voluntary workers come forward to help them in various ways. Where people could get back to their social, economical, culture status through helping in many ways like; distributing food, clothes, sanitary napkins,  hospital kits, transport facility, telephone line with STD facility provides book, bags, and other stationary things which very essential and emergency for them etc.

 

A Social Worker’s Role is to-

v  To prevent and reduce mass causality among the population

v  Arrange disposal of dead bodies

v  Arrange community awareness to reduce hazards

v  To empower the community developers  to participate in developing emergency management

v  To facilitate first aid, triage and field care

v   To rehabilitate them in the preparedness shelter

v  To reach and arrange for them the most essential needs

v  To make understand them about government policies and guideline procedures

v  To mobilize and arrange funds for them

Provide such disaster preparedness programs like Public information, education system, and training , public health interventions, etc.

 These provisions and knowledge should be reached to each and every person. So that affected people and affected areas could get relief from many disaster issues. Again they get new life to live, earn and enjoy their livelihood. So that various Disaster Management team and voluntary workers role is very important in this field to bring social, economic, and cultural status into normal phase and give smile on their face to restart the motion of work.