Division of Drinking Water & Environmental Management

Transcription

1 MYTHS AND REALITIES OF DISASTER RESPONSE 2008 CCDEH Conference

2 General myths and realities Communication & Information A few myths concerning environmental health issues

3 A confounding problem: Myths can get in the way of effective response

4

5 Unclear, multiple, conflicting, uncooperative, isolated command structures Weak implementation of unified command Too many self-established command posts that all think they re in charge Poor coordination leads to duplicative, conflicting efforts EOC s are political, parochial, and members lack decision-making authority ICS is in common use but not understood and implemented the same way

6 Politicians and citizens are motivated to prepare p

7

8 CULTURE OF DENIAL It Won t Happen! If It Does, It Won t Happen to Me! If It Does Happen to Me, It Won t Be That Bad! If It Happens to Me and It Is Bad, There s Nothing I Can Do Anyway!

9 Things go back to normal within a few weeks

10 The truth th is that t the effects of a disaster last a long time.

11

12 Compliance with evacuation plans, isolation and quarantine, or other public health and safety orders is strictly a matter of personal choice

13 The problem of non- compliance has less to do with handling willful, obstinate or ignorant individuals than with rectifying life circumstances that interfere with an ability to act according to authorities reasonable requests

14 Disasters bring out the worst in human behavior. Survivors are apathetic or panic-stricken. Looting behavior and price gouging g g become common.

15 Contrary to the scary stories authorities tell each other, panic is the exception Creative coping is the norm Important not to confuse the need for direction and information with panic

16 People revert to their savage nature, and social norms readily break down.

17 Ordinary ypeople p emerge as innovative problem-solvers who are responsive to the needs of others around them. People react in disaster the same way they live: as parents, as co-workers, neighbors, members of faith communities. Police and fire personnel usually stay on the job, putting the needs of the community first. Butte Example

18

19

20

21 Too much information is likely to scare people p into behaving erratically

22 Currently, public relations model that uses mass media to send info to the public. Upbeat, empty reassurance is actually likely to cause greater suspicion, distrust, and rumor mongering. Pi Primed dfor failure in the face of a distrustful tf public. Rumor and innuendo are rampant after a catastrophe. Reasonable, actionable answers to questions first step toward reassuring and improving public confidence, and sometimes the answer is we don t know. After a disaster, federal, state, local and private advice is likely to be incomplete, inconsistent, and incoherent.

23 I ve Ive taped my duck, now what do I do?

24 A good Communication Plan helps prevent this:

25 People tend to feel more secure with government reassurances when government advises more caution than they themselves would take.

26 Public Service Announcements clear accurate consistent

27

28 Do not use Tap water is unsafe for any use; seek another source of water such as bottled water. Do not drink Tap water is unsafe for drinking, but can be used for cleaning and bathing. Seek another source, such as bottled water for drinking. Boil water order Tap water is unsafe for drinking without being treated first. Use bottled water or follow instructions to boil or disinfect tap water. USWA-DNU Unsafe Water Alert Do Not Use USWA DND Unsafe Water Alert Do Not Drink BWO Boil Water Order/Notice/Advisory

29 Consistency in the fundamental message helps to avoid confusion and maintains public trust

30 3-5 Minutes Wayne County Emergency Management Division Citizen s Emergency Toolkit

31 If you are going to use a web site to convey information make it easy to find.

32 If you are going to use a web site to convey information make it easy to find.

33

34 Review your messages on a regular basis for needed revisions and updates CURFL & CalCode

35 Disasters result in an immediate explosion in the rodent population.

36 MYTHS & REALITY What you may hear - There is an explosion in the rat population! or The rats are taking over! In reality Rats and mice endure suffering similar to humans during disasters Populations are frequently decimated Survivors are often displaced and will wander to new areas (including homes and buildings) in search of food and shelter May be fearful, disorganized and aggressive after disaster events

37 During a disaster, the spread of disease by rodents will not be an immediate concern. The activity and growth of rodent populations should be monitored as part of a disease surveillance program. Efforts to eliminate rodents should not be taken impulsively or haphazardly with the mass application of rodenticides.

38 Rodent Control Activities Following ADi Disaster Educate, educate, educate! Rodent control activities without community support will be ineffective. Get the message out by all forms of available media: television, radio, newspaper, etc. Develop or use existing flyers on rodent control and distribute to neighborhoods, shelters, and civic c groups. Meet with local policy makers and community leaders to discuss vector control strategies.

39 Increases in mosquito numbers automatically result in higher disease rates.

40

41

42

43 Mosquito Control Post Emergency Event The need for mosquito control is primarily a recovery issue that is going to occur several days to weeks after a flooding event. Normal breeding cycles can be disrupted but conditions may be present that will facilitate a rapid buildup of tremendous numbers of mosquitoes

44 USAF aerial spray wing

45 CIVILIAN EMERGENCY RELIEF SC: Hurricane Hugo: Mosquito (855,552 acres) FL: Hurricane Andrew: Mosquito (279,168 acres) NC & VA: Hurricane Floyd: Mosquito (1.7 million acres) LA & TX: Flies & Mosquitoes (2.88 million acres)

46

47 Disaster environments e often create e conditions that are conducive to proliferation of insects and rodents. If environmental factors that promote insect and rodent populations are not addressed as part of the overall disaster response effort, vector problems may become severe in the weeks and months following the disaster event.

48 Displaced Animals

49 Mass fatalities pose a high threat of disease outbreaks

50

51

52 Associating epidemics with the presence of human remains after an accident, conflict, act of terrorism, pandemic or disaster is a deeply ingrained myth in Western culture.

53 MYTHS The myths surrounding corpses are completely unfounded and border on the ridiculous. These beliefs have developed and become ingrained in the psyches of populations with the passage of ftime. They normally are caused by distortions of religious norms, by superstition, or by simple observation o of a presumed ed reality.

54 Unfortunately, we continue to see the use of mass graves and mass cremations to dispose of bodies quickly, based on the myth that they pose a high threat of disease outbreaks. It is a medical fact that infectious agents do not survive long in dead bodies. Dr. Mirta Roses, Director of the Pan American Health Organization, describes some of these issues in the introduction to: Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations PAHO

55 These types of messages are difficult to deliver to an uninformed/misinformed i i f d public in a highly charged situation such as a mass fatality incident and must be consistent and factual.

56 The authorities and public health professionals face the difficult task of trying to persuade a skeptical population of the limited threat posed by human and animal bodies. It is necessary to insist that there is no risk that dead bodies resulting from natural disaster will spread infectious disease. Corpses found in bodies of water could contaminate it with fecal matter or with diseases that are endemic in that area.

57 These misconceptions about disease transmission sometimes can work in the favor of authorities on a short term basis and/or to forward a specific agenda. While this may serve some limited purpose, p failure to accurately inform has many potential drawbacks and should be avoided. d

58 Temporary burial of dead bodies in Thailand following the tsunami disaster on 26 December 2004.

59

60

61 Summary Expect to deal with myths Adhere to ICS/SEMS to limit what always goes wrong Prepare information and PSAs ahead of time Provide information that is timely, accurate and consistent

62 References Disposal of Dead Bodies WHO OSHA Fact Sheet H&S for Workers Handling Human Remains Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters Field Guide for First Responders WHO (click on Publications Catalog) Infectious Disease Risks from Dead Bodies Pan American Public Health Disposing of Liquid Wastes from Tsunami-Affected Areas Guidance from CDC Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations WHO Guidelines for Mass Fatality Management During Terrorist Incidents Involving Chemical Agents - U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM), 2001.

63 Joint Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Mortuary Affair in Joint Operations (Joint Pub 4-06), Joints Chiefs of Staff, August 1996 (has a description of setting up a decon facility) Capstone Document: Mass Fatality Management for incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering i Command The California Mass Fatality Management Guide: A Supplement to the State of California Coroners' Mutual Aid Plan p eeb588256b27007ac5ff/a3f586fd13d795c788256b7b0029bbff/$fi LE/MassFatalityPlan.pdf Morgan O. Infectious disease risks from dead bodies following natural disasters. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 004;15(5): National Association Of Medical Examiners Mass Fatality Plan, 2002.