Disaster Relief Organizations
Natural disasters, as well as some human-caused disasters, lead to
human suffering and create needs that the victims cannot alleviate
without assistance. Examples of disasters include hurricanes, tornadoes,
floods, earthquakes, drought, blizzards, famine, war, fire,
volcanic eruption, a building collapse, or a transportation wreck. When
any such disaster strikes, a variety of international organizations
offer relief to the affected country. Each organization has different
objectives, expertise, and resources to offer, and several hundred may
become involved in a single major disaster. International disaster
relief on such a large scale must be properly coordinated to avoid
further chaos and confusion both during and after the disaster.
Assessment
In the event of a disaster, the government of the affected country must conduct a needs assessment
to determine what emergency supplies and personnel are required. These
needs should be communicated to those relief organizations that will
potentially provide assistance. The process of requesting and receiving
supplies is lengthy and includes many events that could delay the
arrival of assistance. Requests for assistance must first be reviewed
and approved by relief organizations, and then supplies and personnel
must be collected and transported to the disaster site. Effective
management of relief assistance depends on anticipating and identifying
problems, and on delivering specific supplies and personnel at the times
and places they are needed.
Health Risks
Disasters often pose significant health threats. One of the most
serious concerns after a disaster, especially a natural disaster, is
sanitation. Disruptions in water supplies and sewage systems can pose
serious health risks to victims because they decrease the amount and
quality of available drinking water and create difficulties in waste
disposal. Drinking water can be contaminated by breaks in sewage lines
or the presence of animal cadavers in water sources. These factors can
facilitate the spread of disease after a disaster. Providing
potable drinking water to victims and adopting alternative methods of sanitation must be a priority after a disaster.
Food shortages are often an immediate health consequence of
disasters. Existing food stocks may be destroyed or disruptions to
distribution systems may prevent the delivery of food. In these
situations, food relief programs should include the following elements:
(1) assessment of food supplies available after the disaster, (2)
determination of the nutritional needs of victims, (3) calculation of
daily food needs, and (4) surveillance of victims' nutritional
![A woman gets her monthly distribution of food at a disaster-relief center in Baghdad. Following the 2003 war in Iraq, hundreds of relief agencies provided support to affected citizens. [Photograph by Caroline Penn. Corbis. Reproduced by permission.]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v8O59s1E2JVC23zHeg6Ll8hzKIiZLhPHCfvtQ4KaDNbOezW7X2wxgPkqkYZKedod2D_JFkX-hBvpiGeSgf_EdAd_0-8B2wZbnNMpi2P-BTny6v-A=s0-d)
A woman gets her monthly distribution of food at a disaster-relief
center in Baghdad. Following the 2003 war in Iraq, hundreds of relief
agencies provided support to affected citizens. [Photograph by Caroline Penn. Corbis. Reproduced by permission.]
status. Some populations are particularly susceptible to
malnutrition,
such as children under five years of age and pregnant women. In
addition to food, these populations should be given nutritional
supplements whenever possible.
After a disaster, victims must be protected from hazardous climatic
conditions, such as severe temperatures or precipitation. People should
be kept dry, reasonably well clothed, and able to access emergency
shelter.
Disasters can also cause disruptions to the health care
infrastructure. Hospitals and health centers may suffer structural
damage, or health personnel may be among the casualties, limiting the
ability to provide health services to disaster victims. Emergency Health
Kits that contain essential medical supplies and
drugs are often
provided to victims as part of the immediate response to disasters.
Developed through the collaboration of various relief organizations,
these kits are designed to meet the primary health care needs of people
without access to medical facilities. Each kit covers the needs of about
10,000 persons for three months, at a cost of about fifty cents per
person. The twelve essential drugs in the basic kit include
anti-inflammatories, an antacid, a disinfectant, oral
dehydration salts, an antimalarial, a basic
antibiotic (effective against the most common
bacteria), and an ointment for eye infections. These medicines can treat the most common illnesses of disaster victims, such as
anemia,
pain, diarrhea, fever, respiratory tract infections, eye and ear
infections, measles, and skin conditions. The basic kit also includes
simple medical supplies such as cotton, soap, bandages, thermometers,
some medical instruments, health cards and record books, and items to
help create a clean water supply.
Risk of Disease
Natural disasters do not usually result in infectious disease
outbreaks. However, certain circumstances can increase the chance for
disease transmission. Immediately after a disaster, most increases in
disease
incidence are caused
INTERNATIONAL DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES
|
Organization or Agency Name
|
Services
|
|
Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA)
|
Provides immediate disaster relief; supports development programs in community development, construction, and agriculture
|
|
Church World Service (CWS)
|
Provides material aid to refugees and disaster victims; supports
development programs in agriculture, energy, soil conservation,
reforestation, preventive medicine, sanitation, and potable water supply
|
|
Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)
|
Provides refugee and disaster relief; supports development programs in reforestation, conservation, and agriculture
|
|
Direct Relief International (DRI)
|
Specializes in emergency health care, providing pharmaceuticals,
medical supplies, and equipment in famine, refugee, and
disaster-affected areas
|
|
Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association (DERA)
|
Assists international communities in disaster preparedness, response,
and recovery; serves as a professional association linking disaster
relief personnel
|
|
Food for the Hungry (FH)
|
Provides food aid and disaster relief supplies; provides technological support to eliminate hunger
|
|
League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LICROSS)
|
Coordinates relief activities for disaster victims; provides
assistance to refugees; helps countries increase their capacity to
respond to humanitarian needs of victims
|
|
Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
|
Provides emergency relief for disaster victims; supports refugee
settlement programs and a variety of development assistance activities
|
|
OXFAM International (formerly Oxford Committee for Famine Relief)
|
Provides assistance to people affected by emergencies, disease,
famine, earthquakes, war, and civil conflict; supports long-term
development programs in impoverished nations
|
|
Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
|
Supports a variety of programs in disaster relief, community development, food production, public health, and social welfare
|
|
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
|
Provides disaster and refugee assistance, particularly to children;
supports programs in sanitation and water supply; promotes training and
education to improve child health care
|
|
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
|
Responsible for the coordination of UN assistance in humanitarian
crises; provides support for international policy development; advocates
humanitarian issues
|
|
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
|
Provides humanitarian, economic, and development assistance to the
international community; houses the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster
Assistance
|
by fecal contamination of water and food supplies. This contamination
usually results in intestinal disease. Outbreaks of communicable
diseases are directly associated with population density and
displacement. If disaster victims live in overcrowded conditions or are
forced to leave their homes, the risk of a disease outbreak increases.
An increased demand on water and food supplies, elevated risk of
contamination, and disruption of sanitation services all contribute to
the risk of a disease outbreak.
In the longer term after a disaster, the risk for vector-borne
diseases increases. Vector-borne diseases are spread to humans by
insects and other arthropods, such as ticks or mosquitoes. Vector-borne
diseases are of particular concern following heavy rains and floods.
Insecticides may be washed away from buildings and the number of
mosquito breeding sites may increase. In addition, wild or domestic
animals that have been displaced can introduce infection to humans.
International disaster relief organizations play an important role in
the response to disasters. They provide valuable supplies and personnel
to victims and help to minimize the social, economic, and health
consequences of a disaster. Health concerns, such as potential disease
outbreak, malnutrition, and poor sanitation, should be addressed
immediately after a disaster to avoid serious health consequences.
International relief organizations help victims fulfill unmet needs and
play a vital role in effective disaster management.
Karen Bryla
La
familia, que solían ser orgullosos dueños de una casa grande y dos
tiendas de muebles en Daraa, ha estado en el campamento por tres meses y
recibe raciones bimensuales del PMA. “Dejamos todo atrás, o lo que
quedaba”, dice el padre de Zeina, Abu Ziyad. “Tengo más de cincuenta
años. Me hubiera quedado y muerto allá si no hubiera sido por los niños;
los tenía que llevar a un lugar seguro y seguir con la vida, no importa
que tan difícil sea”.
Hay
varios niños como Zeina que escaparon la guerra en Siria y se
refugiaron en países vecinos. El PMA cubre las necesidades alimentarias
de refugiados en Irak, Jordania, Líbano y Turquía con distribución de
alimentos a casi 160,000 refugiados en los cuatro países. 
