This paper defines the roles and responsibilities nurses undertake to protect individual and community safety during disasters. It examines how nurses provide immediate relief through emergency response teams, support long-term recovery through healthcare education, and contribute to disaster preparedness planning. The paper discusses the Disaster Medical Assistance Team structure, emergency planning strategies, and the importance of inter-organizational collaboration in comprehensive disaster management systems.
Nurses all over the world have been researching and practicing disaster nursing (Veenema, 2012), which entails caring for and helping the injured immediately after a disaster, assisting survivors in their recovery, and preparing nurses and the community for future disasters. Disaster occurrences are unpredictable; therefore, realizing the sustainability of the nurses' role in disaster management must entail intersectional approaches. The purpose of this paper is to define the roles and responsibilities that nurses undertake to safeguard the safety and well-being of individuals and communities during disasters, such as earthquakes.
When an acute disaster occurs, nurses in healthcare facilities surrounding the affected area shift to emergency mode and work to offer immediate relief. In the case of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, pre-existing healthcare institutions may undergo destruction, requiring nurses to locate emergency shelters where survivors can obtain relief and healthcare (Veenema, 2012).
As disaster-hit communities prepare for long-term recovery, nurses provide basic disaster-preparedness information and healthcare education to inform residents of fundamental health care steps. Therefore, the roles of nurses in disaster management require them to be skilled and knowledgeable in various fields. Nursing education to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in disaster settings requires the institution of a long-term plan for disaster management. The World Health Organization and nursing education programs currently emphasize meeting the needs of society, which in turn requires expanding the role of nurses from offering basic healthcare services in healthcare centers to working in the community. The World Society of Disaster Nursing Research and World Society of Nursing Science are two organizations founded to aid in disaster relief and preparedness activities globally (Powers & Daily, 2010).
Nurses involved in relief work during the first hours after a disaster occurs are members of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). The DMAT organizes nursing activities during the first two days after the occurrence of an acute disaster. Every unit of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team consists of an operational coordinator, a doctor, and two nurses (Powers & Daily, 2010). The key activities of the DMAT include hospital assistance, regional medical transport, and field activities. When necessary, the team supports the operations of first-aid stations in emergency shelters.
Globally, nurses practice and research disaster nursing extensively. Nurses are crucially irreplaceable in disaster response operations. They offer support and care for the injured after a disaster, aid survivors in quick recovery, and provide prevention information to affected communities on how to prevent and respond to future disasters. Additionally, nurses offer post-disaster mitigation services when catastrophes inevitably cause human suffering.
Emergency planning is highly important during community emergency preparedness. Emergency planning is a continuous process that entails a series of analyses (Dynes, 1994), the development of an action plan, and equipping individuals and teams with skills and information on disaster management through training. The emergency planning process varies among communities, and response plans may be written or unwritten. Such variability exists especially because of the varied capabilities of local governments to fund emergency management programs.
Over time, different researchers have identified various strategies of community emergency management that can enhance a community's level of emergency preparedness, regardless of the quantity of community funding available. A key strategy involves anticipating both passive and active resistance from the community to the planning process and developing approaches to cope with these obstacles. Individuals from the community often receive the emergency planning process with apathy and resistance (Dynes, 1994). Many individuals are apathetic because they do not wish to acknowledge their vulnerability to disasters. Others resist disaster planning because it uses resources that could otherwise be assigned to more immediate community needs, such as road repairs.
For these reasons, disaster planning requires strong support from local government, a professional with organizational legitimacy to endorse emergency management, and an emergency planning committee that will mobilize the community in support of disaster management.
An effective emergency plan promotes inter-organizational collaborations (Salter, 1993). Agreements should clearly define the participation and commitment of all response organizations. Response organizations include public safety agencies such as fire brigades, emergency medical services, and police departments. However, organizations and institutions that must protect sensitive populations—for example, hospitals, nursing homes, and schools—should also be included.
Collaboration of these different organizations is required to assess emergencies, educate the community on disaster management, protect vulnerable populations, and manage incidents, regardless of the organizations' differing capabilities. Federal emergency management frameworks increasingly emphasize that comprehensive disaster response depends on seamless coordination between health systems, local government, and community institutions. When all stakeholders share clear, written agreements about their roles and resources, communities achieve better outcomes in both prevention and recovery phases.
Disasters and emergencies affect people directly, both physically and psychologically. Disasters and calamities cause obvious damages such as loss of homes and loss of life, but also leave survivors traumatized. Recovery of basic necessities such as food, shelter, and water can take considerable time. Emergency planning and preparedness provides an understanding of the extent of damages caused by different disasters and ensures individuals maintain a certain level of caution to reduce the impact when catastrophes strike. It is therefore important to raise awareness of the necessity to increase community knowledge of disaster prevention, response, and recovery. Establishment of a comprehensive disaster management system is essential to ensure every individual can access basic healthcare in the event a disaster occurs.
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