Introduction
Disaster epidemiology provides crucial data for disaster management and preparedness (Friis, 2017), which explains the importance of studying it. Indeed, as implied in the task’s question, epidemiology provides the data on risks and hazards which can be employed to develop policies and practices. In this paper, the epidemiologic data of Saudi Arabia is considered and compared to those of Israel and Turkmenistan. The paper aims to determine the differences between the disaster patterns of the countries in an attempt to link them to the information about their disaster management policies and practices.
Disaster Epidemiology
Saudi Arabia
According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters [CRED] (n.d.), floods have been the most frequent natural disasters in Saudi Arabia between 1900 and 2018 (20 events). Three epidemics and two storms have been documented as well (see Table 1).
Table 1. Saudi Arabia: Natural Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
As can be seen from Table 2, epidemics and floods are the deadliest natural disasters in the country.
Table 2. Top 10 Natural Disasters (1900-2018) in Saudi Arabia Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
Most technological disasters in Saudi Arabia (26) are miscellaneous, 20 are transport incidents, and five are industrial accidents (see Table 3). Fire and road events are particularly frequent.
Table 3. Saudi Arabia: Technological Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
Some recent studies on disaster management in Saudi Arabia indicate that relevant policies and practices exist, but they might need improvements, including more effective and modernised disaster health management (Alraga, 2017), improved alarm systems, and better program coordination (Tambo, Fouad, & Khater, 2017). Also, there is some evidence to Saudi nurses being highly aware of the topic of disaster response, but they still report the need for additional training (Alzahrani & Yiannis, 2017).
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNISDR] (n.d.b) reports that Saudi Arabia is implementing an emergency planning and protection framework (Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction). Also, disaster-related training programs are available in the country, and it participates in Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR, n.d.b).Thus, the problem of disaster risks, which is seen in the epidemiologic data, is acknowledged and addressed in the country through policies and practice.
Israel
According to CRED (n.d.), storms and wildfires were the most common types of disaster in Israel between 1900 and 2018 (four events each). Also, Israel has witnessed different types of floods, extreme temperatures, and one epidemic and drought (see Table 4).
Table 4. Israel: Natural Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
Table 5 summarises the deadliest natural events that took place in the country.
Table 5. Deadliest Natural Disasters in Israel Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
The majority of reported technological disasters in Israel are concerned with transport (6 events). Two industrial incidents (fire and poisoning) and a miscellaneous collapse were also documented (see Table 6).
Table 6. Israel: Technological Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
The recent research on disasters and disaster preparedness in Israel is not very extensive. There is some evidence to a need for more training, but it is not very generalizable (Findley, Isralowitz, & Reznik, 2014). However, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (n.d.a) reports that Israel implements the Sendai Framework, hosts disaster-related conferences, and offers training programs. Thus, the policies and practice related to disaster management are present in Israel in accordance with the risks shown by the epidemiologic data.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is relatively unsusceptible to natural disasters (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, n.d.). This statement can be supported by CRED (n.d.) data (see Table7), which indicates that only two events were recorded between 1900 and 2018 in Turkmenistan: an earthquake that led to deaths, and a flood that led to damage.
Table 7. Turkmenistan: Natural Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
Similarly, only two technological disasters have been reported: an explosion and a road incident (see Table 8). They caused the total of 55 deaths with the latter being deadlier.
Table 8. Turkmenistan: Technological Disasters (1900-2018) Based on CRED (n.d.) Information.
The present study found no recent studies devoted to disaster management in Turkmenistan. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (n.d.c) reports that there is no national disaster risk management platform, and only regional training programs and conferences seem to be available. However, Turkmenistan has signed a declaration that stresses the significance of disaster risk reduction (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015). Thus, there is some relevant activity, but it does not appear very vigorous.
Comparison
Overall, the epidemiology of the three countries indicates more differences than similarities. Saudi Arabia reports more natural disasters than the rest of the countries, but Israel’s natural disasters are more diverse. The technological disasters of Saudi Arabia and Israel are similarly varied, but Saudi Arabia has reported more of them. As for Turkmenistan, it has documented very few disasters, which limits its comparability to the other two countries.
The comparison of the specific types of disasters and their patterns is complicated because the data is aggregated and there are significant differences in the number of disasters between countries. However, all the countries report transport accidents and floods. Also, based on the information from Saudi Arabia and Israel, it may be suggested that air transport disasters tend to be less numerous but deadlier than road ones (see Tables 3 and 6).
The floods and epidemics of Saudi Arabia seem to result in more deaths than those of Israel (see Tables 2 and 5). For instance, the most lethal Saudi flood resulted in 161 deaths, and the most harmful flood of Israel took 15 lives. This observation can be linked to the fact that research on Saudi Arabian disasters seems to be relatively active, which may be a response to a greater need resulting from the greater number and severity of events. It is more difficult to compare the policies and practices of Israel and Saudi Arabia, but it is apparent that both are more active in this regard than Turkmenistan, which has experienced few disasters.
Conclusion
The analysis of the three countries allows pointing out some trends. Saudi Arabia has reported more events than Israel or Turkmenistan; the latter seems to be particularly unlikely to document disasters. Also, Saudi Arabia appears to have deadlier floods and epidemics when compared to Israel. Consequently, the epidemiology of the three countries seems to coincide with their patterns of studying and addressing disasters through policies and practice: Saudi Arabia appears to be particularly active in this respect, and Turkmenistan is rather inactive.
References
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Friis, R. (2017). Epidemiology 101. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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