Planning
Nursing responsibilities in disaster planning include an estimated analysis of the elimination of health consequences. It is necessary to calculate the possible sanitary losses among the population and the failure of medical institutions and medical personnel in a disaster. Further, the duties of nurses include calculating the required number of medical units, medical personnel, and an additional bed fund. Moreover, medical workers should make a list of the necessary stocks of a sanitary, medical and special property, transport and other material and technical means to eliminate the medical and sanitary consequences of a disaster. In addition, it is necessary to analyze the real state of the bed fund of medical institutions and the possibility of its re-profiling and deployment of an additional bed fund.
Preparedness
The common tasks for all nurse facilities to prepare for work in disaster conditions are as follows. This is the organization of protecting personnel and material assets from damaging factors, taking into account the predicted situation. Moreover, the joint efforts of the nursing staff are improving the stability of the functioning of the facility in disaster. If a medical institution is exposed to the damaging factors of a disaster, nurses must, first of all, ensure the protection of patients, staff, unique equipment and other material resources. Nurses, in accordance with the plan, should also alert the medical formations of the disaster medicine service created on the basis of the medical institution. Their role is to participate in re-profiling the bed network of individual departments and ensuring the reception of the affected population, providing them with qualified and specialized medical care.
Response
During the response to the disaster, nurses are required to comply with the basic medical diagnostic and some organizational principles of the medical service. These actions consist of medical evacuation of the affected population in an emergency situation. Medical evacuation support is a system of scientifically based measures to provide medical assistance to victims. Nurses also carry out their treatment with simultaneous evacuation to specialized medical institutions.
Recovery
During the recovery phase, nurses are required to carry out treatment and rehabilitation of victims. Nurses participate in the assessment of the magnitude and nature of the emerging sanitary losses. They also satisfy the needs of the affected in various types of medical care. Nurses assess the sanitary-hygienic and sanitary-epidemiological situation that has developed as a result of an emergency. At the same time, their efforts at the hospital stages will primarily be aimed at helping the victims.
Florida Plan for Preparedness & Disaster Management
Florida is a state with an increased risk of disaster. It arises in the region due to the fact that hydrometeorological and geological hazards interact with vulnerability factors of a physical, social, economic and environmental nature. Therefore, the state has a fairly effective disaster preparedness and management plan. The Florida strategy defines the main tasks for the coming years regarding the adoption of more systematic measures (Abukhalaf & Meding, 2020). They are aimed at addressing disaster risks in the context of sustainable development. The plan also allows for counteraction by strengthening local capacity to manage risk and reduce this risk. Several points can be attributed to the most priority areas in the development of measures to combat natural disasters in Florida (Scott et al., 2022). First of all, it is the identification, assessment and monitoring of disaster risk factors and the improvement of early warning. It also includes the use of knowledge, innovative solutions and education to create a safe environment and counteraction potential at all levels.
References
Abukhalaf, A. H., & Meding, J. V. (2020). Communication challenges in campus emergency planning: The case of Hurricane Dorian in Florida. Natural Hazards, 104(4), 1535-1565.
Scott, B. L., Montoya, M., Farzan, A., Cruz, M., Jaskela, M., Smith, B., LaGoy, M., & Marshall, J. (2022). Barriers and opportunities for the MCH workforce to support hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery in Florida. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 26(6), 556-564.