11. Disaster severity

3. Classification according to severity and who provide the resources:

can contain and effectively deal with the disaster and its aftermath.

the United States [30].

100 Essentials of Accident and Emergency Medicine

5. Complex disasters:

4. Simple and compound disasters:

and there is no place to treat the victims [38].

• extensive violence and loss of life;

• displacements of populations;

constraints;

Such "complex emergencies" are typically characterized by

• the need for large-scale, multifaceted humanitarian assistance;

gency services are totally inadequate. This is a disaster condition [38, 41].

• widespread damage to societies and economies;

6. Compensated and uncompensated major incidents:

to deal with the consequences [38, 41].

3.1. Level I disaster is one in which local emergency response personnel and organizations

3.2. Level II disaster requires regional efforts and mutual aid from surrounding communities.

3.3. Level III disaster is of such a magnitude that local and regional assets are overwhelmed,

This classification reflects a tiered response, which is a fundamental principle of the National Response Framework, a component of national disaster response planning in

4.1. Simple disasters: the location's infrastructure remains intact and effective. Communi-

4.2. Compound disasters: all or most of the infrastructures are disrupted. Communication is difficult; roads, electricity, and water supply are unavailable. Hospitals may be affected,

This is a special kind of disasters in which there is a combination of both man-made and natural causes threatening the livelihood of people. It can be caused by wars and civil disturbance. Rescue operation may be done which is critical and risky to the environment [39].

• the hindrance or prevention of humanitarian assistance by political and military

• significant security risks for humanitarian relief workers in some areas [40].

Countries using this classification differentiate between major incidents and disaster:

6.1. Compensated major incidents are incidents in which there are sufficient local resources

6.2. Uncompensated major incidents occur where the medical and other responding emer-

requiring statewide or federal assistance and may even need international help.

cation is possible. Health system and other emergency services work [38].

The severity index is used to assess the severity of any disaster. It depends on seven factors [43]:



#### 4. The radius of the area in which the casualties are fallen:


#### 5. Number of casualties:


6. Average severity of the injuries sustained:

Average (S) = T1 + T2/T3.


12. Disaster stages

The time frame for a disaster is a principal factor in innovating methods for management of the

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1. Pre-impact phase: In this phase, there is enough time for investigating choices, inventing ways to prevent or mitigate the disasters, and training communities on the methods. Strategic planners and leaders are involved in this phase. They will make the needed large-scale decisions and policy shifts intended to change people's perception of risk. 2. Trans-impact phase: This phase includes the period that is immediately before, during, and after event. Policymakers and operation leaders are involved and are under strong

3. Post-impact phase: This phase includes two subphases, the early and late phases. In the early one, there is a need to restore pre-impact norm. In the late phase, there is a need to set

Definition: It is the discipline dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing, supporting, and rebuilding society when natural or human-made disasters occur [47]. To reach the best expected response during the impact of a disaster, a community should perform several steps long before the disaster had occurred. There should be a study of the area and expected hazards, know the available resources, then make a plan and train people on the plan. In such circumstances, we expect the best response in case there is a disaster. In

The process of disaster management involves four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Those stages can be divided according to the disaster phase as shown in Figure 2.

other words, we need to have a planned response instead of reflex reactions [3].

disaster. Quarantelli in 1980 divided the time factor into three phases [45, 46]:

time pressure to deal with the effects of disasters.

new norms to prevent or mitigate future disasters.

Figure 2. Disaster management components in relation to disaster phases.

13. Disaster management life cycle

7. Medical rescue time: rescue, primary treatment, and transportation.


From the above mentioned factors, we can see that the severity index of disasters can lead to a score which make the basis upon which disasters can be compared with confidence and can be used for further study of disasters. Figure 1 shows the relation of severity index (S) and disaster severity scale (DSS) with examples [44].

Figure 1. Disaster severity scale (DSS) versus severity index (S) for man-made and natural disasters. Adapted from de Boer and van Remmen (2003).
