1. Emergency Disaster Response
Moore, Oklahoma was the site of a massive tornado that eventually killed 24 people and injured 212 others on May 20, 2013. Due to the massive amount of damage in the area, critical health risks existed for the population. Every person in the immediate area of the tornado was placed at risk of impact injuries from flying and falling debris, electrocution and burns from fallen power lines, burns from uncontrolled fires, potential for heart attack from stress and physical exertion, psychological distress, injuries from falling, systemic disorders from eating or drinking contaminated food and water, and carbon monoxide or other gas poisoning from rupture lines. According to accounts made available to the public, disaster health personnel worked efficiently with other response teams to meet the needs of the population quickly and effectively. Area facilities treated 40 injuries, including 6 cuts, 9 impacts from blowing objects and falling debris, 23 from transportation mishaps such as being in cars when the tornado hit, and 2 from carbon monoxide poisoning. The American Red Cross sent 30 response vehicles to set up two shelters for housing for families who lost their homes and began to distribute water, food, blankets, and sanitation supplies to the public. Adequate shelters by the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) attempted to fend off infections caused by inadequate hygiene, untreated medical needs, unclean water, poor food quality, and stress. Within two days, water and sewage facilities were operational and communication lines had been set up to allow families to contact missing members. Unfortunately, there were some communication problems reported involving FEMA. There were some shortages of staff by the local agency reported and apparently FEMA staff gave incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information to applicants for federal public assistance. No other problems were discovered in reports of the disaster relief efforts.
2. Family Violence
Family violence has a critical impact not only on the members of the family unit, but relatives, friends, future relationships, and society. Many of the analyses of serial killers and mass killers report child abuse and family violence in the perpetrators’ past history. My personal experience is with friends whose husbands are abusive and physically violent. Yet in at least one instance, she feels trapped by her circumstances to stay with him. It has made me more able to read between the lines of news reports of family violence to understand there is a complex dynamic in place.
3. Alcohol- and Drug-Related Consequences
Just today, there was a report of a drunk driver on the interstate at 1:30am that hit a truck carrying five teenagers. The driver died and the teens were all critically injured. While alcohol is socially acceptable, excessive use is not. The only way to change the number of incidences of inappropriate actions from using substances is to create a complete societal pressure, not just law enforcement. Users are convinced they can “get away with it”, but if there is no support group at all, the behavior may stop. History has shown making use illegal and education doesn’t work.
4. Counseling Pregnant Teen Using Drugs
A 16-year-old girl with a second pregnancy using drugs has psychological issues that have not been addressed. Social services has the ability to provide physically for her and offer mental health opportunities, but she needs a strong and appropriate support system in order to assist her in adopting a healthier lifestyle. She should not only find a teen support group recommended by her counselor, but an adult mentor who should have experienced something close to what she is going through. She should be able to relate to those who know what she is feeling and have recovered.
References
Storms and Tornadoes (pp. 1-5). Washington, DC: Office of the Inspector General.
Retrieved from https://www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/GrantReports/2014/OIG_14-50-
D_Mar14.pdf
Fallin, M. (2015). Oklahoma State of Disaster. Oklahoma City, OK: State of Oklahoma
Graves, S. (2016). Police: Amarillo man dies, multiple injured in alcohol-related wreck. KVII.
Retrieved 7 April 2016, from http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/police-amarillo-man-
dies-multiple-injured-in-alcohol-related-wreck?id=1214589
Joshi, M. (2015). What is the importance of proper communication in disaster preparedness and
mitigation ?.. Preservearticles.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016, from
http://www.preservearticles.com/201101143264/importance-of-proper-communication-
in-disaster-preparedness-and-mitigation.html
NOAA. (2016). Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental
Information. Ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2 April 2016, from
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=451537
