Is there such thing as natural disaster, how does it affect health systems?

In mid-March this year, Cyclone Idai, hit central Mozambique and killed at least 600 people. Thereafter, Cyclone Kenneth set in and and cause additional deaths. Back to West Africa, in September, 2018, the Nigerian government declared a state of emergencies in nine states due to floods that have affected 1.9 million [1]  people. You can recall in 2010 flood incident affected several states, cities or communities in Nigeria. In Bayelsa, over 5000 people in two communities in Sagbama and Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State were affected [2]. The flood which occurred as a result of the overflow of River Nun affected Okorozi community in Sagbama and Odi in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Areas. In Okorozi, many homes were affected, forcing them to paddle their canoes to neighboring communities in search of refuge. Similarly, over 35 communities were affected in Rivers State especially in Andoni, Abua/Odual, Ahoada-East, Ahoada-West, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Asari-Toru Local Government Areas. Can we say these flood events were not natural?

Disaster is a risk aspect of human existence for centuries. Disaster presents itself as a sudden disruption which can alter the normal functioning of a community or society. It can cause widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss and impacts, which exceed the capacity of the affected community or society to manage the situation using its own resources.

In 2014, the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) estimated that 1 298 848 people were left homeless due to natural disasters [3]. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, majority of displaced populations live in temporary crowded shelters with little to no access to water and food especially during the first few days.

Put all in the context of the question - is there such thing as Natural Disaster? There is a school of thought common among geographers, environmentalist and advocates of nature that there is no such thing as a natural disaster [4]. This was based on the backdrop that every phase and aspect of a disaster – causes, vulnerability, preparedness, results and response, and reconstruction – the contours of disaster and the difference between who lives and who dies is to a greater or lesser extent are factors principally determine by man.

In my opinion, even though all disasters both natural and artificial, have some sort of human undertone, ranging from negligence to act, failure to monitor or unwillingness to respond as timely as possible. However, it does not in any away take out the naturalness of the forces of nature to demonstrate its energy on the earth surface. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; hydrological hazard like floods; heat and cold waves; droughts, and emerging epidemics can be investigated, modelled and predicted but its occurrence at some point cannot be completely avoided, hence termed natural disaster. Modelling and predictive systems can only give deeper insights of its nature, scale and complexity, which can help mankind reduce impact. However, man’s full scale knowledge of disaster alone cannot prevent them from occurrence ultimately. There are also disasters with minimal or lack of warning, which can be very devastating. Some have negligible signs yet carries such duration and intensity with unimaginable negative impacts.

Though the impacts of a disaster, say flood, could be minimized by dredging rivers, constructing levees, ban on settlements along flood plains, and other climate change mitigation measures. But these measures alone cannot avoid completely the seasonal increase in water level in coastal areas like Lagos or prevent absolutely heavy rains and thunder storms in rain forest belts of Congo or automatically avert volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquake in cities and regions of Indonesia along plate tectonic boundaries.

In relation to health systems, natural disasters have significant impact on the public health and well-being of populations. Negative health impacts can be direct (e.g., injuries) or indirect (e.g., malnutrition and increase in infectious diseases). In the aftermaths of a natural disaster, a lot of can damage done to health systems ranging from destruction of hospitals, deaths of health personnel, displacement and redistribution of carriers and cases of highly infectious diseases to disruption of water and sanitation infrastructure in communities. Therefore measures should also be taken to build resilient in the health sector against climate change and natural disasters.

May I encourage government at all levels, scientists across diverse disciplines, individuals in all settings including those living in fragile and vulnerable settings to take all mitigation and adaptation measures against disasters of all kinds. Globally efforts are being made to address disasters. In January 2005, 168 Governments adopted a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA) describes the required actions from all sectors and actors to reduce disaster losses and improve the management of risks associated with emergencies and disasters.  On 18 March 2015, UN Member States adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action. 

References

1.  United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (26 Oct 2018). Nigeria Floods 2018: Work Report 1. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/nigeria-floods-2018-work-report-1

2.  Edeh, E. I. (2016). Environmental Health: Understanding Current Issues and Solutions of the 21st Century, ISBN: 978-978-547-900-3, CERPMIST Environmental Academy Ltd, Texas, United States.

3.  Reinhardt, J. D. and Gosney, J. E. (2015). Natural Disasters: Health-Related Aspects, International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences

4.  Smith N. (Jun 11, 2006). There’s No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster. Retrieved from: https://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org/Smith/