Disaster, Earthquake and Intensive Care

Serdar Epozdemir^1,2*
¹Medipol University Faculty of Medicine SUAM Camlica Hospital
²Head of Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic
*Corresponding Author: Serdar Epozdemir, Medipol University Faculty of Medicine SUAM Camlica Hospital; Head of Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic.

Published: September 04, 2024

DOI: 10.55162/MCMS.07.233

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Abstract  

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines disaster as any natural, technological or human-induced event that causes a serious disruption in the functioning of a community or society, exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources, and causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses [1].

In order for an event to be defined as a disaster, normal life must be interrupted and the resource capacity of the society to cope with the event must be exceeded. Over time, people's perspective on disasters has changed due to the increasing importance given to human life, technological and scientific developments, and it has been seen that disasters can be prevented or overcome with minimal damage if the necessary precautions are taken [2].

In the 21st century, there are ten factors that can cause disasters due to the increase in both risks and fragility. These are: population growth, environmental degradation, global warming, deforestation, infectious diseases, hazardous substances, chemical warfare, nuclear substances, economic inequality and ethnic or religious discrimination [3].

On the other hand, development, which is the most important factor in terms of disaster resilience, is still far away for many countries. The wealth gap between countries is widening, and poor countries are getting poorer. According to experts, although natural events develop independently of people, whether they will cause a disaster is determined by society. How much harm will be caused by a hazard depends on the distribution of power and resources within that society. The poor always suffer the most from disasters [4].

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