Journal of Disaster and Emergency Research
Volume:3 Issue: 1, Jan 2020

At 11:46 A.M. in local time on April 25, 2015, a destructive earthquake with moment magnitude of Mw7.8 struck the central Nepal. The epicentral region of the earthquake was located in the Gorkha region. Due to this event, more than 8000 people were killed and 22,000 were injured. Following this destructive earthquake, the affected areas including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Gorkha and Pokhara were visited by the first two authors during 6-11 May 2015 in order to assess the performance of disaster management and emergency responses to the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, the most damaged villages of the epicentral region in Gorkha district and  In this respect, the physical damages to the building and historic monuments are pointed out briefly. Logistics, disaster management performance, along with such emergency response as shelters, health, food, treated water and medical supplies are also described. Meanwhile, several key lessons learned from the 2015 Nepal earthquake response are highlighted. In addition, a new design of emergency tents is proposed which is suitable for earthquake-stricken in south Asian regions like Nepal.

In cases of chemical and biological terrorism, many citizens are injured which leads to great social impact. Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) detection in-service training for forensic teams is indispensable to incorporate expertise to address concerns on weapons of mass destruction. Forensic science laboratories around the world are determined to fight the changing face of crime in the rapidly advancing technical scenarios globally by continually upgrading its technical acumen and embracing new technologies in its domain. The mission of training of forensic scientists is to prepare nationally accepted guidelines for the forensic examination of CBRN related materials and residues.

According to the importance of preparation of health care facilities against incidents and disasters, the aim of this study is to determine the level of preparation of Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Hospital for responding to incidents and disaster after the Development of a hospital disaster-response plan.

This cross-sectional, descriptive study has investigated the level of vulnerability of the hospital against incidents and disaster and has identified the hazards threatening the Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in 2016. The used tool was the Farsi Hospital Safety Index (FHSI) questionnaire in three scopes of functional, structural and non-structural and the results were analyzed using the Excel software.

The results showed that the frequency of natural disasters in hospital was about 64.76%, functional safety level of about 56.39%, non-structural safety level was about 53.33, structural elements safety level was about 73.33, the score of weighted safety was about 63.94%, and the score of safety without weighing was about 56.41%.

According to the results, it could be concluded that the amount of preparation of the hospital is in acceptable level and by developing a disaster response plan, the level of preparation of Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Hospital to confront the incidents and disaster could be improved, especially in structural and functional vulnerability sections.

Nepal is known for its cultural diversity and ethnicity. Despite its unique characteristics, Nepalese society has marked visible social and gender divisions that constrain the overall growth of the nation. Low decision-making power, poor control over assets, long working hours, inadequate membership to community institutions, poor access to credit services, and lack of access to appropriate information are some key indicators. However, it was also worth mentioning that places where there is effective leadership to address the gender-based constraints, the outcomes are more promising in attaining growth, dignity, self-confidence, and respect, answering to some of the common constraints.

 This research relies on literature review, expert interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), simulations, and Key Informant Interviews. The expert interviews were conducted in-person to get detailed information on some of the organization-based interventions.

 The study showed that since the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the workload pressure has increased especially for women. It also increased the exposure to some of the common risks such as gender-based violence, women & child trafficking, abuses, stress, family tension, health care issues, fear, and other challenges. However, leaderships shown by organizations, communities, and individuals have positive impact on reducing gender-based violence. Also, reduction of other constraints such as long walking to fetch water, long working hours, restricted movements, decision making for self-improvement, lack of recognition, and seeking permission to attend social events has been addressed by community level and individual leaderships. The places where such constraints of the women have been addressed, their engagement in disaster preparedness activities are more promising.

The research study concluded that there is potential leadership among women groups, family members, and community-based organizations to ensure the reduction of gender-based constraints, and it is helping women for productive engagement.