An important task of modern times is to improve the forecasting of disasters and develop methods for the rapid and effective elimination of their consequences. Emergencies in recent years have been characterized by their unpredictability, claiming lives and leaving behind numerous destructions and disasters. It obliges the management bodies to take measures to increase the capabilities of forces and means; to carry out the necessary organizational and other measures to improve the response to emergencies, striving to eliminate them as soon as possible. That is why the collaborative work of rapid response services in emergencies is crucial for saving people’s lives.
The emergency response system is a set of trained management bodies, forces, material, financial, and information resources. Their interaction is regulated by a particular regulatory legal field that defines the procedure for countering accidents, catastrophes, natural disasters, and their consequences (Schell et al., 2018). To ensure that the rapid response services can effectively communicate with each other and the command center, it is necessary to provide them with high-quality modern communication equipment and good specialists.
Modern automated information management systems should provide information support for the management activities of officials and sustainable, continuous, and operational management of rapid response services. The activities of the active-duty shift should be provided with automation tools integrated into a single information network (Schell et al., 2018). It is assumed that this complex allows delivering to automated workplaces and documenting incoming information, ensuring the preparation of necessary documents, and predicting the development of emergencies.
One of the most terrible and destructive natural disasters is hurricanes, among which one can single out, for example, Katrina, which in 2005 caused massive damage to the United States. More than 50 dams were destroyed by storm waves, which caused severe flooding. More than 1,800 residents of the Gulf Coast were killed (Raker et al., 2019). The material damage from the destruction amounted to $ 80 billion – the hurricane became the most expensive in the history of the United States (Raker et al., 2019). In addition, problems of an intangible nature arose: communities of people disappeared, as their areas were washed away by flooding, and the historical part of New Orleans was seriously damaged; disappointment and indignation remained with the US government’s insufficiently rapid response to the situation.
Hurricanes are still a severe threat to the population, so possible to think about potential prevention measures. It is necessary to work on the early detection of hurricanes with potential destructive power. It is vital to work on the worldwide localization of natural disasters to narrow the destruction zone and provide timely assistance to victims. Advance information makes it possible to carry out preventive work, prepare forces and means, and explain the rules of behavior to people. The entire population should be ready to act in extreme situations, participate in the work of eliminating natural disasters, and master the methods of providing first aid to victims.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease from flaviviruses that lasts several days to a week. This virus is similar to dengue fever, West Nile yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis (Baud et al., 2017). Although it was discovered in Uganda back in 1947 and is quite common in Africa and Asia, the pathogen was not often found in the western hemisphere until May 2015, when an outbreak occurred in Brazil. Since there is currently no vaccine for this disease, preventing mosquito bites is critical to preventing Zika virus infection.
Health care workers recommend using repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, using protective nets on windows and doors, and avoiding areas with standing water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. If a person is still infected with the Zika virus, it is vital to avoid mosquito bites during the first week (Baud et al., 2017). The virus can transmit from humans to mosquitoes through blood, increasing the risk of spreading to other people. Since the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted, all known means of protection must be used both during and after traveling to countries affected by this disease.
References
Baud, D., Gubler, D. J., Schaub, B., Lanteri, M. C., & Musso, D. (2017). An update on Zika virus infection. The Lancet, 390(10107), 2099-2109. Web.
Raker, E. J., Lowe, S. R., Arcaya, M. C., Johnson, S. T., Rhodes, J., & Waters, M. C. (2019). Twelve years later: The long-term mental health consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Social Science & Medicine, 242, 112610. Web.
Schell, C. O., Wärnberg, M. G., Hvarfner, A., Höög, A., Baker, U., Castegren, M., & Baker, T. (2018). The global need for essential emergency and critical care. Critical Care, 22(1), 1-5. Web.