~Pan American Health Organization~
Disaster Management
The Pan American Health Organization of WHO held a meeting for Caribbean and Central American in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 16-19 February to evaluate the levels of preparedness and response to Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, both of which caused widespread regional devastation. The sessions covered the health and operational aspects of relief work. A number of general problems were identified, including the inadequacy of coordination within the affected countries, and also among the countries, donors and international agencies involved in relief efforts. International resources often arrived too late to meet immediate needs.
The meeting recommended that each country should have a single institution responsible for disaster management, and should give a high priority to developing contingency plans, including an immediate post-event response. In advance planning for disaster management, the importance of a review of vulnerability was stressed. Those present felt that more research is needed to evaluate relief work, in order to see which interventions are most efficient and to assess their costs.
Dr. Anie Kalayjian, a WFMH UN representative in New York and co-chair of the Federation’s Human Rights Committee, attended the meeting. She participated in a workshop on psychosocial evaluation which recommended that all levels of disaster planning should include consideration of the psychosocial impact. The group urged PAHO/WHO to support affected countries in evaluating this aspect of disaster management and to provide available information to local planning teams.