Community Nurse Extend to Disaster Management - Essay Sample

Introduction

The roles of a community nurse extend to disaster management. Natural disasters such as Tornado's compromise the healthcare needs of the community and a community nurse should have the capacity to work with other relevant emergency units to respond to the healthcare needs of the locals. According to FEMA, a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from the thunderstorm to the ground (FEMA, Tornadoes, 2019). As a result, the preparation of Sentinel City for a tornado would involve the assessment of the potential public health effects that such a natural disaster would cause, assessing the emergency management teams that would be activated, and the recovery efforts to be taken.

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A tornado that is ripping through Casper Park and Acer Tech Center is likely to destroy buildings in the area (Brenner, 2018). Many people in the city would be in danger of severe injuries and loss of life from the high-speed winds and debris it carries. As a result, the hospital that is close to Nightingale Square would be the first emergency response team because of its proximity. The hospital's ambulances would be responding to various emergency calls and ferry people to the hospital. There is also the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that is responsible for all emergencies in the United States (FEMA, 2019). FEMA will be the main body involved in disaster management. There would also be the Sentinel City Fire Department to respond to the fires caused by the tornado.

As part of emergency preparedness, I would work with public bodies such as FEMA to train the people of Sentinel City on the best places to seek shelter in the event of a Tornado (American Red Cross, n.d.). I would also coordinate with the hospitals to prepare the ambulance response teams to deal with emergency management. I would advise the people of Sentinel to have stocks of food and water because the tornado may damage the grocery and convenience stores and it may take a while for them to get back on their feet. They should also receive first aid training.

As the only nurse in the area, I would comb through the city in search of victims. I would first assess the nature of the injuries, and determine whether they need immediate care. For those that require urgent attention, I would try to keep them alive long enough for emergency services to arrive. I would also try to recruit a few volunteers to assist with the recovery efforts. Train them to administer first aid for the less severe cases. Things such as broken arms and legs can be resolved by reducing the pain of the victims. Injuries such as cuts and bruises can be cleaned and sterilized. However, my focus would be on those who have suffered concussions from fallings objects and other debris, because the damage is often internal and difficult to spot.

References

American Red Cross. (n.d.). Tornado Safety. Retrieved from American Redcross: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/tornado.html

Brenner, L. (2018, April 11). The causes and effects of tornadoes. Retrieved from Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/causes-effects-tornadoes-8204458.html

FEMA. (2019). About the Agency. Retrieved from the Federal Emergency Management Agency: https://www.fema.gov/about-agency

FEMA. (2019). Tornadoes. Retrieved from the Federal Emergency Management Agency: https://www.ready.gov/tornadoes