What are the essential requirements for search, rescue and evacuation during disaster?

For the search, rescue and evacuation process to be effective and useful, there are quite a few essential requirements that have to be available simultaneously, it not in advance. Prime ones amongst these are:

i) Shelter

To provide temporary shelter for victims whose houses have been destroyed or rendered unusable. This may involve:

a. Making urgent repairs to some buildings

b. Providing tents or tarpaulin as temporary shelter

c. Accommodating groups of homeless people in community buildings such as schools

ii) Food and Drinking Water

a. To organize and distribute food and drinking water to disaster victims and also emergency workers

b. To estimate damage to crops and food stocks

c. To estimate food reserves available (including unharvested crops) and organize their distribution along with requisitioning additional stocks required.

iii) Communication

To established essential radio, telephone, telex or facsimile links with central bases, control rooms, and head offices of agencies responsible for coordination and provision of manpower, service and material backups. Amateur Radio Operators (HAMs) are often quite helpful.

iv) Clearance and Access

To clear the key roads, airfields and ports in order to allow access for vehicles, aircraft and shipping; and to identify and prepare helicopter-landing sites in the immediate vicinity of the disaster struck area.

v) Water and Power Supplies

To re-established water and power supplies, or to make temporary arrangements for them, the provision of potable water is often difficult, particularly in the early post-impact stages. Water purifying equipment might therefore have to be obtained and/or water-purifying tablets distributed.

vi) Temporary Subsistence Supplies

To provide supplies such as clothing, medical kits, cooking utensils and plastic sheeting, so as to enable victims to subsist temporary in their own area, thus helping to reduce the pressure on evacuation.

vii) Health and Sanitation

To take measures to safeguard the health of people in the disaster stricken area and to maintain reasonable sanitation facilities, including provision of temporary toilets, safe water, garbage disposal service and vector control measures.

viii) Public Information

To keep the stricken community informed on what they should do, especially in terms of self-help. And on what action is in hand to assist them. To prevent wild speculation and rumors concerning the future situation that may lead to unnecessary fear and mental stress to the people.

ix) Security

To maintain law and order, especially to prevent theft and other crimes, which could add to the miseries of the victims?

x) Construction Requirements

To estimate high priority building repairs and replacement requirements. Unsafe building and buildings beyond repair should be identified and declared out of bounds till they are demolished and rebuilt.

xi) Disaster Welfare Inquiry

To make arrangements to handle national and international inquiries concerning the safety and welfare of citizens and residents, including tracing of missing persons, preparation and maintenance of records and inventories of the dead, and injured as well as the survivors along with information on their locations.