Scenario: It’s a sunny, breezy Thursday morning in your town. It’s been 12 hours since a category-five hurricane has made landfall i

Scenario:

It’s a sunny, breezy Thursday morning in your town. It’s been 12 hours since a category-five hurricane has made landfall in a coastal community 75 miles from where you live. As a public health nurse, you realize that as soon as victims/survivors can be rescued, they will be brought to your city for shelter/medical needs. The Office of Emergency Preparedness has implemented the Incident Command System to help with rescue/evacuations in the damaged areas and to help with the staffing and management of shelters. The community impacted has a culturally diverse population of Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, and Catholics. There are also quite a few homeless people, some of who have substance abuse problems. ADA-compliant provisions will also have to be made for any victims/survivors who have physical disabilities. You will be assisting in setting up and helping to manage one of five shelters that are in the process of being set up. The shelter that you will be assisting with will be a general shelter–but there will be at least two special needs shelters in your town. As a public health nurse, you are also acutely aware of different infectious diseases that may occur in a post-disaster situation. The interruption of a clean water supply, especially one that has been contaminated with sewage, can cause specific diseases. Many victims will have been wading through contaminated water, with or without cuts and abrasions on their bodies—water that contains dead animals, people, sewage, etc. You’ll have to have medical supplies to address this need and more, plus food, water, cots, etc.

Answer the following questions:

·  What infectious diseases may arise from the interruption of freshwater supply due to the contamination by sewage?

·  What injuries would you expect due to the nature of the storm, floodwaters, etc.?

·  What medical supplies might you want to have on hand as far as infections, preventing infections, injuries, etc.?