Level Of Disaster Preparedness Research Articles

Jordanian Nurses' Perceptions of Disaster Preparedness and Core Competencies.

This study aims to identify the Jordanian nurses' perception of their disaster preparedness and core competencies. A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was used. The data was collected via an online self-reported questionnaire using the disaster preparedness evaluation tool and the core disaster competencies tool. A total of 126 nurses participated in the study. Jordanian nurses had moderate to high levels of core disaster competencies and moderate levels of disaster preparedness. Core disaster competencies and disaster preparedness levels differed based on previous training on disaster preparedness, and the availability of an established emergency plan in their hospitals. Lastly, a previous training on disaster preparedness and core disaster competencies were statistically significant predictors of disaster preparedness among Jordanian nurses. Organizational factors and environmental contexts play a role in the development of such capabilities. Future research should focus on understanding the barriers and facilitators of developing core disaster competencies and disaster preparedness among nurses.

Sustainable Earthquake Preparedness: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis in Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia

Authorities and governmental bodies strongly emphasize the importance of residents preparing for natural disasters, particularly underscoring the significance of readiness for geophysical hazards like earthquakes. In this study, which represents comparative quantitative research, the levels and predictors of the impact on preparedness for earthquake-induced disasters in South-Eastern European countries such as Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are examined. Using the snowball sampling technique (online questionnaire), a survey of 1245 respondents (Montenegro (n = 400), North Macedonia (n = 345), and Serbia (n = 500) was conducted from February 2023 to February 2024. The paper is based on the central hypothesis that the most significant predictor of earthquake preparedness in Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia is age, followed by education and gender. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which five scores of the subscales (household preparedness, community preparedness, disaster preparation, earthquake risk awareness, and reinforced house) were associated with seventh demographic and socio-economic variables. In addition to the mentioned analysis, other statistical analyses such as t-test, one-way ANOVA analysis, and Pearson correlation were also utilized. The results indicate that age emerges as a predictor in various aspects of earthquake-induced disaster preparedness and awareness in most models, followed by education and gender. These findings confirm the significance of respondents’ age in determining levels of preparedness and earthquake awareness. Overall, in North Macedonia, respondents recorded the highest ratings (M = 3.52) for household preparedness for earthquakes, compared to Serbia (M = 3.26) and Montenegro (M = 2.98), where the lower ratings were recorded. Research findings, taking into account cultural characteristics, can serve as a basis for the development of targeted interventions, strategies, policies, and programs aimed at improving the level of societal preparedness for earthquake-induced disasters.

Unveiling the Recipe for Disaster Vulnerability: A Multidimensional Analysis in Dumaguete City, Philippines

Disaster vulnerability is not just a condition but a consequence of the interactions of natural and social factors. From this viewpoint, it is imperative to consider both natural and social factors when planning effective disaster risk reduction strategies. This study sought to determine factors that predict disaster vulnerability. Specifically, this research determined the associations between several socio-ecological dimensions (e.g., environmental, social, and economic profile), coping capacity, disaster preparedness, and disaster vulnerability of selected households in Dumaguete city. Using snowball sampling, a descriptive correlational design was used to collect data from self-report surveys of non-probable samples of 150 households from different disaster-prone barangays. Frequency count, weighted mean, and standard deviation were used to describe the data, and a multiple linear regression analysis was done to test the study's hypotheses. Findings show that the respondents manifested moderate levels of coping capacity and disaster preparedness while having high levels of disaster vulnerability. The study revealed that disaster preparedness and coping capacity were negatively correlated to disaster vulnerability. Aside from coping capacity and disaster preparedness, environmental, social, and economic profiles were also noted to predict disaster vulnerability significantly. Environmental profile was the most vital determinant of the participants’ perceived disaster vulnerability. To better prepare for disasters, it is suggested that city disaster risk reduction strategies focus on helping vulnerable barangays develop better adaptive capacities and manage environmental hazards. This could include providing training on essential hazard management and creating income-generating opportunities to offset the adverse effects of disasters.

Assessment of School Teacher's Disaster Preparedness by Using Comprehensive School Safety Framework

The Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) is a comprehensive strategy for a safe learning environment for teachers, students and school staff. This study assessed the disaster preparedness level of secondary school teachers in the public school district Attock. Three hundred twenty teachers were selected from district Attock public based on their age, gender, qualification, teaching level and teaching experience. A five-point Likert scale survey instrument using the CSS framework was used to analyze the disaster preparedness of secondary school teachers. The data was collected through Google Forms using a survey. Data was standardized on MS Excel for a smooth run on SPPS. The data revealed that the majority of the schools are prepared for disaster. There are safe learning facilities, school disaster management, disaster risk reduction and resilience education. However, no school was found to be highly prepared. At the end of the study, the researcher gives further research recommendations on school safety based on the CSS framework.

High School Students’ Level of Awareness and Preparedness of Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters are unforeseen occurrences that put people's lives in peril, interrupt their lives, and result in fatalities, environmental damage, property losses, and psychological consequences. The study aims to determine the level of awareness and preparedness for natural disasters among high school students. Furthermore, this study employed a correlation research design conducted in a public secondary school of Eastern Philippines. The respondents of the study were 266 high school students who were selected through a stratified and a systematic random sampling technique. The study used an adapted survey questionnaire from Orbe et al. (2023). Findings revealed that high school students possess a highly aware of any kind of natural disaster. In addition, the result revealed that students are moderately prepared in natural disasters before, during, and after it occurred. Furthermore, the study found a significant relationship between the student's level of awareness and level of preparedness. Therefore, the students are highly aware and moderately prepared towards the occurrence of any kinds of natural catastrophes such as “floods, landslides, typhoons, etc.” Since some of the students are attending a simulation drill in preparations of what should the proper way on how to lessen the effects of any disastrous events.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, AWARENESS, AND PRACTICES OF RESIDENTS WITHIN RIVERINE FLOODING-AFFECTED AREAS IN DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES

Awareness and preparedness of residents living in accident-prone areas is imperative to avoid losing lives and properties. This is the case for the people living in riverines frequented by flood; they must be well-informed, prepared, and quick to repair the damages after the incident. It is the main reason the study was conducted, particularly about the levels of disaster preparedness, awareness adaptation, and mitigation practices of residents within riverine flooding-affected areas in Davao City. Four hundred residents along the riverine in Davao City were surveyed, and the data gathered were treated using statistical tools such as Mean, Pearson r, and Multiple Regressions. The result of the study disclosed that the residents of riverine flood-affected areas in Davao City rated their disaster preparedness as very high, as well as their disaster awareness, indicating that they are prepared and well-informed about the effects of floods. They also rated their adapting behavior and mitigation high, showing they knew how to adjust to their situation. Disaster preparedness is correlated to adaptation and mitigation; also, disaster awareness is correlated with adaptation and mitigation. The indicator of disaster awareness, namely flooding risk, strongly influences adaptation and mitigation. The implication of the study concerns the city government's action of relocating the people living in the area to avoid disastrous events.

Effectiveness of landslide mitigation education on disaster knowledge and preparedness of students in class VIII SMPN 1 Jenawi

The implementation of landslide disaster mitigation education for students is an effort that can be made to increase students’ disaster knowledge and preparedness for landslides. Actions are needed to increase disaster knowledge and preparedness to minimize the impact caused by disasters. The objectives of this study are (1) to analyze the level of disaster knowledge of grade VIII students towards landslides; (2) to analyze the preparedness of grade VIII students of SMP Negeri 1 Jenawi towards landslides; and (3) to analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of landslide disaster mitigation education on the level of disaster knowledge and the level of preparedness of grade VIII students of SMP Negeri 1 Jenawi. This quantitative research method uses a pretest-posttest control group experimental design that uses questionnaires for data collection. The results showed that 1) The level of disaster knowledge of experimental class students on pretest results has an average of 81.59, while the control class has an average of 79.71, 2) The level of preparedness of experimental class students has an average of 64.97, while the control class has an average of 66.52. 3) The effectiveness of implementing disaster mitigation education on the level of disaster knowledge and preparedness of students in the N-Gain Score test shows that it is effective enough to be applied as an appropriate and effective step in reducing the risk of landslides.

Disaster preparedness for tourist village organizers in disaster prone area of Merapi Yogyakarta

Background: A number of tourist villages in Sleman Regency are located in Disaster Prone Area (DPA). To minimize the risks of disasters, preparedness efforts are required. Some of the components of preparedness are: knowledge of disaster risks, polices and guidelines in relation to the preparedness to anticipate the occurrence of natural disaster, emergency plan for natural disasters, disaster alert system, and resources mobilization. Tourist Villages of Pentingsari, Nganggring, and Tunggularum are located in Merapi Disaster Prone Area (DPA). These three tourist villages were selected due to their high vulnerability and risk potential of Merapi eruption due to their locations in DPA III and DPA II. Methods: This is a qualitative study with case study design. The subjects of the study were tourist village organizers who had knowledge and understanding of tourist villages with the criteria of their positions in the tourist village organization. The sample taking technique applied to the subjects was the purposive sampling technique. Results: The level disaster preparedness in terms of knowledge parameter among some tourist village organizers was limited since only few things were understood. In terms of policy and guidelines parameter, these components were not available for the tourist village organizers. With regard to the parameter of emergency plan for the organizers, this component was limited since there were some lack of preparation in a number of components. In relation to the parameter of disaster alert system for the tourist village organizers, this aspect was found to be good. With regard to the parameter of resource mobilization for the tourist village organizers, it was found that this aspect was unavailable since there were not enough decent facilities. Conclusions: the level of disaster preparedness in the disaster prone area of Merapi Yogyakarta was still limited in dealing with the threats of Mount Merapi eruption disaster.

Devlet Hastanelerinin Afetlere Hazırlık Durumları

This study aims to determine the disaster preparedness level of hospitals in Türkiye and to determine whether the disaster preparedness of the hospitals differs according to the characteristics of the hospital, such as its ownership, role, and bed capacity. All hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health constitute the universe of the study. 210 hospitals were selected as the sample. The data were collected from the managers of the hospitals, or the personnel assigned by them with survey method. As a data collection form, the Turkish version of the guide named 'Hospital emergency response checklist: An all-hazards tool for hospital administrators and emergency managers' developed by the World Health Organization was used. As a result of the study, it was determined that the average score of the hospitals was 156.83±21.43. The highest average score was obtained from the command control (12.93±1.37) sub-dimension and the lowest average score was obtained from the human resources (22.48±4.80) sub-dimension. When the hospitals were evaluated according to their characteristics, it was determined that the difference between the total disaster preparedness scores according to the number of patients per day per nurse was significant.

An Analysis of Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation in Ammonia Loading Systems

PT. X has several products produced for distributors and consumers. One of the products produced is a liquid chemical product, namely ammonia which is distributed via tank trucks or containers. If the ammonia gas reaches a volume of 16-17% and flies freely in the air, an explosion may occur which will become a source of fire for the ammonia spray that comes out at high pressure. From the hazard description, it proves that the process of filling and transporting ammonia through tank trucks has many risks that can cause work accidents for workers in the loading and transporting sector of ammonia. The specific aim of this research is to determine the company’s level of preparedness in dealing with disaster failure of the ammonia loading system on tank trucks or containers and determine mitigation steps. To assess the level of disaster preparedness or readiness assessment, this research uses a checklist. The standard used in making this checklist is CAR (Capability Assessment of Readiness) Emergency Management Function. After all the checklist data is obtained, a validity test and reliability test will be carried out. The results of the readiness assessment showed that the emergency preparedness level was 47% fully capable and 53% very capable. Mitigation preparation is proposed based on the results of the readiness assessment. The non-structural mitigation provided is that management should not only provide a regular schedule for worker training, but management must also pay attention to the material that will be delivered at the training; management is advised to make a regular schedule to provide emergency response system training to the community around PT. X; provision of safety equipment during an emergency is very important to note; management should carry out equipment control efforts during the design stage.

Effects of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress on Disaster Preparedness: Evidence from the February 6 Türkiye Earthquakes

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes pose a risk to the psychological well-being of individuals. Disaster preparedness is a crucial factor that plays a fundamental role in reducing loss and destruction in any disaster situation. It is of great importance to be prepared for these natural events that have the potential to harm mental health. The aims of the current study are to reveal whether the depression symptom, anxiety symptom, stress, and disaster preparedness levels of individuals differ according to demographic characteristics, to clarify the current status of depression symptom, anxiety symptom, stress and disaster preparedness levels in adults who have been directly or indirectly exposed to the last dual earthquake in Türkiye, and to identify that whether depression symptom, anxiety symptom and stress predict disaster preparedness. Data were collected from 418 individuals. The findings revealed that the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants showed significant differences in the depression symptom, anxiety symptom, and stress levels of the individuals. The main factors affecting disaster preparedness were gender, age, education level, marital status, and experiencing the February 6 earthquakes. Individuals directly exposed to dual earthquakes reported higher depression symptom, anxiety symptom and stress levels and lower disaster preparedness levels than indirectly exposed individuals. Post-earthquake depression symptoms and stress predicted individuals' ongoing disaster preparedness. In the light of these results, mental health professionals, psychologists, psychological counselors, sociologists, and authorities should focus on this vulnerable population and implement practices that improve mental health and increase preparedness for disasters.

Towards a Disaster Preparedness School: Mapping of Disaster Mitigation Evacuation Routes at SMP Muhammadiyah Sewon Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta

Abstract. Indonesia is a country with a large population, with geographical conditions traversed by confluence of earth's plates that are actively moving, so that the area is prone to disasters. With these natural disasters, residents must be prepared for various kinds of disasters in order to save lives and minimize material losses and casualties. The level of preparedness for natural disasters should be instilled from the earliest possible age. One of the Muhammadiyah schools that is being reviewed in this service proposal is Muhammadiyah Middle School Sewon Bantul. This junior high school is located in Bandung Kulon, Pendowoharjo, Sewon. Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta. Looking historically, the Special Province of Yogyakarta is one of the areas in Indonesia which is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, exposure to volcanic ash from Mount Merapi, and cold lava. This school has general junior high school grade levels, namely grades seven, eight, and nine. From preliminary surveys and personal communications made to school administrators, it is known that there is no information and planning regarding natural disaster preparedness, and infrastructure related to evacuation routes and gathering points in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake. Departing from the problems found and described above, it is deemed necessary to carry out community service at the school in relation to mapping the existing conditions of spatial functions, planning evacuation routes and assembly points, as well as outreach regarding disaster preparedness. It is hoped that with this community service, students can better understand and be aware of the importance of being prepared for natural disasters such as earthquakes, not causing panic, and reducing the risks of losses that can result from natural disasters. In the long term, it is hoped that with optimal assistance, teachers can guide students so they can be more prepared for natural disasters such as earthquakes and furthermore, insert in the subjects taught to junior high school students related to natural disaster preparedness.

Improving the awareness of earthquake natural disasters preparedness of SMP Muhammadiyah Sewon students

Abstract. Indonesia is a country with a large population, with geographical conditions traversed by confluence of earth's plates that are actively moving, so that the area is prone to disasters. With these natural disasters, residents must be prepared for various kinds of disasters in order to save lives and minimize material losses and casualties. The level of preparedness for natural disasters should be instilled from the earliest possible age. One of the Muhammadiyah schools that is being reviewed in this service proposal is Muhammadiyah Middle School Sewon Bantul. This junior high school is located in Bandung Kulon, Pendowoharjo, Sewon. Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta. Looking historically, the Special Province of Yogyakarta is one of the areas in Indonesia which is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, exposure to volcanic ash from Mount Merapi, and cold lava. This school has general junior high school grade levels, namely grades seven, eight, and nine. From preliminary surveys and personal communications made to school administrators, it is known that there is no information and planning regarding natural disaster preparedness, and infrastructure related to evacuation routes and gathering points in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake. Departing from the problems found and described above, it is deemed necessary to carry out community service at the school in relation to mapping the existing conditions of spatial functions, planning evacuation routes and assembly points, as well as outreach regarding disaster preparedness. It is hoped that with this community service, students can better understand and be aware of the importance of being prepared for natural disasters such as earthquakes, not causing panic, and reducing the risks of losses that can result from natural disasters. In the long term, it is hoped that with optimal assistance, teachers can guide students so they can be more prepared for natural disasters such as earthquakes and furthermore, insert in the subjects taught to junior high school students related to natural disaster preparedness.

The Level of Disaster Preparedness in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Increase in disaster incidences have been witnessed in secondary schools in recent years, its frequency and impact hampering education process. For instance, besides loss of lives, and injuries, school properties have been damaged and closing and often with children having to leave school for long periods in recovery period. Continued occurrence and magnitude of disaster have prompted international organizations especially the United Nations agencies and other countries to come up with best practice models of institutions including training on disaster and disaster risk management. Despite the concerted efforts by the government of Kenya and other stakeholders in emphasizing preparedness, Kenya still experiences various disasters in schools. Majority of students in secondary schools are exposed to mishaps and accidents daily in schools. School authorities, parents and even students are jolted into actions only when a fatality or injury has occurred and this affects the response and mitigation level of these disasters and thus the need of the study. The general objective of the study is to assess disaster preparedness and safety standards in public secondary schools of Nairobi County, Kenya. The study sought to establish the level of disaster preparedness in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Target population of the study was 73 from which 13 schools were selected using random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules, focus group discussions and observation checklist. From the findings, 10.16% (n=39) of the total population determining that schools conduct most frequent training, 13.02% (n=50) of the total population responded training programs are done frequently. 28.65 (n=110) of students indicated trainings on fire safety facilities are done less frequently. The findings revealed a lack of training and inadequate community awareness on disaster preparedness and safety standards. The study concluded that the schools were insufficiently prepared for disasters and most of the physical infrastructures were considered unsafe. The study recommended regular inspection of school infrastructure, safety training by qualified by qualified personnel and taking into consideration the ability and capacity of different schools when settings standards for disaster preparedness and safety.

Disaster Resilience and Preparedness Program Evaluation for Enhancement

The study was conducted to evaluate the level of disaster resilience and preparedness among the members of the MDRRMC and BDRRMC in the Municipality of Alabel, Sarangani Province. Descriptive-correlative research design were utilized employing quantitative method. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires administered to 219 respondents. Key Informant Interviews were conducted among 9 members of the BDRRMC to triangulate the quantitative data. The gathered data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and Pearson correlation. The findings of the study revealed that there was a proportional number of male and female respondents of which majority of them belong to adult aged group. Majority of the respondents are government employees and government officials who are college graduates. The level of disaster resilience of the respondents in terms of the five areas on governance, risk assessment, knowledge and education, risk management and vulnerability reduction, and disaster preparedness and response are relatively high with a verbal description of high resilience. On the level of disaster preparedness among the respondents, the results revealed that the members are always prepared based on the four areas for likelihood of being impacted by a national hazard, vulnerability of physical structures, people, and livelihoods, barangay-level planning and individual’s preparation for disaster, and individual’s sense of control over their own lives and their ability to participate and influence their community and government. In relation to the disaster resilience and preparedness experiences, three themes emerged in this study as perceived by the informants and these are: (1) Planning and Preparation, (2) Issues and Challenges, and (3) Coping Mechanism. Generally, there is a moderate positive correlation between disaster resilience and disaster preparedness among the respondents (r= .449).

Bangladesh Public Libraries' Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

A Review of: Begum, D., Roknuzzaman, M., & Shobhanee, M. E. (2022). Public libraries’ responses to a global pandemic: Bangladesh perspectives. IFLA Journal, 48(1), 174–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352211041138 Objective – Examine quantitative and qualitative data to determine the level of preparedness and capacity to provide key resources during the recent COVID-19 global pandemic with the goal of recommending measures to better cope with future similar situations. Design – Online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data, followed by a narrative analysis of the qualitative data. Setting – Public libraries in Bangladesh. Subjects – Heads of the libraries such as directors, librarians, or librarians-in-charge. Methods – A survey was distributed to all 71 government public libraries in Bangladesh administered and governed by the Department of Public Libraries under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The survey elicited 50 valid responses, resulting in a response rate of 70%. A structured form questionnaire was prepared using Google Forms and included 12 closed-ended questions with multiple options and one open-ended question to collect librarian views on handling services and key functions post pandemic. Telephone interviews were conducted with eight librarians from the district public libraries. Main Results – The data revealed that all the libraries reported having some level of preparedness for pandemics and disasters. However, few libraries reported high levels of confidence in this regard. For example, 82% responded that they either had a “low” or a “minimum” preparedness for dealing with a pandemic. The survey revealed that none of the responding libraries were fully open to provide user services during the COVID-19 pandemic while 100% were open for administrative functions. Additionally, 72% reported having some sections open but others closed, while 22% indicated that the library only provided specified services, most of these in an online environment. Only 12% indicated that they provided access to mobile library services. The libraries responses to crisis management included creating public awareness through social media campaigns (50%), supporting other government bodies to mitigate the pandemic (46%), providing counseling services for particular users (40%), promoting authoritative and authentic national and global strategies on the pandemic for the public (34%), providing pandemic-related information via phone or email on demand (32%), and distributing relief to affected people (30%). Other activities included organizing online social and cultural programs to reduce public anxiety with special reference to vulnerable groups (24%), online staff training (22%), monitoring and supervising government programs (20%), and providing research data on the pandemic (10%). The response to needs regarding redesigning library programs and services for the post-pandemic world revealed that 90% of libraries identified a need for a dedicated online service platform, 80% saw the need to create policies related to health and safety, while 72% indicated a need for more emphasis on digital content. The responses indicated 56% were in favor of introducing innovative online services. Conclusion – In response to the results of their study, the authors make several recommendations regarding helping the libraries of Bangladesh to cope with consequences of future pandemics similar in scale to COVID-19. The first recommendation is to move away from “providing services in a traditional manner,” while developing dedicated online platforms running on high-bandwidth Internet connections (Begum et al., 2022, p. 183). These include introducing a secure cloud-based library automation system to provide a robust and stable information gateway. The development of digital resources should also be a priority. This includes both the digitization of library resources and more widespread access to an increasing number of subscription databases. The data indicated a strong desire among librarians to introduce innovative library services which the authors identify as digitized content delivery, remote access to online resources, online chat reference, current awareness services, online programming mirroring face-to-face programming, home delivery service for books, strategic disaster policy development, online information literacy programs, online career counseling, and leadership along with online training, workshops, and seminars. The authors conclude that: libraries face challenges, such as transitioning to virtual services, breaking long-established service models, funding for digital resources and its impacts on library operations in the future, enforcing social distancing measures, creating social awareness, and the lack of formal pandemic plans and policies …. (Begum et al., 2022, p. 179)

Disaster preparedness of health professionals at mass gatherings: a scoping review

Mass gathering disasters involving large numbers of casualties can adversely affect the performance of healthcare systems. This scoping review aims to explore the current literature on the preparedness of health professionals for disasters during mass gathering events. Four databases were searched to identify papers examining health professionals' disaster preparedness during mass gatherings between 2011 and 2022. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews was applied to undertake this review. A total of 2024 articles were identified, of which 18 qualified for inclusion in the scoping review. Some studies reported the level of professionals' preparedness for disaster management, while others reported strategies to enhance preparedness and challenges associated with disaster preparedness during mass gatherings. More studies are needed in this field to better understand the level of disaster preparedness of health professionals to improve response and management of potential disasters during mass gathering events.

Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET): Adaptation and psychometric evaluation for nurses in Germany.

Background: The Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET) with 47 items was developed to assess the disaster preparedness level among nurses in the USA. Aim: This study aimed (1) to adapt and validate the DPET for the nursing context in Germany and (2) to perform its psychometric evaluation. Methods: The DPET items were translated to German (DPET-GER). Adaptation was performed to identify irrelevant items and content validity was estimated using the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) based on expert ratings. Psychometric evaluation was performed based on data from an online survey of 317 nurses. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and factor structure were assessed with an exploratory factor analysis. Results: Ten items were unanimously rated as irrelevant by four experts and removed. Based on ratings by further seven experts, the content validity of DPET-GER was low for all 37 items (S-CVI of 0.53) or moderate for 19 items rated as relevant (S-CVI of 0.74). The internal consistency of DPET-GER was high (Cronbach's alpha of 0.94) and 37 items were reduced to five factors that explain 55% of variance in all items. Conclusions: The DPET-GER has acceptable psychometric properties (internal consistency and factor structure). However, low content validity indicates that further adaptation of the DPET-GER is required before it could be used to assess disaster preparedness among nurses in Germany. More research is also needed to contextualize the construct of disaster preparedness.

COMMUNITY FLOOD DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IN FLOOD-PRONE RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Flood is a common disaster globally with devastating impact. Community flood disaster preparedness is neglected in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive, especially in the rural areas. This study assessed and compared the level of community flood disaster preparedness in flood-prone rural and urban communities in Kaduna State. A mixed method comparative cross-sectional study design and multistage sampling technique and data obtained from 202 household heads in each study group (rural and urban communities) using pretested structured questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and observational checklist. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the household heads for the quantitative study. Purposive sampling was used to select the community members for the FGDs, the community leaders and staff of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for the KIIs. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. The qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Majority of both the rural (99.0%) and urban (86.1%) communities were not prepared for flood disaster; 34% and 10% of the rural and urban communities respectively had flood disaster plans. Only 19.3% in the urban communities compared with 1% in the rural communities had early warning systems. There was statistically significant difference on community flood disaster preparedness between the urban and rural communities (p =0.001). Overall, the flood preparedness in both rural and urban communities was very poor, though slightly better in the urban communities. There is need for training of the communities by the relevant stakeholder such as SEMA on flood disaster preparedness.

Effect of early warning system on the preparedness of hospitals in emergencies and disasters: A quasi-experimental study

The present study aims to determine the effect of the early warning system (EWS) on the preparedness of hospitals in emergencies and disasters. This study was a quasi-experimental study conducted with two groups. One month, and then three months after determining hospital preparedness (HP) through the world health organization standard checklist, a seminar and two-session workshop as intervention, and installing a flowchart for activating the EWS in important hospital sections, HP was reevaluated and analyzed by longitudinal descriptive statistics. A total of 30 nurses were included in the present research. The findings suggested the preparedness score of intervention hospitals before the intervention, one month, and three months after that the biggest change occurred in the communication sector with a 10-point increase; the smallest change occurred in the continuity of essential services and port-disaster recovery; the overall score of HP changed from being poor before the intervention to medium after three months (P<0.05). In the control hospital, human resources had the biggest change with a 4-point increase; command and control, communications, continuity of essential services, and post-disaster recovery had the smallest change with a 1-point increase; the overall HP was poor and remained poor despite the increase in scores (P<0.05). In sum, the outcomes of this study imply that the intervention hospital has a moderate level of disaster preparedness. The findings of this study highlight the importance of instituting an EWS in all hospitals across the country to enhance readiness for calamities. Hence, implementing EWS in similar conditions in other hospitals in the country can improve the preparedness of these hospitals in emergencies and disasters to a great extent.