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Social
Work Speaks Abstracts
Disasters
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Disasters are
collective, communitywide traumatic events that cause extensive
destruction, death, or injury and widespread social and personal
disruption. They apparently are becoming more frequent as populations
concentrate in coastal areas at high risk of natural disasters,
such as hurricanes, and in urban centers at high risk of technological
and industrial disasters. At the same time, the global political
climate has led to an increase in terrorism and random acts of
violence. In the context of social work, disasters are a concern
not only because of their magnitude in general, but also because
of their potential to endanger and overwhelm already vulnerable
populations, including children; elderly people; people with disabilities;
and inidividuals who may be isolated, institutionalized, in out-of-home
care, or in substandard or compromised housing. Thus, NASW supports
not only prevention but also preparation for disaster, including
the enhancement of efficiency, effectiveness, coordination, and
responsiveness of disaster relief and recovery efforts. When disaster
strikes, NASW urges attention to the protracted recovery phase
and the support needs of disaster workers. In addition to the development
of a cadre of well-trained disaster professionals, NASW believes
that social workers and social work students should acquire the
specialized knowledge and methods required for an effective response
to trauma and critical incident stress debriefing. Finally, NASW
supports research, especially about intervention effectiveness.
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