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Social Work Speaks Abstracts

Disasters

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.