Waring Stephen C, Reynolds Kaye M, D'Souza Gypsyamber, Arafat Raouf R
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, Texas 77225, USA.
Disaster Manag Response. 2002 Sep:3-9.
Tropical Storm Allison, which hit landfall near Galveston, Texas, on June 5, 2001, caused the most severe flood-related damage ever recorded in the Houston metropolitan area. The main goal of the public health response to tropical storm Allison was to evaluate the immediate health needs of the community.
To estimate damage and household needs, we conducted a rapid needs assessment in the areas most affected by flooding with use of a modified cluster sampling method facilitated by Geographical Information Systems methodology. A total of 420 households participated in the survey, 210 each from the 2 sampling areas.
We found a 4-fold increase in illness among persons living in flooded homes compared with those living in nonflooded homes. These findings suggest a need for rapid resolution of flood-related damage and the possibility that residents should seek temporary housing during clean-up and repair. In addition, we obtained reliable estimates of damage and household needs to help guide relief efforts.
The findings underscore the usefulness of a rapid-needs assessment as a tool to identify actual health threats and to facilitate delivery of resources to those with the greatest and most immediate need.
2001年6月5日，热带风暴艾利森在得克萨斯州加尔维斯顿附近登陆，造成休斯顿大都市区有记录以来最严重的与洪水相关的破坏。对热带风暴艾利森采取公共卫生应对措施的主要目标是评估社区的即时健康需求。
为了估计损失和家庭需求，我们利用地理信息系统方法辅助的改良整群抽样方法，在受洪水影响最严重的地区进行了快速需求评估。共有420户家庭参与了调查，两个抽样区域各有210户。
我们发现，居住在被洪水淹没房屋中的人患病几率是居住在未被洪水淹没房屋中的人的4倍。这些发现表明需要迅速解决与洪水相关的破坏问题，也表明居民在清理和修复期间可能需要寻求临时住所。此外，我们获得了关于损失和家庭需求的可靠估计，以帮助指导救援工作。
这些发现强调了快速需求评估作为一种工具的有用性，该工具可用于识别实际的健康威胁，并促进向最急需且需求最迫切的人群提供资源。
