Week 5 Windshield Survey/Community Assessment

Select a potential natural or man-made disaster that could happen in your community and evaluate a local disaster plan. Write a 3- to 4-page paper about the disaster from the public health nurse’s perspective. At least 3 scholarly resources must be used

Sample Solution

Public health nursing brings policy, leadership, practice and planning proficiency to disaster preparedness and response plans. A qualified public health nurse should posses the knowledge and skills needed to develop disaster guidelines and comprehensive strategies and to perform and evaluate preparedness. He or she is a fundamental stakeholder in response activities, management and leadership roles, as well as in the field where they offer critical public health services. The purpose of this paper is to explore tornado disaster in Wichita Falls from a public health nurse’s point of view.

Potential Disaster

Tornado is one of the potential natural disasters that are likely to strike Wichita Falls. The city’s tornado activity occurrence is notably above Texas state average. In fact, the historical activity of this disaster is 103 percent greater than the overall United States’ average. Among the numerous tornado activities recorded in the area, scholars indicate that the 1964 and 1979 incidences had far-reaching consequences. In 1964, a category F5 tornado occurred 0.90 miles away from the city center, killed 7 individuals and injured more than 111. At the same time, properties worth between $50 million and $ 500 million was damaged. Similarly, in 1979, a category F4 was experienced 9.40 miles away from the city center. This tornado left more than 42 people dead and 1740 others seriously injured. Property worth millions of dollars was destroyed as well.

Although the frequency of tornados is low, its occurrence in the future cannot be ruled out. Given the severity of the previous tornado incidences, Wichita City must be ready to handle this potential risk. With appropriate resources, public health nurses can play a critical role in preparing and responding to the probable Tornado occurrence…