(introduction...)
1 This chapter has been drawn from the
UNDP/UNDRO training module Disaster Assessment by Rob Stephenson of the
Relief and Development Institute.
Assessment is the process of determining the impact of a
disaster on a society. The first priority is to establish the needs for
immediate emergency measures to save and sustain the lives of
survivors. The second priority is to identify the possibilities for
facilitating and expediting recovery and development.
Assessment is an interdisciplinary process undertaken in phases
and involving on-the-spot surveys and the collation, evaluation and
interpretation of information from various sources. These surveys concern both
direct and indirect losses as well as the short- and long-term effects.
Assessment involves determining not only what has happened and what assistance
might be needed, but also defines objectives and how relevant assistance can
actually be provided to the victims.
Some assessments are specifically conducted as damage
assessments. They include the preparation of specific, quantified estimates of
physical damage resulting from a disaster. The damage assessment may also
include recommendations concerning the repair, reconstruction or replacement of
structures, and equipment, as well as the restoration of economic
activities.
