Define Importance of nutritional requirements for management of emergencies?

Knowledge of nutritional requirements for management of emergencies is therefore, important due to the following reasons:

i) Assessment of nutritional needs of individuals, vulnerable groups, families and population.

ii) Monitoring of nutrient intake in these groups.

iii) Ensuring that adequate quantities of food are being procured made available for rations and supplements etc.

Identification of most vulnerable groups is also essential and generally these are the groups with additional nutrient requirements e.g. pregnant and lactating women, infants and young children, single adults e.g. widows and widowers in the older age group.

In the initial stages of disaster (0-6 months), there is instability, acute shortage and mass movement of people. The victims are totally dependent on aid. There are inevitable delays in evaluation, planning, requesting, and receiving donations, transportation and formation of distribution system. At this stage, the management is generally controlled by internal government and NGOs. If an affected population crosses an international boundary, then they are called 'refugees' and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHR) can help them and if they remain in the country, they are called 'internally displaced persons'. The second stage of disaster (usually after 6 months) is stage of establishment. The affected people are organized or they organize themselves and use newer coping strategies i.e. start cultivating, set up of small home industry and selling of labour. At this stage, relief can be more targeted towards more needful persons.

Now that we have an overview of what is a calamity and an emergency and who are the most effected, let us next study about the issues specific to the management of emergencies.