Damage Assessment Essay Sample

Damage assessment has a vital role in society in times of hazards and the facts collected through damage assessment teams give an overview of the situation, explaining the degree and situation of damages. Damage assessment information is analyzed to know the requirements of the society and those involved in the ordeal. It helps the society in setting priorities in case response is necessary, and one of the priorities includes search and rescue plans and recovery operations. Damage assessment data assists the team in knowing if more resources are needed and gives some documentation required to apply for help (Abdollahzadeh, 2013).

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Damage assessment information helps in formulating mitigation chances and creating a response plan, which will make the society, withstand resistance in case of another hazardous event. Damage assessment is meant to gauge the extent of a catastrophe and emergency cases in the public and private areas in the society. The information also offers knowledge to the society about the degree of damage and before a plan is formulated, consultations should be made. The response team in damage assessment is assigned in the entire society to effectively rate the damage and approximate the amount of money that will be used in the repair. Teams are sent out occasionally, especially if an area is not accessible (Najib, 2014).

Gauging the severity of damage is a big concern in damage assessment. Severity is measuring the seriousness of impacts of a catastrophic event. Severity can be gauged by factors like the number of people that are affected, capital that is lost and the influence to critical infrastructure. Measuring the magnitude of damage is also another factor that is analyzed. Magnitude is measuring the extent in catastrophic events, and it is normally determined through technical measures that are meant purposely for hazard. Damage assessment has a response team, which is made up of people that go into the society after an event to analyze and record the damage and its impact. The response team consists of individuals from different groups within the society. Another concern in damage assessment is the infrastructure. A good infrastructure and resources are vital for the well-being of people in the society and without them conducting damage assessment are affected (Abdollahzadeh, 2013).

Damage assessment involves finding out the extent and impact of a catastrophic event and provides information regarding the degree of damage and then a response team is sent to the affected regions to analyze the situation. It is vital for the response team to use a common vocabulary and some of the fundamental terms of knowing include risk, vulnerability, hazard, and Public Assistance. The vulnerability is stating how likely a property is predisposed to damage. Vulnerability relies on the property’s construction, information, economic state and cost of repair (Najib, 2014).

Risk is another element in damage assessment. The risk is the likelihood of loss or harm and it is the approximated impact that a catastrophe might have on individuals and property. It is the possibility of an event which causes harm to both people and property occurring. It is, therefore, important to assess the risks and take the necessary steps to stop them from happening. Being prepared means the measures taken in planning, equipping and training activities built to avert dangerous events. Damage assessment is important because it helps in assessing situations and assigning response teams in case of hazardous events. Concerns in damage assessment include preparedness, risk, magnitude and severity, which if well understood, can help avert catastrophic events (Najib, 2014).

References

Abdollahzadeh, G. & Nemati, M. (2013). Risk assessment of structures subjected to blast. International Journal Of Damage Mechanics, 23(1), 3-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1056789513482479

Najib, M., El Fazziki, A., & Boukachour, J. (2014). Risk management Impact Assessement: maritime container terminal performance. International Journal Of Academic Research, 6(1), 239-249. http://dx.doi.org/10.7813/2075-4124.2014/6-1/a.31