(English captions by Trisha Paul, University of Michigan.)

Before intervening in a disaster, you need
to conduct a Rapid Needs Assessment.

In this session, we shall look through the
principles of conducting a Rapid Needs Assessment

in a disaster situation.

Let us start by an activity.

Look at 5 disaster situations: floods, war
and conflicts, disease outbreak situation,

drought and famine situation, 
and an institutional fire situation.

Spend a few minutes and write down the kind
of information you would need in these disasters.

You may select one of these.

Objectives of a Rapid Needs Assessment include
answering the following questions.

Has a disaster occurred?

How many are affected?

What are the immediate needs?

Are local resources available?

What external resources are needed?

What are the estimated costs of intervention?

And how do you develop an action plan using
this information?

Key activities in Rapid Assessment include
planning the Rapid Assessment visit, planning

initial tasks of the team, field data collection,
analysis of data, identification of high risk

groups, dissemination of information, and
using this information for action.

In planning the visit, compose the assessment
team and select a team leader.

Collect background information on the incident.

Determine gaps in information that need to
be addressed.

Two, initial tasks of the team.

There is need to prepare an assessment checklist.

Assess existing information.

Conduct, prepare a timetable for assessment.

Assign tasks and set up communication measures.

Inform and include local authorities.

Obtain equipment for the assessment including
computers, radios, etc.

Organize transport, vehicles, fuel, visas
if necessary.

Inform potential donors and key decision-makers
and possibly inform the local leaders in the

community where you are going to conduct the
assessment.

Three, field visit and data collection.

Information needs in the emergency phase include
affected population and demographics, vital

information and health data, food and nutritional
status, environment, water and sanitation,

shelter & non-food items, resource needs,
and coordination.

Methods in the field visit and data collection
include visual inspection of the affected

area, interviews with community leaders, health
workers, emergency personnel, individuals

from affected population, review of existing
information, conducting rapid surveys to fill

gaps in available information.

From the affected population, we need to describe
the size and demographics, especially vulnerable

groups like women, children, disabled, and
elderly, patterns of movement, socio-cultural

factors, ethnicity and related issues.

Vital health information includes deaths and
their main causes, both related to the disaster

and other core morbidities existing, diseases
of epidemic potential, diseases of public

health importance like STDs, HIV/AIDS, and
maternal health conditions, and the sources

of this information could be hospitals and
health centers, local leaders, response personnel,

and individuals that are directly 
or indirectly affected.

Assess the health care infrastructure.

This includes health personnel, drugs & vaccine
supply, and background health information.

Assess the status of nutrition and food, including
acute malnutrition especially among children

6 months-5 years, micronutrient deficiencies,
and vulnerable groups, especially pregnant women,

the elderly, the disabled, and the children.

Assess the environment.

Look at water supply, shelter, and sanitation.

Assess the resource needs, including human
resources, food items, and non food items.

Challenges in Rapid Assessment include multiple
assessments, team balance to take care of

local issues, gender, culture, and minorities,
single versus multiple focus assessments,

local systems and assessments, and targeting,
what do you really need to know?

Key principles of Rapid Assessment include
the assessment being aimed at determining

the intervention needed, the fact that it
must be completed quickly, the fact that it

must identify priority areas for intervention,
the fact that it provides baseline data for

continuous monitoring and surveillance.