Hosseini: 'Family Safety' Is the First Step Toward Disaster Resilience

Sanandaj – The disaster risk reduction officer at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences said that educating families and making them safe is a requirement for preventing losses from natural incidents.

In a conversation with Mehr reporter, Amina Hosseini, referring to the importance of preparing families against natural hazards, stated: Home and family, as the smallest social unit, play an important role in increasing the resilience of society, and promoting public awareness can reduce the severity of damage caused by accidents and disasters.

Referring to the slogan of this year's commemoration of World Disaster Risk Reduction Day as "Let's start resilience from home", he added: This occasion is an opportunity to remember the necessity of preventing avoidable accidents and strengthening cooperation and public participation in the path of creating a safer society.

Educating families is a step to reduce disaster damage

Stating that prevention is the main focus of disaster risk reduction programs, Hosseini clarified: educating and informing families and increasing the preparedness of homes can minimize loss of lives, finances and livelihoods caused by accidents.

Emphasizing the need for family members to be aware of how to deal with sudden crises such as floods, earthquakes, and extreme cold, he said: Securing homes and preparing against gradual and long-term risks is also important in improving the resilience of the family and society.

The expert in charge of managing the risk of disasters and accidents of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Health Vice-Chancellor listed access to early warning systems and reliable information about hazards as effective factors in increasing public preparedness and noted: Investing to reduce the risk of disasters at the family level lays the groundwork for increasing the safety and resilience of society in the future.

Implementation of disaster risk management programs in the field of health in Kurdistan

Referring to the actions of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Health Vice-Chancellor to reduce vulnerability to accidents and disasters, Hosseini stated: Assessing possible risks, examining risk and vulnerability, and developing programs to reduce structural and non-structural vulnerability are among the programs of this Vice-Chancellor.

He mentioned the development and updating of the response plan of the health field against accidents and disasters in homes and the implementation of the Dart program in the Sib system as other measures taken.

This responsible expert also announced the holding of training workshops and roundtable and operational maneuvers to improve the preparedness of health workers and added: General education of the covered population to increase preparedness against disasters is also on the agenda.

disaster risk reduction week; An opportunity to promote a culture of preparedness

The disaster risk reduction week will be held from October 20 to 27 with various themes in the field of safety and resilience. Human health, mental health of the family, securing homes, raising social children, simple measures to make homes resilient, public education and information, and family economy are some of the topics predicted in this week's agenda.

Paying attention to these axes can provide the context for more participation of families in preventing accidents, reducing vulnerability and strengthening the culture of preparedness against disasters.