RESUMEN
On February 23, 1999, an avalanche buried large parts of the village of Galtuer Austria, killing 31 people. The purpose of this paper is to examine the longer-term impact of this avalanche on the public health system. For the case study, we used a mixed-method approach consisting of a document study and expert interviews with people who were involved in the disaster-management operations. Many long-term changes were undertaken in the context of infrastructural measures, disaster-management structures, and coordination and cooperation within the existing system to protect people and property as well as to provide important information for decision makers. The investigation reveals the importance of situational approaches to the post-disaster phase depending on the recovery needs of those affected. Moreover, the value of social capital in a disaster situation is emphasized.
Asunto(s)
Avalanchas , Planificación en Desastres , Desastres , Humanos , Salud PúblicaRESUMEN
As past events have shown, disasters can have a tremendous impact on the affected population's health. However, research regarding the long-term impact on a systems level perspective is still scarce. In this multi-case study, we analyzed and compared the long-term impacts on the public health system of five disasters which took place in Europe: avalanche (Austria), terror attack (Spain), airplane crash (Luxembourg), cable-car tunnel fire (Austria), and a flood in Central Europe. We used a mixed-methods approach consisting of a document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders, to examine the various long-term impacts each of the disasters had on health-system performance, as well as on security and health protection. The results show manifold changes undertaken in the fields of psychosocial support, infrastructure, and contingency and preparedness planning. The holistic approach of this study shows the importance of analyzing long-term impacts from the perspective of the type (e.g., disasters associated with natural hazards) and characteristic (e.g., duration and extent) of a disaster, as well as the regional context where a disaster took place. However, the identified recurring themes demonstrate the opportunity of learning from case studies in order to customize the lessons and apply them to the own-disaster-management setting.