Disaster epidemiology assesses the short- and long-term adverse health effects of disasters to help guide emergency response and recovery efforts and predict consequences of future disasters. It provides situational awareness; that is, information that helps us understand what the needs are, plan the response, and gather the appropriate resources. The main objectives of disaster epidemiology are to
- prevent or reduce the number of deaths, illnesses, and injuries caused by disasters,
- provide timely and accurate health information for decision-makers,
- improve prevention and mitigation strategies for future disasters by collecting information for future response preparation.