Sarb Johal

Insurance: Its Role in Recovery from the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence

Earthquakes generate loss only when assets are near enough to be significantly shaken. When communities are highly insured, much of that loss transfers to the insurer. Many events in the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence were sufficiently shallow and close to (or under) Christchurch to subject the city to very intense shaking (V: 1.7 g; H: 2.2 g). Shaking damage was extensive, exacerbated by the citys setting wherein the eastern suburbs were built on low-lying flatlands (formerly swamp) where liquefaction was widespread, and the southern suburbs, on the flanks of the now-dormant Lyttelton/Akaroa volcano, experienced boulder roll and landslide effects. There were 17 events in the sequence that resulted in insurance claims. The interval between damaging events was insufficient to enable the widespread damage to be assessed or repaired. Furthermore, the combination of tectonic subsidence and liquefaction ejectile lowered the land surface, creating unacceptable flood risk. This paper provides a snapshot of the most complicated insurance settlement program experienced anywhere.

Coping with disaster: general practitioners' perspectives on the impact of the canterbury earthquakes.

Aim – To explore the challenges for general practitioners (GPs) following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes and describe how these were met. Methods – Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with eight GPs from the Christchurch area exploring their experiences. Results – The interviews revealed that the GPs faced a range of challenges both in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes and in the following months. These included dealing with an increased and changed workload, and managing personal concerns. The GPs reflected on their coping behaviour and how their professional practice had changed as a result. Conclusions – All GPs reported significant increases in workload raising questions about the need for coordination of locum support. GPs often found themselves working outside their area of accustomed expertise especially in relation to patients needing financial aid. GPs identified a number of coping behaviours though some only in hindsight. Greater awareness of self-care strategies would benefit GPs responding to disasters.

Kindling Kindness for Compassionate Disaster Management.

In the health sector, it has become clear that staff who feel better supported deliver better care. Can disaster management learn from this drive to ensure compassionate care to avoid the perils of burnout and empathy exhaustion?

Patient reactions after the canterbury earthquakes 2010-11: a primary care perspective.

Aim – To explore GP perceptions of the impact of the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes on primary care clinic patients. Methods – Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with eight GPs from the Christchurch area exploring GPs’ perceptions of the impact on patients. Results – Patients experienced significant strain and anxiety following the earthquakes. The impact of this differed due to personal circumstances. Secondary stressors such as insurance and housing issues contributed to experiences of distress. Conclusions – The GPs identified significant impacts on patients as a result of the earthquakes with significant levels of strain and anxiety being due to the on-going recovery process. It appears that a significant proportion of the affected population felt comfortable talking with the GPs about the earthquakes, secondary stressors and their effects upon them.

Assessing the impact of workshops promoting concepts of psychosocial support for emergency events.

BACKGROUND Psychosocial support is a widely accepted term referring to activities designed to promote social and psychological recovery in disasters, and is a crucial concept in the organisation and management of preparedness, response and recovery systems. The New Zealand Ministry of Health recognised the importance of a common framework of understanding this concept, and commissioned a series of workshops to promote the understanding and implementation of psychosocial support concepts in disasters. METHODS Two hundred and eighty-eight people participated in 9 educational workshops across New Zealand - before the recent Canterbury earthquakes - designed to educate people about the key concepts and delivery models of psychosocial support during and after emergency events. Participants were also asked to note down three key ideas concerning what psychosocial support meant to them both before and after participating in the workshop. FINDINGS The level of satisfaction reported both for the workshop presentations (4.5 out of 5) and the resources provided (4.6 out of 5) suggested that participants were highly engaged with the presented material, and that this may be a useful training resource tool for education about psychosocial support in emergency events. Although the general concepts of support and recovery remained important both before and after the workshops, there was a shift to expressing attitudes acknowledging the importance of the management and organisation of psychosocial support activities. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the findings suggest that participants’ attitudes about psychosocial support in disasters changed after attending the workshop, from a consideration of the experience of the individual in a disaster to more structured ideas about how supportive interventions might be organised and implemented. Although care should be taken to reinforce the core actions of psychosocial support for practitioners, the workshops seem to offer a promising approach for developing cross-agency understanding on managing psychosocial support interventions. Citation: Johal S. Assessing the Impact Of Workshops Promoting Concepts of Psychosocial Support for Emergency Events. PLOS Currents Disasters. 2012 Sep 17. doi: 10.1371/4fd80324dd362.

A research-based primer on the potential psychosocial impacts of flooding

Purpose – Following recent flooding in New Zealand a brief review of research on psychosocial impacts of flooding was undertaken to identify lessons. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – A pragmatic review of the literature concerning psychosocial or mental health impact following flooding incidents in locations with similarities to New Zealand identified. In total, 12 papers from between 2008 and 2015 were reviewed to identify lessons for New Zealand. Findings – The review findings illustrate how floods can have great impacts on people’s psychosocial needs and mental health. The extended timeframe and disruptive nature of the impacts of flooding are such that the effects of secondary stressors are highly significant as they prolong the welfare, physical and psychosocial needs of those affected. Originality/value – This brief review provides important insights into the psychosocial impacts of flooding by examining research from similar areas to New Zealand.