In this brief, Glassman outlines key definitions in the field of disaster management. The brief introduces the three categories of disasters: natural, man-made or both.
Disasters can have either a slow or a sudden onset. Glassman then focuses on one crucial aspect of disaster management in public health, “a disaster’s initial and long-term impact on service delivery in the impacted communities,” and explains why he considers this the best indicator for assessing the impact of a disaster.