Abstract
Disaster preparedness is an important but often a neglected part in the management
of chronic disorders. India is facing an epidemic of diabetes and the patients with
diabetes are also exposed to the risk of natural disaster along with other members
of the society. India faced many disasters in the past including the Bhopal gas leak,
Gujarat earthquake and Andaman tsunami. These disasters exposed the lacunae in the
disaster preparedness and lead to devastating health consequences. Previous research
focused more on the immediate, traumatic aspects of the disasters and neglected the
impact on chronic disorders. The experience of managing diabetes after Hurricane Katrina
gave important insights into the short and long term consequences of a disaster. Our
article provides information about the impact of disasters on diabetes, difficulties
in the management and suggested measures at various levels to improve the disaster
preparedness.
Disaster preparedness - natural emergencies - type 2 diabetes
