In 2013 a storm surge of epic proportion hit the Philippines. This area is no stranger to harsh weather, but the 20 foot storm surge proved to be bigger than anything seen in recent history on the islands. Since harsh weather is a commonality in the Philippines, the government has well prepared for such disasters. However, some disasters may be too big to prepare for. After the storm surge that claimed as many as 3,000 lives, many people were injured and displaced from their homes. In the aftermath, pneumonia became an increasingly larger problem. The lack of shelter and unsanitary conditions made public health officials realize respiratory infections were now the largest concern. Antibiotics were in large demand and hard to find. Food was scarce and the country was looking to others countries for donations. The Philippines are a series of islands, with few places to go during evacuations meaning many people are displaced and affected after such disasters. When the storm hit, everything in its place was destroyed including hospitals. In many places power, water, and communication were limited. Other countries, including the United States and Australia stepped up to help the crippled nation by providing shelter, food, and water.

The Philippines is not a wealthy environment, and the constant battle against the elements takes its toll. The storm surge that hit in 2013 proved to be more than they could handle, and other countries stepped in to help the best they could. The idea of being a healthcare provider in the Philippines during the aftermath of the storm is a hard image to comprehend though. The amount of injured people, and the state of the surroundings made for more pneumonia infections and more complications. Supplies were hard to come by during the time after the storm, and I can only imagine the panic for nurses and healthcare providers in trying to care for everyone that was displaced in makeshift hospitals made from plastic sheeting at best. Even three months after the disaster, hospitals were still ill-equipped to care for the community.

This disaster was bigger than anyone could have predicted, and that is ultimately what led to low supplies and slow help from other nations. In the future, I can only hope that the Philippines has a better plan for evacuations and that the United Nations has a quicker response time. Natural disasters this large are so hard to prepare for though, since they can be unpredictable. The primary concern after the storm was food and water, but perhaps now we know the importance of shelter in this area, as well as increased medical supplies. With the lack of shelter, pneumonia infections rose to scary proportions and a lack of medical supplies made the situation dire.

So after interviewing my friends and family I realized many of them are unaware of the medication that they take. The individuals who were most aware were my parents and in laws. I’m not sure if it is an age reason, or the fact that they take daily medication for comorbidities such as hypertension and cancer. Not only did they know the name of the medication they were taking, but they also knew dosing and side effects. The people closer to my own age however  were very unaware about  the medications they take. Most of the people I asked do not take anything on a regular basis,  but when asked about common over the counter medicines, many of them were naive to the side effects and correct dosing. To be totally honest, even my own husband has no idea how much Tylenol to take. When he is sick I have to remind him to check labels on cold medicine so he doesn’t consume too much acetaminophen. This is an issue nurses must be aware of though,  and we must know the right questions to ask to assess the history of our patients. In regards to homeopathic medications, I know that many of the individuals who use these remedies do not know that side effects are common and should be anticipated. I have never checked the label on homeopathic remedies, but I would hope that side effects are listed somewhere on the container for consumers to access.