In emergency management, assessment means collecting subjective and objective
information in order to measure damage and identify those basic needs of the
affected population that require immediate response. The assessment is always
meant to be rapid, as it must be performed in limited time, during or in the
immediate aftermath of an emergency.
At the onset of a crisis, rapid assessment information will be used to recognize
and quantify the emergency, and to readjust strategies and plans accordingly.
Once a programme of assistance is under way, periodic assessments will assist
evaluation of the effectiveness of response and recovery. In a wider perspective,
rapid assessment will produce information for financial and political advocacy,
public information, press releases, and case studies.
It
The information produced by the assessment is both an asset and a commodity.
must be used for vital decision-making, and for feedback along the different
levels of the health sector. But this information can also be marketed to other
sectors. Mutual exchange of information is the first step in effective coordination,
and being recognized as a reliable source of information is the best way for an
organization to assert its claim to a coordinating role.
