Operational resources in humanitarian setting: the Mozambique case after the Cyclone Idai, disaster and recovery phases

Natural disasters cause, approximately, the death of 60,000 people per year, leaving behind destructionand devastation in the affected countries. Each disaster raises many questions about how best to respond,but evidence is often lacking or incomplete to answer such questions.Conducting research during or in the aftermath of disasters is crucial to accurately describe and reportphenomena, response type, experiences, lessons learnt and to support and guide decision-makers.Motivating by my direct experience in the humanitarian settings during the response to a disaster event inMozambique in 2019, the Cyclone Idai, this thesis presents the research activities conducted during boththe disaster and the recovery phases. The research is focused on the analysis of the mission from adescriptive point of view, reporting the impact of mobilizing timing on the mission outcomes, describing theclinical activities and the organization of the field hospital and of the staff.Team dynamics and non-technical skills are assessed with a survey study conducted during the disasterphase among the team deployed in Mozambique: humanitarian workers, obliged to work together for thefirst time without a prior specific training, feel good but not at their best. Specific training programs can bereally useful to improve their self-confidence before a mission. In addition, a survey study examined theteam members perception from a mental health perspective, showing a good resilience, a good perceivedorganizational support and a strong association between these issues for the team deployed inMozambique in 2019.Moving to the recovery phase after the Cyclone Idai, a triage method has been introduced in the referralprocess of the patients from peripheral centers to central ones. Collecting data about the proportion ofreferred codes and about the triage accuracy, this original research study shows that the use of the methodimprove the prehospital selection process, modifying the pattern of the referred patients.Lastly, two operational works regarding my involvement during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)pandemic, are presented in the final part of the thesis.