Have you ever viewed a news report depicting the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster? The damage to human life and property are both staggering and heartbreaking. All parts of the world face the possibility of floods, hurricanes, tornados, fires, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural phenomena. Are you prepared if disaster would strike you? This course will help you prepare! The course is appropriate for any learner who is proactive about developing the core competencies of disaster readiness and survival planning. It is especially useful if you are seeking techniques that can ensure your personal protection, as well as the safety of your family, property, and belongings, during a natural disaster. In addition, it offers essential preparation for a variety of emergency situations and inconveniences, even if you do not live in major tornado, flood, hurricane, tsunami, or earthquake zone. For instance, could you and your loved ones manage without access to potable water, electricity, fuel, and banking facilities? If you are unsure of your ability to respond in any of these possible scenarios, this course is for you! Throughout the course, you will be introduced to the Disaster Cycle, specifically the Mitigation and Recovery phases, and will create an extensive personal preparedness plan for survival in the absence of common amenities, such as food and water, shelter, and communication. You will also acquire practical, easy-to-apply strategies for maintaining a healthy attitude during disaster which can allow you to remain calm, avoid panic, and draw upon inner and outer resources in dire circumstances. Although death may be an inevitable outcome of extreme circumstances, a balanced outlook can provide comfort for all parties involved. Finally, issues of how institutions and governments can aid in disaster are also discussed. If you are interested in this topic you may be interested in other online programs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Learn more about those programs by visiting our website: http://www.online.pitt.edu/programs/school-of-nursing/
JC
Very insightful course. The peer-reviewed plan was also incredibly useful, both in the exercise itself and seeing the risks (and mitigation plans) by others. Outstanding!
DP
It was very intellectual course. The tutor was very well prepared & explained theory nicely. And the case study about disaster was very knowledgeable.
NI
The course offered is timely and relevant and designed for the safety and mitigation plan to achieve a rapid and effective recovery. thank you for sharing such amazing course.
SS
I learned a lot of things that will make survival in times of disaster a necessity. I am going to suggest this course to my family members so everyone can learn this stuff
EB
Excellent course, logically put together and well presented. It raises multiple issues, some of which we were aware of but had not addressed and others which we had not even considered.
DA
the course is great. also I would like to thank coursera for the fee-waiver opportunities without which people like me could never afford to take such high quality and up to date trainings!
AR
Exceptional class, very organized by the Professor and beneficial to those of us in the healthcare space AND for anyone interested in being prepared for local or regional disasters.
TI
Well presented introductory course by clearly experienced and knowledgeable Instructor(s). Enjoyed the content, demeanor, and tenor. Slow tempo easily attenuated by speeding up play-back speed.
CY
The best course with hands-on skills ready for use and application in a disaster situation. Very interactive with key stakeholders representatives sharing their experiences.
SP
I learned information integral to surviving through a disaster. I have an understanding of what to expect on a personal and organizational level. The course was outstanding.
BP
Excellent course for disaster preparedness! I learnt a lot about how to prepare and also what to expect in a disaster. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to be more prepared.
KE
It was a very informative course. Although most of us know we need to prepare for a disaster this course reenforced what to do directed us how to think through the process logically.,
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Excellent course, logically put together and well presented. It raises multiple issues, some of which we were aware of but had not addressed and others which we had not even considered.
Excellent course, logically put together and well presented. It raises multiple issues, some of which we were aware of but had not addressed and others which we had not even considered.
This is a pretty good course, and one which I do recommend. I certainly learn a lot of information from it. The only thing that kept me from giving this course 5 Stars is that it contains a peer reviewed assignment in week four, but the peer reviews never seem to get done. The discussion board for week four is nothing more than students begging for someone to peer review their assignment so they can complete the course. This is not the type of course where a peer reviewed assignment works well.
This one criticism aside, the course is very well presented. The instructor is extremely knowledgeable, and you will be better prepared for a disaster after completing "Disaster Preparedness".
Course content was well organized, intentional and practical. I decided on this course because I wanted to additional knowledge on the factors and dynamics of disaster management and preparation, as I look to volunteer with one of the local disaster relief networks in m6 local area. On the other hand, if you’d like to increase your awareness about disaster management on a personal level to keep you and your loved ones safe, this is a great course for that as well, strongly encourage it!
I enjoyed the challenge and was proud finishing this course, unfortunately for me I couldn't get to certificate without paying the course,it's unfortunate I don't have the finances to pay given I only work a Govt employee in Philippines and due to our local lockdown I'm not earning regularly,I intend to use the certificate for my application for promotion, sadly I can't afford the certificate.im thankful nonetheless for the opportunity to learn and participate.
Very useful course. With the frequency of disasters ever increasing around the world, this course can help to increase the preparedness of the course participants in facing disasters, IF the participants really put in their full effort especially in the assignment. The course coordinators were quite helpful in assisting with problems faced during the grading of the assignment.
This is an excellent course and a must-to-do for all personnel. The content is well organized and very well presented. This course moves the learner from the fundamentals of preparedness, to designing personal preparedness plans and also introduces to the real mindset that we only face in case of an emergency.
Through this course we are even mentally prepared or at least ready to ask questions on how we will be behaving in an disaster event.
Extremely worthwhile.
The online course Disaster Preparedness is a very excellent course . The learning content is very interesting and it was presented by a learning facilitator who is an expert in his field . We are currently experiencing the impact of climate change and the Disaster plan taken at the end of the course is no less than very useful and applicable as a an adaptive measure to protect lives and minimize damage in the event of a disaster. Thank you so much !
Excellent course! Learn, at your own pace, life-saving techniques to protect your self, loved ones, and your home; while also adding skills to apply to every day disaster scenarios for work as a first-responder or disaster relief worker.
I particularly enjoyed the following Coursera features: save notes; read lecture as video plays; and save the quiz to go back to read pertinent material.
Excellent! It was easy to understand. I am a volunteer at the Philadelphia MRC and have been in disaster simulation exercises and have deployed during a few public health disasters. I learn a lot from these experiences.
However, for the survival tips video, I would have preferred having pictures in addition to calling them out. Thank you!
Excellent course.. Really worthy to learn specially for the QHSE, Healthcare Professionals. and in general all to know. how to handle disaster situation. Gained worthy knowledge.
Special Thanks to Pro. Michael Beach & all the Supporting Team members for sharing their knowledge. Thank you Sir!!!
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Thank you all team members. & colleagues.
This course is super useful. Many don't get the point of being prepared, others take it to extreme, often useless levels of preparation bordering debilitating paranoia. This course is grounded in reality and gives very useful, actionable tips to being prepared. Prof. Michael Beach is very effective and encouraging. Will recommend.
This course is excellent, well presented and necessary in modern society.
I am absolutely thankful for the content, everyone should do this course, it is concise and well thought out. The assignment at the end of the course is relevant and worth the effort to do well as it can be kept for personal implementation afterward.
Practical, targeted course, quite based on US vision, but applicable in many other contexts. Some of the links to external material do not work any longer, it would be great if they could be reviewed. In any case, thank you very much for having compiled this useful knowledge!
I learn a lot of new things regarding disaster management, personal preparedness and triage. Thank you Dr Michael Beach for making such interesting MOOC about disaster preparedness. This course is equally important for disaster policy researcher like me. Thank again.
I enjoyed the content of this course. I will recommend it to my friends and neighbours to force/ guide them to prepare their own plans. Many people I know are still 'winging' it, which is not safe. Thank you University of Pittsburgh for making this course possible.
As a registered Occupational Therapist from Malaysia, I am very satisfied with the content of this Disaster Preparedness online course offered by the University of Pittsburgh. The contents of the course have helped me understand the emergency response and disaster preparedness process. With current Covid 19 pandemic that happens all round the world including Malaysia, it gives me some ideas how to prepare myself and my family to face effects of disaster in terms of mitigation plan, response and soon recovery plan. I have also learnt that we have to be prepared anytime not only physically but also mentally, with application of positive attitudes and mindset. I am looking forward to further my understanding in psychological first aid that will benefit my clients and their family after disaster.
The course was very interesting an informative. I feel much more prepared for if an unfortunate scenario is to present itself to me and the family. I'm very glad for this opportunity I received and the knowledge I now possess. Thanks.
-Justin Dougherty Winter Park, FL
Dr. Beach was engaged with students on video. I really enjoyed the interaction with other students globally on the 'Open Forum' portion. MOOCs gave me the opportunity to learn on my time frame. I highly recommend purchasing your certification, you've earned it!
Definitely, it is a great guide line for 'disaster preparedness'. Course is well planned, very informative and interesting too.
Yet, there is scope to improve the course by providing more specific knowledge related to specific disaster.
Thank you.