Abstract

Introduction: Natural disasters are common worldwide and cause huge damage. Floods are among frequent natural disasters. Torrential rainfall due to the combined effect of western disturbances and monsoons led to floods in September 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir. Objective: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in District Srinagar 45 days after floods. It was a rapid need assessment done for assessing the health and safety needs of the population. Methods: 30 x 7 cluster sampling based on the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology was used to select seven households from 30 census blocks using two-stage sampling. Data collection was done on demographics, damage, prepare- dness and needs. Results: Total of 210 households were surveyed. Vulnerable population was present in about 48% (CI: 41% - 55%) of households, 82 % (CI: 76%-86%) had a member who was on prescribed medication especially for non-communicable diseases and 9% (CI: 4%-13%) lacked weeks supply, 59 % (CI: 46%-72%) had evacuated the house, 3% houses were destroyed (-0.06-5.8%) and most common need expressed was financial help by 42% (CI: 30%-55%).