The Dutch experience with Health Impact Assessment of disasters

Over the past decade, the Dutch government has learned thata crisis/disaster is not over when the fire has been extinguished,chemical spills have been contained or affected livestock hasbeen cleared. Examples are as follows:

• The crash of an El Alairplane in a residential area in Amsterdam(1992, 39 fatalities),where a disaster Health Impact Assessment(HIA) amongst 7300victims was initiated after 8 years underpolitical and societalpressure.1