What are the four phases of disaster with mass casualties?

• A. Impact, Preparedness, Recovery, Response
• B. Preparedness, Response, Impact, Recovery
• C. Preparedness, Impact, Response, Recovery
• D. Recovery, Preparedness, Impact, Response

Answer: (C)

The sequence reflects how a mass casualty incident unfolds and how emergency management organizes actions around it. Before any event, you focus on preparedness—planning, training, drills, stockpiling supplies, and establishing clear command and communications so you can act quickly and coherently when something happens. When the disaster hits, you face the impact—the actual effects, damage, and the surge of needs that arise. This phase determines the immediate priorities and resources required. Once the impact is known, the response follows: triage, life-saving interventions, evacuation, stabilization, and rapid coordination to address the urgent needs and prevent further harm. After stabilization, the recovery phase begins, aiming to restore services and infrastructure, support affected people, and apply lessons learned to improve future readiness.

Other sequences don’t fit the real flow. You can’t implement a response before the impact occurs, and you can’t start recovery before there’s been some impact and a defined response. Some models include mitigation or prevention, but within this set the order of Preparedness, Impact, Response, and Recovery best represents how actions align with the event’s timeline.