Running head: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR ELDERLY IN AL-HAJJ PERIOD1
Emergency Preparedness for the Elderly during Al-Hajj Period
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR ELDERLY IN AL-HAJJ PERIOD
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Emergency Preparedness for the Elderly during Al-Hajj Period
Literature Review
Description of the Problem
Emergency preparedness involves the practices that are carried out for the preparation of
the occurrence of an incident that might take place. Some instances of emergencies that
commonly take place in different countries include a terrorist attack, disease outbreaks, flooding,
earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Besides, the Al-Hajj period is the time when Muslims
meet in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual Islamic pilgrimage (Shujaa & Alhamid, 2015).
About the issue of disaster management, an incident may take place at any time at any site, and
therefore preparedness is necessary. Based on the events that have taken place recently in Saudi
Arabia, mainly in the Mecca region, preparation is essential (Shafi et al., 2016). The elderly is
among the individuals who are considered to be vulnerable to incidents, and therefore it is
necessary to consider them in the preparedness. The management of potentially hazardous
conditions, especially in religious gatherings during the Al-Hajj period, is regarded as the
responsibility of people who visit or are around Mecca (Shafi et al., 2016). During the Al-Hajj
period, the mecca inhabitants usually evacuate from their residents to accommodate the group
that comes from far distances. When many people meet in such places, there is a high likelihood
of incidents to take place, especially the terrorist attacks (Kim & Zakour, 2017). Several plans
and policies have been installed to ensure that the area is always free from terror attacks.
However, based on past scenarios, it is necessary to be prepared for emergencies.
Example of a Recent Emergency Case
According to AlQahtani & Adserias-Garriga (2019), several incidents have taken place
during the Al-Hajj period that calls for preparedness. For example, in 2015, more than 700
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR ELDERLY IN AL-HAJJ PERIOD
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people were crushed to death after a stampede took place outside Mecca (AlQahtani & AdseriasGarriga, 2019). Other than the ones who lost their lives, over 850 individuals were severely
injured during the occurrence. The incident is considered to be the most deadly case that has ever
occurred within the last three decades. The event took place due to the panic that people
developed after two pilgrims groups collided as they prepare their final significant rites. People
were overwhelmed with fear to the extent that they were forced to run through two narrow
streets. Within a short period, the dead bodies filled the two streets (Alluhaidan, 2016). Among
the people who died and those who were injured, the majority of them were the elderly. This is
an implication that the elderly need to be protected more than other individuals during the AlHajj period (Alluhaidan, 2016). The occurrence of the incident serves as one of the main reasons
that call for preparedness among the elderly during such periods. The event forced King Salman,
the Saudi monarch, to order the reviewing of the plans and rules that people need to follow
during the Al-Hajj period to ensure that they are safe from any issue.
Preparedness Condition during Al-Hajj Season
Though preparedness is necessary during the Al-Hajj season, there is a challenge to
conduct the practice due to lack of enough time. The Ramadan and the Al-Hajj seasons are close
to each other in terms of their timeline. As Ramadan takes place in the 9thmonth of the lunar
calendar, Al-Hajj is conducted in the 12th month. This implies that the time difference between
the two seasons is three months. Since Ramadan takes place three months before the Al-Hajj
season, people tend to leave the area in the 10th and the 11th month. As people leave Mecca after
the Ramadan seasons, others arrive for the Al-Hajj season (Dostal, 2015). Besides, not all people
leave the place after Ramadan. This implies that there is no time for the preparedness to be
conducted. However, some preparations can be carried out before the arrival of the people for the