UNIT-I

INTRODUCTION
.
INTRODUCTION:

Disasters are as old as human history but the dramatic increase and the damage caused by them
in the recent past have become a cause of national and international concern. Over the past
decade, the number of natural and manmade disasters has climbed inexorably. From 1994 to
1998, reported disasters average was 428 per year but from 1999 to 2003, this figure went up to
an average of 707 disaster events per year showing an increase of about 60 per cent over the
previous years. The biggest rise was in countries of low human development, which suffered an
increase of 142 per cent. The figure shows the deadliest disasters of the decade (1992– 2001).
Drought and famine have proved to be the deadliest disasters globally, followed by flood,
technological disaster, earthquake, windstorm, extreme temperature and others. Global economic
loss related to disaster events average around US $880 billion per year. While studying about the
impact we need to be aware of potential hazards, how, when and where they are likely to occur,
and the problems which may result of an event. In India, 59 per cent of the land mass is
susceptible to seismic hazard; 5 per cent of the total geographical area is prone to floods; 8 per
cent of the total landmass is prone to cyclones; 70 per cent of the total cultivable area is
vulnerable to drought. Apart from this the hilly regions are vulnerable to avalanches
/landslides /hailstorms/ cloudbursts. Apart from the natural hazards, we need to know about the
other manmade hazards which are frequent and cause huge damage to life and property. It is
therefore important that we are aware of how to cope with their effects o Disaster Management.

DISASTER DEFINITION:

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human,

material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community
or society to cope using its own resources

DISASTER MANAGEMENT- DEFINITION.

Can be defined as dealing with and avoiding both natural and manmade disasters.

Disaster management, on the other hand involves:

 Pre-disaster planning, preparedness, monitoring including relief management capability.

 Prediction and early warning damage assessment and relief management.
EFFECTS OF DISASTER
 Loss of life and properties
 Deaths
 Disability
 Loss of Properties
 Displacement o Environmental loss
 Increase in communicable disease
 Obstruction of development

CHARACTERISTIC OF DISASTER
 Sudden
 High potential
 High intensity
 Happen in short time

DISASTER MANAGEMENT- TERMINOLOGY:

Hazard:

A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and
economic disruption, or environmental damage.

Vulnerability:

The characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to
the damaging effects of a hazard.

Mitigation:

The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.

Risk :

Risk is the expected losses (lives lost, persons injured, damages to property and disruption of
economic activity) due to a particular hazard. Risk is the product of hazard and vulnerability.
Risk is the probability that a person will experience an event in a specified period of time. Risk
as a function of hazard and vulnerability, a relationship that is frequently illustrated with the
following formula, although the association is not strictly arthematic:

Risk = hazard x vulnerability

Risk is the probability of being affected by the unwanted consequences of a hazard. It combines
the level of hazard and degree of vulnerability.

Capacity:

Capacity refers to all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a community,
organization or society to manage and reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience.

Disaster risk reduction:

The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts, to analyse and
manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced exposure to hazards, lessened
vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the environment, and
improved preparedness for adverse events. Early warning system: The set of capacities needed
to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals,
communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in
sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. Emergency management: The
organization and management of resources and responsibilities for addressing all aspects of
emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and initial recovery steps.

Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Vulnerability: The characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make
it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard.

TYPES OF DISASTERS:
Though, all kinds of disaster require more or less similar skill-sets and rescue-efforts at least a
few days after the event, it is important to understand various kinds of disasters. Depending upon
the actual nature of disaster, the immediate reaction needs to be different.

Also, the first few moments of disasters are distinctly different for each kind of disasters. Thus,
understanding of each kind of disaster might also help in identifying the onset of a disastrous
event, so that a trained person can undertake some key actions, during the initial few moments.
This could have a major impact on the final outcome in terms of amount of final loss.

Natural disasters:

These are primarily natural events. It is possible that certain human activities could maybe aid
in some of these events, but, by and large, these are mostly natural events.

 Earthquakes
 Volcano
 Floods
 Tornadoes, Typhoons, Cyclones
Man Made disasters:

These are mostly caused due to certain human activities. The disasters themselves could be
unintentional, but, are caused due to some intentional activity. Most of these (barring
coordinated terrorist activities) are due to certain accidents – which could have been
prevented – if sufficient precautionary measures were put in place.

 Nuclear Leaks
 Chemical Leaks/Spill over
 Terrorist Activities
 Structural Collapse

RELEATION BETWEEN DISASTER AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT:

Disaster impact is intimately connected with human development. A hazard turns into a disaster
when the people, potentially in the danger zone, are vulnerable and do not have the capacity to
cope with the impact of the hazard. For the sake of understanding the connection between hazard
(H), disaster (D), vulnerability (V), and capacity (C), it can be concluded that:

D=(H*V)/C
D is H multiplied by V and divided by C

HYOGO FRAMEWORK OF ACTION (HFA: 2005-2015):

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) was held from 18-22 January 2005 in
Kobe, Japan, and adopted the current Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience
of Nations and Communities to Disasters. HFA is an action framework for the disaster risk
reduction in the next decade. Drawing on the conclusions of the review of the Yokohama
Strategy, and on the basis of deliberations at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and
especially the agreed expected outcome and strategic goals, the Conference has adopted the
following five priorities for action:

 Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong
institutional basis for implementation.
 Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
 Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all
levels.
 Reduce the underlying risk factors.
 Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

The implementation and follow-up of the strategic goals and priorities for action set out
in this Framework for Action should be addressed by different stakeholders in a
multisectoral approach, including the development sector. States and regional and
 international organizations, including the United Nations and international financial
institutions, are called upon to integrate disaster risk reduction considerations into their
sustainable development policy, planning and programming at all levels. Civil society,
including volunteers and community based organizations; the scientific community and
the private sector are vital stakeholders in supporting the implementation of disaster risk
reduction at all levels.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE:

.
The Disaster Management Cycle consists of mainly two phases.

 Prevention
 Mitigation and Preparedness Pre-disaster phase

 Response and Relief

 Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Post-disaster phase.

Prevention:

Intention to completely avoid potential adverse impacts through action taken in advance

Example:

Seismic Engineering designs that ensure the survival and function of a critical building in
likely earthquake

Mitigation:
Mitigation efforts are attempts to prevent hazards from developing into disasters altogether or to
reduce the effects of disasters. The mitigation phase differs from the other phases in that it
focuses on long-term measures for reducing or eliminating risk. Mitigation measures can be
structural or non-structural. Structural measures use technological solutions like flood levees.
Non-structural measures include legislation, land-use planning (e.g. the designation of
nonessential land like parks to be used as flood zones), and insurance. Mitigation is the most
cost-efficient method for reducing the affect of hazards although not always the most suitable.
Mitigation includes providing regulations regarding evacuation, sanctions against those who
refuse to obey the regulations (such as mandatory evacuations), and communication of risks to
the public.

Preparedness:
Preparedness is a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising,
evaluation and improvement activities to ensure effective coordination and the enhancement of
capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of
natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

In the preparedness phase, emergency managers develop plans of action to manage and counter
their risks and take action to build the necessary capabilities needed to implement such plans.
Common preparedness measures include:

 Communication plans with easily understandable terminology and methods.

 Proper maintenance and training of emergency services, including mass human resources
such as community emergency response teams.
 Development and exercise of emergency population warning methods combined with
emergency shelters and evacuation plans.
 stockpiling, inventory, and maintain disaster supplies and equipment[9]
 Develop organizations of trained volunteers among civilian populations. Professional
emergency workers are rapidly overwhelmed in mass emergencies so trained, organized,
responsible volunteers are extremely valuable. Organizations like Community Emergency
Response Teams and the Red Cross are ready sources of trained volunteers. The latter's
emergency management system has gotten high ratings from both California, and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Response:
The response phase includes the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and first
responders in the disaster area. This is likely to include a first wave of core emergency services,
such as firefighters, police and ambulance crews. They may be supported by a number of
secondary emergency services, such as specialist rescue teams. A well rehearsed emergency plan
developed as part of the preparedness phase enables efficient coordination of rescue.

There is a need for both discipline (structure, doctrine, process) and agility (creativity,
improvisation, adaptability) in responding to a disaster. Combining that with the need to onboard
and build a high functioning leadership team quickly to coordinate and manage efforts as they
grow beyond first responders indicates the need for a leader and his or her team to craft and
implement a disciplined, iterative set of response plans. This allows the team to move forward
with coordinated, disciplined responses that are vaguely right and adapt to new information and
changing circumstances along the way.

Recovery (It includes Rehabilitation and Reconstruction):

The aim of the recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from
the response phase in its focus; recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that
must be made after immediate needs are addressed. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned
with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, and the repair of other
essential infrastructure. Efforts should be made to "build back better," aiming to reduce the pre-
disaster risks inherent in the community and infrastructure. An important aspect of effective
recovery efforts is taking advantage of a ‘window of opportunity’ for the implementation of
mitigative measures that might otherwise be unpopular. Citizens of the affected area are more
likely to accept more mitigative changes when a recent disaster is in fresh memory.