Revision Class

What is Disaster?
Disturbance of the normal functioning of society which is beyond the capacity of the local
community
Sources of Disasters
Natural sources
1
2
Man made sources
1
2
1-2 Classification of Disasters
Based on the source (man made vs natural)
Based on the hazard (flood, civil war, earth quake, disease, drought, )
Based on the level of destruction (severe, medium, low)
Based on the speed of onset (sudden onset, creeping)


Disaster Management Cycle
Activates before the disaster
1-3-1 Disaster Preparedness
1-3-2 Disaster Mitigation
Activities during the disaster
1-3-3 Disaster Response
Activities after the disaster
1-3-4 Disaster Recovery


Activates before the disaster
Disaster Preparedness
Risk identification
Hazard Assessment
Vulnerability Assessment
Disaster Mitigation
Physical/structural mitigation works
Land-use planning and building codes
Systematic education, training and awareness

Development of Disaster Management Plan
Setting of Control Room
Setting of Wireless Station
Constitution of Flood Zones
Deployment of Country Boats
Storage and Stock Piling of Emergency Relief
Identification of Weak and Vulnerable Points
Awareness Generation
Mock Drill
Selection of Flood / Cyclone Shelters/ Mounds
Alternative Communication and Road Net Works
Transport
Liaison
Provision of rescue kits
Response & Recovery
Actions carried out in a disaster situation with the objective to save life, alleviate suffering
and reduce economic losses.
The main tool in response is the implementation of plans which were prepared prior to the
event.
Response activities are post activities geared towards:
Providing emergency assistance
Reducing probability of additional injuries or damage
Speeding recovery operations
Returning systems to normal level

Actions carried out to bring the destructed society back to NORMAL
or rehabilitation phase
activities geared towards restoration of basic services
beginning of the repair of physical, social and economic damage
e.g. lifelines, health and communication facilities, as well as utility systems.
The recovery phase also includes efforts to reduce disaster risk factors
Hazards and their types
Classification of Hazard
Aimto help focus attention to the correct sources of the hazard
there are many types of classification systems, detailed and structured as well as very
simple
the most basic classification of hazards is the division into
natural and manmade
a more accurate classification method distinguishes hazards according to their origin as
follows:
Hazards originating in nature (earthquake, tsunami, floods, diseases etc.);
Hazards originating in violence (war conflicts, terrorism etc.);
Hazards originating in deterioration (deterioration of social or health services,
economic systems economic crises etc.);
Hazards originating in industry (chemical contamination of natural resources from
an industrial production etc.).
Although important do not dedicate much capacity to this step

Hazard Assessment
It is about
the nature, characteristics, causes,
geographical distribution, frequency,
magnitude or severity, the kind of damage they do
Hazards should also be seen in a broader context, as part of ecosystems and the environment
in general.
development and disaster reduction workers need to understand the main features of the
hazards in the places where they work
during hazard analysis specific experts (for example climate experts, agronomists,
meteorologists, geologists, health professionals, economists etc.) are needed to be consulted
consulted on the general nature of the given hazard, the context in which you are working or
on other aspects.
target communities may have substantial knowledge of hazards although may not be
scientific
Sources of information for hazard assessment
Hazards data are largely scientific: quantitative or spatial
geological hazard maps,
hydrological maps of flood-prone areas,
wind, rainfall and sea-surface temperature data,
recordings of seismic activity from monitoring stations
local rainfall and flood level records
Specialists may be needed to interpret this data and provide specific recommendations.
Access to relevant material varies greatly
atlases and maps often contain some geological and meteorological data
weather and rainfall, variety of data from academic research, is also available public
information on hazards originating in industry is likely to be hard to find as many
sources of such hazards are commercial industrial operations such as factories
governments official enquiries or health and safety departments may have produced
relevant reports and there may be some published research
Environmental pressure groups may be a useful source of information as they often
document such threats
in many countries, maps are considered militarily sensitive and high resolution maps in
particular are not available to the public

General aspects of hazards
type of information needed during hazard analysis include
Underlying causes that influence the occurrence of hazards,
Frequency,
Seasonality,
Geographical area of the hazards occurrence
Possible trends.
Information and knowledge regarding past hazards
to understand the type and extent of possible impacts that a hazard will
produce
trends need to be identified
the patterns of frequency, seasonality, location and intensity can be identified
thus allowing better-informed decisions about programming to be made.
the changing rainfall patterns and the timing of the subsequent flooding of a flood
plain
may lead you to consider introducing shorter maturation crops to counter the
reduction in the growing season
frequency and probability have to be clearly understood
awareness of the probability of a hazard occurring is only useful in hazard analysis
when it is expressed within a given timeframe
frequency is an expression of the average time that elapses between hazards
recurring,
also commonly used to express the interval between events of a measurable high
impact
fifteen year floods - i.e. floods of this magnitude occur on average once
every fifteen years.

Key hazard characteristics
identification of the key characteristics of the hazard and how it impacts on the target
community
the subject of a participatory exercise
which impacts of the hazard are considered as most problematic by the target
community
the following categories are suggested as useful in order to achieve a good understanding of a
specific hazard for a given community or area
Impact: Causes:
Intensity: Seasonality:
Frequency Location:
History and Trends Controllability:

hazard characteristics
Impact--specific destructive manifestation of the hazard. For example, the impact of floods
may be the destruction of bridges, contamination of water and soil etc.
Causes--multiple and a combination of the hazard itself (or a number of them), human
practice and governance issues
Intensity--amount, strength, extent and duration and these will have to be related both to
seasonality, frequency and location
Seasonality--particularly relevant to hydro-meteorological events, but other hazards may
also be seasonally bound including: disease, fires, pests and conflict.
Frequency--period between the occurrences of events is important as it allows us to
prioritize the use of resources in tackling events that are both probable and have a high
impact
Location-- well-defined places where hazards, such as landslides, rock-falls and avalanches,
occur
History and Trends--identified by discussions with the community, by collected data and
from organizations including government
Controllability--many hazards are outside of our control or are only partially controllable
and also need to focus on strengthening communities capacities to withstand, respond and
recover from its impacts.

Vulnerability assessment and sources of vulnerability
Vulnerability is the degree to which a system is likely to experience harm as a result of
exposure to hazard/problems/stress
Aim-to understand a situation in order to identify the problem(s), the source of the
problem(s) and the consequences of the problem
Vulnerability Assessment
Process of identifying, quantifying & prioritizing/ranking the vulnerabilities in a
system. This assessment may include
Water and supply systems Communication systems Energy
supply system
Transport systems Information technology systems Socialization
and its impact

Vulnerability assessment and sources of vulnerability
Vulnerability Assessment
Process of identifying, quantifying & prioritizing/ranking the vulnerabilities in a
system. This assessment may include
Water and supply systems Communication systems Energy supply
system
Transport systems Information technology systems Socialization and its
impact
Focuses both on consequences for the object itself and on primary and secondary
consequences for the surrounding environment
Possibilities of reducing such consequences and of improving the capacity to manage future
incidents
Serves to categorize key assets and drive the risk management process

Vulnerability assessment and sources of vulnerability
Social Vulnerability
Poor social structure
Poor communication
Influence of some groups over others
Presence of minority groups
Increasing number of population and density
Changing way of life
War and civil strife
Rapid urbanization
So on
Vulnerability assessment and sources of vulnerability
Economic Vulnerability
Poverty
Poor communication system
Poor management system
Lack of systems to prevent disasters from happening
Lack of preparedness
Lack of mitigation measures
Society with deep rooted divisions
Lack of emergency response to disasters
Lack of preparation for rehabilitation


Vulnerability assessment and sources of vulnerability
Geographic Vulnerability
People living in exposed locations
Mountain sides
River banks
Deep gorges
Flood prone areas
People living around industrial areas
People living in an environmentally degraded land/location
People living in areas where explosives have been buried/forgotten
People living in post catastrophic disaster area
So on



Factors Affecting Human Vulnerability
Poverty
Increased population density
Rapid urbanization
Change in way of life
Environmental degradation
Lack of awareness and information
War and civil strife