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UNIT – I Topics: Introduction - Concepts and definitions: disaster, hazard,
vulnerability, resilience, risks severity, frequency and details, capacity, impact,
prevention, mitigation.

UNIT-1

INTRODUCTION DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Introduction:

Disaster is a serious, dangerous and intolerable phenomena frequently occurring on the

planet earth. Thousands of people die in a moment.
Thousands of people may become homeless and parentless within a day. Huge infrastructures
get damaged within a few seconds or minutes. Disasters are the catastrophic events shocking
the whole world and making the humanity to feel very sad and depressed.

All life and life-support systems are also affected by these unexpected incidences. What is
required, ultimately, is to minimize the effects of these disaster by the application of certain
disaster management practices. The subject of disaster management is a compulsory part of
learning by all students and the public at large.

Concept of Disaster

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

environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using its own
resources. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Disaster as "any occurrence that
causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and health
services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected
community or area”.

A disaster occurs when a hazard exposes the vulnerability of individuals and communities in
such a way that their lives are directly threatened or sufficient harm have been done to their
community's economic and social structure to undermine their ability to survive. A disaster
can be defined as any tragic event stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods,
catastrophic accidents,
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fires, or explosions. It is a phenomenon that disasters can cause damage to life, property and
destroy the economic, social and cultural life of people.

Disaster is the exposure of a group of people to a hazard, leading to a serious disruption of the
functioning of a society and causing human, material, economic environmental losses which
exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope.

Characteristics of Disasters

In order to be able to identify that a situation is a disaster, the following characteristics must
be eminent and must seem to resonate with the events leading to the situation:

 It is an extra-ordinary event

 Usually occurs because of one of the danger sources, whether caused by nature or human
action.

 Seriously and substantially impact the most vulnerable groups

 Results in serious imbalance in the community functions

 Results in significant losses in human lives, materials and environment

 Exceeds the ability of an affected community to cope with using its own resource
In reporting disasters and recording the same, the word disaster size comes into mind and the
disaster size takes into considerations the following aspects:

 Scope can be thought of as a measure of the breadth of damage caused by a disaster. It

describes how extensively the larger community is impacted, including the rescue and
support infrastructure, which in turn predicts how much help, is available and how quickly
recovery can proceed. In an event with a large scope, survivors may be unable to turn to their
normal support systems of friends, family, and neighbors as they would after a smaller scale
traumatic event, since those people may be dealing with their own recovery needs. Very
large scope events, like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, or the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti and
Chile, may leave survivors without a place to shop, work, go to school, or pray. Many may
be forced to relocate in order to find housing, work,
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and schools, which add the emotional stress of resettling and losing one’s community on top
of the direct disaster losses.

 Intensity refers to level of damage in terms of injuries and deaths—the event’s human cost.
Of course, any serious injury or loss of life will feel tragic for those directly affected, but
disasters that cause multiple losses can compound distress for everyone involved, including
professional responders who may suffer secondary trauma from exposure to many injured
people or dead bodies. The effect of losing multiple loved ones goes beyond pure addition:
Someone whose child and spouse were both killed in a disaster is not only grieving two
deaths at once, but he or she may have lost what would have been the main source of comfort
in grappling with the death of a child, as well as a chief reason to keep on going in coming to
terms with the sudden loss of a partner. As a result, people who experienced multiple losses
are at the highest risk of a difficult bereavement process and readjustment and should be a
focus of early mental health attention.

Scope and intensity are often linked, but not always. An event may be large in both, or large
in one measure and small in the other. For example, a hurricane or ice storm may cause
extensive property damage, but if warnings were provided and complied with, the human
cost may be minimal. In contrast, an event like a fire in a nightclub can cause extensive
casualties but affect only one building, leaving the rest of the community’s physical
infrastructure intact as it copes with the human loss.

 Duration may be thought of in multiple ways. First, it can refer to the length of the disaster
itself, which could range from seconds for an earthquake or explosion, to hours or days for a
hurricane or blizzard, and even to weeks for a slowly advancing and receding flood. Or we
can think of duration as the length of time people are affected by a disaster, including the
recovery period as physical damage is repaired and losses are adjusted to emotionally. In the
case of very large scope events that could take years, or could never be fully completed.

Levels of Disaster:

There are four levels used to describe the severity of disasters:

Level I: A small local disaster usually affecting one to thirty households, which is within the
capabilities of local community resources to handle.

Level II: A medium-sized disaster usually affecting 40 to 150 households, which is beyond
the capabilities of local community resources to handle.

Level III: These are large disasters in terms of severity or geography which cause
significant damage and destruction and will usually receive a presidential declaration. A
disaster this size within the conference area requires full mobilization of the Conference
Disaster Response Center.
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Level IV: A catastrophic disaster is defined by Public Law 93-288 as: "An event resulting in
a large number of deaths and injuries; extensive damage or destruction of facilities that place
an overwhelming demand on state and local response resources and mechanisms; a severe
impact on national security facilities and infrastructures that sustain them; a severe long-term
effect on general economic activity and severe effects on state, local and private sector
initiatives to begin and sustain initial response activities."

What is a Disaster?
"Disaster" means a catastrophe, a mishap, a calamity or grave danger event occurred
in an area and affected life and properties. It may be arising from natural or man- made
causes, or by accident or due to negligence. This sudden event results in the substantial loss
of life or create much suffering to humans and other life. It also includes much damage to,
and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of the environment.

A disaster is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the

community of the affected area. Dozens of types of disasters happen all over the world at one
time or the other. It is necessary to have an understanding of the types of disasters, their
causes, characteristics and impacts.

Types of Disasters:

Disasters can be classified as:

• Natural disaster

• Human-Made disaster

• Incidences of Mass Trauma (Biological Disasters)

Types of Disasters:

Natural Disasters

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth;
examples include floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic
processes. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically leaves
some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected
population's resilience, or ability to recover.
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An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without
vulnerable population. In a vulnerable area, however, such as San Francisco, an earthquake
can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage, requiring years to repair.

In 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide, 93% of which were weather-related
disasters. Overall costs were US$170 billion and insured losses
$70 billion. 2012 was a moderate year. 45% were meteorological (storms), 36% were
hydrological (floods), 12% were climatologically (heat waves, cold waves, droughts,
wildfires) and 7% were geophysical events (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Between
1980 and 2011 geophysical events accounted for 14% of all natural

During world War I, an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 soldiers died as a result of avalanches
during the mountain campaign in the Alps at the Austrian-Italian front, many of which were
caused by artillery fire.

Human-Made Disasters Examples include industrial accidents, shootings, acts of terrorism,

and incidents of mass violence. As with natural disasters, these types of traumatic events may
also cause loss of life and property.

They may also prompt evacuations from certain areas and overwhelm behavioural health
resources in the affected communities. In the aftermath of the tragic loss of life that occurred
on September 11, 2001, the feelings of loss of security and well-being—arguably the most
crucial ingredients for leading a happy, healthy life— dramatically affected the citizens of the
United States. Disaster Distress Helpline staff are also trained to respond to calls or texts
related to these types of disasters.
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Incidences of Mass Trauma (Biological Disasters)

Infectious disease outbreaks, incidents of community unrest, and other types of traumatic
events can also bring out strong emotions in people.

The outbreak of Ebola affecting several countries in West Africa, with limited reported cases
in the United States and other countries, may lead to feelings of anxiety and confusion, even
to the point where it can interfere with one’s regular routine. Community upheaval, such as
that seen in Ferguson, Mo., can
also impact emotional health. News reports and the 24-hour news cycle can make people even
more anxious when these kinds of events occur.

It can be caused by preserving and releasing germs of deadly diseases such a small pox,
jaundice etc. or by polluting water with such germs in particular area.

Types and effects of Disasters:

Different types of disasters are distinguished in terms of their nature and extent of impacts.
The following are the major types of disasters that are commonly encountered:
• Earthquake,
• Volcanic eruption,
• Tsunami,
• Tropical cyclone (typhoon, hurricane),
• Flood,
• Landslide,
• Bushfire (or wildfire),
• Drought,
• Epidemic,
• Major accident, and
• Civil unrest.

Disasters like earthquakes, hailstorms, avalanches, landslides, etc. occur quite suddenly.

Similarly, floods and cyclones occur with some element of .warning yet their occurrence is
confined to a short duration.

Drought, on the other hand, spans over a much longer time-frame and its adverse impact will
be on the economic activities of people and on the life of an area. The effects are more of a
long-lasting nature.

Natural disasters may be broadly grouped into major and minor types depending upon their
potential to cause damage to human life and property.
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The disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods and cyclones could be
regarded as major types. The disasters like hailstorms, avalanches, landslides, fire accidents,
etc. whose impact is localised and the intensity of the damage is much less than the others may
be categorized as minor disasters.

Minor disasters like hailstorms, avalanches, landslides and forest fires also occur without
any appreciable degree of warning. Almost all of them cause damage to properties and lives.
However, areas prone to be affected by such disasters could be identified. Certain
precautionary measures could also be taken in the context of potential threat requiring general
awareness and preparedness for appropriate responses on the part of the local
administration.

 Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis

The earthquake off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 was one of the biggest recorded,
measuring 9 on the Richter scale. It was the resulting tsunami, however, that caused the most
destruction. It devastated the northeast of Japan, leaving many thousands dead or missing, and
hundreds of thousands homeless or evacuated from the area. In addition, various power
generators failed. Some older nuclear power stations risked meltdown and suffered explosions
and radioactive leaks. Workers have battled for weeks to try and bring the situation under
control. Radioactive material has been detected in various places. It is thought that the cost of
the earthquake and tsunami could be over $300 billion — the world’s most expensive natural
disaster on record. There are global economic repercussions as well, given Japan’s key
position in the world economy. There are so many issues that this tragic event has caused.
 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami
Disaster On Dec 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history (measuring 9 on
the Richter scale), struck just off Sumatra, Indonesia, in a fault line running under the sea.
The rupture caused massive waves, or tsunamis, that hurtled away from the epicenter,
reaching shores as far away as Africa. At least 230,000 people were killed and the livelihoods
of millions were destroyed in over 10 countries. This has been one of the biggest natural
disasters in recent human history.

 2013 Uttarakhand Flash Floods

On June 2013 Uttarakhand received heavy rainfall, massive Landslides due to the large
flashfloods, it suffered maximum damage of houses and structures, killing more than 1000
people, sources claimed the death toll could be rise up to 5000. Uttarakhand Flash Floods is
the most disastrous floods in the history of India.

 2001 Gujarat Earthquake

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The massive earthquake occurred on India’s 51st Republic Day on January 26, 2001 at
Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat. Gujarat earthquake had a magnitude of between
7.6 and 7.7 and killed around 20,000 people.

 2005 Mumbai Catastrophes

The 2005 Maharashtra floods was occurred just one month after the June 2005 Gujarat floods,
Mumbai the capital city was most badly affected and witnessed one of its worst catastrophes
in the history of India, killing at least 5,000 people.

 2000 Floods in Hyderabad

This was its highest rainfall in 46 years, peaking when 24cm of rain fell in 24 hours-
equivalent to one half of its annual rainfall.

General Effects of Disasters:

The typical effects of disasters may be one or more of the following:
• Loss of life,
• Injury,
• Damage to and destruction of property,
• Damage to and destruction of plantations and crops,
• Disruption of production,
• Disruption of lifestyle,
• Disruption of transport
• Loss of livelihood and occupation to people
• Disruption to essential services like electricity, water supply and gas supply,
• Damage to national infrastructure
• Disruption of communication and other networks
• Disruption to government systems and schemes,
• Shortage of food resources
• Spreading of diseases
• National economic loss, and
• Sociological effects and
• Psychological after effects.

Impacts of disasters on environment :

 The impacts of disasters on environment and development are manifold.

 Disasters create substantial environmental degradation and ecological imbalance,
hinder socioeconomic development and retard the process of improving the quality
of life of the people.
 The interaction of disasters and environment has both short-term and long-term effects.
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These interaction and interdependencies work in a complicated way, affecting people,

ecosystem and bio-diversity.
Impact of disasters on infrastructure and development

The disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods and cyclones
could be regarded as major types.
The disasters like hailstorms, avalanches, landslides, fire accidents, etc. whose impact
is localized and the intensity of the damage is much less than the others may be categorized
as minor disasters.

Differences between Emergencies and Disasters

• A situation in which community is CAPABLE of coping is EMERGENCY.
• Emergency situations are generated by a real occurrence of events that require immediate
attention of emergency resources.
• A situation in which community is INCAPABLE of coping is DISASATER.
• Disaster situations are natural or human-caused events which causes severe negative
impact on community.

An emergency is an unforeseen incidence that can be responded to using available resources.

They occur more regularly than disasters and are therefore more anticipated by a community.
These may include medical crises, vehicular accidents, and neighbourhood fires. As such, the
availability of emergency medical services, fire departments, police departments, and other
such public services ensure the proper response to such unfortunate events.

A disaster, however, is a critical event much wider in scope. It is the sudden occurrence of an
unfavourable situation that causes serious disruption to the social routine. It endangers a
larger social space, and while it occurs much less frequently than emergencies, the effects are
graver, often causing multiple
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casualties and/or property damage. Such a greater impact can disrupt and incapacitate
emergency responders, leading to the need for assistance outside of the locality. Resources
may very well become choked.

While its effects are much greater than an emergency, a disaster is unlike a calamity in that it
affects only a single community. As such, neighbouring communities with ample resources
and responders are able to offer support to usher the affected community towards its
recovery. Disaster types include natural hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfire, disease
outbreaks), accidents (nuclear power plant accidents, wide scale equipment failure), and
terrorism (cyber-attacks, bombings, use of chemical weapons).

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS:

Hazard is any substance, phenomenon or situation, which has the potential to cause
disruption or damage to people, their property, their services and their environment.

The word hazard originated from French ‘hazard’ and ‘az-zhar’ in Arabic meaning chance or
luck. Hazard define as “a dangerous condition or event, that threat or have the potential for
causing injury to life or damage to property or the environment. it is divided into two groups
natural and manmade hazards.

Classification of Natural Hazards

Geologic Hazards:
 Earthquakes
 Volcanic Eruptions
 Tsunami
 Landslides
 Floods
 Subsidence
 Impacts with space objects
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Atmospheric Hazards:
These are also natural hazards which occur due to processes operating in the
atmosphere.
 Tropical Cyclones
 Tornadoes
 Droughts
 Severe Thunderstorms
 Lightening
Other Natural Hazards:
These are hazards that may occur naturally, but don't fall in to either of the categories
above. They will not be considered to any great extent in this course, but include:
 Insect infestations
 Disease epidemics
 Wildfires
Natural Hazards can also be divided into catastrophic hazards, which have
devastating consequences to huge numbers of people, or have a worldwide effect, such as
impacts with large space objects, huge volcanic eruptions, world-wide disease epidemics, and
world-wide droughts.
Such catastrophic hazards only have a small chance of occurring, but can have
devastating results if they do occur.

Natural Hazards can also be divided into

Rapid onset hazards, such as Volcanic Eruptions, Earthquakes, Flash floods,
Landslides, Severe Thunderstorms, Lightening, and wildfires, which develop with little
warning and strike rapidly.

Slow onset hazards, like drought, insect infestations, and disease epidemics take years
to develop.

B. Man-made Hazard: These hazards are created by humans. Examples of some Man-
Made hazards are:
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• Global Warming: Projected increases in the Earth’s atmosphere’s average temperature. In

the 20th century the Earth’s average temperature rose about
0.6 degree Celsius.
• Crime: It is a kind of Sociological hazard. Crime is a breach of laws and rules. For
example Breach of contract.
• Industrial Hazard: It is a kind of Technological hazard. Industrial hazards often have an
environmental impact. For example Bhopal Disaster (worst industrial disaster to date).

Hazard Classification :

1) Dormant Mode:

• The situation that has the potential to be hazardous, but no people, or environment is
currently affected by this.
For example:
• An unstable hillside, has a potential for a landslide but there is nothing below or on the
hillside that could be affected.

2) Active Mode:
• An incident in which hazard has actually occurred, creating an Emergency
situations or Disasters.

Anthropogenic Hazards
These are hazards that occur as a result of human interaction with the environment.
They include Technological Hazards, which occur due to exposure to hazardous substances,
such as radon, mercury, asbestos fibers, and coal dust.
They also include other hazards that have formed only through human interaction,
such as acid rain, and contamination of the atmosphere or surface waters with harmful
substances, as well as the potential for human destruction of the ozone layer and potential
global warming.

The Return Period

Majority of hazards have return period on a human scale. eg: five-year flood, fifty-
year flood etc.,
This reflects a statistical measure of how often a hazard event of a given Magnitude
and intensity will occur.
The frequency is measured in terms of a hazard’s recurrence interval.
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Effects of Hazards Primary Effects:

These occur as a result of the process itself. For example water damage during a flood
or collapse of buildings during an earthquake, landslide, or hurricane.
Secondary Effects:
These occur only because a primary effect has caused them. For example, fires
ignited as a result of earthquakes, disruption of electrical power and water service as a result
of an earthquake, flood, or hurricane, or flooding caused by a landslide into a lake or river.
Tertiary Effects:
These are long-term effects that are set off as a result of a primary event. These
include things like loss of habitat caused by a flood, permanent changes in the position of
river channel caused by flood, crop failure etc.

Common Types of Hazards:

Hazard Types
Agent: examples: Carcinogenic, teratogenicity, corrosive, pyrophoric, toxic, mutagenic,
reproductive hazard, explosive, nonionizing radiation, biological hazard/pathogenic,
flammable, oxidizing, self-reactive or unstable, potentially explosive, reducing, water-
reactive, sensitizing, peroxide-forming, catalytic, or chemical asphyxiate.

Condition : High pressure, low pressure, electrical, uneven surfaces, pinch points,
suspended weight, hot surfaces, extreme cold, steam, noise, clutter, magnetic fields,
simple asphyxiate, oxygen-deficient spaces, ultraviolet radiation, or laser light.

Activity : Creation of secondary products, lifting, chemical mixing, long-term use of dry
boxes, repetitive pipetting, scale up, handling waste, transportation of hazardous materials,
handling glassware and other sharp objects, heating chemicals, recrystallizations, extractions,
or centrifuging.
Hazards and Hazard Assessment:

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.

Before beginning the hazard evaluation and risk assessment process, a researcher must define
the scope of work. What are the tasks that must be evaluated? A well-defined scope of work
is a key starting point for all steps in the risk assessment and hazard analysis.
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The next step after identifying the scope of work is to identify the hazard. A HAZARD IS A
POTENTIAL FOR HARM. Hazards can be identified as an agent, condition, or activity that
has the potential to cause injury, illness, loss of property, or damage to the environment. The
table below has been adapted from Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in Research
Laboratories, which you can find in the Resource tab to the right.

Characteristics and Damage Potential of Natural Hazards;

Hazard Assessment

Steps in Hazard Assessment - Natural Hazards Following are the steps in hazard
assessment:

1. Identification of the Type of Hazard: The first stage in hazard analysis is to identify the
types of hazards. Depending on the types of hazards identified, the process may need to
continue on a separate basisfor each typeof
2. hazard or group of hazard types. Earthquakes, for example, require different instruments and
specializations for analysis than e.g. landslides or floods.

There are many ways to classify hazard types, e.g. natural events occurring suddenly or
gradually, of an atmospheric, seismic, geological, volcanic, biological and hydrological
nature while others summarize mass movements under the heading of “geomorphological
hazards”.

Frequency: This investigation aims at finding the seasonality of the occurrence of hazards
like how frequent and in which seasons which kinds of hazards are expected. For instance
Monsoon Rainfall
1. Risk and Coverage: Afterwards the identification and characterization of hazard prone
locations is undertaken and then identification and determination of the probabilities of
occurrence on an ordinal scale (high – medium – low) is completed.
2. Magnitude: The next step is to estimate or calculate the scale (strength, magnitude) of the
hazardous event, also on an ordinal scale.
3. Causes of the Hazards: Then identify the factors influencing the hazards, e.g. climatic
change, environmental destruction and resource degradation, major infrastructural facilities
such as dams etc.
4. Likelihood of new hazards emerging The study should also investigate possible reasons
for new hazards due to the following factors:
Natural factors - changes in the pattern of weather leading to new hazards like drought,
frequent and extreme flood events.
Economic - Fluctuations in the value of currency affecting livelihoods, trade related policy
changes, loss of raw materials, industrial damages and destruction.
Social and political trends - Changes in policies, Re-locations of people, Conflicts.
Industrial hazards - chemical accidents, poisoning.
New forms of epidemics and diseases - Bird Flu, AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, Ebola.
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Hazard Assessment Approaches:

These studies rely heavily on

Available scientific information, including geologic, geomorphic, and soil maps;
climate and hydrological data; and topographic maps, aerial photographs, and satellite
imagery.
Historical information, both written reports and oral accounts from long- term
residents. These may include myths and legends.

Quantitative Approach:
 Here mathematical functions are used to denote relationships between variable
considered to quantify the hazard. Numerical data can be fed in to assess the impact of
the hazard event.
 The mathematical expression so derived could be used to forecast future events.
 However, quantitative assessment may not be possible for all hazard events.
Qualitative Approach:
 This method uses ranking such as ‘high’, ‘moderate’ and ‘low’ to assess a hazard
event.
 Where there is a lack of sufficient data for quantitative evaluation, or where certain
variables cannot be expressed numerically, this qualitative ranking may be appropriate
to take hazard mitigation decisions.
Deterministic approach:
 A past event is selected and associated characteristics and the consequences are
described.
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 Past impact data can be combined with current conditions and possible exposure levels
and impact. This would be adequate to visualize the recurrence of an event for
community awareness but leaves room for inaccuracies.

Probabilistic approach:
 After identifying the hazards that affect the planning area and assessment of the
impacts from those hazards, a probability analysis is undertaken. It provides an
estimate of the probability of each hazard affecting an area or region.
 Probability for each hazard may be categorized as ‘high’, ‘moderate’ or ‘low’.
 Probability of occurrence can be calculated through research on past events
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Hazard Control:

When evaluating the risks associated with specific hazards, the results of this
evaluation should guide in the selection of risk management techniques including
elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal
protective equipment. This is known as the Hierarchy of Controls.

Elimination and Substitution:

The most preferred method of controlling risk is to eliminate the hazard altogether. In most
cases, elimination is not feasible and when possible, substitution is the best approach to
hazard mitigation. When possible, substitute less hazardous agents in place of their more
hazardous counterparts. This also applies to conditions and activities. Examples include
substituting toluene for benzene, non-leadbased paints for lead-based ones, or Saw Stop table
saws for existing traditional table saws

Engineering Controls :

Engineering controls consist of a variety of methods for minimizing hazards, including

process control, enclosure and isolation, and ventilation. Process controls involve changing
the way that a job activity is performed in order to reduce risk. Examples of this include
using wet methods when drilling or grinding or using temperature controls to minimize vapor
generation.
Enclosure and isolation are targeted at keeping the chemical in and the researcher out, or visa
versa. Glove boxes are a good example of enclosure and isolation. Interlock systems for
lasers and machinery are other good examples of isolating processes. The most common
method for ventilation in research laboratories is localized exhaust systems.
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Administrative Controls:

Administrative controls are controls which alter the way work is performed. They may
consists of policies, training, standard operating procedures/guidelines, personal hygiene
practices, work scheduling, etc. These controls are meant to minimize the exposure to the
hazard and should only be used when the exposure cannot be completely mitigated through
elimination/substitution or engineering controls.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) :

PPE should always be used as a last line of defense and is an acceptable control method
when engineering or administrative controls cannot provide sufficient protection. PPE may
also be used on a temporary basis while engineering controls are being developed
VULNERABILITY:

Vulnerability is a concept which describes factors or constraints of an economic,

social, physical or geographic nature, which reduces the ability to prepare for and cope with
the impact of hazard.

Vulnerability describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system

or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. There are many aspects
of vulnerability, arising from various physical, social, economic, and environmental factors.

Vulnerability:
Susceptibility of a person, group or society to physical or emotional injury. OR Person or
group liable to injury.
As far as Hazards and Disasters are concern, the concept of Vulnerability is to link the
relationship that people have with their environment to social forces and institutions and the
cultural values that sustain them.

Vulnerability Types :
Vulnerability varies significantly within a community and over time. This definition
identifies vulnerability as a characteristic of the element of interest (community, system or
asset) which is independent of its exposure. However, in common use the word is often used
more broadly to include the element’s exposure.

There are four types of vulnerability:

● Physical vulnerability
● Social vulnerability
● Economic vulnerability
● Environmental vulnerability

Physical vulnerability:
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● It includes who and what may be damaged or destroyed by natural hazard such as
earthquakes or floods.
● It is based on the physical condition of people and elements at risk, such as buildings,
infrastructure etc; and their proximity, location and nature of the hazard.
● It also relates to the technical capability of building and structures to resist the forces
acting upon them during a hazard event.
● May be determined by aspects such as population density levels, remoteness of a
settlement, the site, design and materials used for critical infrastructure and for
housing (UNISDR).

Example: Wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an earthquake, but are more vulnerable
to fire.

Social Vulnerability:

It refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand

adverse impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions,
institutions and systems of cultural values. It is linked to the level of well-being of
individuals, communities and society. It includes aspects related to levels of literacy
and education, the existence of peace and security, access to basic human rights,
systems of good governance, social equity, positive traditional values, customs and
ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational systems.
Example: When flooding occurs some citizens, such as children, elderly and
differently-able, may be unable to protect themselves or evacuate if necessary.

Economic Vulnerability.
● The level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the economic status of
individuals, communities and nations The poor are usually more vulnerable to
disasters because they lack the resources to build sturdy structures and put other
engineering measures in place to protect themselves from being negatively impacted
by disasters.

● Example: Poorer families may live in squatter settlements because they cannot afford
to live in safer (more expensive) areas.
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Environmental Vulnerability:
● Natural resource depletion and resource degradation are key aspects of environmental
vulnerability.
Example: Wetlands are sensitive to increasing salinity from sea water, and pollution
from storm water runoff containing agricultural chemicals, eroded soils, etc.

Vulnerability to a given hazard depends on:

 Proximity to a possible hazardous event.
 Population density in the area proximal to the event.
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 Scientific understanding of the hazard.

 Public education and awareness of the hazard.
 Existence or non-existence of early-warning systems and lines of communication.
 Availability and readiness of emergency infrastructure.
 Construction styles and building codes.
 Cultural factors that influence public response to warnings.

In general, less developed countries are more vulnerable to natural hazards than are
industrialized countries because of lack of understanding, education, infrastructure, building
codes, etc.
Poverty also plays a role - since poverty leads to poor building structure, increased
population density, and lack of communication and infrastructure.

Human intervention in natural processes can also increase vulnerability by

Development and habitation of lands susceptible to hazards, For example, building on
floodplains subject to floods, sea cliffs subject to landslides, coastlines subject to hurricanes
and floods, or volcanic slopes subject to volcanic eruptions.
Increasing the severity or frequency of a natural disaster. For example: overgrazing or
deforestation leading to more severe erosion (floods, landslides), mining groundwater
leading to subsidence, construction of roads on unstable slopes leading to landslides, or even
contributing to global warming, leading to more severe storms.

Vulnerability Profile of India :

 India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of disasters.
 More than 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to
very high intensity
 Over 40 million hectares (12%) of its land is prone to floods and river erosion
 Close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long coastline is prone to cyclones and
tsunamis
 68% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts; and, its hilly areas are at risk
from landslides and avalanches.
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 India is also vulnerable to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN)

emergencies and other man-made disasters.
 Disaster risks in India are further compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related to
changing demographics and socio-economic conditions, unplanned urbanization,
development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, climate change,
geological hazards, epidemics and pandemics.
 All these contribute to a situation where disasters seriously threaten India’s economy,
its population and sustainable development.

Dimensions of vulnerability factors; vulnerability assessment:

There are three dimensions of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
Exposure is the degree to which people and the things they value could be affected or
"touched" by coastal hazards; sensitivity is the degree to which they could be harmed by that
exposure; and adaptive capacity is the degree to which they could mitigate the potential for
harm by taking action to reduce exposure or sensitivity.

Factors affecting vulnerability : 1.Education :

Education is important in many ways. Firstly if you are educated you will
probably have a good job and earn a good salary. This means that you can then live in
a safer house in a safer location. Also if you are literate you can understand the risks
posed by hazards and how to react to them. You are also more likely to have better
communications and transport in order to hear about and escape from a possible
hazard.
● Building Design :(Electrics, plumbing, foundations, structure)
If your house is built to latest earthquake-proof standards, then you are less
vulnerable than someone living in an informal settlement or a house that has
disobeyed guidance. If your house has proper electricity connections and proper
plumbing you are less vulnerable to fires, electrocution, flooding and diseases.
● Home Preparation :
By preparing your home from hazards e.g. screwing pictures and furniture to
the wall so they don't fall during earthquakes, covering
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windows during hurricanes or surrounding with sandbags during floods, then you are
less vulnerable to the risk of hazards.
● Building and Settlement Location :
Houses that are built on flat land and secure bedrock are going to more secure
and less vulnerable than houses built on steep hills and unstable rock. Houses built in
coastal areas or on floodplains or near volcanoes are obviously going to be more at
risk than ones built in areas that don't suffer from hazards. Settlements that are not
accessible will be more vulnerable because people will not be able to escape hazards
and people will not be able to help hazard victims.
Defences and Shelters :

Regions that have sophisticated defences like levees, sea walls and flood channels are
going to protect populations and make them less vulnerable. Also areas with flood
shelters, avalanche shelters or even nuclear shelters are going to protect their
populations and make them less vulnerable.
Transport and Communication:
Countries with good reliable communication e.g. mobile phone network, broadband
connection are going to be better able to inform and warn citizens making them less
vulnerable. Also countries with good transport roads, rail, etc. will allow citizens to
escape potential hazards making them less vulnerable.

Insurance
If communities or individuals are insured it allows them to rebuild and become less
vulnerable to secondary hazards or future hazards. If people are not insured they
might not be able to rebuild their house and are therefore exposed to secondary
hazards like disease and exposure. They might also be forced to build informal
settlements which are vulnerable to other hazards like flooding, hurricanes and
landslides.
Sex, age and health
Young and old people are often more vulnerable to hazards because they are unable to
escape or are more susceptible to disease/famine. Also young, old and the ill will find
it hard to evacuate from hazards. In
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the Indian Ocean tsunami more women than men died. One reason is that many men
were at sea fishing and avoided the tsunami, but on land many women were working
indoors and had no warning or were not physically quick enough to run away.
Aid
Countries that receive aid or accept aid are better able to cope with the after effects of
a hazard. For example Turkey has recently accepted foreign help which should mean
more people are rescued from collapsed buildings and treated for their injuries or
protected from secondary hazards.
Number, Type and Regularity of Hazards
Countries or regions that suffer from multiple hazards e.g. El Salvador, Philippines,
Indonesia and Japan potentially suffer from earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis,
hurricanes, floods and landslides are going to be more vulnerable than countries like
the UK that suffer from very few major hazards.

● 1.6.4Vulnerabilities to Flood Hazards :

Vulnerability is a term that can be used to cover many aspects of the human
side of the hazard equation. The flood hazard has a varied impact on people, which is
partly controlled by the socioeconomic system they live in. Within a country or
region, some communities are more vulnerable than others, and within some
communities, individuals may be more or less vulnerable. Those who are most
vulnerable to the flood hazard may be unable to escape the risk due to limited
resources (money, knowledge, work flexibility etc.).

● The UNESCO Institute for Water Education has attempted to quantify flood
vulnerability using the following equation:
● Vulnerability = Exposure + Susceptibility – Resilience

Vulnerabilities to Earthquake Hazards :

● The vulnerability of a region in case of earthquakes is determined by the inventory of
material assets (buildings, infrastructure), ecological values,
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and social structures as well as of the susceptibility of these objects to earthquakes.

● Within minutes of shaking, the earthquake reveals the vulnerabilities of buildings,
households, communities, and of a country. The consequences expose flaws in
governance, planning, sitting of physical structure, design, construction, and use of the
built environment in country with seismic hazard.

Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment

 Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment (HIVA) is the initial step
supporting the emergency management process of hazard preparedness, response,
recovery, and mitigation.
 Hazard identification refers to the systematic use of all available information to
determine which types of hazards might affect a community, along with their driving
forces and typical effects.
 Vulnerability assessment refers to the estimation of scale and severity these hazards
may have on the people, property, environment, and economy of a community.

Resilience:
Disaster Resilience is the ability of individuals, communities, organization, and states
to adopt to and recover from hazards, shocks ,or stress without comprising long term
prospects for development.
According to the Hyogo Frame work for Action(UNISDR,2005), Disaster Resilience
is determined by the degree to which individuals , communities and public and private
organizations are capable of organizing themselves to learn from past disasters and reduce
their risks to future ones , at international, national, regional and local levels.
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Risk:
The expected losses (lives lost, persons injured, damage to property and
disruption of economic activity) due to a particular hazard.
Risk =hazard x vulnerability.
Risk is a “measure of the expected losses due to a hazard event occurring in a given
area over a specific time period. Risk is a function of the probability of particular
hazardous event and the losses each would cause.” The level of risk depends upon:
1. Nature of the hazard
2. Vulnerability of the elements which are affected
Disaster Risk:
Disaster risk is the livelihood of harmful consequences or loss (death, injuries,
destroyed properties, economic activities or damaged environment) resulting from
interaction between Hazard and vulnerable conditions.

Disaster Risk= (Hazard x vulnerability)/capacity.

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(OR)
Risk:
Occurrence probability of a hazard that triggers a disaster with an undesirable outcome
Risk involves an exposure to a chance injury or loss. Risk generally described in
terms of probability. Risk can also be defined as the probability of a loss.
Risk depends on three elements:
• Hazard
• Vulnerability
• Exposure
Concept of Risk:

A Risk matrix is a matrix that is used during risk assessment to define the various
levels of risk as the product of the harm probability categories and harm severity
categories

• Generally everyone has some understanding of the meaning of the word 'risk'.
• We are taught that something is risky, or we are told not to take risks. But what
exactly is 'a risk'?
• In fact we all take risks everyday quite happily. We do things knowingly that there is
a risk involved.
• For example, we know that there is a risk involved in driving a car, or riding a bike,
or going on a skiing holiday.
• We accept the level of risk because in our minds, although the potential
consequences can be death or serious injury, we think that if we are careful, the
chance of something dreadful happening is very low.
• When we evaluate a risk, we take into account two factors - the probability of
something happening that we don't want, and the consequences if it does.
• An airplane flight is a very good example. The consequence of a airplane crash is
usually the loss of most, if not all life on board - dreadful.
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• This very low probability makes the risk very acceptable.

• So whether we choose to accept or decline a risk depends on the mix of two

factors:
• probability; and
• consequence

• Identifying, evaluating and understanding risks is a very important aspect of

disaster management.
• We suffer dreadful consequences if risks are not appropriately managed.
• The most widely understood risks are occupational health and safety risks.
• Most people generally associate the word 'risk' with injury, health risks and death.
• It is useful to think or risks as falling into two categories:
• Risk of harm
• Risk of detriment

• The risk of "harm" is the type of risk that we mostly think about.

• The word 'harm' is employed in relation to something living, usually a person or

the natural environment

• The risk of "detriment" does not involve injury to something living.

• It generally means some form of economic loss, which might indeed include a
valuation of harm to living things but which also includes damage of a much wider
kind.

There are different ways of dealing with risk, such as:

● Risk Acceptance: an informed decision to accept the possible

consequences and likelihood of a particular risk.
● Risk Avoidance: an informed decision to avoid involvement in activities leading to
risk realization.
● Risk Reduction: refers to the application of appropriate techniques to reduce the
likelihood of risk occurrence and its consequences.
● Risk Transfer :involves shifting of the burden of risk to another party.
One of the most common forms of risk transfer is Insurance.
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Key Components:
 Probability
 Response
 Impacts
 Human
 Property
 Business
 Preparedness
 Resources
 Internal Resources
 External Resources

Issues to consider for probability include:

 Known risk
 Historical data
 Subjective evaluation/best estimate
 Local emergency planning committee input
Issues to consider for response include:
 Scope of response capability
 Onsite support resources
 Estimated severity & duration of the incident
 Historical evaluation of response success

Issues to consider for human impact:

 Potential for death or injury
 Emotional/psychological impact

 Local cultural norms

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Issues to consider for property impact:

 Cost to replace
 Cost to set up temporary replacement
 Cost to repair
 Time to recover
Issues to consider for business impact:
 Business interruption
 Employees unable to report to work
 Interruption of critical supplies
 Financial impact
Issues to consider for preparedness impact:
 Status of current plans
 Frequency of drills
 Insurance
 Availability of alternate sources for critical supplies/services
Issues to consider for internal resources:
 Type /volume of supplies on hand
 Availability of back-up systems
 Ability to withstand disasters
Issues to consider for external resources:
 Coordination with local and state agencies
 Coordination with proximal health care facilities
 Community volunteers/ training
 Pre-incident response plans

Frequency:
The frequency of a natural hazard event is the number of times it occurs within a
specified time interval.It is an essential aspect of disaster preparedness because, it helps in
Identifying the likelihood & potential Impact of a disaster.The understanding the frequency of
Disasters helps in identifying Vulnerable areas, populations, and Infrastructure which are
critical for developing effective Disaster preparedness Plans
 Basically, we have to identify the Geological conditions as well as Danger zones
 Next we have to analysis the Damages of Particular Factors like.
 Vulnerable people
 Population
 Infrastructure

We have to do proper planning as Before &After Disaster

 Before Disaster, we have to take as precautions &safety to build as strong
construction
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 After disaster, government ,helping organizations, Non-government agencies need

to
provide as resources like food, clothes, shelter, financeDisaster like earthquake,
Tsunami, Floods, Ice Strom....etc The frequency of disasters varies depending on the type of
disaster &Geographical location. Disaster preparedness plans must take into account the
frequency of disasters to ensure thatthey are relevant and effective
If the frequency of a particular disaster is high, then it is critical to develop plans that
are robust& scalable to address the potential Impact of the Disaster
On the Other hand, details in Disaster preparedness &Planning management refers to
the various aspects of disaster preparedness plans that need to be considered details can
Include various Elements such as risk assessments, Evacuation plans, communication plans,
resourceAllocation, &Recovery Plans

 The effective disaster preparedness plans must consider all the essential details to
ensure that they are comprehensive and able to address all potential Impacts of a Disaster,
Details can vary depending on the Type of disaster, The locationand the population that is
likely to be affected
Characteristics of Disaster preparedness plans must also be considered to ensurethey are
effective,
Some of the critical characteristics of effective disaster preparedness plans Include
Flexibility:-
The Disaster preparedness plans must be flexible and adaptable to address the ever-
changing nature of Disasters
Scalability:-
The disaster preparedness plans must be Scalable to address the potential Impact of a
disasteron a large Scale
Inclusiveness:-
Disaster preparedness plans must be Inclusive to ensure that all populations
IncludingVulnerable are marginalized groups are Considered
Co-ordination:-
The Disaster preparedness plans must be Co-ordinates a Involve all Stakeholders
Included communication plans that enable effective communication before, during &after a
disaster
By considering the frequency, details and characteristics of disaster preparedness
plans
It is possible to develop effective &comprehensive plans that can help reduce the
Impact of Disasters on Individuals, communities &Society as a whole.

Magnitude:
The magnitude of a natural hazard event is related to the energy released by the
event. It is distinguished from intensity which is related to the effects at a specific location or
area.
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Capacity:

Capacity is the combination of all the strengths and resources available within a
community, society or organization that can reduce the level of risk or the effects of a
disaster. These actions can include: resource development, financial management
(diversification of funding sources), organizational learning, leadership development and
other activities.
“Capacity building”, a contested concept sometimes used interchangeably with “institution
building”, “institutional and organizational development” and “institutional capacity
building”.

The terms capacity development and capacity building are sometimes used interchangeably.
Capacity building activities like training, establishment of institutions, community bases
training, information and coordination sharing under the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
programme helped in establishment of a more interactive partnership between the different
stakeholders involved in development and disaster mitigation related activities of concerned
area.
Structural and Nonstructural Measures :

Structural measures: are any physical construction to reduce or avoid possible impacts of
hazards, or the application of engineering techniques or technology to achieve hazard
resistance and resilience in structures or systems.

Common structural measures for disaster risk reduction include dams, flood levies, ocean
wave barriers, earthquake-resistant construction and evacuation shelters.
Non-structural measures are measures not involving physical construction which use
knowledge, practice or agreement to reduce disaster risks and impacts, in particular through
policies and laws, public awareness raising, training and education.

Common non-structural measures include building codes, land-use planning laws and their
enforcement, research and assessment, information resources and public awareness
programmes.

Need for capacity building

• Comprehensive formulation of objectives.
• Conduct of Training Needs Analysis
• Preparation of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude
• Administration of Face-to-Face Training Programme (FFTP)

various elements of capacity building

• Education on disaster prevention and response
• Training to vulnerable communities
• Collaboration with relief agencies
• Mock drill
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• Household preparation
• Understanding warning/de-warning messages
• First aid preparedness

Education on disaster prevention and response

It includes educating the vulnerable communities as well as the population of state to
the possible hazards and their impacts in their area. It also covers the preventive measures
and response strategies in case of a disaster strike to the surface.

Training to vulnerable communities

It includes imparting the basic training of disaster management to the volunteers and
local people. It aims to teach the people that how they can survive and help others.

Collaboration with relief agencies

It includes the collaboration between different government as well as non-government

agencies involved in the relief work through the state for all kind of disasters.

Mock drill
It is a method of practising how a building would be evacuated in the event of a
fire or other emergency.
Usually, the building's existing fire alarm system is activated and the building is
evacuated as if the emergency had occurred.
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Household preparation
it covers the preparation of keeping all valuable items in waterproof bags, keeping
minimum clothing, and being ready with a plan for evacuation.

Understanding warning/de-warning messages

Dissemination of early warning message to the vulnerable communities is the next
task which can be achieved through better training and involvement of all stakeholders.

First aid preparedness

Along with all necessary things it’s important to have a well-stocked first aid kit to
deal with minor accidents and injuries.

Factor of capacity building

1.Connect between Disasters and Development 2.Sustainable Development and Traditional
Wisdom 3.Participation of all Stakeholders
4.Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 5.Gender Mainstreaming
6. Psycho-social Support in Disaster Aftermath 7.Preparation of Training Manual
8.Unique Training Approach
Connect between Disasters and Development
The “backward” and “forward” linkages between political, developmental, relief and
rehabilitation operations constitute a complex network of relationships.
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TRAINING METHODOLOGY
1. Training Needs Analysis
2. Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSAs)
3. The Role of capacity building Functionaries Towards Effective Conduct of FFTPs
a)Training Needs Analysis
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b) Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSAs):

c)The Role of capacity building Functionaries Towards Effective Conduct of FFTPs

• Training Tools
• The made use of many tools in its conduct of Workshops and FFTPs.
• Conventional Lectures.
• Simulations.
• Graphics, Pictures and Charts, Case Studies
• Hazard, Vulnerability, Risk and Capacity (HVRC) . A Situational Analysis.

Importance of Capacity Building to Future Success

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• These entities provide needed social services, education, health care and the arts that
improve the well being of the community and on which many people depend.

Capacity Assessment The ISDR terminology views capacity as the combination of all the
strengths, attributes and resources available within a community, society or organization that
can be used to achieve agreed goals. Capacity may include infrastructure and physical means,
institutions, societal coping abilities, as well as human knowledge, skills and collective
attributes such as social relationships, leadership and management. Capacity also may be
described as capability. Capacity assessment is a term for the process by which the capacity
of a group is reviewed against desired goals, and the capacity gaps are identified for further
action.

Strengthening Capacity for Reducing Risk The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), a
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) initiative in 2005
outlined five priorities for action. There has been significant progress since 2005 on disaster
risk reduction, some of which include; a) Allocation of separate budget by countries for risk
reduction; b) Better preparedness of communities against disasters; and c) Significant focus
of education on disaster preparedness in schools. At present the performance
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of local governments in most developing countries raises concern. Some important issues that
need to be addressed in order to strengthening capacities for risk reduction are include:
financial and human resources, strong links between need and supply, a legislative
framework, collective training institutions and regular communication, clarity in jurisdiction,
co-ordination in regional disasters, a sense of commitment, and maturity in prioritysetting

Counter Disaster Management Counter disaster management is about trying to prevent

disasters by being aware of the risks to collections and acting to minimize them. Being
prepared for the possibility of a disaster by maintaining:
 current contact numbers and addresses for emergency services;
 lists of people you can call on in an emergency;
 supplies of materials and equipment; and
 Lists of suppliers for equipment and materials.

The counter-disaster plan might include:

 A list of hazards;
 An initial response procedures;
 Disaster kits—list of contents and locations;
 The location and description of smoke detection and firefighting equipment;
 Day and night emergency contacts for staff and specialists;
 The names and addresses of suppliers of emergency equipment and materials, including
day and night telephone numbers;
 The emergency funding procedures;
 Insurance details;

Conclusion
• The process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and
maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time.”
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• capacity building is important because the evaluation process coupled with the
implementation component help ensure organizational success and sustainability.

Impact:

The major impacts of earthquakes are as follows:

Shaking of the ground and surface rupture: This is the main cause of destruction in which
buildings, bridges, roads, canals and other structures are damaged.
Liquefaction: Earthquakes make sands and silts to transform from a solid to liquid state.
This also results in building collapse.
Landslides: Earthquakes of high intensity often trigger many landslides in the hilly regions.
Fires: It is a major hazard associated with earthquakes. The shakings of the ground and
building damage often break the gas pipes and electric lines that cause fires. Changes in the
land elevation: The surface topography of a region and groundwater conditions are altered
after an earthquake.
Tsunami: It is a Japanese term meaning ‘harbour waves’. Tsunamis are massive sea waves
that are mainly caused due to earthquakes in the ocean floor or possibly due to an undersea
landslide or volcanic eruption. When the ocean floor is tilted or offset during an earthquake a
set of waves is created similar to the concentric waves generated by an object dropped into
the water.

Lightning:
A brilliant electric spark discharge in the atmosphere, occurring within a thundercloud,
between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.
The impact refers to the effect or Consequence of a disaster on people, Infrastructure,
environment , and the economy Disaster Preparedness planning and Management aim to
Mitigate
The Impact of disasters by Identifying and assessing potential hazards, developing plans
&Implementing strategies to reduce risks &Vulnerabilities
Characteristics of Impact:-
Reduction in Loss of Life:-
One of the primary Impacts of Disaster primary Impacts of Disaster preparedness planning
and
Management is a reduction in the loss of life
Early warning Systems, Evacuation plans, and emergency response procedures can save lives
Protection of Infrastructure:-
The Disaster preparedness planning &management can protect critical Infrastructure such as
buildings, roads, bridges &power stations, reducing the risk of damage &long-term Economic
Impacts
Increased Resilience:-
The disaster preparedness planning &management can Improve a community’s resilience in
the
face of Disasters
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It can help reduce the Impact of Disasters Decrease recovery time &Enhance the communitys
ability to cope with future events
Cost Savings:-
The effective Disaster preparedness planning& management can save costs associated with
emergency response &post-Disaster recovery
Improved Social Cohesion:-
The Disaster preparedness planning &management can faster social cohesion &community
resilience bringing people together to prepare for and respond to disasters

Examples of impact of Disasters

Human Impact:-
Example1:-The Disasters can cause Injuries, deaths &displacement of people for Instance the
“Haiti Earthquake”as westIndain(Island) in 2010 resulted in over 2,20,000 deaths
Example2:-Recent, Turkey &Syria deaths overall in 51,700 deaths
Economic Impact:-
The Disasters can cause significant damage to infrastructure, businesses &the economy
Example:-Hurricane Katrina as Neworlean’s in 2005 caused over $100 Billion in damages
&resulted in Job losses, business closures & significant Economic
Environmental Impact:-
The disasters can also have a severe Impact on the Environment, Including air &water
quality,
wildlife &Ecosystems.
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill(Oil Spills occur when petroleum oil is released into
oceanfollowing accidents, such as vessels crashing or damage &problems with oil platforms
&drilling)in 2010 caused Extensive Damage to marine Ecosystems &Impacted the
livelihoods of coastal
communitiesThe Effective Disaster preparedness planning &management can help reduce the
impact of Disasters on Society

Prevention and Mitigation:

Despite the advances made by modem science, the exact time and place where an earthquake
may strike cannot be predicted.
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Hence, the occurrence of an earthquake cannot be prevented. However, there are certain
regions that are earthquakes prone and so the administration must work before hand to
minimize the damages due to occurrence of earthquakes in such areas. The control and
mitigation measures in earthquake prone regions include hazard reduction programmes,
development of critical facilities and proper land use planning.

Hazard reduction programmes: These include the following:

i. Earthquake education and evacuation plans.
ii. Use of proper construction material that is not injurious even if the structures collapse.
iii. Construction of quake resistant buildings having proper structural design.

Development of critical facilities: These include the following:

i. Establishment of earthquake regulatory agencies for fast relief.
ii. ii. Establishment of specific health care units for treating earthquake injuries
Proper land use planning.
iii. iii. Mapping of faults and weak zones in earthquake prone areas.
iv. iv. Buildings such as schools, hospitals, offices, etc. should be in areas away from
active faults.

Floods: Floods refer to the ‘inundation of large parts of land which otherwise remain dry by
water for some duration of time’. Floods are one of the most common natural disasters
occurring in many parts of the world every year. Floods occur due to heavy rainfall within a
short duration of time in a particular region which causes the rivers and streams to overflow.
Impact on the Environment: Though the lives lost in floods may not be as high as in case
of earthquakes or cyclones, the damage to the environment is immense. The problem is
further aggravated if the floods last for a longer duration of time.
Floods not only damage property and endanger if lives of humans and animals, but
have other effects as well, such as:
1. Floods cause the spread of many epidemic diseases.

2. Rapid runoff causes soil erosion.

3. Wildlife habitat and forests are often destroyed.
4. Manmade structures like buildings, bridges, roads, sewer lines, power lines, etc. are
damaged.
5. Floods cause widespread damage to the standing crops and degrade the agricultural land.
6. Flood affected areas are faced with acute shortage of food and drinking water
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Prevention, Control and Mitigation:

Though floods are a natural hazard, it is sometimes intensified due to undesirable human
activities. The measures that can be taken to control the extent of flood damage include land
use planning, building of physical barriers, preventing human encroachment and use of
technology for relief.
Land use planning: Proper land use planning in flood prone areas includes:
1. Demarcation of the flood-prone areas that are first inundated during floods.
2. Construction work and concentration of human population should be avoided in the
floodplains.
3. Afforestation on the upper reaches of the river (catchment areas) to control soil erosion
and excessive runoff.

Building of physical barriers: Flood can be prevented by building certain structures, such
as:
1. Embankments along the banks of rivers in densely populated areas.
2. Building of reservoirs to collect excess water during floods.
3. The construction of channels that divert floodwater.

Preventing human encroachment: Human encroachment should be avoided in the

following areas:
1. Floodplains and catchment areas.
2. This would control deforestation and soil erosion which would prevent excessive runoff.
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Use of technology for relief: Advanced technology can be used in the following ways:
1. Advanced communication techniques for flood forecasting and warning.
2. Fast evacuation of people.
3. To provide relief in temporary shelters.
4. Immediate supply of medicines, drinking water, food and clothes.
5. Epidemic diseases must be controlled through spraying, vaccination, etc.

Man-made disasters: When the disasters are due to carelessness of human or mishandling of
dangerous equipment’s they are called man-made disasters. Common examples of these
disasters are train accidents, aero plane crashes, collapse of buildings, bridges, mines, tunnels,
etc. Man-made disasters are mainly of two types:

Local disasters: These are small-scale disasters such as train accidents, plane crashes and
shipwrecks.
Industrial and technological disasters: These are much larger in scale and are the result of
technology failures or industrial accidents. Such disasters affect both local population and
may even cover a much larger area. Industrial disasters result due to accidental leakage of
water or air pollutants. Many of the chemicals are extremely toxic and carcinogenic which
affect the human population in an adverse way. Some people die instantly while others are
crippled for whole life in the form of blindness, paralysis and many other chronic diseases.

Impact on the environment:

Leakage of toxic chemicals from the industries and accidents in the nuclear reactors has short-
term and long-term effects on the environment and human health. Short-term effects on
human health relate to casualties and diseases like blindness, cancer, paralysis, heart trouble,
gastric and respiratory abnormalities. Long-term effects include genetic imbalances in
humans and its impact on the future generations. Soil and water sources also remain polluted
for long durations of time.

Prevention, control and mitigation:

Man-made disasters can be minimized to a large extent by adopting the following
measures:
1. Proper training of personnel working in the hazardous industries. 2. Proper maintenance
and care of safety measures.
3. Removing human encroachments around hazardous industries.
4. Making the people aware about the first-aid methods in case of accidents.
5. Applying wet cloth over the mouth and nose in case of gas leakages minimizes the
health hazards.
6. Remaining indoors in case of radioactive accidents.
7. Providing the people with proper medical care, in some cases throughout their life.
8. Providing adequate compensation to the affected people by way of money and
employment.
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Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT): The most serious industrial disaster occurred on December 3,
1984 at Bhopal, India, which is known as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT). The Bhopal gas
tragedy occurred due to leakage of methyl isocyanides (MIC) gas from the factory of Union
Carbide of India Ltd. MIC gas is used as an ingredient in pesticides. It leaked from the factory
and formed the deadly cloud over Bhopal. People living in slums in the vicinity of the factory
were the most affected and more than 5000 people were killed, half of them due to direct
exposure and other half due to after affects. MIC is a colorless gas which causes severe
irritation, violent coughing, swelling of the lungs, bleeding and death due to direct inhalation.
It also caused loss of eye-sight in more than 1000 people. More than 50,000 people were
affected with respiratory, eye, gastric, neurological and gynecological problems.

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: This nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant, which was one of the largest power plants in the Ukrainian Republic of
erstwhile USSR, on April 26, 1986. It is the worst nuclear disaster recorded in a nuclear
power plant. This nuclear power plant had four reactors of 1000 megawatt each for
electricity generation. A sudden power surge resulted in two explosions, which destroyed
the reactor core and blasted a large hole in the roof of the reactor building. The Radioactive
debris moved up through that hole to heights of 1 km. Approximately 100 to 150 million
curies of radiation (radioactive isotopes of iodine and cesium) escaped into the atmosphere.
To reduce emissions, the rescue team bombarded the reactor with 5,000 metric tons of
shielding material consisting of lead, boron, sand and clay. Soviet officials placed the toll of
human lives to 31. However, according to western estimates, 2000 people were killed. Large
areas of the Ukrainian, Byelorussia Republics of the USSR and even parts of Poland,
Denmark and Sweden were contaminated. Around 200,000 people had to be evacuated and
resettled. The after affects lasted for many years and a rise in the incidence of thyroid and
blood cancer has been observed in a wide group of people. Other affects on the human health
included skin diseases, hair loss, nausea, anemia, respiratory and reproductive diseases.
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