OCE1701 DISASTER MANAGEMENT

UNIT-4

DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Components of Disaster Relief

Prepare an Emergency Food Supply

Keep foods that:

 Have a long storage life

 Require little or no cooking, water, or refrigeration, in case utilities are disrupted

 Meet the needs of babies or other family members who are on special diets

 Meet pets' needs

 Are not very salty or spicy, as these foods increase the need for drinking water, which
may be in short supply

How to Store Emergency Food

 A disaster can easily disrupt the food supply at any time, so plan to have at least a 3-
day supply of food on hand.
 When storing food, it is not necessary to buy dehydrated or other types of emergency
food. Canned foods and dry mixes will remain fresh for about 2 years.

 Certain storage conditions can enhance the shelf life of canned or dried foods. The
ideal location is a cool, dry, dark place. The best temperature is 40 to 60°F. Keep foods
away from ranges or refrigerator exhausts. Heat causes many foods to spoil more
quickly.

 Keep food away from petroleum products, such as gasoline, oil, paints, and solvents.
Some food products absorb their smell.

 Protect food from rodents and insects. Items stored in boxes or in paper cartons will
keep longer if they are heavily wrapped or stored in airtight containers.

 Date all food items. Use and replace food before it loses freshness.

Preparing Food
Preparing food after a disaster or emergency may be difficult due to damage to your home
and loss of electricity, gas, and water. Having the following items available will help you to
prepare meals safely:

 Cooking utensils
  Knives, forks, and spoons

 Paper plates, cups, and towels

 A manual can- and bottle-opener

 Heavy-duty aluminium foil

 Gas or charcoal grill; camp stove

 Fuel for cooking, such as charcoal. (CAUTION: Never burn charcoal indoors. The
fumes are deadly when concentrated indoors.)

Prepare an Emergency Water Supply

 Store at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person and each pet. You should
consider storing more water than this for hot climates, for pregnant women, and for
persons who are sick.
 Store at least a 3-day supply of water for each person and each pet (try to store a 2-
week supply if possible).

 Observe the expiration date for store-bought water; replace other stored water every
six months.

 Store a bottle of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach to disinfect your water
and to use for general cleaning and sanitizing.

Note: Caffeinated drinks and alcohol dehydrate the body, which increases the need for
drinking water.

Water Containers (Cleaning and Storage)

Unopened commercially bottled water is the safest and most reliable emergency water
supply.

Use of food-grade water storage containers, such as those found at surplus or camping supply
stores, is recommended if you prepare stored water yourself.

Before filling with safe water, use these steps to clean and sanitize storage containers:

1. Wash the storage container with dishwashing soap and water and rinse completely
with clean water.
2. Sanitize the container by adding a solution made by mixing 1 teaspoon of unscented
liquid household chlorine bleach in one quart of water.

3. Cover the container and shake it well so that the sanitizing bleach solution touches all
inside surfaces of the container.

4. Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the sanitizing solution out of the container.
 5. Let the empty sanitized container air-dry before use OR rinse the empty container
with clean, safe water that already is available.

Avoid using the following containers to store safe water:

 Containers that cannot be sealed tightly

 Containers that can break, such as glass bottles

 Containers that have ever been used for any toxic solid or liquid chemicals (includes
old bleach containers)

 Plastic or cardboard bottles, jugs, and containers used for milk or fruit juices

For proper water storage,

 Label container as "drinking water" and include storage date.

 Replace stored water that is not commercially bottled every six months.

 Keep stored water in a place with a fairly constant cool temperature.

 Do not store water containers in direct sunlight.

 Do not store water containers in areas where toxic substances such as gasoline or
pesticides are present.

Note: Do not use your fireplace for cooking until the chimney has been inspected for
cracks and damage. Sparks may escape into your attic through an undetected crack and
start a fire.

Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat.

 Throw away food that may have come in contact

with flood or storm water.
 Throw away food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture. When in doubt, throw it
out.

 Throw away perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) in
your refrigerator when the power has been off for 4 hours or more.

 Thawed food that contains ice crystals can be refrozen or cooked. Freezers, if left
unopened and full, will keep food safe for 48 hours (24 hours if half full).
 Throw away canned foods that are bulging, opened, or damaged.

 Food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist
caps, flip tops, snap-open, and home canned foods should be discarded if they have
come into contact with floodwater because they cannot be disinfected.

 If cans have come in contact with floodwater or storm water, remove the labels, wash
the cans, and dip them in a solution of 1 cup (8 oz/250 mL) of bleach in 5 gallons of
water. Re-label the cans with a marker. Include the expiration date.

 Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare
food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.

Store food safely

 While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as
possible.

Feeding infants and young children

 Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding. For

formula-fed infants, use ready-to-feed formula if possible. If using ready-to-feed formula
is not possible, it is best to use bottled water to prepare powdered or concentrated
formula. If bottled water is not available, use boiled water. Use treated water to prepare
formula only if you do not have bottled or boiled water.
 If you prepare formula with boiled water, let the formula cool sufficiently before
giving it to an infant.

 Clean feeding bottles and nipples with bottled, boiled, or treated water before each
use.

 Wash your hands before preparing formula and before feeding an infant. You can use
alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands if the water supply is limited
Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces.
CDC recommends discarding wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers.
These items cannot be properly sanitized if they have come into contact with flood waters.
Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in a four-step process:

1. Wash with soap and warm, clean water.

2. Rinse with clean water.

3. Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach

(5.25%, unscented) per gallon of clean water.

4. Allow to air dry.

Disinfectants
If you don’t have clean, safe, bottled water and if boiling is not possible, you often can make
water safer to drink by using a disinfectant, such as unscented household chlorine bleach,
iodine, or chlorine dioxide tablets. These can kill most harmful organisms, such as viruses
and bacteria. However, only chlorine dioxide tablets are effective in controlling more
resistant organisms, such as the parasite Cryptosporidium.
To disinfect water,

 Clean and disinfect water containers properly before each use. Use containers that are
approved for water storage. Do not use containers previously used to store chemicals or
other hazardous materials.
 Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter OR allow it to settle.

 Draw off the clear water.

o When using household chlorine bleach:

 Add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops; about 0.625 millilitres) of unscented

liquid household chlorine (5–6%) bleach for each gallon of clear water (or 2
drops of bleach for each litre or each quart of clear water).Add 1/4 teaspoon
(or 16 drops; about 1.50 millilitres) of bleach for each gallon of cloudy
water (or 4 drops of bleach for each litre or each quart of cloudy water).

 Stir the mixture well.

 Let it stand for 30 minutes or longer before you use it.

 Store the disinfected water in clean, disinfected containers with tight

covers.

o When using iodine:

 Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

  Store the disinfected water in clean, disinfected containers with tight
covers.

o When using chlorine dioxide tablets:

 Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

 Store the disinfected water in clean, disinfected containers with tight

covers.

Filters
Many portable water filters can remove disease-causing parasites such
as Cryptosporidium and Giardia from drinking water. If you are choosing a portable water
filter, try to pick one that has a filter pore size small enough to remove both bacteria and
parasites. Most portable water filters do not remove viruses.

Carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the water filter you intent to
use. After filtering, add a disinfectant such as iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide to the
filtered water to kill any viruses and remaining bacteria. For more information about water
filters, see the Water Treatment Resources section.

Disaster Supplies Kit (Hygiene Supplies)

 Before an emergency, make sure you have created a Disaster Supplies Kit.

Hand washing
Keeping hands clean during an emergency helps prevent the spread of germs. If your tap
water is not safe to use, wash your hands with soap and water that has been boiled or
disinfected. Follow these steps to make sure you wash your hands properly:

 Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
 Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the
backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

 Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy
Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.

 Rinse your hands well under running water.

 Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

A temporary hand washing station can be created by using a large water jug that contains
clean water (for example, boiled or disinfected).
Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least
 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on
hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty.

Institutional arrangements
A progressive strategy for managing disasters ensures that loss of life and property is reduced
in a disaster event.

Phases of disaster management prepare communities with the knowledge and resources to
protect themselves from harm and to manage the response and recovery stages.

Prevention and preparedness identifies potential risks and the actions that can be taken
before a disaster event in order to reduce its impact.

Response to a disaster event must be swift and effective to combat the disaster, to assist those
affected by it and to make the area safe.

While the effects of a disaster can be sudden, the recovery period can place significant long-
term strain on a community.

A disaster stricken community needs assistance to regain a proper level of functioning

following a disaster.

Prevention and Preparedness

Prevention includes the identification of hazards, the assessment of threats to life and
property, and the taking of measures to reduce potential loss of life and property damage,
sometimes known as disaster mitigation.

Mitigation measures range from:

 community awareness campaigns to increase knowledge of how to deal with disaster

situations
 land use planning and design decisions to stop development which may be dangerous
in the event of a disaster
 Capital works such as levee bank construction to reduce the impacts of flooding.

All mitigation measures are important as they not only reduce the cost of disasters to the
community, but they save lives.

Disaster managers at all levels are responsible for using a risk management process to
identify prevention and mitigation options.

Preparedness includes arrangements or plans to deal with a disaster or the effects of a

disaster. Disaster District and Local Government Plans are developed to provide for the
activation of the disaster management system and provision of resources to be used in case of
a disaster.

Response and recovery

As opposed to disaster prevention and preparedness, response and recovery are undertaken
during a disaster and after it occurs.

Response is the process of combating a disaster and providing assistance to people affected
by a disaster. The aim of response operations is to save lives, protect property and make an
affected area safe. This is done by a number of organisations, including Local Government
Counter Disaster Committees, State Emergency Service units, Police, Fire, Ambulance and
Defence. The Disaster Management Arrangements ensures support and assistance are
available as required by disaster stricken communities.

Recovery is the process by which an affected community is assisted in regaining a proper

level of functioning following a disaster. It comprises initial recovery, which satisfies
personal and community needs and restores services to the level where local government and
the normal responsible agencies can manage the continuing process. It also includes long
term recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation measures. The Natural Disaster Relief and
Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA), administered by the Federal Government, provide
funding assistance to States and Territories aimed at alleviating the financial burden
associated with the provision of natural disaster relief payments and infrastructure restoration.

Phases of Disaster
Mitigation
Mitigation involves steps to reduce vulnerability to disaster impacts such as injuries and loss
of life and property. This might involve changes in local building codes to fortify buildings;
revised zoning and land use management; strengthening of public infrastructure; and other
efforts to make the community more resilient to a catastrophic event.

Preparedness
Preparedness focuses on understanding how a disaster might impact the community and how
education, outreach and training can build capacity to respond to and recover from a disaster.
This may include engaging the business community, pre-disaster strategic planning, and other
logistical readiness activities. The disaster preparedness activities guide provides more
information on how to better prepare an organization and the business community for a
disaster.
Response
Response addresses immediate threats presented by the disaster, including saving lives,
meeting humanitarian needs (food, shelter, clothing, public health and safety), cleanup,
damage assessment, and the start of resource distribution. As the response period progresses,
focus shifts from dealing with immediate emergency issues to conducting repairs, restoring
 utilities, establishing operations for public services (including permitting), and finishing the
cleanup process.

 Triage efforts assess and deal with the most pressing emergency issues. This period
is often marked by some level of chaos, which can last a month or more, depending on the
nature of the disaster and the extent of damage. Federal resources, such as action from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (in the case of a major disaster declaration) and
non-profit resources such as the Red Cross are deployed immediately
 Business re-entry into the economy begins during this phase. Businesses initially
may face issues with access to their site, preliminary damage assessment, and
communications with staff, vendors, suppliers and customers. Ongoing issues may include
access to capital and workers, the repair of damaged property or inventory, and a diminished
customer base. It is in this phase that long-term future of a region’s business base will be
saved or lost.
 Business Recovery Centers are quickly set up in a community to centralize small
business recovery resources (e.g. SBA, SBDC, SCORE, CDFI, etc), local bank officers,
technical assistance providers, and other critical assistance for maintaining business
continuity and/or get businesses up and running.
 Federal resources from SBA, FEMA, HUD, EDA, USDA, etc., as well as state
programs, start to arrive; temporary housing goes up; and the planning for the reconstruction
of damaged infrastructure, facilities, and areas begins. The response phase typically
continues through the sixth month, again depending on the nature of the disaster. It is not
uncommon for disasters to reveal a weakened economic development landscape, with
significant gaps in organizational capacity, staff and resources. Thus, economic development
agencies and stakeholders may need additional staff, capacity building assistance, and
training.

Recovery
Recovery is the fourth phase of disaster and is the restoration of all aspects of the disaster’s
impact on a community and the return of the local economy to some sense of normalcy. By
this time, the impacted region has achieved a degree of physical, environmental, economic
and social stability.
The recovery phase of disaster can be broken into two periods. The short-term phase typically
lasts from six months to at least one year and involves delivering immediate services to
businesses. The long-term phase, which can range up to decades, requires thoughtful strategic
planning and action to address more serious or permanent impacts of a disaster. Investment in
economic development capacity building becomes essential to foster economic
diversification, attain new resources, build new partnerships and implement effective
recovery strategies and tactics. Communities must access and deploy a range of public and
private resources to enable long-term economic recovery.
 The Disaster Management Act, 2005

Short title, extent and commencement

This Act may be called the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
It extends to the whole of India.
It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this
Act and for different States, and any reference to commencement in any provision of this Act
in relation to any State shall be construed as a reference to the commencement of that
provision in that State.

Definitions.-In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

"Affected area" means an area or part of the country affected by a disaster;
"Capacity-building" includes-
 Identification of existing resources and resources to be acquired or created;
 (Acquiring or creating resources identified under sub-clause (i);
 Organization and training of personnel and coordination of such training for effective
management of disasters;
"Central Government" means the Ministry or Department of the Government of India having
administrative control of disaster management;
"Disaster" means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising
from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial
loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or
degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping
capacity of the community of the affected area;
"Disaster management" means a continuous and integrated process of planning, organising,
coordinating and implementing measures which are necessary or expedient for-
Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster;
 Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences;
 Capacity-building;
 Preparedness to deal with any disaster;
 Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster;
 Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster;
 Evacuation, rescue and relief;
 Rehabilitation and reconstruction;
 "District Authority" means the District Disaster Management Authority constituted
under sub-section (1) of section 25;
 "District Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the district prepared under
section 31;
 "Local authority" includes panchayati raj institutions, municipalities, a district board,
cantonment board, town planning authority or ZilaParishad or any other body or authority, by
 whatever name called, for the time being invested by law, for rendering essential services or,
with the control and management of civic services, within a specified local area;
 "Mitigation" means measures aimed at reducing the risk, impact or effects of a
disaster or threatening disaster situation;
 "National Authority" means the National Disaster Management Authority established
under sub-section (1) of section 3;
 "National Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of the National
Authority constituted under sub-section (1) of section 8;
 "National Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the whole of the country
prepared under section 11;
 "Preparedness" means the state of readiness to deal with a threatening disaster
situation or disaster and the effects thereof;
 "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
 "Reconstruction" means construction or restoration of any property after a disaster;
 "Resources" includes manpower, services, materials and provisions;
 "State Authority" means the State Disaster Management Authority established under
sub-section (1) of section 14 and includes the Disaster Management Authority for the Union
territory constituted under that section;
 "State Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of a State Authority
constituted under sub-section (1) of section 20;
 "State Government" means the Department of Government of the State having
administrative control of disaster management and includes Administrator of the Union
territory appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution;
 "State Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the whole of the State
prepared under section 23.

Nation Policy on Disaster Management

Vision
To build a safe and disaster resilient India by developing a holistic, proactive, multi-disaster
oriented and technology driven strategy through a culture of prevention, mitigation,
preparedness and response.

Disaster Management
A disaster refers to a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence from natural or man-
made causes, which is beyond the coping capacity of the affected community. DM involves a
continuous and integrated process of planning, organising, coordinating and implementing
measures which are necessary or expedient for:
 Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster.
 Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences.
 Capacity building including research and knowledge management.
 Preparedness to deal with any disaster.
 Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster.
 Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster.
 Evacuation, rescue and relief.
 Rehabilitation and reconstruction.
A typical DM continuum comprises six elements; the pre-disaster phase includes prevention,
mitigation and preparedness, while the post-disaster phase includes response, rehabilitation,
reconstruction and recovery.

A legal and institutional frame work binds all these elements together

Approach
 A holistic and integrated approach will be evolved toward disaster management with
emphasis on building strategic partnerships at various levels. The themes underpinning the
policy are:
 Community based DM, including last mile integration of the policy, plans and
execution.
 Capacity development in all spheres.
 Consolidation of past initiatives and best practices.
 Cooperation with agencies at national and international levels.
 Multi-sectoral synergy.

Objectives
The objectives of the national policy on disaster management are:
 Promoting a culture of prevention, preparedness and resilience at all levels through
knowledge, innovation and education.
 Encouraging mitigation measures based on technology, traditional wisdom and
environmental sustainability.
 Mainstreaming disaster management into the developmental planning process.
 Establishing institutional and techno-legal frame works to create an enabling
regulatory environment and a compliance regime.
 Ensuring efficient mechanism for identification, assessment and monitoring of
disaster risks.
 Developing contemporary forecasting and early warning systems backed by
responsive and failsafe communication with information technology support.
 Promoting a productive partnership with the media to create awareness and
contributing towards capacity development.
 Ensuring efficient response and relief with a caring approach towards the needs of the
vulnerable sections of the society.
 Undertaking reconstruction as an opportunity to build disaster resilient structures and
habitat for ensuring safer living.
 Promoting productive and proactive partnership with media in disaster management.

Damage Assessment Process

How can a damage assessment be done? (STEPS)

o Assessing loss and damage to human life.

o Assessing damge to Environment
o Assessing damage to community infrastructure
o Assessing damage to Housing
o Assessing loss of livelihood
o Assessing impact on health
o Assessing the psycho-social impact
o Assessing impact of disasters on women

Once an emergency/disaster has occurred, determining the type and extent of damage is the
only way to ascertain if state/federal assistance is warranted. With this information, collected
in a timely manner, THE County officials can determine the appropriate course of action. It is
fundamental to timely and accurate initial damage assessment to assign personnel who are
trained and/or experienced in emergency/disaster situations. HS relies of trained volunteer
teams to assist with damage assessment in THE County. These teams are responsible for
contacting local jurisdictions to assess damage as well as cataloging damage to residences.
Damage Assessment reports created from the Recovery Branch of the Joint Emergency
Operations Center are used to support THE County’s request for state/federal assistance.

FCEM&HS must forward initial damage assessment reports to NEAREST EMA within 12
hours of the emergency/disaster occurrence. Given the limited time frame, HS relies on the
assistance of trained volunteers to assist with the process. This initial assessment is often the
basis of a request to the Governor of the State of Nearest to declare an emergency. Once the
initial assessment is completed and forwarded to the State, a more detailed damage and needs
assessment is started. This Damage and Needs Assessment must be forwarded to Nearest
EMA within 36 hours of the disaster/emergency occurrence. Again, this timeframe is
necessary in order for the State to determine if federal assistance may be warranted and to
provide updated situation reports to the Governor’s office.

Damage Assessment

Damage Assessment is the systematic process of determining and appraising the nature
and extent of loss, suffering and/or harm to a community resulting from natural or human-
made disasters.

Damage assessment is concerned with determining the who, what, where, when, and how of a
disaster and is an integral part of the decision making process. Properly assessing damages
can:

1. Provide an intelligence base to assist decision-makers in determining appropriate courses

of action and the resources required for effective response and recovery.
2. Assist County in preparing requests for supplemental assistance from the State.
3. Provide information to assist in identifying hazard mitigation projects or activities to lessen
the impacts of future disasters.
4. Keep the public accurately informed regarding the magnitude of the event and any
available assistance.

Damage assessment produces a descriptive measure of the severity and magnitude of the
disaster. Response requirements and capabilities, effectiveness of initial response operations,
and requirements for supplemental assistance can be determined by assessing damage
immediately following a disaster.