Introduction: Concepts and Definitions: Disaster.
Hazard, Vulnerability,
Resilience, Risks severity, Capacity, Prevention, Mitigation
1.1 _ Disaster:
Definition: An event, natural or human made sudden or progressive, which
impacts with such severity that the affected community has to respond by
taking
exceptional measures!
or
A disaster can be defined as “A serious disruption in the functioning of the
community or a society
using wide spread material, economic, social or
environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope
using its own resourcesâ€.
or
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 defines disaster as “a catastrophe.
mishap,
ca
mity 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
dey
beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area
adation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be
or
The United Nations defines disaster as “the occurrence of sudden or major
misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric
and normal functioning of the society
or communityâ€.
Disaster Backgroun
increase and the damage
Di:
sters are as old as human history but the dramatic
used by them in the recent past have become a cause
of national and international concem. Over the past decade, the number of
natural and man-made disasters has climbed inexorably. From 1994 to 1998.
reported disas e was 428 per year but from 1999 to 2003, this figure
went up to an average of 707 disaster events per year showing an increase of
about 60 per cent over the previous years,
The biggest rise was in countri
es of low human development, which suffered an
increase of 142 per cent. Disasters are not new to mankind. They have been the
constant, though
onvenient, companions of the human beings since time
immemorial. Disasters can be natural or hy
Earthquake, cyclone, hailstorm, cloud-burst, landslide, soil erosion, snow
che, flood ete. are the examples of n
rail
under the category of human-made di
tural disasters while
re, epidemics,
nstallations etc. fall
idents and leakages of chemicals/nucle
ers.
Relationship: Hazard x Vulnerability = Disaster
Classification: D;
ter can classified
1. Natural (Resulting from Natur
2. Man-made (Resulting from Hy
3. Hybrid (resulting from both
Forces).
nan Decision)
al and man made)
1. Natural Disaster classified in to;
i. Resulting from phenomenon beneath the earth surface (E.g. Earthquake,
tsunami, Volcano) At the earth surface — landslide & Avalanche.
ii. Resulting from meteorological/hydrological phenomenon (e.g. Wind
flood, drought, heat wave).
festation).
storm, cyclones, hurricane, typhoon, tornados
iii. Biological phenomenon (E.g. epidemic:
2. Man-made Disaster classified in to:
i. Socio technical disaster
ii. Warfare Disaster
i. Socio technical disaster can occur in following situation:
® Technological (e.g. gas leakage, fire during industrial
® Transport failure (e.g. Air crash, Road/r: dents)
® Stadia and public place failure (fire, structural, collapse,
tivity)
ushing)
il. Warfare Disaster classified in Interstate conflict and international conflict,
which can further include — chemical, biological, nuclea
wars,
3. Hybrid Disaster arc result of natural forces and human action (c.g. exc
deforestation).
India Disaster Scenario: India due to its geo-climatic and socio-economic
condition is prone to vari
ous disasters. During the last thirty yea
$' time span
the country has been hit by 431 major disasters resulting into enormous loss to
life and property. According to the Prevention Web statistics, 143039 people
were killed and about 150 crore were affected by s in the
country during these three decades. The disasters caused huge loss to property
fous
and other infrastructure
s costing more than US $ 4800 crore. The most severe
disasters i
the country and their impact in term of people affected, lives lost
ured on
and economic damage is given in the In India, the cyclone w
25th November, 1839 ha h people.
a death toll of three Ia
The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 in Gujarat and the Super Cyclone of Orissa on 20"
October, 1999 are still fresh in the memory of most Indians. The most recent
natural disaster of a cloud burst resulting in flash floods and mudflow in Leh
and surrounding areas in the early hours of 6" August, 2010,
damage in terms of human lives as well as property. There was a reported death
toll of 196 persons, 65 missing persons, 3,661 damaged houses and 27,350
hectares of affected crop cyclones, hailstorms, etc.
sed severe
ea. Floods, earthquakes,
are the most frequently occurring disasters in India
Economic
Year | Type of Disasters | People affected | Lifelost damage
(USDx1000)
1980 Flood 30,000,023
1982| Drought 100,000,000
Flood 33,500,000
1984 | Fpidemic 3290
1987 | Drought 300,000,000
1988 | epidemic 3000
1990 Storm 2,200,000
1993 Flood 128,000,000 7,000,000
Tertnquake* 0,748
1994 Flood 2001
1995 Flood 32,704,000
199% Storm 1,500,300
1998 storm 2871
Extreme Temo. 2541
Flood 1811
1999 storm 9,813 2,500,000
2000 Drought 50,000,000
2001 | Earthquake* 20,005 2,623,000
2002 Drought 300,000,000
Flood 42,000,000
2001 Flood 33,000,000 2,500,000
Earthquake® 16,389
2005 Flood 3,330,000
Flood 2,300,000
2006 Flood 3,390,000
2009 Flood 2,150,000
Disasters — Global Scenarlo: Disasters - natural or human-made are common
throughout the world. Disasters continue to occur without warning and are
perceived to be on an increase in their magnitude, complexity, frequency and
economic impact
proportions in the under developed countr
second half of the 20th century, more than 200 worst natural dis
in the different parts of the world and cl
people. Losses due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as % of GDP) in the
developing countries than in industrialized one. Asia tops the list of casualties
due to natwral d I distribution of disasters by
type, as prepared by Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disaster.
Hazards pose threats to people and assume
s with dense population. During the
ers occurred
fous
ned lives of around 1.4 million
sters. Figure shows the Regio
World distribution of disasters by type
1991-2005
Impact of Disaster:
Loss of lives.
2. Loss to Property and infrastructure.
3. Damage to livelihood.
4. Economic Loss,
5. Environmental Damage- Flora & Fauna.
6. Sociological & Psychological after effects.
1.2 - Hazard:
Definition: “Hazards are defined as physical phenomena that pose a threat to
the people, structures or economic assets and which may cause a disaster.”
Earthquake, floods, tsunami etc are all hazards and we can prevent th
becoming di
m from
ters.
or
Hazard may be defined as “a dangerous condition or event that threat or have
the potential for causing injury to life or damage to property or theenvironment.” The word ‘hazard’
owes its origin to the word *hasard’ in old
Arabic meaning “chance” or ‘luck’
French and *az-zahr
Types/Classification: Hazards can be grouped into two broad categories
namely
1. Natural hazards,
2. Manmade hazards.
1. Natural hazards are hazards which are caused because of natural
phenomena (hazards with meteorological, geological or even biological origin).
Examples of natural hazards are cyclones, tsunamis, earthquake and volcanic
eruption which are exclusively of natural origin. Landslides, floods, drought,
fires are socio-natural hazards since their causes are both natural and manmade.
For example flooding may be caused because of heavy rains. landslide or
blocking of drains with human waste,
2. Manmade hazards are hazards which are due to human negligence
Manmade hazards are associated with industries or energy generation facilities
and include explosions, leakage of toxic waste, pollution, dam failure, wars or
civil strife etc. The list of hazards is very long. Many occur frequently while
others take place occasionally.
Hazards can be grouped as,
1. Earthquake 2. Tsunami 3. Volcanic eruption 4. Landslide
Coto ain 5. Dam burst 6. Mine fire
1. Tropical Cyclone 2. Tornado and Hurricane 3. Floods 4.
Water & Climatic Hazards Drought 5. Hailstorm 6. Cloudburst 7. Landslide 8. Heat &
Cold wave.
9. Snow Avalanche 10. Sez ercsion
1. Envircnmental pollutions 2. Deforestation 3
Desertification 4. Pest Infection
1. Human / Animal Epidemics 2. Pest attacks 3. Food
poisoning 4. Weapons of Mass Destruction
Chemical, Industrial and Nuclear | 1. Chemical disasters 2. Industrial disasters 3. Oil
Accidents spills Fires 4. Nuclear
Environmental Hazare
Biological Hazards:
1. Doat/ Road / Train accidents / air crash Rural / Urban
fires Bomb fserial bomb blasts 2. Forest fires 3. Bullding
collapse 4. Electric Accidents 5. Festival related disasters
6. Mine flooding
Accident related:
1 ulnerability:
upted by the
ure, construction and
{particu d, on
proximity to hazardous terrains or a di
of damage due to
ter prone area.” It is the likely extent
d.
Key Concept of Vulnerabili
Exposure; at risk property and population
Resistance: Measures taken to prevent, avoid or reduce loss
ilience: Ability to recover prior state or achieve desired post-disaster state
Types of Vulnerability: Vulnerabilities can be categorized into:
1. Physical vulnerability.
2. Socio-economic vu
nerability.
1. Physical vulnerability: It includes notions of who and what may be
damaged or destroyed by natural hazard such as earthquakes or floods. It is
sed on the physical condition of people and elements at risk, such as
n and nature of the
to the technical capability of building and structures to
2 upon them during a hazard event. The settlements which
are located in hazardous slopes.
infrastructure ete; and their proximity, lo
It also relates
resist the forces
Figure below shows the settlements which are located in hazardous
Many landslide and flooding di
ope,
ters are linked to what you see in the figure
below. Unchecked growth of s
the hazard. In case of an earthquake or landslide the ground may fail and the
houses on the top may topple or slide and affect the settlements at the lower
level even if they are designed well for earthquake forces
tlements in unsafe areas exposes the people to
Unstable slope”,
River
Fig: Site after pressures from population growth and urbanization
2. Socio-economic vulnerability: The degree to which a population is affected
by a hazard will not merely lic in the physical components of vulnerability but
also on the socio- economic conditions. The socioeconomic condition of the
people also determines the intensity of the impact. For example, people who are
poor and living in the sea coast don’t have the money to construct strong
concrete hous
They are generally at risk and lose their shelters whenever there is strong wind
or cyclone, Because of their poverty they too are not able to rebuild their
houses.
Underlying Dynamic Trigger event
Causes Pressure Conditions sy
* inbed Rie on
fees adr « bag firey
+ now frm no Vo opin
LE en ot Lidide
baad «Vani pa——
Tova poloion
1.4 — Resilience:
“Resilire” (Latin word) - to bounce back.
Engineering resilience: The time taken by a system to bounce-back from
shocks.
Ecological resilience: The extent of disturbance a system can take without
undergoing structural change.
Disaster Resilience is the ability of individual
ommunities, organizations and
states to adapt to and recover from hazards, shocks or stresses without
compromising long-term prospects for development.
According to the Hyogo Framework for Action (UNISDR, 2005). disaster
resilience is determi
and private organizations are capable of organizing themselves to le
ast disasters and redu
regional, national and local levels:
ed by the degree to which individuals, communities and
‘e their risks to future ones, at international,
Disaster resilience is part of the broader concept of resilience — ‘the ability of
individuals, communities and states and their institutions to absorb and recover
from shocks, whilst positively adapting and transforming their structures and
means for living in the face of long-term changes and uncertainty”.
framework (DFID,
ster resilience a
Elements of a resilience framework: In practice, DFID
2011a, 6-7; diagram below) depicts the core elements of d
follows:
1. Context: Whose resilience is being built — such as a social group.
socio-economic or political system, environmental context or institution
2. Disturbance: What shocks (sudden events like conflict or dis
(long-term trends like resource degradation, urbans
change) the group aims to be resilient to.
ters) and/or
ation, or climate
stresses
3. Capacity to respond: The ability of a system or process to deal with a shock
or stress depends on exposure (the magnitude of the shock or stress), sensitivity
(the degree to which a system will be affected by, or will respond to. a given
shock or stress), and adaptive capacity (how well it can adjust to a disturbance
or moderate damage, take advantage of opportunities and cope with the
consequences of a transformation),
4. Reaction: A range of responses are pos
where capacities are enhanced, exposures are reduced, and the system is more
able to deal with future shocks and stress
conditions prevail; or recover, but worse than before, meaning cap:
reduced. In the worst-case scenario, the system collap:
ible, including: bounce back better,
5; bounce back, where pre-existing
ies are
leading to a
catastrophic reduction in capacity to cope with the future.
The four elements of a resilience framework
1. Context 2. Disturbance 3. Capacity 4. Reaction to
ag aime, St to deal with disturbance
eas disturbance cus ie
ora h ol atom.
Bounce
back
better
Bounce
i back
free \ —”
Recover
but
LS one
than
Adaptive before
capacity
Colapse
Resilience of Resilience to
what? what?
LS Risl
Definition: The probability of harmful consequences or expected losses
resulting from interaction between natural or human induced hazards and
vulnerable conditions,
or
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
ses each would cause.”
particular hazardous event and the losses each would cause
Level of risk: The level of risk depends upon
1. Nature of the hazard.
2. Vulnerability of the elements which are affected
Economic value of those elements
A community/locality is said to be at ‘risk’ when it is exposed to hazards and is
s “disaster
likely to be adversely affected by its impact. Whenever we dis
"Dis:
‘management includes all measures which reduce disaster related losses of life,
© risk
ally “disaster risk ma
management’ it is ba
gemen
property or assets by either reducing the hazard or vulnerability of the elements
at risk.
Key concept: Hazard * Vulnerability/Capacity = Risk
Hazard Vulnerability
Disaster Risk
Preparedness: This protective process embraces measures which enable
governments, communities and individuals to respond rapidly to disaster
situations to cope with them effectively. Preparedne:
of viable emergen
includes the formulation
y plans, the development of warning systems. the
maintenance of inventories and the training of personnel. It may also embrace
search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for areas that may be at
risk from a recurring disaster
Preparedness therefore encompasses those measures taken before a disaster
event which are aimed at minimizing loss of life, disruption of critical
vi
and damage when the disaster of
curs,
2. Mitigation: Mitigation embraces measures taken to reduce both the effect of
the hazard and the vulnerable conditions to it in order to reduce the scale of a
future disaster. Therefore mitigation activities can be focused on the hazard
itself or the elements exposed to the threat, Examples of mitigation measures
which are hazard specific ir
clude water m;
agement in drought prone areas
relocating people away from the hazard prone areas and by strengthening
structures to reduce damage when a hazard occurs Preparedness: This protective process embraces
measures which enable
governments, communities and individuals to respond rapidly to disaster
situations to cope with them effectively. Preparedne:
of viable emergen
includes the formulation
y plans, the development of warning systems. The
maintenance of inventories and the training of personnel. It may also embrace
search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for areas that may be at
risk from a recurring disaster
Preparedness therefore encompasses those measures taken before a disaster
Event which are aimed at minimizing loss of life, disruption of critical
Vi
And damage when the disaster of
Curs,
2. Mitigation: Mitigation embraces measures taken to reduce both the effect of
The hazard and the vulnerable conditions to it in order to reduce the scale of a
Future disaster. Therefore mitigation activities can be focused on the hazard
Itself or the elements exposed to the threat, Examples of mitigation measures
Which are hazard specific ir
Clude water m;
Agement in drought prone areas
Relocating people away from the hazard prone areas and by strengthening
Structures to reduce damage when a hazard occurs
In addition to these physical measures, mitigation should also aim at redy
ing
the economic and social vulnerabilities of potential disasters.
Elements at Risk: Persons, buildings, crops or other such like societal
components exposed to known ha
d, which are likely to be adversely affected
by the impact of the hazard
Definition: Capacity is the resources of individuals, households and
communities to cope with a threat or resist the impact of a hazard.
or
Capacity can be defined as “resourcy
. means and strengths which exist in
households and communities and which enable them to cope with, withstand,
prepare for, prevent, mitigate or quickly recover from a disaster”
People’s capacity can also be taken into account. Capacities could be:
1. Physical Capacity: People whose houses have been destroyed by the cyclone
or crops have been destroyed by the flood can salvage things
and from the; nily members have skills, whi
find employment if they migrate, either temporarily or permanently.
om their homes
farms. Some h enable them to
2. Socio-economic Capacity: In most of the disasters, people suffer their
areatest losses in the physical and material realm. Rich people have the capacity
to recover soon because of their wealth. In fact, they are seldom hit by disasters
they live in safe areas and their houses are built with stronger materials,
r. even when everything is destroyed they have the capacity to cope up
Hazards are always prevalent, but the hazard becomes a disaster only when
there is greater vulnerability and less of capacity to cope with it. In other words
the frequency or likelihood of a hazard and the vulnerability of the community
increases the risk of being severely affected
caphetty =1/Vuingrabilty
Hazard * Vulnerability/Capacity = Risk.
Physical phenomena that pose a threat to the people * Extent to which the
community, structure can get damaged — Available and potential resources
isk (Probability of disaster occurrence).
Definition: Activi
check from turnin
ds and means to
10 avoid the adverse impact of ha
nto di
sters.
Examples: Avoiding construction in seismically active areas, landslide prone
areas and flood planes.
1.8 — Mitigation:
Introduction:
jon means measures aimed at reducing the risk, impact or effects
ter or threatening disaster
of a disaster aimed at reducing
© Learning from the past di
® Incorporating the learning in present scenario.
© Building back better to reduce the impact of future disasters
sures taken in advance
ety and the environment.
ter
RAN
CATE
TTFHCAT
Mitigation Measures:
1. Structural Measures:
i. Multi-hazard resistant buildings.
ii. Shelters.
iii. Retrofitting.
iv. Modernizing early warning system.
Nonstructural Measures:
i. Awareness generation.
ii. Training and capacity building.
Policy and regulations.
iv. Mock drills and demos.
v. Effective dissemination of early warning.
vi. Development of state, district village plans.
vii. Building byelaws Revision.
