DISASTER

MANAGEMENT
 UNIT I -INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION TO DISASTERS
Definition: Disaster, Hazard, Vulnerability, Resilience,
Risks – Disasters: Types of disasters – Earthquake,
Landslide, Flood, Drought, Fire etc - Classification, Causes,
Impacts including social, economic, political,
environmental, health, psychosocial, etc.- Differential
impacts- in terms of caste, class, gender, age, location,
disability - Global trends in disasters: urban disasters,
pandemics, complex emergencies, Climate change- Dos and
Don’ts during various types of Disasters.
 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.”

4
 DISASTER MANAGEMENT

A PLANNED APPROACH FOR THE

PREVENTION OF DISASTER, PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE TO DISASTERS, AND
RECOVERY FOLLOWING DISASTERS.

5
 WHY DISASTER MANAGEMENT ?

• TO MINIMIZE DEATHS AND LOSSES.

• MINIMUM LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS & PLANNING CAN
DO IT.
• WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION OF RISK & VULNERABILITY,
ONLY KNOWLEDGE OF HAZARDS IS OF NO USE
• NORMAL PROCEDURES ARE INSUFFICIENT TO HANDLE
GRAVE SITUATIONS.

6
 DEFINITIONS
• Risk is defined as the frequency of an event happening and its
impact
• Hazard is a physical or human-made event that can potentially
trigger a disaster.
• Vulnerability is ‘Susceptibility to harm’ of those at risk
• Capacities are the qualities & resources of community ( or
individual) to … anticipate, cope with, resist & recover from the
impact of hazards
• 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
or
The capacity of a system, community or society potentially exposed
to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing in order to reach and
maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure’.
 Awareness
Generation

Early Warning
Vulnerability
Assessment &
Analysis

Prevention
Information, Risk Analysis
Interpretation

Hazard
Assessment & Preparedness
Analysis
Mitigation
 R=HXV/C
Risk Risk Risk
Identification Analysis Evaluation

Hazard, Nature of Impact Risk Prioritization

Vulnerability on Elements at & Decision
Capacity Risk Making
Assessment

Consequences & Range of potential

1. Ranking of most
Likelihood – losses & damages &
vulnerable Communities
hence level of how these could occur
2. Make decision about
the Risk Assessment of
strategies to be followed
capacities & Resources
Prevention & Mitigation Measures

Preventive Measures
HAZARD

Mitigation Measures
VULNERABLITY

Vul. To % of Area
Hazard
Earthquake 57%

Droughts 68%

Cyclones 08%

Floods 12%

11
DISASTER TYPES
DISASTER CLASSIFICATION
Natural disaster Subgroup and Definitions
Natural disaster Classification
Natural disaster - Geophysical
Natural disaster - Meteorological
Natural disaster- Hydrological
Natural disaster- Climatological
Natural disaster- Biological and Extra‐
Terrestrial
 MAN-MADE DISASTERS

Man-made disasters can include:

• Hazardous material spills
• Groundwater contamination
• Transportation accidents
• Explosions and acts of terrorism
• Fires,
• Industrial accidents,
• Nuclear explosions/nuclear radiation
• War and deliberate attacks
 MAN-MADE DISASTERS

Eg. Crash Oil Spill Bomb blast

Causal Factors of Disaster

Poverty Population
Growth

DISASTER

Lack of Rapid
Information Urbanization

Environmentall
Degradation

25
 POVERTY

LACK OF :

RESOURCE BASES

SUPPORT SYSTEM

INSURANCE OPPORTUNITIES

26
 LACK OF INFORMATION

CENTRALIZED INFORMATION IS HELPFUL

ONLY FOR A CERTAIN RANGE OF THE
POPULATION, PARTICULARLY GOVERNMENT.

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE IN EVACUATION, FIRST

AID, RESCUE ETC.

27
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

DESTRUCTION OF MANGROVE
SWAMPS IN COASTAL AREAS.
CONSTRUCTION OF HUGE DAMS
DESTRUCTING VAST AREA OF
FOREST.
28
 RAPID URBANISATION

EVERYBODY WANTS TO SETTLE IN

URBAN AREA. HIGH RATES CAN’T
ACCOMMODATE EVERY CLASS OF
PEOPLE. IT RESULTS IN GROWTH OF
SLUMS, UNPLANNED CONSTRUCTION

WITHOUT REGULATIONS.
29
 POPULATION GROWTH

EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE LIVING

IN CROWDED AREAS.

30
 PARADIGM SHIFT IN DISASTER
MANAGEMENT

R C
I R
S I
K PREPAREDNESS DISASTE S
RESPONSE
RS I
M S
A
N RELIEF M
MITIGATION
A A
G N
E A
REHABILITATION G
M PREVENTION
E E
N M
DEVELOPMENT E
T
RECONSTRUCTION N
T
IMPACTS OF DISASTER
IMPACT PYRIMID
Disaster affects our life in many ways. The
affect it makes can also be termed as
Impacts of Disasters.
Impact of Disaster could be :-
a. Impact on Human Life
b. Impact on Economy
c. Impact on Ecology and Environment
d. Psychological Impacts
e. Social Impacts
f. Health Impacts
Impact on human Life:

1.Loss of Human Life: The worst damage of a

disaster is the loss of human life. All the property
and households can be recouped with passage of
time or with assistance of other communities /
donors but life is such a precious thing that its
replacement cannot be done. The loosing of a
family member has far more lasting bad memories
and impacts as compare to any other loss. This leads
to social and psychological issues that affect the
recovery phase and lengthens the rehabilitation
phase
2.Loss of Livelihood including Households and
Property:
One of the immediate impact indicators that define
the severity of a disaster is the loss of livelihoods
of the inhabitants. The earnings of whole life is just
washed away in few moments and it affects badly
on recovery phase too.

3. Displacement: Result of a disaster could be the

temporary or permanent displacement from the
affected area to a new location where environment
(socially and economically) are not so favorable.
4.Education: Disaster means the complete
destruction of not only personal life routine
but it also affect on the education badly.
Either schools are destructed or if not, these
are used to house displaced people. in any
case, continuity of education is not there
Impact on Economy:
The term defines that any calamity which is
beyond the capability of local community. It
means that sources of income are meagre and new
opportunities to invest and flourish the business
are remote. Rather focus is more on recovery than
on prosperity.
Impact on Ecology and Environment:
The immediate affect a disaster makes is
the change of ecology and environment of the
affected area. Some new geological features
like lakes can be formed which disturbs the
ecological and environmental balance of the
area. Destruction of roads, buildings and other
infrastructure has its impact on the ecology and
environment
 Psychological Impact:
Disaster completely changes the way of
looking at life. Loss of human life and
livelihoods, displacement from ancestors land,
discontinuation of education, misery of fellow
ones and lack of economic opportunities are few
factors which deepens the psychological impact
of a disaster.
Social Impacts:
Disaster badly hampers the social life of
the victims. Living in Temporarily Displaced
People (TDPs)/internally displaced Peoples
(IDPs) camp has many social ills. Social fibre
of a family is shattered badly if someone from
the family had been a loss coupled with
sharing accommodation with others
Health Impacts:
As basic infrastructure of healthcare is
destroyed as a result of a disaster which coupled
with poor hygiene and lack of access to basic
needs adversely affects the victims. More of the
deaths are reported after the immediate impact of
a disaster due to health related issues. More
precious lives can be saved if immediate health
attention is also given to the victims. Permanent
injury or loss of some limbs as results of disaster
would also accentuate the problem.
PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT
PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT
Some of Symptoms experienced during or
after Traumatic Incident
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
POLITICAL
Differential impacts- in
terms of caste, class,
gender, age, location,
disability
 GENDER
There is a predetermined space in society i.e.,
gendered space. This space is divided into:
public space –mostly Men
private space- mostly Women
According to the gendered space the tasks are
also divided according to the two genders.
Women: entire household work, capacity to
bear children….
Men:outside work which also includes
employment and earning a living…
In normal circumstances women have
restricted access to amenities such as
education, employment, and health care.
During disasters, women suffer even more.
Tasks such as cooking and caring for family
members become even more difficult due to
scarce resources and restrictions on women‘s
mobility Since women‘s mobility during
floods is largely dependent on men, for women
on their own and with small children or other
dependants, the struggle is against both nature
and social norms.
Effects faced by women in Disaster:

•Social and Cultural effects

•Effects on the economic condition

•Effects on health

•Effects on physical safety

The above effects are described below

Social and Cultural effects:

• Differences in receiving information on

disasters, and in preparedness and taking
decisions in emergencies.
• Women are ill informed about approaching
disasters. Even the evacuation decisions are
made by male members at home, and even
though women may want to move to safer
places their suggestions are rejected if the
men do not share the same view.
• Girls whose parents died in the disaster
suffered another fate, of marriage without
• Disasters have a strong negative impact on
girls‘ education. When the parents or either of
the parents is killed in a disaster, the first
sacrifice a girl makes is to leave her school to
take care of the household and siblings.
(OXFAM 2007).

• Similarly, after disasters, girl children were

withdrawn from schools and engaged as daily
labour to meet the subsistence needs of the
family (Roy et al 2002).
Effects on the economic condition:
They also faced conditions of low wages and gender
restrictions on tasks and occupations, which made it
even more difficult to support their families.
Effects on health:
Disaster affects reproductive health of women(they
have not been provided with special assistance such
as health care facilities, particularly if they were in an
advanced stage of pregnancy, or nursing infants)
Effects on physical safety:
Women suffer from increased domestic violence in
camps and temporary shelters as well
DISABILITY?

 which is attributable to an intellectual,

psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or
physical impairment or a
combination of those impairments.
 which is permanent or likely to be permanent
 which may or may not be of chronic or episodic
nature
 which results in substantially reduced capacity of
the person for communication, social interaction,
learning or mobility and a need for continuing
support services
 Disabilities-Barriers
• Inadequate policies and standards
• Negative attitudes/discrimination
• Lack of provision of Services
• Problems with service delivery
• Inadequate funding
• Lack of accessibility
• Lack of consultation and involvement
• Lack of data evidence
AGE
CASTE
 LOCATION
Location: Hill Areas
Land slides
• disruption of transportation route
• Water availability, quantity, and quality

can be affected
• can cause disastrous flooding
• cause property damage, injury, and
death
• loss of property value
Location: Coastal Areas
Tsunami
• affects fishing (others described in earlier
slides)
Location: Urban(ization) Areas
affects the physical environment through
the impacts of the number of people, their activities
and the increased demands on resources
Earthquke
• collapse buildings and bridges;
• disrupt gas, electric, and telephone service
• trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods,
fires
Pollution
GLOBAL TRENDS in DISASTER
 URBAN DISASTER

Earthquake Flood

Industry pollution
Garbage

Garbage
 Global trends in Urbanization

Fig:Urban and rural population of the world, 1950–2050

 Global trends in Urbanization

Fig:Trends in urban population growth, comparing more and less developed regions.
The graph shows the proportion of the total population living in urban areas.
PANDEMICS
An epidemic is defined as “the occurrence in a
community or region of cases of an illness…clearly
in excess of normal expectancy”. A pandemic is
defined as “an epidemic occurring over a very wide
area, crossing international boundaries, and usually
affecting a large number of people”
Pandemics has increased because of :
• increased global travel and integration,
urbanization
• changes in land use
• greater exploitation of the natural environment
PANDEMICS
COMPLEX EMERGENCIES
 CLIMATE related DISASTER
Changes in the global climate exacerbate climate
hazards and amplify the risk of extreme weather
disasters.
Exaples:
Increase of air and water temperatures leads to rising

sea levels
supercharged storms and higher wind speeds
more intense and prolonged droughts
heavier precipitation and flooding.

Note:Since June 2017, roughly 41 million people have

DO’s and DONT’s

in DISASTER