Disaster and Crisis Management
Disaster and Crisis Management
Digital Notes
MBA I Year I Semester
AY: 2020-22
Course Instructors
Dr. Vaishali Pagaria
Mr. T. Satish Kumar
PREFACE for
DISASTER AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
(I YEAR I SEMESTER)
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Academic Year : 2020-21
Name of the Subject : DISASTER AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Prescribed Textbook : Bryant Edwards (2005): Natural Hazards, Cambridge
University Press, U.K, • Carter, W. Nick, 1991: Disaster
Management, Asian Development Bank, Manila
Nature of the Subject : Common Paper
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Disaster is an extremely basic phenomenon to the human culture. The objective of disaster
management would be to implement a plan with the following criteria. Given country
information including maps, disaster history, current population and economic data, available
disaster management plans, development plans, and disaster organization, analyse information
about hazards, vulnerability and development to identify opportunities or situations where
prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures might be applied to reduce risk and improve
response. Determine the role of the various agencies/organizations in implementing disaster
management programs and activities. This syllabus will enable the readers to understand the
various aspects of disaster management. As we know, disasters are likely to happen at any
place, at any time, with rarely a warning. We should be regularly prepared so that in case of a
disaster we can easily cope up with it. Even if a disaster occurs, we need to have basic
requirements like first-aid. In a nutshell, crisis management is a diverse range of strategies that
help an organization deal with an unexpected negative event that might otherwise cause
significant damage. Crises occur for many reasons, including natural disasters, Recession in
different sectors, information leaks and security breaches, public defamation, lawsuits or
violence. Despite the nature of these events as unpredictable – happening when the company
doesn’t expect them – they don’t have to be totally unforeseeable. In fact, depending on your
industry, there are a number of crises that you should see coming and prepare for. Any potential
risk to your business is one you should absolutely have a plan to address, which is where crisis
management comes in.
Develop an understanding of why and how the modern disaster manager is involved
in pre-disaster and post-disaster activities.
They Know the key personnel or specialists related to disaster management and
associate them with the types of disasters and phases in which they are useful.
After completing this session, you will be able to affirm the usefulness of integrating
management principles in disaster mitigation work.
They can distinguish between the different approaches needed to manage during pre-
and post- disaster periods.
Overview: Floods, Storms, earthquakes, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions are
among the most devastating types of natural catastrophe.
But some disasters are man-made. These include explosions, major fires, aviation,
shipping and railway accidents, and the release of toxic substances into the
environment.
Risk assessments, risk-based planning and resilience are closely integrated through
the planning process.
Planning provides a means for addressing complex problems in a manageable way.
REFERENCES:
Central Water Commission, 1987, Flood Atlas of India, CWC, New Delhi.
UNIT 1
Definition - Nature and Scope. Factors: Hazard and Vulnerability. Types of Disasters:
Natural and Man - Made Disasters. Impact of Disaster on Socio, Economic and
Psychological conditions.
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines “disaster as a
serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread
human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability
of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.
“A disaster has occurred when the destructive effects of natural or man-made forces
overwhelm the ability of a given area or community to meet the demand for health care.”
Mothershead JL et al.
“A disaster can be defined as 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 only its own resources.” Bryce, C.P. “Stress management in
disasters”, Washington D.C, OPS, 2001
Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: the exposure to a hazard;
the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to
reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences.
A Disaster is an event or series of events, which gives rise to casualties and damage or loss
of properties, infrastructure, environment, essential services or means of livelihood on such
a scale which is beyond the normal capacity of the affected community to cope with.
Disaster is also sometimes described as a “catastrophic situation in which the normal
pattern of life or eco-system has been disrupted and extra-ordinary emergency interventions
are required to save and preserve lives and or the environment”.
As per the Disaster Management Act 2005, a disaster is defined as “a catastrophe, mishap,
calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made cause, 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 communicy of the
affected area”
As the occurrence of a disaster cannot control, Disaster Management will handle the
aftermath, and helps people to recover from the calamity with minimum damage to their
health and personal belongings as well as to economy also.
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.
The occurrence of a disaster depends on two factors: hazard: the probability of occurrence of a
potentially damaging phenomenon, vulnerability: the degree of loss resulting from the
occurrence of the phenomenon.
Disasters are direct or indirect results of hazards. Disaster impacts include human losses,
property losses, resources and environmental destruction, ecological damages, disruption of
social order, and threats to the normal functioning of lifelines and production lines.
Impact of Disaster
Disasters produce a range of impacts; these include direct, secondary and indirect effects.
Direct effects include deaths, injuries and physical damage. However, secondary disaster
impacts such as releasing fire or hazardous material that is triggered by disasters. Finally,
impacts include the ripple effect resulting from the flow of goods, services, unemployment etc
Disaster impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human
physical, mental and social wellbeing, together with damage to property, destruction of assets,
loss of services, social and economic disruption and environmental degradation.
A disaster disrupts the normal pattern of life, causing both physical and emotional suffering
and an overwhelming sense of helplessness and hopelessness. The impact on the
socioeconomic structure of a region and environment often requires outside assistance and any
adverse episode or phenomenon can exploit a vulnerability in the affected population or
community to create damage, and this awareness will form the basis for an adequate
intervention.
In addition, the large numbers of wounded and sick often exceed the local community’s health
care delivery capacity. The community’s capacity to care for those affected is often reduced
because professionals, clinics and hospitals have been affected or destroyed. This will have
long-term consequences leading to increased morbidity and mortality
Disaster Management
Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular
preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
“It is an applied science which seeks, by the systematic observation and analysis of disasters,
to improve measures relating to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency response and
recovery”.
As per Disaster Management Act, 2005, “disaster management” means a continuous and
integrated process of planning, organising, coordinating and implementing measures which are
necessary or expedient for:
(i) Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster;
(ii) Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or
consequences;
(iii) Capacity-building;
(iv) Preparedness to deal with any disaster;
(v) Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster;
(vi) Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster; evacuation, rescue and
relief;
(vii) Rehabilitation and reconstruction
The approach towards disaster has been post disaster management, i.e. after the initial trauma
on occurrence of disaster is over, within days, phase of reconstruction and rehabilitation will
be over. … But the increasing awareness about consequences of disasters brought the question
of disaster management into forefront. Traditionally the response to disaster has been reactive
with disbursement of fund for relief. There was no awareness of pre-disaster preparedness and
mitigation activities earlier; soon there was a realization that there is a greater need for disaster
mitigation activities, which can reduce the devastating effect of disaster. It is a fact that
rehabilitation and reconstruction after disaster are costly. Thus there is a paradigm shift in
Disaster management is a complex multidisciplinary approach to tackle the pre and after effects
of a disaster which occurs in a particular area or a region. Disaster Management is a process of
comprehensive planning of an organization or a country or a province to protect the life and
property of humans from expected or anticipated hazards and disasters and to provide
immediate rescue and relief facilities to affected people by a disaster and also to facilitate
recovery and rehabilitation programs. Disaster management includes the development of
disaster recovery plans (for minimizing the risk of disasters and for handling them when they
do occur) and the implementation of such plans. Disaster/emergency management is the
discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It involves preparing for a disaster before it
happens, disaster response (e.g. emergency evacuation, quarantine, mass decontamination,
etc.), as well as supporting and rebuilding society after natural or humanmade disasters have
occurred.
There are some other terms used for disaster management. Such as - Emergency Management,
which has replaced Civil defense, can be seen as a more general intent to protect the civilian
population in times of peace as well as in times of war. Civil Protection is widely used within
the European Union and refers to government approved systems and resources whose task is
to protect the civilian population, primarily in the event of natural and human-made disasters.
Crisis Management is the term widely used in EU countries and it emphasizes the political and
security dimension rather than measures to satisfy the immediate needs of the civilian
population. Disaster risk reduction is an academic term which is growing, particularly for
emergency management in a development management context. This focuses on the mitigation
and preparedness aspects of the emergency cycle.
It is considering the importance of studying the science behind the incidence and intensity of
natural and anthropogenic hazards and adverse environmental impacts such as earthquake, land
slide, flood, drought, tsunami and cyclone, mine fire and roof collapse, groundwater pollution
and hazards, forest fire, land degradation and coastal hazards.
Every natural disaster creates havoc and brings huge losses to the economy. With global
warming, disasters seem to be getting more common, necessitating the need for Disaster
Management, which helps create a structured plan to cope with the event and bring about
normalcy.
Disaster Management skills helps cope with a disaster in research and technical fields and
handle such situations effectively where such that losses can be prevented or made minimal as
well.
Disasters or emergencies may occur anytime, anywhere irrespective of the environment. Flood,
wildfire, tsunami, earthquakes, landslides and other natural disasters happens everywhere
without any warning or pre-symptoms and causes damage to property and life, sometimes less,
other times more. Man-made disasters are also not less common, in civilized world; nuclear,
war, weapons, technological are some most common form of disasters, occurs sometimes
accidentally, other times created by man with evil eyes.
An example of this can be seen in the 2010 Haiti earthquake disaster. Prior to the January 12,
2010 earthquake in Haiti there were only 11 hospitals in Port-au-Prince. The earthquake
damaged or destroyed at least eight of these hospitals. The remaining health facilities were
quickly overwhelmed by large numbers of survivors requiring a wide range of care, particularly
for traumatic injuries. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti demonstrates how a disaster becomes much
more devastating when the pre-existing medical system is already inadequate and poorly
functional. This makes integrating and organizing outside assistance more fragmented and
chaotic.
Host Factors
• Age.
• Immunization status.
• Degree of mobility.
• Emotional stability.
Environmental factors
• Physical factors.
• Chemical factors.
• Biological factors.
• Social factors.
• Psychological factors.
Types of Disasters
Disasters can be divided into 2 large categories: those caused by natural forces & by man.
Natural Disasters:
Those caused by natural forces Natural disasters are caused by natural forces, such as
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and extreme temperatures. They
can be classified as rapid onset disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, and those with
progressive onset, such as droughts that lead to famine. These events, usually sudden, can have
tremendous effects.
For instance, in November 2013, more than 6000 people died and displaced over 4 million
people in Philippines as a result of Typhoon Haiyan. Since it is still extremely difficult to
precisely predict the climatic and geological changes capable of causing a disaster, preparing
for these types of disasters remains a major challenge.
Man-made Disasters:
Man-made disasters Disasters caused by man are those in which major direct causes are
identifiable intentional or non-intentional human actions. They can be subdivided into three
main categories:
The primary purpose of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is
to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee including
the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country. Refugees and internally
displaced persons (IDPs) are among the categories of persons that UNHCR assists.
As per the handbook of National Disaster Management Authority of India, following natural
and man-made disasters
Complex Emergencies
Some disasters can result from multiple hazards, or, more often, to a complex combination of
both natural and man-made causes which involve a break-down of authority, looting and
attacks on strategic installations, including conflict situations and war. These can include:
Food Insecurity
Epidemics
Armed Conflicts
Displaced Populations
Extensive Violence
Displacements of Populations
Loss of Life
Widespread Damage to both Societies and Economies
Need for Large-scale, Humanitarian Assistance across Multiple Agencies
Political and Military Constraints which impact or prevent Humanitarian Assistance
Increased Security Risks for Humanitarian Relief Worker
Pandemic Emergencies
Pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread across a large region, which can
occur to the human population or animal population and may affect health and disrupt services
leading to economic and social costs. It may be an unusual or unexpected increase in the
number of cases of an infectious disease which already exists in a certain region or population
or can also refer to the appearance of a significant number of cases of an infectious disease in
a region or population that is usually free from that disease. Pandemic Emergencies may occur
as a consequence of natural or man-made disasters. These have included the following
epidemics:[7] [8]
Ebola
Zika
Avian Flu
Cholera
Dengue Fever
Malaria
Yellow Fever
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Emergency situations can be an incredibly stressful, disruptive and traumatic time for those
affected. Whole communities can be uprooted, friends and family divided, homes, livelihoods
and, of course, lives can be lost. In the aftermath of such a disaster, people may experience a
range of physical, psychological, emotional or behavioural reactions that, while perfectly
natural, can significantly impact their ability to cope with the situation.
People may experience shock and disbelief, fear and apprehension, anger, and shame and guilt
in the early days after an event, and over the longer term. Trauma and grief will put personal,
family and community relationships under pressure. The mental health impacts of disasters can
lead to an increase in problematic alcohol and drug use, self-harm, violence and abuse – which
may well act as early warning signs. Whether or not they have experienced direct losses, the
disaster may trigger post-traumatic stress for people who have experienced previous trauma,
including war service, previous bushfires or house fires, and family loss.
The estimated social costs associated with the Black Saturday Bushfires were larger than the
financial costs – at least $3.9b in social impacts and $3.1b in direct financial impacts.
Life events not related to the disaster, such as relationship breakdown, bereavement or losing
a job, can compound the grief and trauma of the disaster. Many people suffer vicarious trauma
because of their involvement with impacted households and communities through business,
services, sport, schools and social connections. The impact of exposure to emergency events
on an individual’s emotional and social wellbeing or mental health can be mild or severe; short
term or long lasting. There is consistent evidence that anywhere between 5–40 per cent of
people involved in an emergency event are at risk of sustaining severe and protracted
psychological injury.
While recovery is positive for most there remains a group of people that are struggling with
their recovery. Many of these will take a number of years more to regain their previous state
of health, welfare and happiness and to fully re-engage with their lives, while many will not
recover at all.
In addition, the ability of a community to recover from a disaster reflects its underlying
functioning. Communities that function well in everyday life, with strong social connections
and plentiful resources will often be most resilient when facing a crisis. People and
communities with pre-existing vulnerabilities or who are disadvantaged are more at risk of the
immediate, medium and long-term effects of disasters, such as loss, injury, and social and
economic hardship.
The Economic Cost of the Social Impact of Natural Disasters states that a greater effort should
be invested in the preparedness of individuals, in particular long-term psycho-social recovery,
including community development programs and support for areas such as health and
wellbeing, employment and education.
The Economic Cost of the Social Impact of Natural Disasters makes a number of
recommendations to Government and to the non-government sector about how to make
communities more resilient to extreme weather events:
Pre- and post-disaster funding should better reflect the long-term nature of social
impacts
Resilience is best built well before and far beyond the management of disasters and emergency
risks. As well as promoting the wellbeing of people and communities in emergencies, its
broader benefits include increasing the social and economic wellbeing of communities.
Important Questions
1. What is disaster? What are the factors of disasters (hazards and vulnerability)
2. What do you understand by disaster management? Discuss its nature and scope.
3. Classify different types of disasters with suitable examples.
4. Why a management student should study disaster management? Justify your reasoning
with suitable examples.
5. Discuss impact of Disaster on Socio, Economic and Psychological conditions
UNIT 2
Economic Damage - Loss of Human and Animal Life - Destruction of Ecosystem. Pre-
Disaster Management - Early Warning and Prediction Systems: Role of IT - RS - GIS -
GPS and ICS.