DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Fundamental aspect of disaster management are…
1. Disaster Preparedness
2. Disaster response
3. Disaster mitigation
4. Disaster recovery
Disaster Preparedness
Disaster preparedness is an ongoing multispectral activity
Disaster preparedness depends on coordination of variety of
sectors to carry out the following tasks:
Evaluate the risk of the country or particular region to disaster
Adopt standards and regulations
Organize communication, information and warning systems
Ensure coordination and response mechanisms
Adopt measures to ensure the financial and other resources
Develop public education programs
Coordinate information sessions with news media
Organize disaster simulation exercises that test response
mechanisms
Coordination of effort
Involve a wide range of activities and
organizations
If these activities are to be successfully carried
out by the organizations concerned, a system
for achieving coordinated effort is clearly
needed
Arrangements to achieve successful
coordination of effort must obviously be made,
as a part of preparedness, before disaster
impact
Responsibilities of Local Community
Establishing warning systems
Stocking emergency supplies and equipment
Assessing damage and identifying needs
Evacuating the community to safer locations
Taking care of the injured
Sheltering those who cannot remain in their homes
Aiding recovery efforts
Disaster Preparedness
School Emergency Plans
School should have plan for communicating with families during a
crisis
School should stores adequate food, water, and other basic
supplies
School should be prepared to shelter-in-place if need be, and
where they plan to go if they must get away
Monitor local media outlets for announcements about changes in
school openings and closings, and follow the directions of local
emergency officials
Workplace Plans
Have a building evacuation plan that is regularly practiced
Make a critical look at your heating, ventilation and air
conditioning system to determine if it is secure & be sure you
know how to turn it off
Emergency Plan for Family
Families need to be prepared to respond to emergencies by
creating a family disaster plan. This process can be started
by gathering family members and reviewing the
information
Family plan should address the following:
Escape routes
Family communications
Utility shut-off and safety
Insurance and vital records
Special needs
Caring for animals
Safety Skills
Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
Basic disaster supplies kit includes:
Three-day supply of non-perishable food
Three-day supply of water – one gallon of water
per person, per day
Portable, battery-powered radio or television and
extra batteries
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit and manual
Sanitation and hygiene items (soap)
Matches and waterproof container
Whistle
Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils,
including a can opener
Photocopies of credit and identification cards
Cash and coins
Special needs items, such as prescription
medications, eye glasses, contact lens
solutions, and hearing aid batteries
Items for infants, such as formula, diapers,
bottles, and pacifiers
Other items to meet your unique family needs
Disaster Response
Purpose
Response measures are those which are taken
immediately prior to and following disaster. Such
Measures are directed towards saving life and protecting
property and to dealing with the immediate damage
caused by the disaster
Response operations usually have to be carried out
under disruptive and sometimes traumatic conditions.
Often, they are difficult to implement and they tend to
make heavy demands on personnel, equipment, and
other resources
Thus, without a sound basis of planning, organization,
and training, response operations are unlikely to achieve
optimum success
Important Characteristics of Response
Limit
casualties
Provide Alleviate
foundation for
hardship and
subsequent
recovery suffering
Mitigate Restore
further
damage and
essential
loss life support
Requirements for Effective Response
Effective response depends fundamentally on two factors, i.e., information
and resources
Devoid of these two all become virtually useless
Requirements for Effective Response
Readiness of Resource Organizations
Respond to disaster situations at very short
notice
Failure on only one designated organization
may seriously upset the total response effort
Evacuation
Evacuation of communities, groups or
individuals is a frequent requirement during
response operations
Evacuation is usually precautionary
Requirements for Effective Response
Warning
The main need for warning is initial detection of a
disaster that will occur
False or unnecessary warning must be avoided
Key officials are initially informed for:
Effective means of transmitting warning information
Facilities to receive and assess warning information
Response decisions, as a result of assessing warning
information
Dissemination of response decisions and, as
appropriate, broadcast of warning information to the
public
Requirements for Effective Response
Activation of the Response System
A proper system is required for activating
disaster management officials and resource
organization
It includes Alert, Stand-by, and Action
Afterthe initial warning, if disaster does not
materialize, activation can be called off
Full mobilization of resources can be avoided
Major Emergency Response Aspects
Rescue
To rescue persons who may be trapped in buildings
and under debris, isolated by floodwaters, or need
rescuing for any other reason
Treatment and Care of Victims
To render first aid
To ensure identification tagging of casualties.
To identify needs in terms of medical treatment,
hospitalization and medical evacuation; and to deal
with these accordingly
To dispose of the dead
Cont…
Evacuation
To determine whether persons need to be
evacuated from the stricken area immediately, or
whether such a requirement is likely to arise later
Shelter
Making urgent repairs to some housing
Issuing tents and/or tarpaulins to provide means
of temporary shelter
Groups of homeless people in community
buildings such as schools
Conti..
Food
To organize and distribute food to disaster victims and
emergency workers
To estimate damage to crops and food stocks
To estimate food reserves and available (including
unharvested crops)
Water and Power Supplies
To re-establish water and power supplies, or to make
temporary arrangements for them. Providing potable
water is often difficult, particularly in the early post-
impact stages
Water-purifying equipment might therefore have to be
obtained and/or water purifying tablets to be issued
Conti..
Communications
To re-establish essential radio, telephone, telex, and
facsimile links
Clearance and Access
To clear key roads, airfields, and ports to allow
access for vehicles aircraft, and shipping; also to
prepare helicopter landing sites
Temporary subsistence supplies
To provide supplies such as clothing, disaster kits,
cooking utensils, and plastic sheeting, to enable
victims to subsist temporarily in their own area,
thus helping reduce the need for evacuation
Health and Sanitation
To take measures to safeguard the health of people in the
stricken area and to maintain reasonable sanitation facilities
Public Information
To keep the stricken community informed on what they should
do, especially in terms of self-help, and on what action is on
hand to help them
To prevent speculation and rumor concerning the future
situation
Security
To maintain law and order, especially to prevent looting and
unnecessary damage
Construction Requirements
To estimate high-priority building repair and replacement
requirements
Disaster Welfare Inquiry
To make arrangements to handle national and international
inquiries concerning the welfare of citizens and residents,
including tracing of missing persons
Maintenance of Public Morale
Depending on cultural and other local circumstances, to
make arrangements for counseling and spiritual support of
the stricken community. This may involve religious bodies,
welfare agencies and other appropriate organizations
Allocation of Tasks
If planning and preparedness have been properly carried
out, the majority of response tasks, will have been
designated beforehand to appropriate government
departments and other resource organizations
