1. What is disaster?
Def.1: Sudden calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community & causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the communitys ability to cope using its own resources.
DISASTER=(VULNERABILITY+HAZARD) /CAPACITY
Def.2: Encounter b/w forces of harm and a human population in harms way , influenced by the ecological context , in which demands exceed the coping capacity of the affected community.
Definitions based on demand/capacity equation
TYPES OF DISASTERS
NATURAL DISASTERSHUMAN-GENERATED:NON-INTENTIONAL
Hydro meteorological Disasters(Weather-related)Transportation/vehicle accidents
Floods and related disastersAir/space
FloodsRail
Landslides/mudslidesRoad/Highway
AvalanchesStructural collapse
WindstormsBuilding
Tropical cyclones (hurricanes,cyclones, typhoons, tropical storms)Bridge
TornadoesDam
ThunderstormsTunnel
Winter stormsFire/incineration
Geophysical DisastersStructure fire
EarthquakesExplosion
Volcanic eruptionsHazardous materials release/spill
Tsunamis/tidal wavesChemical
Droughts and Related DisastersGas/aerosol
Extreme heatRadiation
Extreme coldBiological agent
WildfiresEcological/environmental destruction
Forest firesMiscellaneous accidents
Droughts
Pandemic DiseasesHUMAN-GENERATED: INTENTIONAL
Newly emerging infectious diseasesRace/ethnic conflict
High-mortality known infectious diseasesViolent mass gatherings (As in Syria, Egypt)
AbsentiaTerrorism
Biological terrorism: aerosol anthrax
Biological terrorism: smallpox
Biological terrorism: pneumonic plague
Biological terrorism: food contamination
COMPLEX EMERGENCIESChemical terrorism: blister agent
Declared warChemical terrorism: nerve agent
Civil warChemical terrorism: chlorine gas
GenocideChemical terrorism: toxic industrial chemical
Ethnic cleansing/ethnic conflictNuclear terrorism: improvised nuclear device
Refugee crisisNuclear terrorism: radiological dispersaldevice (dirty bomb)
Internally displaced persons crisisConventional terrorism: improvisedexplosive device
Global catastrophesCyber terrorism
* Extra ordinary magnitude of harm
* Ecological disruption
* Disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities
* Demands for response that exceed the communitys ability to cope
* Necessity for external assistance
Disaster Management
* Organization & management of resources & responsibilities for dealing with humanitarian needs with respect to disaster in order to lesser the impacts of disaster.
* Local community people are the first to face the disaster. Therefore it is very essential to develop local community based disaster preparedness, which assists communities to reduce their vulnerability to disasters & strengthen their capacities to resist them.
* Main areas to focus are
* Humanitarian logistics (Since logistics constitute part of disaster effort)
* Supply chain management
Major advances required in the field of disaster management & their possible ways to implement
* Logistics sector is well established in industries which can be utilized or can be taken up as a model to enhance efficiency of the system.( PPP models can also be taken up).
* Location of warehouses, camps, sourcing relief items should be planned by studying the areas prone to disaster.
* Reduction in pilferage & wastages.
* Use of IT infrastructure to maintain inventory records, distribution networks.
Disaster Management - An INDIAN Perspective
NDMA National disaster management authority estt. by GoI by Disaster management Act, 2005. Consists of
* PM as the chairman
* Vice-chairman with the status of cabinet minister
* 8 members with the status of state minister
* National disaster response force
* Specialized response to natural & man-made disasters.
* National institute of disaster management (under MHA)
* Formed by an act of parliament for capacity building in the field of disaster management.
Some of the established international agencies
1. International federation of Red Cross
2. Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF)
3. World Food Programme
4. OXFAM
5. Red Crescent societies
Ref: . http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management
By Akshay Ranjan Pathak
