إدارة الأزمات والكوارث

Crisis and Disaster Management

• Definition of Crisis: A critical period or unstable condition anticipating a decisive change. A sudden attack of pain, distress, or dysfunction. A situation with potential for anticipated or unanticipated dangers that threaten individuals' goals, beliefs, or possessions.
• Definition of Disaster: A major event resulting in loss of life and property. May be natural (earthquakes, floods, storms) or human-caused (intentional or unintentional). Requires support from the government or other countries if the recovery surpasses the country's capabilities.
• Crisis Management Definition: Immediate action to stop escalation, complications, or magnification of a situation; complete control of the event. Strategic responses to crisis situations by specific managers chosen for the task.
• Crisis vs. Disaster: Crises are often escalatory and require immediate action. Disasters often encompass greater loss and may originate from either natural or human actions. Crises can result in disasters. Disasters can lead to multiple crises.
• Crisis vs. Problem: Problems have a potential solution, whereas a crisis does not allow for a lengthy process.
• Crisis vs. Conflict: A conflict involves disagreement, while a crisis involves urgency and potential danger.
• Crisis and Disaster Management Tasks: Identifying, classifying, analyzing, managing (control, impact reduction), and recovering from crises and disasters.
• Characteristics of a Crisis:
• Suddenness: unexpected occurrences.
• Lack of Information: limited information about the cause of the crisis.
• Escalation: continuous, worsening events putting pressure on decision-makers.
• Loss of Control: The situation's intensity exceeding the ability or expectation of decision-makers.
• Panic: Decision-makers may respond with impulsive measures like removing anyone involved, or arguing with staff.
• No Immediate Solution: Solutions require immediate selection among limited possibilities resulting in a solution with the lowest damage.
• Crisis and Disaster Classification:
• By development stage (emergence, growth, maturity, decline)
• By recurrence frequency (periodic or erratic)
• By depth (surface or deep-seated)
• By intensity (violent or mild)
• By scope (wide-spread or contained)
• By type (material, emotional)

Crisis Management Essentials

• Trust in ability: Confidence to face difficult situations.
• Initiative: Utilizing all available resources for handling the situation.
• Organized action: Taking prompt action.
• Unified leadership: Coordinated leadership among teams.
• Flexibility: Giving field leaders freedom to make quick decisions.
• Clarity: Avoiding conflicting orders and excessive information.
• Communication system: Effective communication flow.
• Resource efficiency: Using resources in a controlled manner.
• Supply and communication support: Ensuring supplies and communication are readily available.
• Information management: Objective evaluation of events to inform decision-making.
• Public relations: Communicating with the public and managing perceptions.

Causes of Crises

• Human factors: Misunderstanding, lack of information comprehension, poor assessment, psychological factors (hopelessness).
• Administrative factors: Inadequacies in resources, lack of planning, poor leadership, unclear goals.
• External factors: Natural disasters, rumors, conflicting agendas.