Disaster Management Overview

Disaster Management

• Disaster is a serious disruption of a community, involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses exceeding the affected community's ability to cope with its own resources (UNISDR 2009)

Learning Objectives

• Define disaster
• Classify disaster types
• Understand disaster management
• Identify aspects of disaster management
• Analyze management of sudden onset disasters
• Analyze disaster impact and response
• Analyze four phases of disaster management
• Apply preventive strategies

Types of Disasters

• Natural hazards:
  • Geophysical: Earthquake, Volcano, Tsunami
  • Hydrological: Flood, Landslides, Wave action
  • Meteorological: Cyclone, Tornado, Cold wave, Lightning, Heavy rain, Sandstorm, Snow storm
  • Climatic: drought, Extreme hot or cold weather, Glacial lake outburst, Subsidence
  • Biological: Epidemics, insect infestations
• Human-induced: War, terrorism, Gas leak, Nuclear accidents, Global warming and greenhouse effect

Disaster Management

• A systematic process of using administrative decisions, organizations, operational skills and capacities to implement policies, strategies and coping mechanisms for lessening the impacts of natural and technological disasters and related environmental hazards.
• This comprises all forms of activities, including structural and non-structural measures to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and preparedness) adverse effects of hazards.

Aspects of Disaster Management

• Disaster response: Actions taken during a disaster
• Disaster preparedness: Long-term development activities aimed at strengthening capacity to manage emergencies
• Disaster mitigation: Measures designed to prevent hazards from causing emergencies, or to lessen expected damage

Management Sequence of a Sudden-Onset Disaster

• Risk reduction (before disaster)
• Preparedness
• Mitigation
• Disaster impact
• Response
• Reconstruction
• Recovery

Disaster Impact and Response

• Search, rescue and First aid: Crucial immediate help often provided by uninjured survivors.
• Field care: Health resources redirected to injured people; provisions of food, shelter.
• Triage: Rapid classification of injured based on severity and likelihood of survival with prompt medical intervention. (First come, first served is not a principle)
• Tagging: Identifying patients with name, age, origin, triage category, diagnosis, and initial treatment.
• Identification of dead: Removal of dead from scene, shifting to mortuary, identification, and reception of bereaved relatives.

Relief Phase

• Begins when outside assistance reaches disaster area
• Humanitarian relief supplies determined by the type and quantity of supplies available

Four Principal Components in Managing Humanitarian Supplies

• Acquisition
• Transportation
• Storage
• Distribution

Relief Phase: Supplies

• Initially, supplies for treating casualties and preventing communicable disease spread
• Later, supplies include food, blankets, clothing, shelter, sanitary equipment, and construction materials

Disaster Mitigation

• Measures taken to prevent hazards leading to emergencies, or lessen effects of emergencies.
• Includes flood mitigation works, appropriate land use planning, improved building codes, reducing/protecting vulnerable populations and structures.
• Aims to reduce vulnerabilities in the system.

Disaster Preparedness

• An ongoing multisectoral activity; relies on various sectors working together
• Goal is to strengthen country's capacity to efficiently manage all types of emergencies
• Objective: appropriate systems, procedures and resources in place for prompt assistance to disaster victims.
• Includes steps like risk evaluation, standard adoption, organized communication, coordination, financial resource availability, education campaigns, and disaster simulation exercises.

Four Phases of Disaster Management

• Mitigation (Before the Disaster): Develop preventive laws, implement advanced codes, establish zoning and buy insurance, construct barriers; stock disaster supplies and develop mutual aid plans; train response personnel and prepare shelters
• Preparedness (Before the Disaster): Develop emergency response plans, organize training and exercises
• Response (During the Disaster): Search and rescue; asses initial damage; provide first aid/humanitarian assistance
• Recovery (After the Disaster): Debris removal; precise damage assessment; infrastructure reconstruction; restoring livelihoods; community development

Four Phases (different diagram):

• Mitigation: Public education, hazard and vulnerability assessment, improved infrastructure
• Preparedness: Emergency response plans, training, and exercises
• Recovery: Economic recovery, debris management, housing, health and social services
• Response: Life safety, incident stabilization, property preservation, evacuation and shelters, mass care