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Introduction to Disaster Management

• Disaster is an event that causes extensive damage and loss of life or property.
• Disasters often have a sudden onset and require immediate action to return to stability.
• A disaster may lead to a crisis, and vice versa - crises may turn into disasters if proper decisions and actions aren't taken.

Types of Disasters

Natural Disasters

• These are disasters controlled by nature, where human intervention doesn't play a role in their occurrence.
• However, human negligence or lack of precautions can increase the severity of the damage.
• Subtypes include:
  • Meteorological (e.g., floods, hurricanes, cyclones)
  • Geological (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions)
  • Biological (e.g., epidemics, diseases, infestations)
  • Cosmological (e.g., meteor showers, asteroid impacts).

Man-Made Disasters

• These disasters are primarily caused by human actions, either intentionally (e.g., wars) or unintentionally (e.g., accidents).
• They can be mitigated by controlling the causes of the disaster to prevent them from occurring again.
• Examples include wars, industrial accidents, structural failures, accidents in transportation (air, marine, land), environmental pollution (radioactive contamination, hazardous gas leaks), and terrorist attacks.

Mixed Disasters (Hybrid)

• These are complex events where both natural and human factors contribute to the disaster.
• An example is human negligence leading to a dam failure, which causes a flood.
• Another example is major wildfires exacerbated by human actions (e.g., careless disposal of cigarettes) .

Stages of Disaster Management

• Pre-disaster:
  • Gathering information and preparing for potential disasters
  • Training and developing strategies
• During Disaster:
  • Handling the disaster effectively, using pre-prepared strategies.
• Post-Disaster:
  • Controlling and mitigating the aftermath of the disaster
  • Recovery and re-evaluation to understand what went right or wrong, and lessons learned.

Predictability of Disasters

• Some disasters are predictable (e.g., floods based on rainfall patterns) and can be mitigated.
• Others are unpredictable (e.g., some earthquakes) and are difficult to prevent from happening again.
• There are different ways to categorize disasters based on whether they can be accurately predicted or not.

Continuous and Non-Continuous Disasters

• Continuous disasters (e.g., floods) are characterized by long periods of impacting conditions leading to extended consequences.
• Non-continuous disasters (e.g., earthquakes) are characterized by sudden and intense events.
• Mixed disasters can have characteristics of both continuous and non-continuous disasters.

Important Characteristics of Disasters

• Rapid sequence of events.
• High stress levels.
• Significant mental and emotional pressure.
• Limited information.
• Demanding tasks for those in charge.
• Requiring innovation and mobilization.
• Often requiring advanced communication systems.
• Usually calling for advanced prediction and response technologies.

Disaster Management Factors

• Source of disaster: Natural, human-made or a combination.
• Severity: Impact on vital interests.
• Complexity: Interconnectedness and available options.
• Concentration: Geographic spread.
• Duration: Short, Medium or Long term.