Disaster Management
(Excursions)
Workout
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
1. An ___________ is a man-made hazard.
a. oil spill. [✓]
b. earthquake. [ ]
c. drought. [ ]
d. forest fire. [ ]
2. ___________ activities eliminate or reduce the probability of the occurrence of a disaster, or reduce the effects of unavoidable disaster.
a. Mitigation. [✓]
b. Preparedness. [ ]
c. Response. [ ]
d. Recovery. [ ]
3. A __________ disaster is a man-made disaster.
a. geophysical [ ]
b. hydrological. [ ]
c. climatological. [ ]
d. chemical industrial. [✓]
B. Write T for true and F for false.
1. The impact of a disaster is analysed by the extent of socio-economic and environmental losses. [T]
2. An earthquake is a sudden natural hazard. [T]
3. Fire is a natural hazard. [F]
4. The army plays a pivotal role in disaster management. [T]
C. Answer these questions in brief.
1. Define the term 'disaster'.
= Disasters are incidents that cause significant damage or destruction to life and property or result in a drastic change in the environment.
2. What is the main aim of disaster management?
= Disaster management aims to reduce or avoid potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster and achieve rapid and effective recovery.
3. What is mitigation and how is it carried out?
= Mitigation activities eliminates or reduce the probability of the occurrence of a disaster or reduce the effects of unavoidable disasters.
Mitigation is usually carried out with the help of regulations, land use and building practices and steps that reduce or eliminate long-term risk from hazards and their effects.
4. Name the four main phases of disaster management.
= The four main phases of disaster management are - mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
D. Answer these questions in detail.
1. Explain the main stages of a disaster management cycle.
= A disaster management cycle has four stages - mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. However, these steps do not occur in any particular order and often overlap with each other.
Mitigation : Mitigation activities eliminate or reduce the probability of the occurrence of a disaster or reduce the effects of unavoidable disasters. A few mitigation measures are given below.
❐ Reviewing building materials and building-use regulations.
❐ Vulnerability analysis.
❐ Zoning and land use management.
❐ Planning and implementing preventive health measures.
❐ Creating awareness among the public on simple measures they can adopt to limit loss or injury during a disaster.
Preparedness : The goal of preparedness activities is to achieve a satisfactory level of readiness to respond to any emergency situation. Programmes to strengthen the capacity of governments, organizations and communities are a few ways to induce preparedness. A few preparedness measures are:
❐ response mechanism and procedures.
❐ emergency training and communication systems.
❐ evacuation plans and training.
❐ early warning systems.
❐ creating resource inventories such as reserves of food, equipment, water and medicines.
❐ public information and education.
Response : The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population. Such assistance may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as assisting refugees with transport, temporary shelter and food, to establishing semi-permanent settlement in camps and other locations. It may also involve initial repairs to damaged infrastructure.
Recovery : Recovery refers to programmes which go beyond the provision of immediate relief to assist those who have suffered the full impact of disaster. This may include rebuilding homes or strengthening the capacity to cope with future disasters.
Recovery measures, both short and long term, include:
❐ returning vital life-support systems to minimum operating standards.
❐ temporary housing.
❐ health and safety education.
❐ reconstruction.
❐ counselling programmes.
2. Differentiate between a hazard and a disaster.
= The term 'hazard' is very closely associated with disaster. Often people tend to confuse the two terms. hazards are natural phenomena that have the potential to cause disaster. For example, the north-eastern part of India is prone to landslides. During the monsoon, this area becomes vulnerable. Thus, protection from landslides becomes essential or it might cause loss of life and property. Landslides are a natural hazard and the destruction they cause makes them a disaster. The impact of the disaster is analysed by the extent of socio-economic and environmental losses it causes.
3. What is the role of government agencies in disaster management?
= Disaster occur unexpectedly and cause tremendous loss to humanity. The government of India has set up an organization at the central, state and district level to carry out relief work during disasters. The National Disaster Response Force supervises the action taken by the state and the district disaster management authorities. The disaster management strategies responsibility of the state and district authorities to monitor and assess the situation and take immediate action as referred to in the guidelines of the National Disaster Management Plan.
4. Name three international organizations involved in disaster management.
= Three international organizations involved in disaster management are - United Nations, Red Cross and World Health Organization.