Skip to main content

Disaster Management


1. Disaster Risk Analysis → Disaster Risk Reduction → Disaster Management Cycle

  • Disaster Risk Analysis is the first step in managing disasters. It involves assessing potential hazards, identifying vulnerable populations, and estimating possible impacts.
  • Once risks are identified, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies come into play. DRR aims to reduce risk and enhance resilience through planning, infrastructure development, and policy enforcement.
  • The Disaster Management Cycle then ensures a structured approach by dividing actions into pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster phases.

Example Connection:

Imagine a coastal city prone to cyclones:

  1. Risk Analysis identifies low-lying areas and weak infrastructure.
  2. Risk Reduction includes building seawalls, enforcing strict building codes, and training residents for emergency situations.
  3. The Disaster Management Cycle ensures ongoing preparedness, immediate response during a cyclone, and long-term recovery afterward.

2. The Disaster Management Cycle:

The Disaster Management Cycle consists of three interconnected phases:

A. Pre-Disaster Phase (Risk Reduction and Preparedness)

  • Prevention & Mitigation: Actions taken to eliminate or minimize disaster risks before they occur.
  • Preparedness & Response: Developing early warning systems, evacuation plans, and emergency response mechanisms.

Example:

For a flood-prone region:

  1. Prevention & Mitigation: Constructing dams, improving drainage systems, and restoring wetlands.
  2. Preparedness: Installing flood warning systems, training rescue teams, and educating communities about evacuation routes.

B. During-Disaster Phase (Emergency Response)

  • Focuses on immediate Response to save lives, minimize damage, and provide emergency aid.
  • Search-and-rescue operations, medical assistance, and temporary shelters are activated.

Example:

During a cyclone, authorities issue evacuation orders, deploy emergency services, and set up relief camps.

C. Post-Disaster Phase (Recovery and Rehabilitation)

  • Recovery: Short-term efforts to restore essential services like water, electricity, and healthcare.
  • Rehabilitation: Long-term rebuilding efforts, economic support, and future disaster-proofing.

Example:

After a major earthquake, governments and NGOs reconstruct homes, rebuild roads, and implement stricter building codes for future resilience.

3. Risk, Vulnerability, and Resilience:

At the heart of disaster management are three key interrelated concepts:

  1. Risk: The potential for loss or damage due to a disaster.

    • Example: A poorly built hospital in a tsunami-prone area has a high risk of collapse.

  2. Vulnerability: The degree to which a community or system is susceptible to harm.

    • Example: A low-income community with weak infrastructure is highly vulnerable to flooding.

  3. Resilience: The ability to recover quickly and adapt to future risks.

    • Example: A city with a well-planned drainage system and emergency response teams shows resilience against extreme rainfall.

Connecting these Concepts:

  • Reducing Vulnerability (e.g., strengthening buildings) lowers Risk.
  • Improving Resilience (e.g., effective emergency response) enhances Recovery.
  • Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies aim to lower both risk and vulnerability while increasing resilience.

Connection

Imagine an earthquake-prone city implementing disaster management:

  1. Risk Analysis: Identifies weak infrastructure and high-risk zones.
  2. Risk Reduction: Strengthens buildings, enforces seismic codes, and trains emergency responders.
  3. Disaster Management Cycle:
    • Pre-Disaster: Authorities conduct earthquake drills, install sensors, and educate communities.
    • During-Disaster: Emergency response teams provide medical aid, rescue people, and manage shelters.
    • Post-Disaster: Reconstruction focuses on earthquake-resistant buildings, restoring economic activity, and enhancing future preparedness.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Logical Data Model in GIS

In GIS, a logical data model defines how data is structured and interrelated—independent of how it is physically stored or implemented. It serves as a blueprint for designing databases, focusing on the organization of entities, their attributes, and relationships, without tying them to a specific database technology. Key Features Abstraction : The logical model operates at an abstract level, emphasizing the conceptual structure of data rather than the technical details of storage or implementation. Entity-Attribute Relationships : It identifies key entities (objects or concepts) and their attributes (properties), as well as the logical relationships between them. Business Rules : Business logic is embedded in the model to enforce rules, constraints, and conditions that ensure data consistency and accuracy. Technology Independence : The logical model is platform-agnostic—it is not tied to any specific database system or storage format. Visual Representat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Approaches of Surface Water Management: Watershed-Based Approaches

Surface water management refers to the strategies used to regulate and optimize the availability, distribution, and quality of surface water resources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. One of the most effective strategies is the watershed-based approach , which considers the entire watershed or drainage basin as a unit for water resource management, ensuring sustainability and minimizing conflicts between upstream and downstream users. 1. Watershed-Based Approaches Watershed A watershed (or drainage basin) is a geographical area where all precipitation and surface runoff flow into a common outlet such as a river, lake, or ocean. Example : The Ganga River Basin is a watershed that drains into the Bay of Bengal. Hydrological Cycle and Watershed Management Watershed-based approaches work by managing the hydrological cycle , which involves precipitation, infiltration, runoff, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge. Precipitation : Rainfall or snowfall within a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Raster Data Structure

Raster Data Raster data is like a digital photo made up of small squares called cells or pixels . Each cell shows something about that spot — like how high it is (elevation), how hot it is (temperature), or what kind of land it is (forest, water, etc.). Think of it like a graph paper where each box is colored to show what's there. Key Points What's in the cell? Each cell stores information — for example, "water" or "forest." Where is the cell? The cell's location comes from its place in the grid (like row 3, column 5). We don't need to store its exact coordinates. How Do We Decide a Cell's Value? Sometimes, one cell covers more than one thing (like part forest and part water). To choose one value , we can: Center Point: Use whatever feature is in the middle. Most Area: Use the feature that takes up the most space in the cell. Most Important: Use the most important feature (like a road or well), even if it...
Post a Comment
Read more

Disaster Management international framework

The international landscape for disaster management relies on frameworks that emphasize reducing risk, improving preparedness, and fostering resilience to protect lives, economies, and ecosystems from the impacts of natural and human-made hazards. Here's a more detailed examination of key international frameworks, with a focus on terminologies, facts, and concepts, as well as the role of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): 1. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 Adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the Sendai Framework represents a paradigm shift from disaster response to proactive disaster risk management. It applies across natural, technological, and biological hazards. Core Priorities: Understanding Disaster Risk: This includes awareness of disaster risk factors and strengthening risk assessments based on geographic, social, and econo...
Post a Comment
Read more