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College: NMIMS, Mumbai

Participants:
Chinmay Ingole
chinmayingole@yahoo.co.in
9967020038
Shivam Gupta
shivamgupta1689@yahoo.co.in
9920079246

Disaster Management Plans for Disaster Preparedness of People

This year India faced two major natural calamities- one was in Uttarakhand where flash
floods swept away an area of 100,000 sq. km., leading to the death of more than
11,000people and impacting lakhs more. The second disaster was the cyclone Phailin, the
strongest cyclone to hit India in last 14 years , hitting an area of 300,000 sq. km. Cyclone
Phailin had only 43 casualties. What made the difference? Its the way the authorities handled
the situation before and after the calamity had struck. As our experience of numerous
disasters, both natural and manmade, in the past reveals, not many people are killed on first
day, or the second but in the weeks following the disaster due to lack of agility and swiftness
in handling the disaster.
The severity of disaster can be mitigated if the people are prepared enough to face such
situations. In Japan, the people are so well equipped that even an earthquake of more than 7
Richter capacity does not create a sever loss of life. On the totally opposite end of the
spectrum lies India where even a bomb hoax in a crowded place kills dozens of people. For a
country like India which is under constant threat of natural as well as man-made disaster,
being prepared for disaster, technologically and mentally is of utmost importance.
What is a DisasterA disaster is any occurrence of unfortunate events, which causes disruption or loss of life,
health, property and resources. No country is immune to disasters, though the vulnerability to
the disaster varies. The World Confederation for Physical Therapy classifies disaster in four
main types : Natural Disaster, Environmental Emergencies, Complex Emergencies and
Pandemic Emergencies. These comprise of floods, hurricanes, earthquakes amongst others.
They may additionally trigger secondary calamities like tsunami, fires, landslides etc. It also
includes technological or industrial accidents or sudden onset of contagious diseases.
Disaster ManagementAccording to UNEP, disaster management is the organization and management of resources
and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular
preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
It starts with the early detection of a potential disaster, plans to mitigate the effects of disaster
on life and property and ends with successful rehabilitation of people affected during the
calamity. Disasters have a long lasting impact on the lives of the victims. Poorly managed
disaster relief have a negative effect on the people affected and also demotivates the donors
and relief agencies. Disaster management involves harmonised efforts from local, regional,
national and sometimes international bodies. Disaster management plan consists of
followingDisaster PreventionThese activities are aimed at permanent protection from disasters. This is not always possible,
especially for natural disasters like floods, hurricanes etc. However, with the advent and
evolution of technology it is at times possible to get protection from disaster. Architectural

advances have enabled the tallest of the buildings to withstand severe and frequent
earthquakes. Japan is a classic example of this.
Disaster PreparednessPreparedness for disaster comes from the early warning through early detection. While some
disasters can never be predicted, use of technology has, to some extent, enabled us to predict
natural disaster like earthquakes, tsunami etc. With an early warning, the disaster
management teams can evacuate people, animals and other properties from being destroyed
in the calamity. Role of every individual is important in this stage. Preparedness is the main
way of reducing impact of disaster.
Preparedness is not only about being prepared technically, but also being prepared mentally.
People always like to believe that bad things, including disaster happen to others. Hence,
there is a tendency to take the disaster preparedness drills lightly. The importance of these
drills gets underlined when the disaster strikes, which may be a rare event. The importance is
well understood by the Japanese who face natural disasters like tsunami, earthquakes etc.
quite frequently. Residents of Japan, from toddlers to senior citizens are given frequent
training to be prepared for any kind of disasters which may strike. Organisations like schools,
colleges, companies conduct mock drills which are taken very seriously. The points which are
emphasised in these drills are how to handle people who are physically challenged or have a
medical condition, what actions to undertake in case of fire, electricity blackouts etc. The
success of these efforts was evident in case of recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan in
which loss of life was considerably low.
Preparedness also comprises of stockpiling emergency articles like foods, water, medicines
etc., having a safe arrangement which could be easily accessed at times of disasters, having
emergency communication systems for back-up etc. The communication devices are of
importance for maintaining peace within disaster struck area and also to increase the
effectiveness of the recovery plan.
Awareness and preparedness towards disaster is of crucial importance in a country like ours
which has a large population density and a small situation also causes a huge loss of life. We
have heard many times about people getting killed in devotional places due to bomb hoaxes.
It is sheer luck that there was no real bomb in such situations. These are the warning signs
which emphasise the importance of being prepared for such situations again and again. If in
current days, there is actually a bomb found in such an over-crowded devotional place, the
loss of life that would occur in such places is simply unimaginable.
In India Disaster management is more of firefighting than management in the wake of any
calamity. Need for today is to have well-rehearsed plan for every type of emergency and
drastic reduction in response time. The allocation and movement of resources has to be quick
and well-synchronised.

Disaster Relief and RecoveryRelief includes near-future activities like rescue, relocation, providing food, water, shelter
and other resources to victims, restarting important services like communication, transport,
preventing spread of disease etc.It also involves helping people to find their loved ones,
providing psychological support to the survivors and helping them to get back to their normal
lives.
Special groups of people need to be trained who are capable of handling such emotionally
distressful situations. Social workers, medical workers, students, mental healthcare workers
are of utmost importance in handling such delicate situations.
Role of Government and PoliticiansRole of government representatives is not limited to sending Special Forces to the disaster
areas after the disaster has struck or announcing relief funds. It is the responsibility of
government agencies to conduct awareness programs and mandatory training and mock drills
at all levels of organisations. So far we have seen government leaders play no bigger role than
a bystander and only allocate funds to the victims without a plan to ensure that this help
reaches those who need it the most.
Role of Common ManContribution of civilians which are not part of any formal organisations is equally crucial in
emergency situation. This was proved in the Gujarat earthquakes in 2001 and the Mumbai
floods in 2007. The civil sense displayed by the common people in helping those affected
during the Mumbai floods has been acknowledged at global level. The common public, that
knows the disaster struck area much better than the authorities, can, prove to be a great asset
in emergency.

Role of MediaBy bringing the plight of the disaster victims to the eyes of public, media help create pressure
on authorities to act in a quicker and more efficient manner. Media houses can take initiatives
to gather funds and manpower. Digital media such as television is of crucial importance in
creating awareness among people and maintaining peace during disaster situations.
Role of Technology and ScienceSpace technologies and Artificial intelligence tools are becoming increasingly vital to modern
day disaster management activities. These systems provide information about wavelengths
that assist rapid-mapping in all phases of the disaster management cycle: mitigation of
potential risks in a given area, preparedness for eventual disasters, immediate response to a
disaster event, and the reconstruction efforts following it.
Planning AheadDisaster management is a collective and co-ordinated effort. It requires well defined
guidelines for prevention of disasters, preparedness and roles and responsibilities of different
arms of the government and individuals. Taking proper steps and measures to achieve
successful emergency preparedness can dramatically change the level of survival and safety
during emergencies. Prevention is greater than Cure is not just an old adage but its the way
the Disaster Management has to be aligned. We should remember that The most critical step in being able to recover from a disaster is being prepared for one in the
first place

References

How Odisha Managedthe Phailin Disaster, Economic & Political

Weekly, Dash Satyaprakash, November 2013.
www.adrc.asia/nationinformation.php?
NationCode=392&Lang=en&Mode=japan.
Lessons from disaster relief in Asia, the Strait Times, asiareport,
28/11/13.
Disaster Mis-Management: Natures Fury and Our Failure, D Suba
Chandran.
www.ndma.gov.in
http://www.wcpt.org
www.ifrc.org/what-we-do/disaster-management/responding/ongoingoperations/japan-earthquake/ 1/5
Disaster Management of Japan, Kazusa, Shuhei, 2013.