ogether Towards A SAFE LIVING 26" December 2004, more than eight thousand lives lost and a huge loss to property and infrastructure. People living in the east and south east coast of the country were severely affected by the giant waves called ‘tsunami’. The people residing in these areas were not aware of preliminary signs of a tsunami and the do’s and don'ts of a tsunami. Thousands were swept away. If the people living in the locality were aware, then the damage caused by the giant waves could have been reduced toa large extent. India with its vast population and unique geo-physical characteristics is one of the world’s most ‘disaster-prone’ countries. Natural hazards such as cyclones, earthquakes, drought, floods orlandslides occur in different parts of India in varying intensity. The East andthe South East part of India are frequently affected by cyclones. In the interior of the Plateau or in the Himalayas. earthquakes, and in the Ganga - Brahmaputra plain, floods are more common. Rajasthan and Western Orissa often experience severe drought, as do other areas in South India. This means that we are all ‘vulnerable’ in different degrees to these hazards. People living in an area may be vulnerable to more than one hazard. For instance, people residing in coastal area may face floods and cyclones frequently, while being located in an earthquake zone. Such an areais called a multi-hazard zone. The damage caused due to a hazard increases when people are not adequately preparedito face the ‘disaster’. For instance, a flood is a hazard. When it occurs, and if people are not prepared to EARTHQUAKES: face it, it may wash away persons, homes, cattle 12% TO FLOODS and valuables. Then, the flood becomes a 8% TO CYCLONES disaster. But if people are evacuated along with 70 % OF THE LAND UNDER | valuablestoa sate shelter, cattle is herded onto a CULTIVATION IS PRONE TO | higher area such as a mound, and houses are DROUGHT built with adequate features to make them flood- resistant, the flood remains a hazard and does not become a disaster. In order to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of a disaster, we have to prepare ourselves in advance, to face them better. The INDIA IS DISASTER-PRONE... ¥ OVER 59% OF THE LAND AREA IS VULNERABLE TOprocess involving activities that help us to face disasters effectively is commonly known as ‘disaster management’. Why is Disaster Management important tous? Disasters bring with them misery, destruction and loss of lives of our near and dear ones, the worst affected being women and children, Can we afford to have such huge destruction to life and property year after year and do nothing about it? India being a multi-hazard prone country, it is important that we as responsible citizens equip ourselves with essential knowledge about various hazards and ways to overcome them. The management of disasters is not the sole responsibility of the Government. The plans and policies of the government cannot be successfully implemented, unless people are aware and involved in all stages of planning and managing disasters. When disaster strikes, it affects us directly, and immediately. While the Government, Panchayats, NGOs and International Agencies such as the United Nations, or Red Cross, assist us when faced with a disaster; itis the local people living in that particular area who come forward with medicines, food, water etc and provide support to the affected people. Thus, it is the people living in that particular area who are normally the ‘first responders’. History has shown us that where communities have been trained and equipped with desired Important Terms* Disaster-prone: the likelihood of aplace being affectedby a disaster ‘Natural Hazard: A physical event or phenomena which may cause injury or loss of life, damage to property, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation Vulnerability: in simple terms is the potential loss to an individual, community or place because of a disaster, which is affected by geographical as well as social conditions Disaster: Aserious disruption in the functioning of the society due to a hazard which causes.a huge loss toll, property and livelinood and requires external suppor, Disaster Management: the range of activities designed to mitigate the effects of disasters and ‘emergency situations and to provide a framework for helping people at-risk to avoid or recover from the Impact of the disaster. Managing disasters includes steps to be taken prior to, during, and after the disaster, and involve preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. First responders: The persons or group of people who are immediately affected by a disaster, and are the firstto respond and help to cope witht, before government orrelief agencies can rush tothe area. 7. Community: People who live together ina village or urban area, who can be identified as a local group with a common way of fe. *Alltorms are explained in context, to make the student understand important aspects of ‘disaster management. Formal definitions willbe attemptedin class 9th and 10thknowledge and skills, to face disasters, lesser lives have been lost, less significant damage to the environment has occurred, and property has been better conserved. 26" December 2004, giant waves hit the southern coast of India causing huge loss to life and property. Samiyarpettai a small village in Caddalore district of Tamilnadu was one of the villages affected by these giant waves called ‘tsunami’. But Government of Tamilnadu with support from Government of India and United Nations Development Programme in early 2004 had initiated a new programme which works on the ‘people's first’ approach known as Disaster Risk Management Programme. One of the main objectives of this programme was to strengthen the capacities of the local community and be better prepared to face natural disasters. The people were trained in First Aid and Search and Rescue which enhanced their capacities. Due to the increased capacity, the local people who were better prepared were able to respond effectively when they saw huge waves. The death toll in Samiyarpettai was five times less than those in the neighbouring village: The role of the teachers and students in reducing disaster risk The teachers and students are an integral part of the community, and have an important role to play in being prepared. Students are effective carrier of messages. Therefore it is essential that we aware our children on various hazards. They in turn would educate their parents and the community by and large. Teachers are respected members of the society and they have animportant responsibility to guide the students in this regard. The schools are the custodian of hundreds and thousands of children who spend the major part of the day within the school premises. Thus, it is all the more essential that schools carry out regular mock evacuation drills so as to save precious lives. School buildings should be strong enough to face any hazard of higher intensity. 3 asaie y "Wiig The picture on the left shows a school building which collapsed 5] after an earthquake. Fortunately the school was notin session; [Serine inne el hence the loss was not much. Can you imagine the loss that BW would have taken place if children, teachers and other members of the school were present?To have a safer living, itis essential that we aware ourselves and our community so that the damage to life, property and livelihoodis the least when a disaster strikes. EXERCISES ‘What do you understand by disaster management? Name the hazards that frequently affectusin India, What role do you see for yourself in case your area is affected by a particular hazard? Discussin groups, and share your findings with the class. When does a hazard transform into a disaster? Explain this by giving suitable examples. Identify the hazards that frequently affect your area and find out the causes for the same. Collect 5 pictures of recent disasters that have affected the country. Place them on a map of India to have a better understanding of where they occurred. Find out the causes and its impact and list out 2 ways of how the impact could have been. minimized. Name the various agencies and departments that can be contacted in case there is a fire accidentin your school.