UNIT: II

PART -A
1. What are the three factors of Risk?
 Climate change,
 Natural climate variability,
 Natcat and resilience

2. Define Physical Capacity.

 Physical capacity of a community or an area includes the equipment available,
means of communication, infrastructure available in the area like bridges, roads,
hospitals, schools, drainage etc.
 Availability of new water sources for drinking, irrigation and other purposes can
also be counted in physical capacity. Indigenous engineering and construction
skills to build and repair infrastructure are also a part of physical capacity.

3. Write short notes about Socio Economic Capacity.

 Social capacity includes the interpersonal and intrapersonal links in the
community, relations and motivations among the people and the amount of
interaction between people.
 During and after a disaster has struck in an area the ability of the local people to
take action and guarantee the sustainability of the ongoing projects. 
 Economics capacity comprises of the income of the community or an area, their
savings, earnings, production, business activities and availability of jobs and
livelihoods.
 This capacity also includes employable skills like mining, weaving, etc. GDP/
GNP of an area describes its economic capacity.

4. What are the two types of Vulnerabilities?

Vulnerabilities can be categorized into
 Physical Vulnerability
 Socio-Economic Vulnerability

5. Write Short notes about Physical Vulnerability.

 Physical Vulnerability may be determined by aspects such as population density
levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site, design and materials used for critical
infrastructure and for housing.
6. Define Vulnerability?
 Vulnerability describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community,
system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. 
 There are many aspects of vulnerability, arising from various physical, social,
economic, and environmental factors.

7. Write Short notes about Socio Economic Vulnerability.

 The degree to which a population is affected by a hazard will not merely lie in the
physical components of vulnerability but also on the socio-economic conditions.
 The socio-economic condition of the people also determines the intensity of the
impact.

8. Write Four Points about Mitigation Measures for People.

 A mitigation action is a specific action, project, activity, or process taken to
reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards and their
impacts.
 Implementing mitigation actions helps achieve the plan's mission and goals.

9. Define Response.
 The provision of assistance or intervention during or immediately after a disaster
to meet the life preservation and basic subsistence needs of those people affected.
 It can be of an immediate, short-term, or protracted duration.

10. What is NDRF, SDRF?

 The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): National Disaster Response
Fund is defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act) as
a fund managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for
emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster
situation or disaster.
 State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) The State Disaster Response Fund
(SDRF) is the primary fund available with States for disaster response and is
constituted under Section 48 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act).
 The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): The NDRF has been
constituted as per the Chapter-VIII of the DM Act 2005 as a specialist response
force that can be deployed in a threatening disaster situation or disaster.
 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF): State disaster response force.

11. Write Four Points Major Task during response time.

 Immediate relief
 Rescue,
 Damage needs assessment
 Debris clearance
12. What are the Factors to be considered during Recovery process?

 Technological factors (Warning systems, Communication systems, Structural

measures)
 Social factors
 Environmental factors
 Legal factors
 Economic factors
 Functional factors
 Institutional factors
 Political factors

13. Define Disaster Risk.

 Risk (or more specifically, disaster risk) is the potential disaster losses (in terms
of lives, health status, livelihoods, assets and services) which could occur to a
particular community or a society over some specified future time period.

14. Write Short Notes about Risk Management.

 Disaster risk management is the systematic process of using administrative
directives, organizations, and operational skills and capacities to implement
strategies, polices and improved coping capacities in order to lessen the adverse
impacts of hazards and their possibility of disaster.
 Disaster risk management aims to avoid, lessen or transfer the adverse effects of
hazards through activities and measures for prevention, mitigation and
preparedness.

15. Define Retrofitting.

 Retrofitting is making changes to an existing building to protect it from flooding
or other hazards such as high winds and earthquakes.
 You have already seen an example of these changes, and you’ll learn more in the
following chapters.
 But you may be wondering at this point why retrofitting is necessary.

16. What is Geological Hazard?

 A geologic hazard is one of several types of adverse geological conditions capable
of causing damage or loss of property and life.
 These hazards consist of sudden phenomena and slow phenomena: Sudden
phenomena include: avalanches (snow, rock, or air & snow) and its run out.

17. Define Recovery.

  Recovery is used to describe the activities that encompass the three overlapping
phases of emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

18. What are factors to be considered during drought?

 Lack of rainfall (or precipitation)
 Surface water flow 
 Human factors 
 Global Warming 

19. Define Fire Risk.

A fire risk assessment is a process involving the systematic evaluation of the factors that
determine the hazard from fire, the likelihood that there will be a fire and the
consequences if one were to occur. There are both qualitative and quantitative methods
of risk assessment that can be used.

20. Expand NRE.

A nuclear disaster is caused due to an extraordinary release of radioactive material or
radiation either in the operation of nuclear reactors or other nuclear events like explosion
of a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) or Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) or
explosion of a nuclear weapon.

PART-B
1. Explain the mitigation measures for people.
Following the mitigation measures for the peoples are,
 Stay indoors as much as possible
 Listen to local radio stations for weather updates
 Eat healthy food to supply heat to the body and drink non-alcoholic beverages to avoid
dehydration
 Wear several layers of lightweight and warm clothes; rather than one layer of heavy
clothing. The outer garments should be tightly woven and water-repellent.
 Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent loss of body heat.
 Maintain proper ventilation when using kerosene, heater or coal oven to avoid toxic
fumes.
 In case of non-availability of heating arrangement, go to public places where heating
arrangements are made by administration.
 Cover your head, as most body heat is lost through the top of the head and cover your
mouth to protect your lungs.
 Avoid over work. Over exertion can cause heart attack.
 Watch for signs of frostbite: loss of feeling and white or pale appearance on fingers, toes,
ear lobes and the tip of the nose.
 Watch for signs of hypothermia (subnormal body temperature): uncontrolled shivering,
memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent
exhaustion. Immediately rush to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.
  Stock up on food, water, and other necessities before a cold wave.
 Stock suitable forage before cold waves for livestock
Keep hospitals in a state of readiness for the admission of victims of frostbite and
hypothermia

2. Briefly explain Human Induced Disaster.

Chemical (Industrial) Disaster
 With rapid economic development, there has been spread of chemical industries –
small, medium and large – across the country.
 However, there is a relatively higher presence along the west coast, largely due to
the proximity to raw materials and ports.
Nuclear and Radiological Emergency (NRE)
 A nuclear disaster is caused due to an extraordinary release of radioactive material
or radiation either in the operation of nuclear reactors or other nuclear events like
explosion of a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) or Improvised Nuclear
Device (IND) or explosion of a nuclear weapon.
 These emergencies are classified into five broad groups as follows:
 An accident taking place in any nuclear facility of the nuclear fuel cycle including
the nuclear reactor, or in a facility using radioactive sources, leading to a large-
scale release of radioactivity in the environment
 A ‘criticality’ accident in a nuclear fuel cycle facility where an uncontrolled
nuclear chain reaction takes place inadvertently leading to bursts of neutrons and
gamma radiation (as had happened at Tokaimura, Japan)
 An accident during the transportation of radioactive material
 The malevolent use of RDD or IND by terrorists
 A large-scale nuclear disaster resulting from a nuclear weapon attack, which
would lead to mass casualties and destruction of large areas and properties.
Unlike a nuclear emergency, the impact of a nuclear disaster is beyond the coping
capability of local authorities and calls for handling at the national level.
It may be mentioned that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) classifies
the above emergency scenarios under two broad categories – a) nuclear and b) radiological.
 A nuclear emergency refers to an emergency situation in which there is, or is
presumed to be, a hazard due to the release of energy along with radiation from a
nuclear chain reaction (or from the decay of the products of a chain reaction).
This covers accidents in nuclear reactors, ‘criticality’ situations in fuel cycle
facilities, nuclear explosions, etc.
 All other emergency situations which have the potential hazard of radiation
exposure due to decay of radioisotopes, are classified as radiological emergencies.
Examples of such emergencies are the accidents that took place at Goiania in
Brazil, San Salvador, Istanbul in Turkey, Panama, etc.
The overall objective is to prevent NRE, there is also need to adequately prepare
for such emergencies. A NRE must be managed through very well planned and
established mechanisms –structural and non-structural – in a manner that will
minimize risks to health, life and the environment. Eight nuclear/ radiological
emergency scenarios envisaged in the disaster planning are listed below.
 Accidents in Nuclear Power Plants and other facilities in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
  ‘Criticality’ Accidents
 Accidents during Transportation of Radioactive Materials
 Accidents at facilities using Radioactive Sources
 Disintegration of Satellites during Re-Entry
 Nuclear/Radiological Terrorism and Sabotage at Nuclear Facilities
 State-Sponsored Nuclear Terrorism
 Explosion of Nuclear Weapons

3. Briefly explain Disaster Risk Reduction.

 Disaster risk reduction (also referred to as just disaster reduction) is defined as the
concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to
analyse and manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced
exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise
management of land and the environment, and improved preparedness for adverse
effects.
 Disaster reduction strategies include, primarily, vulnerability and risk assessment,
as well as a number of institutional capacities and operational abilities.
 The assessment of the vulnerability of critical facilities, social and economic
infrastructure, the use of effective early warning systems, and the application of
many different types of scientific, technical, and other skilled abilities are
essential features of disaster risk reduction.

4. Describe drought and explain causes of drought.

DROUGHT:-
The word ‘Drought’ is always a difficult one to define, because it is often used in
more than one context. In simple terms, it is the absence of water for a long period
of time, at a place where it is considered ‘not normal’ compared to its usual
conditions. 

TYPES OF DROUGHT:-
Meteorological drought
Agricultural drought
Hydrological drought
Socioeconomic drought

CAUSES OF DROUGHT:-
Lack Of Rainfall (Or Precipitation)
 Droughts can occur when there is the lack of ‘expected’ precipitation (rain and
snow). Note that we say ‘expected’ because the lack of rain alone does not mean a
drought.
  Some regions can go for months without any rain, and that would be ‘normal’ for
them.
 Farmers plant in anticipation of rains and so when the rains do not come, and
irrigation infrastructure is absent, agricultural drought occur.
Surfacewaterflow 
Some regions are also well distributed with surface water (streams and rivers) that have
their sources from far away mountains and watersheds.
 These surface waters may dry out if the flow from their sources upstream is
affected. Hydro-electric dams and irrigation systems are some of the economic
activities that can reduce the amount of water flowing to other areas downstream.
Humanfactors 
 Forests (trees) play a key role in the water cycle, as they help reduce evaporation,
store water and also contribute to atmospheric moisture in the form of
transpiration.
 This means, cutting down trees (deforestation) in the name of economics, will
expose surface water to more evaporation.
 It will also reduce the ability of the ground to hold water and make it easier for
desertification to occur.
 It can set off drying conditions, especially for smaller water bodies. Cutting down
trees is known to reduce a forest’s watershed potential
Global Warming
 Even though some people do not accept that the average temperature of the earth
has risen, it is on record that human actions have contributed to more greenhouse
gasses in the atmosphere.
 As a result, there are warmer temperatures, often resulting in more dryness and
bush fires. These conditions also tend to speed up drought conditions.

5. Explain
a) Chemical Disaster
b) Nuclear and Radiological Emergency

CHEMICAL DISASTER:
 The Bhopal Gas Disaster in December 1984 brought into sharp focus the
unprecedented potential of HAZCHEM like Methyl Isocyanate in terms of loss of
life, health, injury and the long term effects on the population and environment.
 It created compelling evidence to approach DM and chemical safety holistically.
 The era of restructuring with the induction of new HAZCHEM control systems
and procedures all over the world in the wake of the Bhopal disaster also resulted
in the strengthening of institutional mechanisms at local, district, state and central
levels for the management of chemical disasters in India.
Sources of Chemical Disasters:-
Chemical accidents may originate in:
i) Manufacturing and formulation installations including during commissioning and
process operations; maintenance and disposal.
ii) ii) Material handling and storage in manufacturing facilities, and isolated
storages; warehouses and godowns including tank farms in ports and docks and
fuel depots.
iii) iii) Transportation (road, rail, air, water, and pipelines).

Causative Factors Leading to Chemical Disasters

Chemical disasters, in general, may result from:
i) Fire.
ii) Explosion.
iii) Toxic release.
iv) Poisoning.
v) Combinations of the above

NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

 Nuclear or radiological emergencies (referred to in points (i) to (iv) above) are
within the coping capability of the plant/ facility authorities.
 A nuclear emergency that can arise in nuclear fuel cycle facilities, including
nuclear reactors, and the radiological emergency due to malevolent acts of using
Radiological Dispersal Devices are the two scenarios that are of major concern.
 The impact of a nuclear disaster (scenario at [v]) will be well beyond the coping
capability of the local authorities and it calls for handling at the national level.
  A Radiological Dispersal Device is not a Weapon of Mass Destruction; at worst it
can be called a Weapon of Mass Disruption.
 Normally, the use of a Radiological Dispersal Device by itself would not result in
fatalities due to radiation.
 The fatalities, if any, would primarily be due to the explosion. However, it may
contaminate a reasonably large area, besides its main potential of causing panic
and disruption.
 There are well-established international treaties for the control of fissile materials,
because of which the possibility of fissile material falling into the hands of
terrorists is extremely low.
 However, if these treaties are violated through state-sponsored activities, access to
fissile materials by terrorist groups cannot be ruled out.

6. Explain the Major tasks during the disaster.

Major Tasks during the disaster:
The major tasks of response given in the responsibility matrix are:
1. Early Warning, Maps, Satellite inputs, Information Dissemination
2. Evacuation of People and Animals
3. Search and Rescue of People and Animals
4. Medical care
5. Drinking Water / Dewatering Pumps / Sanitation Facilities / Public Health
6. Food & Essential Supplies
7. Communication
8. Housing and Temporary Shelters
9. Power
10. Fuel
11. Transportation
12. Relief Logistics and Supply Chain Management
13. Disposal of animal carcasses
14. Fodder for livestock in scarcity-hit areas
15. Rehabilitation and Ensuring Safety of Livestock and other Animals, Veterinary Care
16. Data Collection and Management
17. Relief Employment
18. Media Relations
7. Describe the Major steps of recovery process.
Major steps of the recovery process and the key processes
Sl.No Major steps Process
 Preliminary assessment reports.
 Compilation and transmittal of damage and
loss data.
 Disaster damage assessments led by
government and assisted by humanitarian
response agencies, and the initial damage
surveys leading to a comprehensive
Post-Disaster Needs assessment.
1 Assessment and Credible  Quantitative and qualitative baseline for
Damage Assessment damage, loss, and needs across sectors,
blocks (taluka) and districts.
 Results monitoring and evaluation plan for
recovery program.
 Select the most appropriate and achievable
processes and methodology for conducting
early and credible damage and needs
assessments.
 High level meetings as well as broad-based,
Developing a vision for Build- wider consultations with experts, civil
2
Back Better (BBB) society, and key stakeholders
 Discussions at top level to align the recovery
Ensure coherence of BBB
vision with the government’s broader, longer
3 with the development
term development goals and growth and
programs and goals
poverty reduction strategies
Consultations and background studies on
 Disaster resistant physical recovery
 Options for fast economic recovery
Incorporating resilience and  Gender and equity concerns
4
BBB in recovery vision  Vulnerability reduction
 Natural resource conservation and
environmental protection
 Social recovery
5 Balancing recovery across  Balance public and private sectors BBB
sectors programs
 Promote norms for non-discriminatory and
equitable asset disbursement among
individuals and communities
 Prioritize infrastructure reconstruction
 Address the recovery of the lives and
livelihoods of disaster-affected communities
 Show sensitivity to the needs of the affected
 population with regard to public expectations
from recovery.
Determine relative importance of various sectors
such as housing, water and sanitation, governance,
Prioritizing sectors for
6 transport, power, communications, infrastructure,
recovery
environment, livelihoods, tourism, social protection,
health, and education.

8. Briefly explain general characteristics of earthquake.

Simply, earthquakes are the rumblings, shaking or rolling of the earth's surface. It is
usually what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another, or
break apart from each other as a result of tension caused by prolonged energy build up. 
Types of Earthquake:
Earthquakes can come in three main forms, depending on the plate movements that occur
beneath the earth's surface.
They could occur on a

Convergent Boundary,
Divergent Boundary
Transform Fault.

Characteristics of earthquake:

 Earthquakes come in many forms. It can be felt as a shock under your feet, or may
be very powerful and destructive enough to flatten an entire city. They can happen
anywhere, land or sea.
 Earthquakes are also called temblors. 

 It is important to understand 
the earth’s makeup to help understand earthquakes better.
 In this diagram, you will notice that the inner and outer core of the earth (middle
part) are liquid in nature, containing iron and nickel of extreme temperatures
(5,500°C).
 The Mantle is semi-molten rock, also called magma. The outer is the crust, which
is the hard part of the earth that forms the surface. This outer crust includes the
land on which we live, the oceans and ocean deeps and anything within 40km
(approx) down the earth's surface.
 Earthquakes are developed in the outer crust of the earth.
 Tectonic Plates: These are huge layers that make up the earth’s upper layers. They
continually stretch, move, slide, and collide against each other. Faults : These are
weak lines that can develop in the plates, usually on the surface of the earth.
There are different types of faults and the major types include dip-slip normal,
dip-slip reverse, strike-slip and oblique-slip.
 The hypocenter is the location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake
starts. The epicenter is the location directly above it on the surface of the earth.
 Seismograph and The Richter Scale (RS) : The seismograph is a device that
scientists use to measure the magnitude of an earthquake. The Richter scale on the
other hand is a scale or measure that is used to compare earthquakes. It is
calculated in levels of ten.
 Ring of Fire :


  This is the coastal belt of the Pacific Ocean (see diagram) which is the home of
many volcanic eruptions, plate movement and major fault lines.
 About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes
occur along the Ring of Fire.
 The Ring of Fire is a direct result of plate tectonics and the movement and
collisions of lithosphere plates.

9. Describe cyclone and explain causes of cyclone.

Cyclone, any large system of winds that circulates about a centre of low atmospheric
pressurein a counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction
to the south. 
There’s no single cause which results in a cyclone, but it’s a chain of events that
finally ends up as a Cyclone.
 A large warm and still ocean area with temperature above 27ºC formed. Due to
this, the air above these area get heated and therefore it rises up.
 The risen air, would make vacancy of air in that region i.e low pressure area.
 The air around rushes to fill that vacant area.
 The air when it rises would also carry a great amount of moisture in the
atmosphere, i.e the water evaporated and turned into vapour is also carried with
the air.
 This moist air on reaching some height, cools down, condensation happens and
clouds are formed.
 The above said processes continues and eventually the clouds became heavy.
 The resulting condensation would release latent heat, that would again heat the
water in those area. Hence it acts like a self-feeding mechanism.
 The air that arrives from vast areas to this area of low pressure in the form of
wind, would get deflected and eventually twists due to Coriolis effect.
 The cyclone is formed.

10. Explain the activities during the recovery process.

Disaster recovery process is not a set of orderly actions triggered by the impact of a
disaster upon a community. It will consist of several related activities such as the
following:
 Damage assessments
 Debris clearance, removal and its environmentally safe disposal
 Restoration and even upgrading utilities including communication networks
 Re-establishment of major transport linkages
 Temporary housing
 Detailed building inspections
 Redevelopment planning
 Environmental assessments
 Demolition
 Reconstruction
 Integrating DRR into various development initiatives
 Financial management
 Economic impact analyses