Disaster Response

By,
USMAN ILYAS
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department
University of Management & Technology, Lahore
 Disaster Response
• Disaster response consists of a number of
elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search
and rescue, providing immediate assistance,
assessing damage, continuing assistance and the
immediate restoration of infrastructure.
• The aim of emergency response is to provide
immediate assistance to maintain life, improve
health and support the morale of the affected
population.
 Disaster Response
• Such assistance may range from providing specific
but limited aid, provide temporary shelter, and
food, to establishing semi-permanent settlement in
camps and other locations.
• It also may involve initial repairs to damaged
infrastructure.
 Disaster Response
• The focus in the response phase is on meeting the
basic needs of the people until more permanent
and sustainable solutions can be found.
• The main responsibility to address these needs and
respond to a disaster lies with the government or
governments in whose territory the disaster has
occurred.
 Disaster Response
• In addition, Humanitarian organizations are often
strongly present in this phase of the disaster
management cycle, particularly in countries where
the government lacks the resources to respond
adequately to the needs.
 Disaster Response
• Response encompasses the decisions and actions
taken to deal with the immediate effects of an
emergency. In many scenarios it is likely to be
relatively short and to last for a matter of hours or
days—rapid implementation of arrangements for
collaboration, co-ordination and communication
are, therefore, vital.
• Response encompasses the effort to deal not only
with the direct effects of the emergency itself (e.g.
fighting fires, rescuing individuals) but also the
indirect effects (e.g. disruption, media interest).
Common objectives for responders are:
• Saving and protecting human life;
• Relieving suffering;
• Containing the emergency – limiting spread and
mitigating its impacts;
• Providing the public and businesses with warnings,
advice and information;
• Protecting the health and safety of responding
personnel;
• Safeguarding the environment;
• As far as reasonably practicable, protecting
property;
Common objectives for responders are:
• Maintaining or restoring critical activities;
• Maintaining normal services at an appropriate
level;
• Promoting and facilitating self-help in affected
communities;
• Facilitating investigations and inquiries (e.g. by
preserving the scene and effective records
management);
Common objectives for responders are:
• Facilitating the recovery of the community
(including the humanitarian assistance, economic,
infrastructure and environmental impacts);
• Evaluating the response and recovery effort.
 Disaster Response Organizations
A great deal of assistance in the wake of any disaster
comes from charities, disaster response and non-
governmental organizations.
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement
• Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors
Without Borders
 2005 Earthquake
• The earthquake affected a population of
approximately 3.5 million people either directly or
indirectly, and the logistics of administering aid and
relief efforts have been extremely difficult .
• In addition to the numbers of deaths, the human
cost includes amputees, orphans, unhygienic
conditions resulting in disease, and severe
malnutrition.
 2005 Earthquake
• The early days of the disaster response were
marked by uncoordinated efforts among a whole
host of organizations involved in relief work.
• A coordinating structure was later created by the
government under the Federal Relief Commission
(FRC) and the ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction &
Rehabilitation Authority) to coordinate activities
with other international agencies and NGOs.
 2005 Earthquake
• According to the World Bank, the relief work will
cost $2 billion. According to another estimate,
approximately 0.5 million tents, 3.5 million
blankets, 60,000 tons of food, and 3,000 tons of
medicine have been required.
 2005 Earthquake
• Shelter strategy was organized around three
populations: people who lived in houses in the
lower elevations, people living in higher elevations
who could come to the lower elevations, and
people living in inaccessible snowline areas (5,000-
7,000 feet).
 2005 Earthquake
• People were provided with tented villages managed
by some agency.
• Survivors are being taught to build transitional
shelter using material from retrieved debris,
reinforced with locally available materials such as
timber in addition to the corrugated galvanized iron
sheets provided to them.
 Government, army and civil society
response
• The immediate response from the Government, the
Army, civil society and the population at large was
immediate and exemplary. The Government
established a Federal Relief Commission (FRC)
within days of the disaster to mount coordinated
action for rescue and relief operations.
• A massive response was mounted by civil society
organizations, the population at large and the
affected people.
 Government, army and civil society
response
• The Government also created the Earthquake
Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to
support medium- to long-term rebuilding efforts.
• It functions as the main interface between the
Government and international institutions, other
international organizations, as well as national
authorities and philanthropist organizations
focusing on the rehabilitation of the stricken areas.
 Government, army and civil society
response
• On 17 October, the Prime Minister of Pakistan
announced a 12 Point Plan for Relief, Recovery and
Reconstruction. In addition, the Government
presented a National Plan of Action on November,
to meet the logistical and organizational challenges
posed by the earthquake.
• Under the National Plan of Action, financial support
on the order of several billion rupees was approved
to compensate survivors for loss of life, injuries and
damage to property.
 Government, army and civil society
response
• In addition, government assistance includes the re-
building of 'warm rooms' for the winter and the
provision of 'one room transitional shelter‘.
• Other resources will be organized through a
National Volunteer Movement and the private
sector. Special provisions will be made to avoid
mismanagement during the rehabilitation and
reconstruction work.
 Organization of the international
response and main actions
• The international support for rescue, relief and
early recovery has been organized in 10 sectoral
cluster groups, bringing together the Government
and a broad range of UN and other humanitarian
partners.
• Considering the challenges under which the
humanitarian community is operating -- the large
number of people affected and the narrow time
window for reaching out to the affected areas -- the
progress of the operation has been exemplary.
THANKS