Topic: disaster management

Introduction on disaster management

1]Disaster Management refers to the measures taken for the safety
and protection of life and property from natural or man-made
disasters. This means being prepared for disasters, fighting disasters
effectively, ensuring the safety of life during disasters and helping in
rebuilding society after the disaster.
2]Disaster : A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a
short or long period of time that causes widespread human,
material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the
ability of the affected community or society to cope using its
own resources.[1][2] Disasters are routinely divided into either
"natural disasters" caused by natural hazards or "human-
instigated disasters" caused from anthropogenic hazards.
However in modern times, the divide between natural, man-
made and man-accelerated disasters is quite difficult to draw.[3]
[4][5]
Examples of natural hazards include: avalanche, coastal
flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat
wave, hurricane (tropical cyclone), ice
storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong
wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter
weather.[6] Anthropogenic hazards can be grouped into societal
hazards (criminality, civil disorder, terrorism, war, industrial
hazards, engineering hazards, power outage, fire; hazards
caused by transportation and environmental hazards.
Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when a disaster
hits – more than 95% of all deaths caused by hazards occur in
developing countries, and losses due to natural hazards are 20
times greater (as a percentage of GDP) in developing countries
than in industrialized countries.
However, it has been found that disasters can be classified into
three types: (1) natural; (2) man-made; and (3) hybrid .
Natural disasters are catastrophic events resulting from natural
causes such as volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, earthquakes,
etc., over which man has no control.
1] natural disaster:
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual
occurrence of natural hazard if it significantly harms a
community".[1] A natural disaster can cause loss of life or
damage property,[2] and typically leaves some economic
damage in its wake. The severity of the damage depends on
the affected population's resilience and on the infrastructure
available.[3] Examples of natural hazards
include: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold
wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane (tropical
cyclone), ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong
wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter
weather
2] man-made disaster:
Man-made disasters have an element of human intent,
negligence, or error involving a failure of a man-made system,
as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards.
Such man-made disasters are crime, arson, civil disorder,
terrorism, war, biological/chemical threat, cyber-attacks, etc. 
1] Terrorism
Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or
property in violation of the criminal laws of the United States for
purposes of intimidation, coercion, or ransom. Terrorists often
use threats to create fear among the public to try to convince
citizens that their government is powerless to prevent terrorism
and to get immediate publicity for their causes.

2] Bomb Threats
If you receive a bomb threat, get as much information from the
caller as possible. Keep the caller on the line and record
everything that is said. Then notify the police and the building
management if applicable. 

If you are notified of a bomb threat, do not touch any suspicious

packages. Clear the area around suspicious packages and
notify the police immediately. In evacuating a building, don't
stand in front of windows, glass doors or other potentially
hazardous areas. Do not block sidewalk or streets to be used
by emergency officials or others still exiting the building. 

3] Suspicious Parcels & Letters 

Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain
explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly
cautious at your place of employment. Some typical
characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years,
which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that:
o Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you
o Are marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal,"
"Confidential" or "Do not x-ray"
o Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors, or stains
o Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn't match the
return address
o Are of unusual weight, given their size, or are lopsided or oddly
shaped
o Are marked with any threatening language
o Have inappropriate or unusual labelling

3] hybrid disaster: A hybrid disaster is a manmade one, when

forces of nature are unleashed as a result of technical
failure or sabotage. The article describes each of the major
disasters and presents an overview of the associated injuries
and their management.

Types of disaster:
 tropical cyclone
 Landslides
 Tornadoes.
 Tsunamis.
 Drought
 Floods
 Earthquakes
 VOLCANIC ERUPTION


 1] tropical cyclone.

A tropical cyclone[a] is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a

closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement
of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and/or squalls. A hurricane is a strong tropical cyclone
that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean or northeastern Pacific Ocean, and a typhoon occurs in the
northwestern Pacific Ocean; in the Indian Ocean, south Pacific, or (rarely) South Atlantic,
comparable storms are referred to simply as "tropical cyclones", and such storms in the Indian
Ocean can also be called "severe cyclonic storms".
"Tropical" refers to the geographical origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively
over tropical seas. "Cyclone" refers to their winds moving in a circle, whirling round their central
clear eye, with their winds blowing counterclockwise in the Northern
Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The opposite direction of circulation is
due to the Coriolis effect. Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm
water. They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface, which
ultimately condenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation.
This energy source differs from that of mid-latitude cyclonic storms, such
as nor'easters and European windstorms, which are fueled primarily by horizontal temperature
contrasts. Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and 2,000 km (62 and 1,243 mi) in
diameter. Every year tropical cyclones impact various regions of the globe including the Gulf
Coast of North America, Australia, India and Bangladesh.

2] LANDSLIDES

Landslides, also known as landslips,[1][2][3] are several forms of mass wasting that may include a
wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows,
and debris flows.[4] Landslides occur in a variety of environments, characterized by either steep or
gentle slope gradients, from mountain ranges to coastal cliffs or even underwater,[5] in which case
they are called submarine landslides. Gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur,
but there are other factors affecting slope stability that produce specific conditions that make a
slope prone to failure. In many cases, the landslide is triggered by a specific event (such as a
heavy rainfall, an earthquake, a slope cut to build a road, and many others), although this is not
always identifiable.
 CASUES:
Landslides occur when the slope (or a portion of it) undergoes some processes that change its
condition from stable to unstable. This is essentially due to a decrease in the shear strength of
the slope material, an increase in the shear stress borne by the material, or a combination of the
two. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, acting together or
alone. Natural causes of landslides include:

 saturation by rain water infiltration, snow melting, or glaciers melting;[6]

 rising of groundwater or increase of pore water pressure (e.g. due to aquifer recharge in
rainy seasons, or by rain water infiltration);[7]
 increase of hydrostatic pressure in cracks and fractures; [7][8]
 loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and soil structure (e.g. after a
wildfire – a fire in forests lasting for 3–4 days);[9]
 erosion of the top of a slope by rivers or sea waves;[10]
 physical and chemical weathering (e.g. by repeated freezing and thawing, heating and
cooling, salt leaking in the groundwater or mineral dissolution); [11][12][13]
 ground shaking caused by earthquakes, which can destabilize the slope directly (e.g., by
inducing soil liquefaction) or weaken the material and cause cracks that will eventually
produce a landslide






 3] Tornadoes.
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of
the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often
referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone,[1] although the word cyclone is used
in meteorology to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the center around which,
from an observer looking down toward the surface of the Earth, winds blow counterclockwise in
the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern. [2] Tornadoes come in many shapes and
sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of
a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it. Most tornadoes have
wind speeds less than 180 km/h (110 mph), are about 80 m (250 feet) across, and travel several
kilometers (a few miles) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds
of more than 480 km/h (300 mph), are more than 3 km (2 miles) in diameter, and stay on the
ground for more than 100 km (dozens of miles).[3][4][5]
Various types of tornadoes include the multiple vortex tornado, landspout, and waterspout.
Waterspouts are characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large
cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. They are generally classified as non-supercellular tornadoes
that develop over bodies of water, but there is disagreement over whether to classify them as
true tornadoes. These spiraling columns of air frequently develop in tropical areas close to
the equator and are less common at high latitudes.[6] Other tornado-like phenomena that exist in
nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirl, and steam devil.

Tornado rating scales

There are several scales for rating the strength of tornadoes. The Fujita scale rates tornadoes by
damage caused and has been replaced in some countries by the updated Enhanced Fujita
Scale. An F0 or EF0 tornado, the weakest category, damages trees, but not substantial
structures. An F5 or EF5 tornado, the strongest category, rips buildings off their foundations and
can deform large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from T0 for extremely weak
tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. [10] Doppler radar data, photogrammetry,
and ground swirl patterns (trochoidal marks) may also be analyzed to determine intensity and
assign a rating.
Case study
4]TSUNAMI

A tsunami (/(t)suːˈnɑːmi, (t)sʊˈ-/ (t)soo-NAH-mee, (t)suu-;[1][2][3][4] from Japanese: 津波, lit. 'harbour
wave',[5] pronounced [tsɯnami]) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of
a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier
calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential
to generate a tsunami.[6] Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides,
which are generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by
the displacement of water from a large event.
Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves because
their wavelength is far longer.[7] Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may
instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide.[8] For this reason, it is often referred to as a tidal
wave,[9] although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because it might give the
false impression of a causal relationship between tides and tsunamis. [10] Tsunamis generally
consist of a series of waves, with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called
"wave train".[11] Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the
impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous, and they
can affect entire ocean basins. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural
disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries
bordering the Indian Ocean.
Case study
5]droght
A drought is an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric (below-
average precipitation), surface water or ground water. A drought can last for months or years, or
may be declared after as few as 15 days.[2] It can have a substantial impact on
the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region[3] and cause harm to the local economy.
[4]
 Annual dry seasons in the tropics significantly increase the chances of a drought developing
and subsequent wildfires. Periods of heat can significantly worsen drought conditions by
hastening evaporation of water vapour.
Drought is a recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world. However, these regular
droughts have become more extreme and more unpredictable due to climate change. In fact
studies based on dendrochronology, or tree rings dating, confirm that drought affected by climate
change goes back to 1900. One can divide the effects of droughts and water shortages into three
groups: environmental, economic and social. Environmental effects include the drying out
of wetlands, more and larger wildfires, loss of biodiversity. Economic consequences include
lower agricultural, forests, game and fishing output, higher food-production costs, problems with
water supply for the energy sector and disruption of water supplies for municipal economies.
Social and health costs include the negative effect on the health of people directly exposed to
this phenomenon (excessive heat waves), high food costs, stress caused by failed
harvests, water scarcity, etc. Prolonged droughts have caused mass
migrations and humanitarian crisis.

Case study

6] floods
A flood is an overflow of water[a] that submerges land that is usually dry.[1] In the sense of "flowing
water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the
discipline hydrology and are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering and public
health. Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of
flooding, for example land use changes such as deforestation and removal of wetlands, changes
in waterway course or flood controls such as with levees, and larger environmental issues such
as climate change and sea level rise. In particular climate change's increased
rainfall and extreme weather events increases the severity of other causes for flooding, resulting
in more intense floods and increased flood risk.[2][3]
Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river, lake, or ocean, in
which the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual
boundaries,[4] or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an areal
flood. While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes
in precipitation and snow melt, these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant
unless they flood property or drown domestic animals.
Case study

7]EARTHQUAKE
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the
Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic
waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt,
to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air and wreak destruction across
entire cities. The seismicity, or seismic activity, of an area is the frequency, type, and size of
earthquakes experienced over a particular time period. The word tremor is also used for non-
earthquake seismic rumbling.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting
the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be
displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides and,
occasionally, volcanic activity.
In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether
natural or caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by
rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine
blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its hypocenter or focus.
The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

Case study
8] VOLCANIC ERUPTION

A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows

hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and
most are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has
volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes
caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and
thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift and the Wells Gray-Clearwater
volcanic field and Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has
been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers
(1,900 mi) deep in the Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is
an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure
the Sun and cool the Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been
followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.

Case study
. Summary
A disaster is a destructive event that occurs suddenly and involves loss of life and property.
Disasters can be of two types, natural and man-made.

Earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis, floods, cyclones, landslides, avalanches and

droughts are natural disasters and man has no control over them.

The man-made disasters are triggered by human beings. Some of the man-made disasters
are: bomb explosions, terrorism, war or civil war, leakage of poisonous chemicals, breach in
dams, air or water pollution, industrial accidents and epidemics.

Whether natural or man-made, these disasters hamper normal routine of the society and
usually affect a large number of people. Disasters can also lead to huge loss of life and
property.
When a disaster strikes a society, external help is usually needed in the form of aid to cope
with its impact.

Disaster Management refers to the measures taken for the safety and protection of life and
property from natural or man-made disasters.
This means being prepared for disasters, fighting disasters effectively, ensuring the safety of
life during disasters and helping in rebuilding society after the disaster.