Disaster Response

DISASTER RESPONSE
• Disaster Response has two
elements namely:
• Pre-Disaster Planning
• Post Disaster Response

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 (1) Pre-disaster Planning

Pre-disaster planning is a comprehensive

range of efforts made to ensure that the
destructive and disruptive effects of a
disaster is reduced or neutralized if it occurs.
*Japan has been considered in the past to
have the highest degree of pre-disaster
preparedness in the World
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What makes up Pre-Disaster Planning?
• Pre-Disaster Planning consists of 3 components:
Disaster Prevention, mitigation and Disaster
Preparedness.
a) Disaster Prevention: Focuses on the hazard that
causes the disaster and tries to eliminate or
neutralize its direct effects.
Examples of disaster prevention is the construction
of a dam to prevent flooding, construction of
tsunamis wall etc. –surge gates in Japan. in the
Bible Joseph assisted Egypt to prepare against the
seven years of famine.

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 b) Disaster Mitigation:
• Focuses on measures taken to minimize
the destructive effects of a disaster on
human structures, human systems and
human beings. It aims at reducing
vulnerability
• Mitigation efforts offer the most cost-
effective way of dealing with disasters.

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 Mitigation cotd
Most mitigation measures can be integrated with
normal development activities at very minimal costs.
Some examples of mitigation include:
•Strengthening buildings so that they are resistant to
strong winds.
•Planting of drought resistant crops
•Adoption of land use controls to restrict
development in high risk areas
•In Kabale the locals have adopted use of terracing
•In Buganda the Katikiro has introduced planting of
useful trees during introduction ceremonies
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 Mitigation cotd
• Development of diversified economies so that
losses in one sector may not be absorbed by
others.
Note: Reducing harmful effects of disasters
require actions on three fronts:
• Reducing vulnerability of physical
settlements
• Reducing vulnerability of the economy

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 Mitigation cotd
• Strengthening the social structure of a
community so that coping mechanism
can absorb the shock of a disaster and promote
rapid recovery.

@ is discussed in details ahead!

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 (i) Reducing physical vulnerability
Steps in reducing physical vulnerability
include the following:
1) Identify high risk area. This is done by
relating the hazard to the terrain and to the
probability that it will occur. This is known
as risk mapping.

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2) The second step is to identify those communities
that are susceptible to damage or destruction. This is
done by relating risks to human settlements and
their structures to determine whether a community
is situated on a site within a high risk area.
3) The third step is the selection of vulnerability
reduction strategy which may include relocation to
safer sites, strengthening of buildings and planting of
trees on slopes of hills.

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 ii) Reducing economic vulnerability
In reducing economic vulnerability
the steps followed as similar to the
ones in reducing physical vulnerability
1) Identify those areas where there are high
probabilities that hazards will occur
2) Identify sectors in the economy that are vulnerable
to hazards. This is done by relating hazard risk to
economic activities or means of production

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3) Selection of vulnerability reduction strategy
to protect the economy, for example:
economic diversification (production of crops,
trees, livestock rearing and non-farm income
earning activities)

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 iii) Reducing vulnerability of Community
Social Structure
1. Institution Building: Institutions such as local
governments, NGOs, CBOs that can serve as
coping mechanisms can be identified and
strengthened by improving their
organizational structures, knowledge and
leadership in disaster management.

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2. Increase the coping mechanisms within a
community (eg. rotating credit associations or
groups, encouraging communities to diversify their
production, initiate seed bank).
3. Broaden contacts of local groups and encourage
cooperation among groups within society.

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 c) Disaster Preparedness:
Focuses on developing plans to respond to a disaster once it
threatens or has occurred. Two major concerns: Before &
Post Disaster Aspects
Preparedness is an estimation of emergency needs and the
identification of the resources to meet the needs. Examples of
disaster preparedness include:
(i) Establishment of emergency command
(ii)Development of a preparedness plan that
sets out the sequence of activities and
responsibilities of each participant

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(iii) A preparedness plan includes rescue and
evacuation plan, and emergency plan for
hospitals and estimation of human capacity and
resources needed to implement it.
(iv) Development of tools necessary to respond
and implement the plan. This include communication
networks, transport system, strategic placement of
search and rescue equipment and resources to be
used in the response.

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(v) Establishment of communication system
(vi) Training in search and rescue and first
aid
(vii) Training the community members: A preparedness
plan and tools are of little value unless people know
how to effectively use them.

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 What training entails
General training for all employees should include :
Train and Drill Staff has to know what to do.
- individual roles and responsibilities
- information about threats, hazards, and protective actions
- notification, warning and communications procedures
- means for locating family members
- emergency response procedures
- evacuation, shelter, and accountability procedures
- location and use of common emergency equipment
- emergency shutdown procedures
 Preparedness cotd
• Build emergency preparedness into the culture
of the organization.
E.g. Orientation sessions for new employees and
this should include an overview of the contents
and a copy of the preparedness manual.
• Thinking ahead to the possibilities of what can
go wrong and make contingency plans. This
involves developing a risk register
 Cot’d
When analyzing risks, factors to consider include: 
•Historical: What types of emergencies have occurred in the
community, at your facility, or nearby? (for example, fire, natural
disasters, accidents, utility, etc.)
•Geographic: What can happen as a result of your location? (e.g.,
proximity to: flood-prone areas; hazardous material production, storage
or use; major transportation routes; power plants, etc.)
•Human Error: What emergencies might be caused by employees?
Are employees trained to work safely? Do they know what to do in an
emergency? Human errors can result from poor training and
supervision, carelessness, misconduct, substance abuse, fatigue, etc.
•Physical: What types of emergencies could result from the design or
construction of the facility? Does the physical facility enhance safety?
Consider the: physical construction of the office; the facilities for storing
combustibles or toxins; hazardous processes or byproducts; lighting;
evacuation routes and exits; shelter areas, etc.
 2. POST-DISASTER RESPONSE
Post-disaster response consist of 3
components namely Disaster
Emergency, Disaster Rehabilitation
and Disaster Reconstruction
a) Disaster Emergency Response: refers to
activities aimed at saving lives when disaster
strikes.

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 Emergency response
• Disaster emergency response involves implementing
disaster preparedness plan.
• This may include search and rescue, evacuation from
areas still vulnerable to disaster, provision of first aid
or medical assistance, provision of temporary
shelters, restoration of transportation and
communication links, and assessment of people and
private and public property affected.

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 b) Disaster Rehabilitation
• In rehabilitation efforts are made to restore
the most pressing services and the most
essential Infrastructure and facilities.
• It includes repairing shelters, transport
infrastructure, water, sanitation and drainage
systems, creation of new jobs, offering of
credit facilities and initiation of projects to
address the consequences of the disaster.

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 C) Reconstruction:
• Is characterized by the physical reordering of the
community and physical environment
• It involves reconstruction of houses, roads and other
community infrastructure and facilities
• Reconstruction more importantly means taking the
community to a situation better than the one before
the disaster

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 Reconstruction cotd
• This is because the situation before the disaster may
have contributed to the disaster
• In reconstruction, if settlements were located along a
river valley, they have to be relocated to higher and
safer ground away from the path of floods for
instance
• It also means that houses in the settlements must be
reconstructed in such a manner that they are
resistant to floods, strong winds and earthquakes
among others

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 Reconstruction cotd
• Reconstruction also entails strengthening the
economy and the social organization of the
community to enable them cope with future
disasters (integration of mitigation in reconstruction
and development)
• Reconstruction means equitable distribution of
resources and opportunities to minimize conflict in
society
• Reconstruction means educating people in disaster
management, including conflict management and
resolution
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 Reconstruction cotd
• Reconstruction provide opportunity for
planned development to ensure that the
communities and the country as a whole is
resistant to hazards and that if hazards occur
there is minimum damage which would
ensure that human development endure.

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 10 Steps in Disaster Recovery
1. Top management Support
2. Disaster management Planning Committee
3. Perform a Risk Assessment
i. Identify and Rank Key Functions
ii. Avoid the ‘Black Box’ Trap
4. Prioritize your threats
5. Establish critical Systems priorities
6. Develop Recovery Plan

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 10 Steps in Disaster Recovery …
7. Adopt the ‘three Cs’
i. Communication
ii. Cooperation
iii. Coordination
8. Train your people
9. Communicate your plan
10. Don’t quit

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 Disaster paradigm
D: Detection
I: Incident Command
S: Safety & Security
A: Assess Hazards
S: Support
T: Triage & Treatment
E: Evacuation
R: Recovery
 END!
• Questions, Comments and Concerns are
welcome!

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