Disaster Management

Unit:1 Introduction
Outline
●Concepts, definition, classification, causes,
impacts -Disaster
●Concepts, definition, classification, causes,
impacts-Hazard, Vulnerability
●Concepts, definition, classification, causes,
impacts-Risk Capacity and Resilience
Disaster:
Refers to a sudden event that disrupts the normal
functioning of society and causes a high level of
suffering related to human, material, and economic or
environmental losses, beyond the coping capacity of
the society*
*http://ndma.gov.in/sites/default/files/PDF/national-dm-policy2009.pdf
**www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/
https://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/7656.pdf
 Disaster as per Disaster Management Act, 2005,
India
“A catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in
any area, arising from natural or man made causes, or by
accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of
life or human suffering, or damage to and destruction of
property, or damage to or degradation of environment and
is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the
coping capacity of the community of the affected area.”
Major impacts of Disasters
● Loss of life, property and livelihood
● Risk on economy and society
● Disruption of normal life; psychological/behavioural
issues
● Interruption in infrastructure transport, communication
and resource distribution
● Mass migration, poverty, hunger
● Demand for primary needs; water, food, shelter,
clothing, medical facilities
● Social unrest, threat to law and order
● Spread of diseases
 Classification and causes of disaster
Disaster

Human causes
Natural causes
/anthropogenic

Tsunami, hurricanes, and volcano

eruption are some Eg of natural
disasters
Classification of Natural causes of disaster
Natural Disaster

Sudden occurrence Progressive occurrence

STORM LANDSLIDE
& monocausal & multiscale

EARTHQUAKE DROUGHT
HEAT WAVE EPIDEMIC

VOLCANIC PEST FLOOD

ERUPTION TSUNAMI
 Natural Disasters
EARTHQUAKE
● Earth releases accumulated stress by moving lithospheric or crustal
plates which creates seismic waves, triggers landslides, tsunami etc
● The magnitude of an earthquake is reported in Richter scale unit
● Richter scale level 6 and above create serious effects
● Usually sudden; forecasting is not possible
● Avoiding earthquake prone areas for inhabiting, infrastructure
development is the only way to avoid such disasters
 Natural Disasters

LANDSLIDES
● Landslides occur when ground on slopes becomes unstable
● The unstable ground collapses and flows down the side of a hill or
mountain, and may consist of earth, rocks, mud or any debri which
may be caught in its wake.
● Landslides mostly happen during heavy rain, cloudburst
● If a landslide occurs near inhabited areas, it can cause a great deal of
damage.
 Natural Disasters

VOLCANIC ERUPTION
● Happens when lava, poisonous gases, flying rocks and ash are
discharged from a volcanic vent
● Most dangerous volcanic eruption is “glowing avalanche”-
magma with a temperature of up to 1200º C from hot pyroclastic
flow at almost 40 km speed along more than 10 km distance
 Natural Disasters

TSUNAMI
● Japanese word meaning “harbour wave”
● Seismic sea wave, generated due to the sudden displacement in
the sea caused by earthquake, landslides or volcanic activities
● Tsunami can originate 100s to 1000s miles away from the
coast
● Triggers of tsunami can be earthquakes, volcanic eruption,
meteorite activity etc.
 Natural Disasters

HEAT/COLDWAVE
● Long period of extreme hot and sometimes humid /Cold
weather condition
● Kills human and other living organisms
● Reduce air quality
● Cold wave with snowfall can immobilize a region
● Cold wave during winter can trigger flood/storm surge etc.
 Natural Disasters

DROUGHT
● Rainfall deficiency in an area for a prolonged duration
● Arid and semi-arid regions are highly prone
● Kills animals and plants
● Reduce the air quality
● Impact affects the socio-economy of a region
● Poverty, hunger, malnutrition, migration etc are some of
the major outcomes
 Natural Disasters
FLOOD
• Caused from unpredicted and continuous precipitation for long duration
• May result in overflow of water that submerges land which is usually

dry.
• Floods can cause widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and

damages.
• Between 1998-2017, floods affected more than 2 billion people

worldwide
 Natural Disasters
FLOOD
3 common types of floods:
●
Flash floods caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water
heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or roads may be
overtaken.
●
River floods caused when consistent rain or snow melt force a river to
exceed capacity.
●
Coastal floods caused by storm surges associated with tropical
cyclones and tsunami.
 Natural Disasters

EPIDEMICS
● Unusual increase of cases of an infectious disease in a region or
population
● Derived from greek words  epikos (a tale/story) and daimōn
(supernatural power)
● Epidemics may be the consequence of disasters of another kind,
such as tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, droughts etc.
Epidemics may also attack animals, causing local economic
disasters.
 Natural Disasters

AVALANCHES
● Masses of snow, ice, and rocks that fall rapidly down a mountainside.
● Terrain, snowpack and weather conditions are the factors to induce avalanche
● Human-triggered avalanches are not unusual. Human activities lead in
collapsing a weak ice sheath, fracturing overlaying mass of snow
● Earthquakes can also trigger strong avalanches
 Natural Disasters
STORM
● Develops either as a result of a confluence of warm and cold winds
over the ocean following a thunderstorm, or when differing areas of
wind pressures conflict.
● Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons are powerful storms that have
wind speed in excess of 119 km/hour
● A storm is generally referred to as a Cyclone, Hurricane or Typhoon
based on where the storm takes place. Cyclones take place over the
Indian Ocean, Hurricanes take place over the North Atlantic Ocean,
Typhoons take place over the Pacific Ocean
 Natural Disasters

WILDFIRES
● Wildfires occur when vegetated areas are set alight.
● Common during hot and dry periods.
● Occur in forests, grasslands, brush and deserts; with sufficient wind can
rapidly spread.
● Most common causes are lightning strikes, sparks during arid conditions,
eruption of volcanoes, and man-made fires from deliberate arson or accidents
 Classification of human causes of disaster

● FIRE
Sudden occurrence & ● EXPLOSION
monocausal ● COLLISION
D ● SHIPWRECK
● STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE
I
S
A ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
S
T
E
R Progressive occurrence ● WAR
& multiscale ● ECONOMIC CRISES
 Human made/ anthropogenic disasters
● Human-made disasters have an element of human intent,
negligence, or error involving
- Social conflicts, emergencies include chemical spills, hazardous
material spills, explosions, chemical or biological attacks, nuclear
blast, train accidents, plane crashes, environmental pollution
● may adversely affect humans, other organisms, biomes, and
ecosystems
 Human made/ anthropogenic disasters

COMPLEX EMERGENCIES AND CONFLICTS

● Humanitarian crisis in a population
● Characterised by war like situation, lack of law and order
● Extensive violence and loss of life
● Large scale displacement of population- refugees
● Widespread socio-economic damages
 Human made/ anthropogenic disasters
FAMINE(karuvu)
● Multifactorial origin
● Mostly by curtailment in the distribution chain by hoarding;
climate change, epidemics, civilian unrest etc can be other reason
● Malnutrition affects health situation-increase spread of diseases
 Human made/ anthropogenic disasters
ACCIDENTS
● Industrial and transportation accidents
● Transportation/infrastructure accidents disrupt
movement of people and population
● Industrial accidents, chemical explosion, nuclear
explosion, mine explosion sometimes take long time to
revert to normalcy
Compound disaster and Complex disaster

● “A compound disaster is defined as an emergency situation

with adverse consequences resulting from different, but related,
disaster-agents”
Eg: an earthquake followed by a fire outbreak, gas leakage, that
disrupt water supply results in outbreak of water-borne diseases

● Complex disaster is a human-made emergency where intense

levels of political condition such as civil conflict, results in a
collapse of political authority
Disasters classification-High Powered Committee (2001)
NIDM
I. Water and Climate related disasters
II. Geological disasters
III. Chemical, Industrial and Nuclear disasters
IV. Accident related disasters
V. Biological disasters
Water and Climate related disasters
1. Floods and Drainage Management
2. Cyclones
3. Tornadoes and Hurricanes
4. Hailstorm
5. Cloud Burst
6. Heat Wave and Cold Wave
7. Snow Avalanches
8. Droughts
9. Sea Erosion
10 Thunder and Lightning
Geological disasters

1. Landslides and Mudflows

2. Earthquakes
3. Dam Failures/ Dam Bursts
4. Mine Fires
Chemical, Industrial and Nuclear disasters
1. Disaster in Chemical and Industrial set-ups
2. Nuclear Disasters
Accident related disasters
1. Forest Fires
2. Urban Fires
3. Mine Flooding
4. Oil Spill
5. Major Building Collapse
6. Serial Bomb Blasts
7. Festival related disasters
8. Electrical Disasters and Fires
9. Air, Road and Rail Accidents
10. Boat Capsizing
11. Village Fire
Biological disasters

1. Biological Disasters and Epidemics

2. Pest Attacks ( Locusts )
3. Cattle Epidemics
4. Food Poisoning
Outline
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes,
impacts -Disaster
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes,
impacts-Hazard, Vulnerability
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes,
impacts-Capacity, Risk and Resilience
 Hazard
“A hazard is a process, phenomenon or human activity
that may cause loss of life, injury or other health
impacts, property damage, social and economic
disruption or environmental degradation.Hazards may
be natural, anthropogenic or socionatural in origin”

www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/
https://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/7656.pdf
https://youtu.be/MeCw010x8H8
Disaster occurs when Hazard and Vulnerability
meet:
 Hazard- Classification
Hazard can be Natural (sometimes termed physical) or
Technological (sometimes called human-made or human-induced)
and potential to harm people or cause property damage, social and
economic disruption.

The location of natural hazards depends on natural processes;

movement of tectonic plates, the influence of weather systems, and
the existence of waterways and slopes are some influential factors

Risk drivers such as urbanization, environmental degradation and

climate change can influence occurrence (frequency) and intensity
of hazards
 Hazard -types
Biological hazards

Having organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors, including

pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and bioactive substances.
Eg: bacteria, viruses or parasites, venomous animals poisonous plants and
other vectors.

Read also: A room, a bar and a classroom: how the coronavirus is spread through the air
 Hazard -types
Environmental hazards are of chemical, natural and biological hazards.

Eg: environmental degradation or physical or chemical pollution in the air, water

and land

However, many of the processes and phenomena that fall into this category may be
termed as drivers to hazard and risk rather than hazards in themselves, such as soil
degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, salinization and sea-level rise

Read also: Sea Level Rise may erode development in Africa

 Hazard -types
Geological or geophysical hazards originate from internal earth
processes.
Earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, rockslides, surface collapses and
debri or mud flows
Hydrometeorological factors are important contributors to some of these
processes.
Tsunami triggered by undersea earthquakes and other geological events, though
difficult to classify, manifested as a coastal water-related hazard.

Read also: China: Cascading down the mountain

 Hazard -types
Hydrometeorological hazards: atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic
origin.

Tropical storms, floods,drought, heatwaves and cold spells

Hydrometeorological conditions may also be a factor in other hazards such as

landslides, wildland fires, locust plagues, epidemics and in the transport and dispersal of
toxic substances and volcanic eruption material

Read also: Climate change causes landfalling hurricanes to stay stronger for longer
 Hazard -types
Technological hazards: from technological/industrial conditions; dangerous procedures,
infrastructure failures/ human activities.

Industrial pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic wastes, dam failures, transport accidents, factory
explosions, fires and chemical spills.

May arise as a result of the impacts of other natural hazard event.

Read also: We must not wait for the next ammonium nitrate blast - solutions exist to improve safety
 Vulnerability
Vulnerability is the lack of ability or condition of an individual or a society to anticipate, cope with,
resist and recover from a hazard.

It is the human dimension of disasters resulting in the range of economic, social, cultural, institutional,
political and psychological factors that shape people’s lives and their environment

Video: What makes people vulnerable?

**www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/
https://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/7656.pdf
 Vulnerability
● Exposure to harm, or event causing susceptibility to harm
● Understanding vulnerability requires more than analysing the
direct impacts of a hazard.
● Vulnerability also concerns the wider environmental and social
conditions that limit people and communities to cope with the
impact of hazard.
● Poverty and the other multidimensional factors and drivers may
create vulnerability.
● Poverty is both a driver and consequence of disaster risk
 Factors related to Vulnerability
● Physical factors
e.g. poor design/mode of construction of infrastructure,
unregulated land use planning
Read also

● Social factors
e.g. poverty and inequality, marginalisation, social exclusion
and discrimination by gender, social status, disability and age,
psychological factors, etc.
Read also
 Factors related to Vulnerability
● Economic factors
e.g. the uninsured informal sector, vulnerable rural livelihoods,
dependence on single industries, globalisation of business and
supply chains, etc.
Read also
● Environmental factors
e.g. poor environmental management, overconsumption of
natural resources, decline of risk regulating ecosystem services,
climate change, etc.
Read also
Outline
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes, impacts -Disaster
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes, Impacts-Hazard,
Vulnerability
●Concepts, definitions classification, causes, impacts-Risk
Capacity and Resilience
 Risk

“Is the probability of harmful consequences or expected losses

resulting from interaction between hazards and vulnerability”

RISK= HAZARDS × VULNERABILITY

Mostly results of development processes that generate conditions of

exposure, vulnerability and hazard.
 Risk

Risk is combination of the severity and frequency of a hazard, the

numbers of people and assets exposed to the hazard, and their
vulnerability to damage.

Intensive risk: risk associated with low-probability high-impact

events Extensive risk: risk associated with high-probability, low-
impact events
 Risk Assessment

Method to estimate possible economic, infrastructure, and

social impacts arising from a particular hazard or multiple
hazards
Disaster Risk= function ( Hazard, Exposure and Vulnerability)
Exposure represents the stock of property and infrastructure and people
exposed to a hazard
 Risk Assessment
A comprehensive risk assessment methods (UNDP)
Step 1: Understanding of current situation, needs and gaps:
examine the existing measures including institutional capacities and
infrastructure through systematic inventory/evaluation of data and
information
Step 2: Hazard assessment: to identify the nature, location,
intensity and likelihood of major hazards prevailing in a community
or society
Step 3: Exposure assessment : to identify population and assets at
risk and delineate disaster prone areas
 Risk Assessment
Step 4: Vulnerability analysis: determine the capacity (or lack of
it) of elements at risk to withstand the given hazard scenarios
Step 5: Loss/impact analysis : potential losses of exposed
population, property, services, livelihoods and environment, and
assess their impacts
Step 6: Risk profiling and evaluation: identify cost-effective risk,
reduction socio--economic losses, capacity building
Step 7: Formulation or revision of Disaster Risk Reduction
strategies and action plans setting priorities, allocating resources
and initiating DRR programmes
 Capacity
Capacity/disaster preparedness: measures taken to reduce the
effects of disasters

It is the combination of all strengths, attributes and resources

available to manage/reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience

Capacity: infrastructure, institutions, human knowledge and skills,

and collective attributes such as social relationships, leadership and
management
 Capacity
Coping capacity: ability of people, organizations and systems, using
skills/resources and manage risk or disasters; requires good management in
normal situation as well as during disasters, reduce disaster risks.
Capacity assessment is the process by which the capacity of a group,
organization or society is reviewed
Capacity development is the process by which people, organizations and
society systematically stimulate and develop their capacities over time to
achieve social and economic goals.

Read also: Partnerships and capacity building strategies: experiences from India
Preparedness improve resilience and reduce risks due to disasters
 Resilience
Resilience is the capacity to recover from a sudden risk/disaster

“The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to

resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the
effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through
the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and
functions through risk management.
Core elements of disaster resilience
Context:Whose resilience is being built (social group, socio-economic or
political system, environmental context or institution).

Disturbance: What shocks and/or stresses the group aims to be resilient to.

Capacity to respond: The ability of a system or process to deal with a

shock/stress depends on exposure

Reaction: how to react to hazard; in the worst-case scenario, the system

collapses, leading to a catastrophic reduction in capacity to cope with the
future.