Disaster Management Notes

10 min readSep 27, 2023

Definition of Disaster Risk

The United Nations defines disaster as “the occurrence of sudden or major misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric and normal functioning of the society or community”.

In general, “risk” is defined as the expectation value of losses (deaths, injuries, property, etc.) that would be caused by a hazard.

Disaster Risk = function (Hazard,Vulnerability,Exposure)

Key components of disaster risk include:

Hazards: Hazards are defined as physical phenomena that pose a threat to the people, structures or economic assets and which may cause a disaster.

2. Vulnerabilities: These are weaknesses or problems that make it easier for bad things to happen or make the effects worse. For example, if a building isn’t built well, it’s more vulnerable to an earthquake.

3. Exposure: This is about how many people and things are in the way of the bad thing. If lots of people live in an area prone to flooding, there’s more exposure to the risk of flooding.

Disaster resilience

Disaster resilience is the ability of individuals, communities, organisations and states to adapt to and recover from hazards, shocks or stresses without compromising long-term prospects for development.

Disaster Risk Management Cycle

The disaster management cycle is a framework that defines the stages of a disaster. It can be used by both organizations and individuals to prepare for and respond to disasters of every kind, including natural disasters, technological disasters, and human-made disasters.

The disaster risk management cycle consists of four phases:

Prevention/Mitigation and Preparedness in the pre-disaster stage
Response and Rehabilitation/Reconstruction in post-disaster stage

In the “Prevention/Mitigation” phase, efforts are made to prevent or mitigate damage (e.g. construction of dikes and dams against floods).
Activities and measures for ensuring an effective response to the impact of hazards are classified as “Preparedness” (e.g. emergency drills and public awareness).
“Response” includes such activities as rescue efforts, first aid, fire fighting and evacuation.
In the “Rehabilitation/Reconstruction” phase, involves longer-term efforts to rebuild and improve communities and infrastructure to reduce future disaster risks.

GOR

RPR

**Classification of Risk Treatment for Natural Disasters**

Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy:

A Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategy is a comprehensive plan developed by governments, organizations, or communities to reduce the impact of disasters on people, property, and the environment.

Key components and principles of a Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy:

Early Warning Systems
Community Preparedness
Infrastructure Development
Disaster Management Training
Rural Evacuation Plans
Reforestation
Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR)
Education and Awareness
International Cooperation
Resource Mobilization

Disaster Risk Assessment

Hazard Identification
Vulnerability Assessment
Exposure Analysis
Risk Analysis
Mapping and Visualization
Scenario Development
Impact Assessment
Risk Evaluation
Mitigation and Preparedness Planning
Community Engagement
Continuous Monitoring and Updating
Communication and Education

Earthquake

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.

Causes: Earthquakes are primarily caused by the movement of tectonic plates, which make up the Earth’s outer shell. When these plates interact, they can either collide, move apart, or slide past each other. This movement creates stress along faults, and when this stress exceeds the strength of the rocks, it is released in the form of seismic energy.

Seismic Waves: Earthquakes generate several types of seismic waves, including primary waves (P-waves), secondary waves (S-waves), and surface waves. P-waves are the fastest and travel through solids, liquids, and gases. S-waves are slower and only travel through solids. Surface waves are responsible for the most damage at the Earth’s surface.

Earthquakes are recorded by instruments called seismographs. The recording they make is called a seismogram.

India is divided into the following seismic zones:

Zone 2: Zone 2 is considered low to moderate risk seismic zone including Rajasthan.
Zone 3: Zone 3 is considered a moderate risk seismic zone Gujarat, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Zone 4: This is a high-risk seismic zone and including Jammu and Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Zone 5: Zone 5 is the highest-risk seismic zone including Andaman and Nicobar ,Myanmar.

Agencies involved in earthquake monitoring and research in India

1. Indian Meteorological Department

2. National Centre for Seismology

3. Geological Survey of India (GSI)

4. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

5. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Seismology Departments

Flood

Floods, due to changes in climate or heavy rainfall, can occur as the overflow of rivers or lakes.

Types of Floods:

Riverine Floods: These occur when rivers overflow their banks due to excessive rainfall or snowmelt. Riverine floods typically develop more slowly and can be predicted in advance to some extent.
Flash Floods: Flash floods due to heavy rainfall, dam breaks, or sudden stormwater runoff. They can be extremely dangerous due to their sudden and unpredictable nature.
Coastal Flooding: Coastal flood due to storms, hurricanes, or high tides. It can lead to significant damage.

Hazards Map for Flood:

Flood-Prone Areas
Evacuation Routes
Safe Shelters
Emergency Services
Flood Gauges
Community Awareness

Real Situation Example-

The Uttarakhand disaster of June 2013, also known as the Kedarnath disaster.

Some of the key lessons learned from this tragic event include:

Early Warning Systems
Infrastructure Planning and Regulation
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Community Awareness and Education
Sustainable Development Practices
Infrastructure Resilience
Emergency Communication Systems
Climate Change Adaptation
Interagency Coordination
Post-Disaster Recovery Planning

Drought

Drought is a natural disaster in which a region experiences an unusually low amount of rainfall and a scarcity of water.

Types:

Meteorological Drought: This type of drought occurs due to a lack of rainfall caused by natural conditions.
Agricultural Drought: This type of drought is particularly dangerous for farmers because it involves a shortage of water for crops.
Hydrological Drought: In this type of drought, there is a deficiency of water that is suitable for conservation. This can also harm rivers and lakes.

Causes:

Climate Change
Lack of Water Conservation

Drought Mitigation:

a. Water Availability
b. Reducing Water Stress
c. Community Resilience

Mining

Mining is a process where we extract minerals, metals, or other valuable resources from beneath the Earth’s surface. However, this activity can often be hazardous to the environment.

Causes:

Deforestation
Soil Erosion
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Loss of Biodiversity
Land Degradation
Noise Pollution

Nuclear Disasters

In Japan, there have been two major nuclear disasters, one of which was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011), and the other was the Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bomb attacks (1945).

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011)

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake struck Japan, followed by a tsunami known as the Tohoku tsunami. The tsunami damaged the safety systems of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and caused the cooling systems to fail. As a result, the nuclear reactors overheated, leading to a radiation leak.

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Attacks (1945)

During World War II, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The attacks used atomic bombs named ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man.’

How to prevent nuclear disasters:

Safety Protocols
Regular Inspections
Disaster Preparedness
International Cooperation
Public Awareness

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off.

A rainwater harvesting system comprises components of various stages — transporting rainwater through pipes or drains, filtration, and storage in tanks for reuse or recharge.

Components of Rainwater Harvesting

Chauka are a geographically-specific water-harvesting naturebased solutions (NBSs), implemented on common grazing land, innovated specifically addressing the unique low slope and saline conditions of Laporiya village of Rajasthan.

Chauka comprise interlocking networks of low bunds on three sides of a rectangle on non-arable areas built from spoil won from pits inside the rectangle.

Spillways at the upstream edges of the bunds allow the free flow of water into adjacent bunded rectangles, and from field-to-field.

Water intercepted from monsoon run-off is detained in the chauka, increasing soil moisture and recharging shallow groundwater.

Applications and Advantages of Hazard Maps for Sabo in Japan

Definition of “Sabo”: In Japan, “Sabo” refers to erosion and sediment control measures.

Japan experiences approximately 1,000 sediment-related disasters each year.Between 1967 and 2000 5,890 lives were lost due to natural disasters, with 54% of these attributed to sediment-related incidents.

The Japanese government recognized the importance of identifying sediment-related disaster-prone sites and informing the public about them.

Hazard Maps: As a result of decades of efforts since the 1960s, by 2002, 44% of municipalities with sediment-related disaster-prone areas had made their hazard maps available to the public.

Enactment of the Act (2001) Japan established two designations for areas based on their risk levels:

Sediment-related Disaster Hazard Area (Yellow Zone):
1. a lower risk level.
2. Early warning systems and awareness-raising initiatives are required in these zones.
Special Sediment-related Disaster Hazard Area (Red Zone):
1. a Higher risk level.
2. Stricter regulations apply to these zones.

Hazard maps have two major functions:

One is to increase people’s awareness of sediment-related disasters.
The other is to improve co-operation among emergency responders.

Diaster Mangement Team in India

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
Fire Services

National policy & plans on disaster management

National Earthquake Risk Reduction Policy
National Flood Policy
National Policy on Disaster Management
National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase-II
National Disaster Response Plan

A National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) is a comprehensive strategy and framework developed by a government to guide its response to various types of disasters and emergencies.

Key points for preparing and implementing the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP):

Awareness
Availability of Resources
Preparation of NDRP
Approval of NDRP
Administrative Coordination
Training and Drills
Monitoring and Review

Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) method

The COVID-19 outbreak started in Wuhan, China and quickly affected the Chinese economy; as a result, supplies in worldwide supply chains were considerably diminished. The first case of COVID-19 in india was detected in Pune on 9th March 2020.

The FIS method uses fuzzy logic rules to map inputs to outputs.

Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) used in control system, classification and various other systems.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT LESSONS OF COVID-19

5 Ps Disaster Management adapted by India

1. Proof of Concept with Social Experiment
2. Proactive Approach
3. People management
4. Partnership
5. Preparation and Collaboration

Biological Disasters

Biological disasters are situations where a lot of people, animals, and plants get sick or die because of tiny living things like bacteria, viruses, or harmful substances.

Example

COVID-19

Biological Disaster has two main forms:

Epidemic: An epidemic is a disease outbreak that is rapidly spreading in a limited region.
Pandemic: A pandemic is an epidemic that is actively spreading to multiple regions across the globe.