Disaster Management

Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters. The direct or indirect impact of the disasters has always been deadly, destructive and damaging. They cause loss of life to the humans as well as livestock. A disaster is any event, natural or man-caused, which creates an intense negative impact on people, goods and services, and/or the environment, and exceeds the affected community’s internal capability to respond, prompting the need to seek outside assistance.

What does disaster manger do?

Emergency management directors plan responses to emergencies and disasters to minimize risk to people and property. Once plans are in place, disaster management specialists organize training for first respondents, ensure that appropriate personnel are familiar with the plans, and make them available to the public.

Role of Local Emergency Manager

Managing resources before, during, and after a major emergency or disaster. Identifying resource deficiencies and working with appropriate officials on measures to resolve them. Developing and carrying out public awareness and education programs.

Disaster recovery

Disaster recovery involves a set of policies, tools and procedures to enable the recovery or continuation of vital technology infrastructure and systems following a natural or human-induced disaster.

Disaster preparedness

Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.

Types of Disaster

• Geophysical (e.g. Earthquakes, Landslides, Tsunamis and Volcanic Activity)
• Hydrological (e.g. Avalanches and Floods)
• Climatological (e.g. Extreme Temperatures, Drought and Wildfires)
• Meteorological (e.g. Cyclones and Storms/Wave Surges)
• Biological (e.g. Disease Epidemics and Insect/Animal Plagues)

In the event of a disaster

1. In a disaster, activate proper evacuation and safety procedures first.
2. Activate the emergency alarm and notify emergency services.
3. Notify upper management of the type of disaster.
4. Reference RED TAB SECTION (RECOVERY SECTION) in Disaster Recovery Manual.

Scope of disaster management

Disaster management is a multi disciplinary area covering a wide range of issues like monitoring, evaluation, search and rescue, relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation operations. This highly responsible profession includes the plans and actions before, during and after the disasters.The Scope and Nature of the Problem. A disaster is an unplanned event in which the needs of the affected community outweigh the available resources. A disaster occurs somewhere in the world almost daily, but these events vary considerably in scope, size, and context.