Disaster Management

Disaster ManagementDefinition"Disaster management" can be defined as the range of activities designed to maintain control over disaster and emergency situations and to provide a framework for helping at - risk persons to avoid or recover from the impact of the disaster.

Disaster management deals with situations that occur prior to, during, and after the disaster.

The objectives of disaster management are:To reduce or avoid the human, physical, and economic losses suffered by individuals, by the society, and by the country at large to reduce personal suffering to speed recovery.

Role of a Disaster ManagerThe Role of a Disaster Manager Table 1-A depicts the major natural disasters and some of the principal professions and specialists that should be involved in order to meet the needs in each particular phase. (Table 1-Depicts similar information for refugee operations.) This chart shows clearly that scores of different professionals are involved and that the primary role of a disaster manager involves the planning, coordination, and orchestration of actions in each time phase. In order to be successful, a disaster manager must have abroad base of knowledge in many different subjects and the ability to blend this knowledge into workable coordinated programs to meet the needs of those affected by disaster.

Elements of Disaster ManagementA disaster manager must deal with six distinct sets of activities in order to affect successfully the course of events related to disasters. Known as the elements of disaster management, these include risk management, loss management, control of events, equity of assistance, resource management, and impact reduction

Types of DisasterDisaster is the occurrence of a sudden or major misfortune, which disrupts the basic fabric, and normal functioning of a society. WHO defines disaster as any occurrence that causes damage, economic destruction, loss of human life and deterioration in health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area. A disaster is the product of a hazard such as earthquake, flood or windstorm coinciding with a vulnerable situation, which might include communities, cities or villages. Hazards are defined as Phenomena that pose threat to people, structures or economic assets and which may cause a disaster.

Classification of hazardsThere are four basic types of hazardous events that put societies at risk. Those are:i. Those based in nature: Earthquake, Flood, Drought, Cyclone, Tsunamis, Heat /cold wave, Landslides, Hailstorm, Avalanche.ii. Those based in violence: War, armed conflict, physical assault, etc.iii. Those based in deterioration: Declining health, education and other social services,environmental degradation, etc.iv. Those based in the failing of industrialized society: Technological failures, oil spillage, factory explosions, fires, gas leakage, transport collisions.

Natural HazardA natural hazard pertains to a natural phenomenon which occurs in proximity and poses a threat to people, structures and economic assets caused either by rapid or slow onset events which can be geophysical (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic activity), hydrological (avalanches and floods) , climatological (extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires, meteorological (cyclones and storms/wave surges) orbiological (disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues).

Natural HazardsStormsTornadoes Volcanic eruptions Global weather change

Technological or Man-made hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts ,famine, displaced populations, industrial accidents and transport accidents) are events that are caused by humans and occur in or close to human settlements. This can include environmental degradation, pollution and accidents. Technological or man-made hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts, famine, displaced populations, industrial accidents and transport accidents) There are a range of challenges, such as climate change, unplanned-urbanization, under- development/ poverty as well as the threat of pandemics, that will shape humanitarian assistance in the future. These aggravating factors will result in increased frequency, complexity and severity of disasters.

Man Made DisastersOil/Chemical Spill Terrorism Mining Disaster Structural Collapse Fire (Arson or Electrical) Aviation Car crash Train Space Wars

Hazards Affecting BuildingsEarthquake: Earthquake is shaking of earth due to release of strain energy due to breaking of crust or movement of tectonic plate. Flood: Flood is submergence of a wide area because of heavy local rainfall or overflowing of river or damage to some water-body nearby. Cyclone: Cyclone is a large-scale closed circulation system in the atmosphere with low barometric pressure and strong wind that rotate counter-clockwise in northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere. Tsunamis: Tsunami is a shallow water waves that propagate in great speeds transferring energy from the source across oceans and towards land. Landslides: Any rapid down - slope movement of a mass of regolith and/or bedrock, under influence of gravity Fire: Fire is uncontrolled burning of forest trees or train or building or shop.

Now if we take the second point and move forward, we could surely able to make experts who have not only faced the crisis but also channel their experience towards better Psychological Support. The Psychological support program does not perceive the survivors as passive actors during an emergency or a disaster, but relies on the resourcefulness of the survivor and the capacity of individuals and communities to become resilient.

So, the ways to move forward are:i)Pre-disaster Management:Design and implement psychological first- aid trainingii) During the disaster:Peoples response based on previous knowledge and level of copingiii) Post Disaster:Assessment and treatment of Psychological Symptomsiv) End Result:Reduce responses of distress and negative behavioral changes McFarlane (1995), who studied the relationship between training and preparation to post-disaster said that education about possible disaster experiences and how to deal with them, training through simulations and awareness of likely psychological reactions in both responders and survivors are very helpful. In general, the professional community would benefit from focusing on psychological support before, during and after a disaster.Community people react differently before a disaster and after a disaster.Pre-Disaster :This is a period, when a community reacts in various ways. Members of the community may be anxious when a disaster is imminent, especially if they have not experienced one before and they may not respond adequately to the event.When a disaster cannot be predicted; lets take the example of earthquakes or a volcanic eruptions, the community may become anxious and over-respond to the event, which may be detrimental to their well being. The common sources of anxiety include the threat to ones own life and the safety and well being of others, such as partners or children.During a Disaster:The impact of a disaster varies according to the type of disaster and the amount of warning that the survivors have had prior to the event. The roles of each variable affecting the survivors will predicate the emotional response. For example, threat, exposure, loss and dislocation will be determinants of a survivors patterns of adjustment. A persons actions are geared to protection of the self and others, especially children, family members and those who are weak and helpless.Here comes the effects of altruism, which is frequent and people will place their lives at risk to help others. Some people experience shock, especially when the disaster is unexpected, which adds their feelings of helplessness and powerlessness. Another common response is to be disorganized or stunned and people may not be able to respond appropriately to protect themselves and their families. Such disorganized behavior may extend in the post-disaster phase and so one may find people wandering aimlessly in the devastation. This reaction may reflect distortions in responses to severe disaster stressors and may indicate a level of dissociation. After a disaster, any people face complications.

The most important among them are:a) Emotional reactionsin the form of somatic complaints such as sleep disturbanceb) Indigestionc) Fatigued) Social effectse) Relationship or work difficultiesSo, all these state the importance of psychological care in the case of disaster management. Psychological care is always required in such types of incidents. As (Garmezy, 1983) states that the role of psychological care is to foster individual and community resilience. Individual resilience applies to the capacity to recover from a negative experience with renewed enthusiasm and an increased capacity to respond positively to a subsequent stressful event. The communities should be well trained so that a resilient community takes action to enhance the personal and collective capacity of its citizens and institutions to respond to, and influence the course of social and economic change.

Some factors which can help in positive outcomes are:a) Recognizing and reinforcing peoples strengthsb) Providing clear and accurate information and educationc) Reinforcing supportive networksd) Supporting and developing community strengths and processApart from these the Psychological Team should be able to give:

Give practical assistance, information and emotional support. Respect traditional beliefs and customs and accommodate the familys needs as far as possible. Provide counseling for the woman/family and allow for reflection on the event. Explain the problem to help reduce anxiety and guilt. Many women/families blame themselves for what has happened. Listen and express understanding and acceptance of the womans feelings. Nonverbal communication may speak louder than words: a squeeze of the hand or a look of concern can say an enormous amount. Repeat information several times and give written information, if possible. People experiencing an emergency will not remember much of what is said to them. Health care providers may feel anger, guilt, sorrow, pain and frustration in the face of obstetric emergencies that may lead them to avoid the woman/family. Showing emotion is not a weakness. Remember to care for staff who themselves may experience guilt, grief, confusion and other emotions.If these issues are given importance, we can move one step ahead in creation of a Safer, Stronger, Greener and a Disaster Free World for us as well as for our future generations.Thanks and Regards,

DISASTER PREPAREDNESSDisaster preparedness aims at minimizing the adverse effects of a hazard -

Through effective precautionary actions

Ensure timely, appropriate and efficient organisation and delivery of emergency response following the impact of a disaster.

PREPAREDNESSVulnerability Analysis and Mapping to include Resources.Assess strengthening requirements and execute.Funding for preparedness must be arranged.Peoples cooperation through Political leaders, elders, Volunteers and NGOsCreate lead time by interpreting WarningsPlan to include movement of resources with time frame.Aim to reduce the destructive potential of cyclones, timely & appropriate relief to victims and quick & durable recoveryDisaster Preparedness Framework

Rehearsals Public Education and TrainingResponse MechanismsWarning SystemsResource BaseInformation SystemInstitutional FrameworkPlanningVulnerability AssessmentCOMPONENTS OF PREPAREDNESSDisaster mitigation

This involves lessening the likely effects of emergencies. These include depending upon the disaster, protection of vulnerable population and structure.

For examples, improving structural qualities of schools, houses and such other buildings so that medical causalities can be minimized. Similarly ensuring the safety of health facilities and public health services including water supply and sewerage system to reduce the cost of rehabilitation and reconstruction. This mitigation compliments the disaster preparedness and disaster response activities.