study material for disaster mgmt test ii

7/31/2019 Study Material for Disaster Mgmt Test II

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Contd Unit II

Intranets and Extranets

The Information technology revolution has facilitated the setting up of local area

networks (LANs) within organizations, which link together computers scattered across

different departments and different locations.

Wide Area Networks (WANs) link together computers across geographical locations

covering a wider area.

The Government of Maharashtra has set up an Intranet linking 40 nodes consisting of

Mantralaya at Mumbai, Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development

Administration (YASHADA) at Pune, six divisional commissioners and 32 district

collectorates are further linked through their servers to their field offices through dial-

up modems. This is a satellite based network of VSATS unlike the fibre-optic based

network commissioned in Andhra Pradesh for linking government offices.

Early Warning Systems (EWS)

Early Warning Systems have been installed in Area Cyclone Warning Centres (ACWCs)

at Calcutta, Chennai and Mumbai and at Cyclone Warning Centres (CWCs) at

Bhubaneswar, Vishakapatnam and Ahmedabad.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has commissioned a satellite based

communication system called Cyclone Warning Dissemination System for

dissemination of cyclone warnings to the cyclone-prone coastal areas. IMD also has a

Limited Area Analysis and Forecast System based on the optimal interpretation

method and a Limited Area Primitive Equation Model to provide numerical guidance.

Video Teleconferencing

The Latur earthquake of September 30, 1993 was one of the most severe tragedies

witnessed by Maharashtra. The Government of Maharashtra prepared a

comprehensive Maharashtra Eathquake Emergency Rehabilitation Programme

(MEERP) with the support of international agencies like World Bank, the United

Nations Development Programme and the department for International Development.

A network of control rooms have been set up linking the emergency operations centre

and the centre for disaster management along with the district control rooms in

various districts. These control rooms facilitate the Video Teleconferencing across

various locations.

This system supports email, fax, audio-video and data exchange over satellite.

Trigger Mechanism

Man feels that he has conquered nature


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Nature expresses its fury and takes it toll every now and then reminding

mankind to be cautious.

The effects of modern culture are evident as global warming, excessive

generation heat energy and continuous depletion of the protective atmospheric

layer.

Natural disasters are the manifestation of nature trying to reinstate

equilibrium.

Man made disasters are the fall out of the top sided developmental activities

man sponsors in pursuit of his disastrous ambition to reign supreme of this

planet.

The Trigger Mechanism is a preparedness plan in which all the participating managers

know in advance the task assigned to them and the manner in which they have to

respond. As such the organization and planning would have already been taken care

of. The resources including manpower, material and equipment are identified.

Remote Sensing

Using satellites to monitor Earths resources and natural disasters is the

application of remote sensing in disaster management. Each satellite has different

repeat pass frequency and spatial resolution (unless it belongs to the same series of

satellites for the purpose of continuation of data flow with same specifications).

Similarly, different satellites have different types of sensors on-board, such as,

panchromatic, multispectral, infrared and thermal. All these sensors have applications

in disaster mitigation, though depending on the electromagnetic characteristics of the

objects on Earth and the nature of disaster itself. With a review of the satellites in

orbit and their sensors the present work provides an insight to suitability of satellites

and sensors to different natural disasters. For example, thermal sensors capture fire

hazards, infrared sensors are more suitable for floods and microwave sensors can

record soil moisture.

Contribution of Remote Sensing and GIS

Natural disasters are inevitable and it is almost impossible to fully recoup the

damage caused by the disasters. But it is possible to minimize the potential risk by

developing disaster early warning strategies, prepare and implement developmental

plans to provide resilience to such disasters and to help in rehabilitation and post

disaster reduction. Space technology plays a crucial role in efficient mitigation and

management of disasters. This paper describe the role of remote sensing and

Geographical Information System (GIS) in evolving a suitable strategy for disaster

management and occupational framework for their monitoring, assessment and


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mitigation, identifies gap areas and recommends appropriate strategies for disaster

management using these technologies.

Introduction

Natural Disasters are inevitable, and Indian subcontinent is prone to all type of

Natural Disaster either it is flood, drought, cyclone earthquakes or forest fires etc.

Disasters can be classified in several ways A possible sub-division of disaster is: 1)

Natural Disasters; 2) Human made disasters; 3) Human induced disasters. Another

sub-division is related to the main controlling factors leading to a disaster. These may

be meteorologically, geomorphological/geological, ecological, technological, global

environmental and extra terrestrial. Another useful distinction that can be made

between disasters is regarding their duration of impact and the time of forewarning.

Some disaster strikes within a short period with devastating outcomes; others have a

slow onset period with equally or even more serious repercussions. According to the

available statistics 60% of the total area of Indian subcontinent is venerable to

seismic activity of varying intensities, 16% of the country's total area is droughtprone. In India 68% of total sown area of the country is drought prone. Coastal areas

of India is exposed to tropical cyclones and among all the disaster occur in the

country, River floods are the most frequent and often the most devastating.

Remote Sensing and GIS in Disaster Management Mitigation of natural disaster

management can be successful only when detailed knowledge is obtained about the

expected frequency, character, and magnitude of hazard events in an area. Although,

natural disaster have shown in the last decades a drastic increase in magnitude and

frequency, it can as be observed that there is a dramatic increase in technical

capabilities to mitigate them.

We now have access to information gathering and organizing technologies like

remote sensing and GIS, which have proven their usefulness in disaster management.

Remote sensing and GIS provides a data base from which the evidence left behind by

disaster that have occurred before can be interpreted, and combine with the other

information to arrive at hazard maps, indicating which area is potentially dangerous.

Using remote sensing data, such as satellite imageries and Ariel photos, allows us to

map the variabilities of terrain properties, such as vegetation, water, geology, both in

space and time. Satellite images give a synoptic overview and provide very useful

environmental information, for a wide range of scales, from entire continents to detail

of a few meters. Many types of disasters, such as floods, droughts, cyclones, volcanic

eruptions, etc. will have certain precursors that satellite can detect. Remote sensing

also allows monitoring the event during the time of occurrence while the forces are in

full swing. The vantage position of satellite makes it ideal for us to think of, plan for

and operationally monitor the event.

Finally, the impact and departure of the disaster event leaves behind an area

of immense devastation. Remote Sensing can assists in damage assessment

monitoring, providing a quantitative base for relief operation. After that it can be used


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to map the new situation and update the database used for the reconstruction of an

area. It can help to prevent the occurrence f such disasters again in future.

Disaster Management

The use of remote sensing and GIS has become an integrated, well developed

and successful tool in disaster management, as we are having our own earth

observation programs, and the requirement for hazard mitigation and monitoring rank

high in the planning of new satellites. A very powerful tool in combination of these

different types of data is GIS. It is defined as a "powerful set of tools for collecting,

storing, retrieving at will, transforming and displaying spatial data from a real world

for a particular set of purpose". GIS allows the combination of different kinds of data

using models. GIS allows for the combination of the different kinds of spatial data,

with non-spatial data, attribute data and use them as useful information in the

various stages of disaster management.

A complete strategy for disaster management is require to effectively reduce

the impact of natural disaster, which is as referred to as disaster management cycle.

Disaster management consists of two phases that takes place before disaster occurs,

disaster prevention and disaster preparedness, a three phases that happens after the

occurrence of a disaster i.e. disaster relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. In

disaster prevention phase, GIS is used to manage the large volume of data needed for

the hazard and risk assessment. In disaster preparedness phase it is a tool for the

planning of evacuation routes, for the design of centers for emergency operations,

and for integration of satellite data with other relevant data in the design of disaster

warning systems. In the disaster relief phase, GIS is extremely useful in combination

with Global Positioning System in search and rescue operations in areas that have

been devastated and where it is difficult to orientate. In the disaster rehabilitationphase GIS is used to organise the damage information and the post-disaster census

information, and in the evaluation of sites for reconstruction. Hence, GIS is the useful

tool in disaster management if it is used effectively and efficiently (Pearson et al.,

1991).

Case Studies

Case Study 1: Sahana Disaster Management System in the Aftermath of the

Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and Pakistani Earthquake in 2005

Sahana, a free and open source software (FOSS)-based system developed by LankaSoftware Foundation, is a suite of web-based applications that provides solutions to

the problems arising in a post-disaster situation. The following examples show how

Sahana assisted disaster victims during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the

Pakistani earthquake the following year.

Example 1: Tracing Missing Persons


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After a disaster, there are often a large number of individuals missing. It is common

to find families scattered and children separated from their parents. Outside relatives

and friends, especially those living overseas, naturally want to know the latest

information about the condition of their loved ones. The psychological strain on

children can be severe and it is essential that they be reunited with their families as

soon as possible. One objective of Sahana is to assist victims in connecting with theirfamilies and friends as soon as possible. Sahanas Missing Person Registry is an

electronic version of a bulletin board of missing and found people. It can capture

information not only on the people missing, but also about those who seek details

about the missing, thus increasing their chance of reuniting. Even if the victims or

families do not have access to this information themselves, it is quite easy for any

authorized NGO or civil society group to connect to the central portal and provide that

service in the areas they are working.

Example 2: Coordinating Donor Groups

In the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, there was a massiveoutpouring of support from international NGOs, local NGOs and community groups.

There were at least 300 NGOs working on the same goals, though they used different

approaches. In an environment where resources are in short supply, it is essential

that response efforts should not be duplicated. Otherwise, such duplication can result

in issues such as congested supply routes, competition between organizations,

double vaccinations and saturation of support provided to some areas while other

affected areas are neglected. Consequently, goodwill can be lost. This coordination

task is too much for an authorized emergency controller to handle manually. An ICT

solution can thus be the ideal solution. For instance, an electronic organization

registry can help immensely. It can effectively track who is doing what, where, when

and, more importantly, whether there are areas in which services are not adequate.

This awareness can enable volunteers and organizations to distribute themselves

evenly across affected regions. Sahana has developed such an organization registry.

It keeps track of all the relief organizations and civil society groups working in the

disaster region. It captures information on both the places where they are active and

the range of services they are providing in each area to ensure that there is no

overlap.

Example 3: Recording the Locations of Temporary Camps and Shelters

In a disaster situation, there are usually no pre-planned locations for camps and

shelters. A temporary shelter or camp can be anywhere and can range in size from a

large government-maintained camp to an individual house. Due to these differences,

it is necessary to record the locations and populations of all camps. This is paramount

to distributing aid effectively and ensuring that no affected areas are inadvertently

ignored. A sub-application of the Sahana system keeps track of the location of all the

camps in the region. It also records basic data on the facilities they might have and


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the number of people in them. If necessary it can provide a GIS view to plot the

location of the camps in the affected area (De Silva, undated).

Case Study : Use of Internet in the Aftermath of the 1999 Earthquake in

Turkey

On 17 August 1999, a major earthquake caught people off guard in Izmit, Turkey,

resulting in 15,000 deaths. A second earthquake occurred on 12 November of the

same year in Duzce, claiming 1,000 lives. In addition to these casualties, almost twice

as many people were displaced as a result of both events. A total of 120,000 houses

were damaged beyond repair while 50,000 houses were partially damaged. During

the Izmit earthquake, telecommunications infrastructure was so extensively damaged

that it was impossible to access emergency services. The use of public phones was

almost impossible, while mobile phone networks were operating with reduced

bandwidth. In addition, many of the microwave repeaters mounted on apartment

buildings had been damaged during the quake. In this situation, Internet was the only

possible medium that could connect the affected areas to the outside world. SeveralInternet applications were used in the post-disaster response, mainly in two key

areas: coordination of aid disbursement and finding information about missing

people. Due to system disruption, donors often found themselves acting as the

distributors of aid as well, thus, the Internet proved a valuable resource. NGOs played

a central role in the provision of discussion lists for the coordination of donations so

that donors could find the most in need, identify what they were in need of, and in

some cases, determine how to get there. Internet was also used to provide

information regarding the whereabouts of missing family members. For example,

many organizations formed message lines, which acted as a database of people

found, their condition or the degree of damage to the region in which relatives lived

(Zincir-Heywood & Heywood, 2000). The importance of information security and

privacy can never be underestimated in ICT-based humanitarian systems. In these

cases, data privacy is not just a matter of encryption, it can also be a matter of life

and death. If data falls into the wrong hands, it can result in rape and sexual

harassment, child and female trafficking, child soldier recruits, prostitution and even

ethnic cleansing. This is especially the case when a disaster occurs in an ethno-

politically volatile region, where the technology and frameworks conceptualized and

implemented need to be deeply cognizant of ground realities and tensions between

ethnic groups, factions and non-state actors.

Case Study 3: UNOSATs Role in Disaster Response During the 2004 IndianOcean Tsunami

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite

Applications Programme (UNOSAT) provides the international community and

developing countries with enhanced access to satellite imagery and GIS services.

These tools are used mainly in humanitarian relief, disaster prevention and post-crisis

reconstruction. UNOSAT also acquires satellite images from all commercial providers.


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UNOSAT provides services on:

Image processing;

Map production;

Methodological guidance;

Technical assistance; and

Training.

The UNOSAT core team consists of UN fieldworkers as well as satellite imagery

experts, geographers, database programmers and Internet communication

specialists. This unique combination gives UNOSAT the ability to understand the

needs of the users and to provide them with suitable, tailored solutions. UNOSAT has

been active during many recent disasters.When the Indian Ocean tsunami struck on

26 December 2004, UNOSAT provided an immediate overview of the situation prior totriggering the International Charter Space and Major Disasters the day after. UNOSAT

immediately created regional maps of potential impact and more focused maps of the

areas reported to be heavily affected in the first days after the disaster. The first

UNOSAT map was on-line and distributed to field users on 29 December 2004.

Satellite image analyses and map production provided UN colleagues and the

international humanitarian community with regional and local damage assessment

maps using a wide range of satellite sensors.The Imagery Bank was on-line as of 14

January 2005 with a large amount of free satellite data obtained through the Charter

and the US Government.Currently,over 670 raw satellite images and over 200,000

tsunami maps are available on its website at http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat

Case Study - UNISDR welcomes mass earthquake drill in Delhi


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BANGKOK, 16 February 2012 - More than 40,000 people took part in a mass

earthquake drill in Delhi yesterday to check the alertness and preparedness of the

16.7 million people living in the Indian capital in the event of a high intensity

earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale.

Experts have long questioned Delhi's ability to withstand a major earthquake due to

lack of safety standards, illegal buildings and poor enforcement of building codes

despite its classification as a high-risk seismic zone, ranking four on a five-point scale

by the US Geological Survey.

The head of the UN's Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrm,

welcomed the initiative by the National Disaster Management Authority and the Delhi

Disaster Management Authority which was the culmination of the country's first-ever

State-wide earthquake preparedness exercise which got underway last December.

"I encourage all high risk seismic cities to follow the example of Delhi and to be better

prepared against any catastrophic event. Mock drills are a good opportunity to

identify gaps in preparedness planning. More than 370 million people live in

earthquake-prone cities around the world and there are mass casualties on a regular

basis from earthquakes," she said.

Delhi Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, said: "It was perhaps the biggest exercise

ever organized in the country to check disaster preparedness. It involved 15,000

officials of various departments and agencies."

The exercise was conducted across 218 government and 24 private schools, 31

colleges, 11 government and 11 private hospitals, four cinemas, 19 resident welfare

associations, 13 government office buildings, eight markets, and two petrol pumps. A

total of 276 "deaths" were enacted; around 828 people were assumed to have

suffered major injuries, and 1,897 people with minor injuries.


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The two-hour disaster simulation brought together the police, fire officers,

ambulances and volunteers. Six metro stations were closed for over half-an-hour and

road traffic in many areas in Central, South and North Delhi was diverted as part of

the exercise, causing huge traffic interruption.

The Delhi government estimates that nine out of every 10 buildings in the city are at

risk of moderate or significant quake damage. Every year, tens of thousands of

housing units are built without any earthquake safety checks.

Secretary of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Vijay Dev, said more than

300,000 SMS messages had been sent out over the last week to sensitise the public

and ensure their participation in yesterday's exercise.

He told reporters: "The exercise was also publicized with the help of FM channels and

the media. I will not say there was zero public participation but the turnout was less

than expected. However, this is just the beginning." There were 300 Army observers

present during the exercise and they are drawing up a report on the exercise.


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UNIT III

Trigger Mechanism

INTRODUCTION

Man feels that he has conquered nature

Nature expresses its fury and takes it toll every now and then reminding

mankind to be cautious.

The effects of modern culture are evident as global warming, excessive

generation heat energy and continuous depletion of the protective atmospheric

layer.

Natural disasters are the manifestation of nature trying to reinstate equlibrium.

Man made disasters are the fall out of the top sided developmental activities

man sponsors in pursuit of his disasterous ambition to reign supreme of this

planet.

CATEGORISATIONOF DISASTERS

Neither anticipated nor expected combination of both.

Anticipated but not expected - man made disaster & needs precautions

Anticipated and also expected natural disasters & needs preparedness

MAJOR HURDLES IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT:

I) Attitudinal insensitivity:

The management is distanced from the location of the event physically andfrom the affected people emotionally.

There is also public apathy towards disasters and risk involved pose a big

challenge to mobilize the community towards preparedness.

Poors are the most vulnerable section in disaster but who shows very little

value to life which in turn lowers it desire to survive against odds and fight

for itself.


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People in this category expect providential help when disasters strike.

They lack self reliance and the capacity for individual response.

II) Disaster Management plans:

The present plans are very exhaustive and detailed do not have a

spontaneous functional mechanism for the response to be enacted

on time.

In such situations the disaster managers swing in to action as soon

as the disaster strikes.

But the managers in such situations start organizing, planning andactivating the mitigation process the need of the hour would be to

start the mitigation process on the ground rather than spending time

for organizing and planning.

Time is the essence of disaster management

The objective is to provide immediate relief and rescue to save the

maximum human lives and to mitigate human miseries within the

crucial first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster has struck.

THE TRIGGER MECHANISM

The above major drawback is the fundamental for the trigger

mechanism.

The trigger mechanism envisages that receiving signals of a

disaster happening or likely to happen all the resources and

activities required for the mitigation process are energized and

activated simultaneously without loss of any time and the

management of the event is visible on the ground.

The primary objective of the trigger mechanism is to undertake

immediate rescue and relief operations and stabilize the

mitigation process as quickly as possible.

The trigger mechanism requires the planners:

TO identify disasters and the probability of their occurrence:


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o The response managers and planners should identify the disasters prone

areas and also be aware of the likelihood of such a happening.

o This would mean identifitcation of the hazards and vulnerability of area

to the hazards.

o This would require the profile of the district or the state or the area of

concern is required to be prepared which will include vulnerability

assessment, records of previous disasters, details of the geographical

features of the area and the impact and intensity of the damages

inflicted by disasters in past.

o Taking into account these parameters the response managers has to

define the parameters for the response.

To evolve an effective signal/warning mechanism:

o This mechanism may avail the techniques being used in the existing

signal warning systems of the India Meteorological Department and the

Central Water Commission and also enlist the services of the All India

Radio.

o The TV, local sirens and other traditional means of communication may

also be used to alert the community and the field level machinery

immediately in the event of a likely disaster.

To identify the activities:

A number of activities need to be undertaken as the response in the event of a

disaster. The activities involved in disaster response generally would be:


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i) Coordination, command and control

ii) Rapid assessment of damage

iii) Restoration of power

iv) Restoration of telecommunication

v) Restoration of surface transport

vi) Deployment of search and rescue teams

vii) Deployment of medical and paramedical teams

viii) Supply of food material

ix) Supply of medicines

x) Arrangements of drinking water

xi) Setting up of temporary shelters

xii) Sanitation and hygeine

xiii) Transportation of men and material

xiv) Identification of resources

xv) Earmarking of resources

xvi) Maintenance of law and order

To identify the subactivities:

-It would be necessary to determine the sub activities under each

category of main activity identified.

-When it comes to actual performance on the ground, each activity will

generally involve three or four sub activities.

-For eg; for each search and rescue one needs to organize the search

and rescue team, the necessary equipment, means of transportation,

the dog squad and the like.

-For effective response all the sub activities need to be listed under the

respective main activities.


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To define the level of response:

-The level of response should be in view of the magnitude of the

disaster in terms of intensity and impact.

-Lower the magnitude of a disaster lower the level of activity

required.

-If the magnitude of the disaster were very severe then the same

response activity would be required to be undertaken on a much

larger scale.

-Therefore its necessary to grade the levels of activities keeping in

view of the assessment of intensity and the impact of probable

disasters carried out as already described.

-This will enable to undertake activities as per planned level of

response.

To specify authorities:

Every activity is to be assigned to a specific authority

Since a number of departments/organisations would be involved in the

response program details like name, designation, telephone/fax numbers,

email addresses etc of the authorities specified for the different activitiesshould be listed down.

As an alternative the similar details of the second in command authority

should also be listed for each activity.

The sub authorities entrusted with these sub activities should also be

specified.

As far as possible these should be from within the organisation so that proper

command and control exercised.

To determine the response time:

-In an emergency response one should not forget that time is the

essence.


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-Therefore each specified authority should work out the response time

needed for operationalising the activity and the subactivity it is

responsible for.

-This response time will be graded as lesser time at a lower and more

time would be needed if the activity is to be operationalised at ahigher scale.

To work out the individual activity plan:

-Every authority and sub authority has to work out the individual

activity required of it in view of the assessment of probable disasters

and their likely intensity and impact determined later.

-These plans will lay down a functional mechanism of coordination in

both horizontal and vertical manner.

-Requires clear identification of resources.

To have quick response Teams (QRTs):

oThe job to be undertaken is known in advance and the process of

planning and organisation has been completed.

oTherefore a quick response team may be constituted for each activity.

oThe members should know each other one another and should also

know their specific task as an individual activity besides the overall

task assigned to the team.

oThe specified authority and sub authorities should have complete details

of the quick response team members to ensure their availability and

proper communication at the time of response.

To undergo preparedness drills:

o The quick response teams should undergo preparedness drills and

carryout mock exercises so as to pre empt the possibility of any

hiccups or restrains which or likely to occur while implementing their

plan on ground.

To provide appropriate delegations:

o It is necessary to ensure the necessary administrative, financial and

legislative provisions in advance so that the response mechanism

becomes functionally viable and sustainable.


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o The provisions for the different authorities and sub authorities should

be well defined and clearly laid down.

o Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be laid down in advance

so that one knows what to respond to and how to respond.

To have alternative plans:

o Everyone has to aim for zero level of failure.

Therefore recommended that alternative plans and contingency measures also be

thought of in advance so that the response mechanism does not get stuckup for any

reason till the mitigation process is stabilised.

Constitution of Trigger Mechanism

The Trigger Mechanism has two basic components. These are the Trigger Authorityand the Coordination, Command and Control activity. The flow chart for Trigger

Mechanism is as given below.

Source Info


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Trigger Authority

Trigger Level

Sub Activities Activities Sub Activities

Coordination, Command and Control

Fig 1 - Flow Chart for Trigger Mechanism

The Trigger Mechanism in fact is a preparedness plan in which all the participating

managers know in advance the task assigned to them and the manner in which they

have to respond. As such the organization and planning would have already been

taken care of. The resources including manpower, material and equipment are

identified.

The performers have adequate delegation of financial and administrative powers and

have the mandate for accomplishing the task.

The Trigger Mechanism network is given below as a diagrammatic representation.

The various levels of authority at the National, State, District and the Block levels are

interlinked with each other.

National

Block District

State


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1st Responder Community

Fig 2 Trigger Mechanism Network

The success of the Trigger Mechanism depends on the vision and perception of the

planners. They are required to anticipate the likely activities with reference to the

nature of the disaster and its impact.

In fact the Trigger Mechanism can also be called as the Operating Standard

Procedure (OSP). All major activities, which are generally common to all types of

disasters, will require sub-division and preparation of sub-action plans by each

specified authority. They will be required to list all the requirements and theiravailability within the prescribed response time. Trigger Mechanism would thus be a

horizontal network of interaction between the different responders.

To sum up, the Trigger Mechanism is an emergency quick response mechanism is like

an ignition switch which when energized spontaneously sets the vehicle of

management into motion on the road of disaster mitigation process to play a

prominent role in disaster risk reduction.

Disaster Risk Reduction Education, Information And Public Awareness

Introduction

Disasters occur as part of natural events, affecting people their livelihood,

economies and infrastructure. Without people there would be no disasters only

natural events of different types and degree of severity.

Education is an important aspect of the development process particularly as it

has a direct bearing on health, hygiene and sanitation which are already in

considerations for programmers mounted by such organizations as the UNICEF.

Awareness of these factors and of the importance of the clean drinking water is

essential at the family level for controlling the outbreak of diseases and infection,

which frequently accompany disasters. The importance of environmental

conservation and management can be impressed upon the community as part of such

awareness and training programs encouraging it to contribute towards reducing

environment degradation which is a significant cause of thread forced by drought,

desertification and floods which plough much of the developing world .All the people

and community at the first victim of disaster their contribution through self-help,

community action and self-reliance is the first step in disaster reduction step.


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Similar examples of environmental degradation caused by over-stocking, poor

development planning, inefficient environmental management and failure to involve

people in the developmental plans which will affect the generations to come, are

occurring in many areas of the world now.

There are four main actors in these situations:

1) Politicians in the government

2) The news and the information media

3) Government administrations and professionals

4) People in community

All must be helped to meet their separate responsibilities because, unless each

can address its own responsibilities with regard to disaster reduction, development

strategies and projects will continue to be set back to disasters. Conversely, sustain

economic and human development will create robust societies and resilienteconomics capable of absorbing the effect of natural disaster.

A very large proposition of the worlds population lives in disaster prone

developing counties, which lie on the borderline between hunger and extreme food

shortage. When a disaster strikers, many find their livelihood and access to food cut

off. They become dependent upon others for survivals. The food relief operations of

the nations, internations and UN agencies become lifelines. The problems which all

must address is how to ensure that these lifelines are only temporary means of

pulling victims to safety and do not becomes long-terms life supports system from

which the buy cannot be detected.

In Mozambique, the internal security situation to an almost total college of

normal production and agriculture activities for many year. The normal economy was

replaced by a food aid economy, which replaced all normal economics activity, such

as production and many commercial activities. National politics and policies also

become involved in the aid programmer and it demanded a very great degree of

political will and urgent need for peace to be established throughout the country, to

end the dependency of all sectors of society upon the food aid programme.

As the rural population increasingly drift from the agriculture economy towards

the opportunities and promise offers by urban areas, the important of agriculture

production increases. Fewer agricultural workers seek to maintain or to increase

production to meet the growing demands, whist harvest prices remain controlled at

below market prices. A precariously balanced economy can be badly upset by a

disaster which can dangerously affect nationally stability and can lead to

indiscriminate flow of agriculture labour to the urban areas.

The way forward


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The responsibility for affecting improved standers of disaster preparedness,

better disaster management and the development of self-help and self-reliance in

communities rests with four sections:

1) Politicians in the government

2) The news and the information media3) Government administrations and professionals

4) People in community, NGOs .

National policy and responsibility:

The responsibilities of the political fabric include:

1) Implementation of national disaster preparedness and response plans

2) Development of early warning systems (EWS) based upon monitoring andsurveys at

community levels.

3) Defining the specific responsibilities of the government and the local authorityin

planning, response and recovery.

4) Identification of community and individuals responsibilities in disasterpreparedness

and response.

In establishing and demonstrating its policies and political will in relation todisaster preparedness, governments should employ all available public information

sources, educational and research organizations, as well as news media systems.

These should be staffed by professional and educationalist who are given the freedom

to apply their professional skills in the most effective way.

Disaster reduction plans, public information and awareness programmes are

conducted to develop the professional skills of media staff at the national and also at

the local levels so that the challenges are met in the most effective way.

Radio, television and news papers reporting prorgrammes demand skillful

development, presentations and repetitions more akin to the practice of the teacherthen to the news reporting.

These resources include clear definitions of the objectives and expert

programme designers who are educationalists rather than reporting besides ensured

availability of programme time.

Administrative Responsibilities and Actions:


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To be effective in their purpose of creating effective standards of disasters

preparedness, government policies must be translated into actions. Although the

primary responsibilities for this must lies with the Government, it is essential that all

concerned agencies such as the UN and national and international NGOs be brought

in for support.

The most appropriate and rapidly available relief material is that which is

located nearest to the point of need. This applies to both human and material

resources and implies the importance of developing disaster preparedness plan from

the community level upwards.

However the availability of local experts and appropriate local equipment

depends upon the local awareness of the disaster response plan and of the

responsibilities and tasks of the local community.

It therefore becomes important for the success of a disaster reduction

programme, to reduce the tendency to of the community depend on external help

created by previous disaster relief and food aid programmes, to create the sprite of

self-help and self-reliance in the community and to continence the people, that the

support of a wide-range of respected authorities is available to them at all levels. By

involving religious, political and community leaders in public awareness and

information programmes, the people in the area will gain confidence in the disaster

reduction programme and its aim.

Example of the ill-effects of industrial operations can be seen in the oil

extraction site of a multi-national company in Nigeria and in a multi-national site of a

multi-national chemical plant in Bhopal, India.

It is therefore of extreme importance that multi-national operations are

brought within a purview of national disaster reduction and environmental

management plans and actions.

Existing public awareness programmes:

In developing countries, the UN sponsors a range of programmes while at the

same time, international NGOs aim at social and community development.

Example of relevant existing programmes is the primary health care schemes,

woman and child care programme s and famine warning implemented by UNICEF and

save the Children Fund.

Community-based programme:

In the agricultural sector of India, Food For Work(FFW) now practiced as,

Income Generation Project(IGP) have been important element of disaster reduction,

disaster preparedness relief for over 100 years. These are into disaster preparedness


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plan at district and community levels, with provision of resource kept ready for their

early implementation when disaster strikes.

FFW and IGP are intended mainly as relief measures when disaster strikes,

there are a range of community programmes pertinent to droughts and flood control

and to environment management and conservation which can be simulated by publicawareness and information programmes.

Community leader must don the primary role in implementing the awareness

programmes which are essential to create community understanding of threads which

the action programmes are designed to meet. They must not only participate actively

but also set example that will motivate the community to involve the work

programmes. For this, the community leader will need the support of the government

as well as the NGOs involved in such programmes.

Role of school and school children:

School, schoolteachers and pupils must be included in the national and local

programmes for disaster reduction and environmental management. This is probably

one of the most cost effective ways of creating change and effecting improvement in

farming practice and environmental conservation.

Classroom learning programmes, projects and experimental based upon

environmental conservation practices can also be started in schools and as of part of

adult learning programmes.

The mass media:

The press, radio and television can be employed to propagate programmes ofpublic awareness and information oriented towards disaster reductions, provide that

the finance required to support and sustain them is available.

For any disaster reduction public awareness and information programme is to

be mounted by any of the means of mass communication, it is essential that either

the government uses its authority or has the finance necessary to ensure the sustain

programme that will convey the message correctly to the target audience.

The design of the educational, public awareness and information programmes

requires knowledge and abilities, which are professionals and quite different from

those of either news reports or journalists.

Display of the posters is of equal importance. They should be displayed widely,

particularly in community centers, churches, temples and mosque, schools, medical

posts, shops and markets. Action must be taken to prevent their deteriorations and

damages. They should renew periodically, if possible in new colors and format so that

their impact is renewed.


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The message may originate from the technical department it should be

translated into everyday language by the communicators. Local dialects and

vernacular language should be included in the spoken and written means of

communicating the message.

How well all those are done, developed and maintained demands and earnestcommunities from all quarters, active involvement of the national and local

governments in collaboration with the people, participation of protagonist of all kinds

and unflagging support of the NGOs.

Clearly all disaster management programmes call for time, men, martial and

money. However environmental conservation affected and the amount of damage

averted will more than compensate for the expenses.

II Internal Portions

PART A Questions

1. Write short notes on LAN and WAN intranets.

2. Define early warning system.

3. Explain video conferencing.

4. Mention the categorization of disasters.

5. Define trigger mechanism or OSP.

6. What are the major hurdles of disaster management?

7. What is QRT?

8. What is remote sensing?

9. Mention few points on role of GIS in disaster preparedness.

10. What are the different levels of disaster risk reduction by education?

11. Write short notes on EWS.

12. Define mass media.

13. Provide the major objective of community responsibility.

14. Mention the different methods of creating public awareness.

PART B Questions

1. Discuss in detail the constitution of trigger mechanism and requirements of planning in disaster

mitigation.


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2. Enumerate the role of remote sensing and GIS in disaster preparedness.

3. Explain in detail how will you educate for risk reduction procedure in disaster management.

4. Discuss in detail the public awareness measures in disaster mitigation.

5. What are the roles of schools and school children in disaster preparedness?

6. Explain the following terms (i) internet (ii) intranet (iii) Video Teleconferencing.

7. Describe the different community based programs available in public awareness process.

study material for disaster mgmt test ii

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