Disasters: Natural and Man- induced
There are two types of disasters: Natural
and Man made or Human Induced Disasters. Disasters that occur due to abrupt
changes in the earth systems and weather conditions are called as natural
disasters. These disasters have further been classified into – Planetary and
Extra-Planetary Disasters.
Disasters that occur on land and in atmosphere due
to changes in earth systems or the geological conditions and atmosphere are
called as Planetary Disasters. These disasters have further been classified
into – Terrestrial and Atmospheric disasters.
Disasters
that remain confined to land and bottoms of oceans are called as terrestrial disasters. Volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and mine disasters are some
examples of terrestrial disasters. Atmospheric disasters are caused due to
atmospheric events. Tropical cyclones, droughts, floods etc. are some examples
of atmospheric disasters. Disasters
occurring due to collisions between the earth and space bodies or due to
physical forces between them are called as extra-planetary disasters. High tide
waves, hurricanes, landslides, movements of rocks, changes in sea level,
biological extinctions etc. are examples of extra- planetary disasters.
Disasters that are caused due to human
intervention in the natural processes or due to his activities related to
development and war are called as man- made disasters. Occurrence of epidemics,
nuclear hazards, industrial accidents, biological war fares, bioterrorism etc.
are man- made or human induced disasters. In modern age, so many of the natural
disasters like earthquakes etc. have become man- made disasters due to human
activities of building mega dams and large scale developmental projects.
Management
and Mitigation of Disasters
We know that disasters whether natural or man-
made, are very dangerous and destructive. We just can not do anything to stop a
disaster, if both of the vulnerability and the hazard are existent. We can only
try our best to protect men, women, children and cattle etc. that are in
distress and help them by offering life sustaining things they need. We can
prepare our people, cattle and property in advance to escape any disaster if it
occurs in future. We can only manage or mitigate a disaster.
In general sense of the word, the act or skill
of dealing with people or situation in a successful way is called as
management. In case of a disaster, formulation of strategies, taking actions
and adopting processes to prevent, minimize or control the adverse impacts of a
disaster at all the stages (before, during and after) of its occurrence, is
called as disaster management.
According to the National Disaster Management
Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India- Disaster Management can be defined as ‘the body of policy and administrative decisions and operational
activities which pertain to the various stages of a disaster at all levels.
Policies and measures designed and adopted to
minimize impacts of a disaster, whether natural or man- induced, is called as
disaster mitigation. For a successful mitigation of a disaster, it is important
for the people to understand causes, seriousness, impacts and need of relief
measures. Mitigation relates to the reduction of the effects of hazards and conditions
vulnerable to it. Hence, mitigation activities are focused on both the hazard
and elements exposed to the threats of the hazard concerned. The mitigation
strategies are so devised that they can modify the occurrence of a particular
hazard. Here is an example – the proper management of water, reduction of
impacts and strengthening of the structures so as to reduce damage, can be the
mitigation strategies for a drought prone area. Mitigation also relates to
physical, economic and social vulnerability to a particular hazard and
underlying causes of the vulnerability. The disaster management strategies can
be divided into three parts- Pre- disaster Management Strategies or Preparedness,
Disaster Occurrence Management Strategies, and Post Disaster Management
Strategies.
Pre-
disaster Management Strategies or Preparedness
We can neither prevent nor avoid a disaster.
However, we can reduce the extent of a disaster by making advanced
preparations. This incorporates four components- Awareness, Planning,
Monitoring and Development of Early Warning System. In fact, preparedness is a
protective process. It includes such measures which enable governments,
communities and individuals to respond rapidly to the disaster situations so as
to cope with them effectively.
Awareness: Making people aware of vulnerability, hazard and extent of risk of a
hazard can enable them to protect themselves and their properties up to
considerable extent. This can be done by either of the following measures-
information, education and communication (IEC). How can disaster awareness help
the people? Well, this can help the people in following ways-
(i) It will ensure unity, co- operation and
participation to fight against a particular disaster. This is due to awareness
that people may remain ready to co- operate to agencies that come forward to
help them.
(ii) Through awareness, people become able to
protect themselves on their own against a disaster.
(iii) Disaster awareness develops a sense of
service among people and they remain ready to help their fellow citizens caught
in the hazard.
(iv)This enables people, to know legal aspects
of disaster control, management and mitigation.
Planning: It is the most important component of
disaster preparedness. Planning is necessary for getting success in every
sphere of life. As for a disaster, vulnerability, extent of risk, preventive
measures, safety measures, recovery options etc. are planned in advance so as
to avert disaster risk and carry on rescue operations.
Monitoring: Proper care and knowledge of changing
conditions and operations done during awareness building and planning is
necessary. All the programmes and plans under preparation need to be monitored
carefully so as to avoid any possible mistake.
Early
Warning System: Early Warning
Systems are developed in disaster –prone areas to inform public to take up
necessary actions soon after a hazard is suspected. For this, warning stations
are established near sea coasts, river banks, in industries etc. Warning
related to abrupt weather fluctuations are regularly transmitted to people
through communication channels. India
has established various disaster warning stations in different parts of the
country. As much as 250 cyclone- warning Dissemination Centers have been
established along eastern and western sea- coasts that send early warning
through communication satellites. In modern times, remote sensing satellites
are effectively employed for monitoring as well as for sending data and
photographs of weather conditions. Special automatic aircrafts are also being
employed for collecting information about the changing weather.
Preparedness also includes maintenance of
inventories, training of personnel, search and rescue measures, and evacuation
plans. The preparedness planning needs to be supported by appropriate
legislation with clear allocation of responsibilities and budgetary provisions.
Disaster
Occurrence Management Strategies
At the time when a hazard strikes, the service
groups, government agencies or social organizations should take up all possible
rescue measures to protect people and their properties. At that time,
activities are taken to ensure that needs and provisions of victims are met
properly and their suffering is minimized. These strategies are called as
Emergency Response Strategies.
Post
Disaster Management Strategies
These strategies include- Damage Assessment,
Relief Measurement and Rehabilitation. Strategies adopted at this stage are
called as Response and Recovery Strategies. Under these strategies, activities
are taken to achieve early recovery and removal of earlier vulnerable
conditions. An assessment of damage is done through surveys and baseline data
collection etc.
The relief and Rehabilitation measures are done on the basis of
these activities. Other activities covered under these strategies are- Empowerment of women,Coping with post disaster situations,
restoration of livelihood with overall purpose of sustainable environment, and,
coherent mechanism should be designed for meeting the needs of children following
disasters. The rehabilitation of children should be priority, but in some cases
their future outside the village might be preferable.
Key Words : disaster, man-induced, rehabilitation, restoration, relief
