Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology Coimbatore - 641010

Subject: isaster !anagement Classes: "III Semester #C# $ CS# Stu%y !aterial &nit I Intro%uction Intro%uction Disasters have been existent since the time of creation of the earth. Disasters are like unwelcome guests, which leave permanent impressions of their visits on their victims. Disasters can be classified as either a) Natural or b) Man-made Natural Disasters can further be classified as either a)Ra'i% onset disasters. Examples of rapid onset disasters are earth uakes, c!clones, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, landslides, etc. or b) Slo( onset disasters. Examples of slow onset disasters are droughts, erosion, environmental changes, etc. !an-ma%e isasters" Examples are conflicts, wars, industrial accidents, accidents #transport), $errorism, crowd incidents %omplex Emergencies & a combination of war or conflict. $here are two ke! components to an! Disaster a) 'a(ard and b) $he population that is vulnerable to ha(ard 'a(ard x vulnerabilit! ) disaster *outh +sia is the world,s most vulnerable regions to both natural and manmade disasters. $he reasons are a) -overt!
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b) /ampant underdevelopment c) 0nplanned urbani(ation d) %hronic malnutrition e) Nightmarish population Disasters occur through al the seasons" floods, earth uakes, c!clones and draughts Disasters disrupt normal life, also hampers developmental efforts, as the funds earmarked for new initiatives were transferred to relief, response and rehabilitation work. isaster )re'are%ness Disasters and development have alwa!s been dealt with as separate entities. Disasters have been dealt with as if the! were happening in a vacuum with no relationship to the social, economic, or institutional context. 1nterventions are made once a disaster occurs with the ob2ective of returning the situation to normal as it was before the event. /esponding to emergencies is no doubt an important aspect of pre-planning. 'owever disaster preparedness based on the root causes of the event and a sustainable approach towards relief and rehabilitation, is cause for concern. $here is a strong need to move from a crisis management culture to a culture of disaster preparedness. $he bod! of research and documented evidence based on real experiences is still small. $he changeover is a mammoth task re uiring commitment, awareness at all levels, knowledge, capacit! and financial resources. Disaster risk management is an integral part of a comprehensive development plan for an! area or sector. $his approach will reduce relief and rehabilitation costs. $he mone! thus saved can be invested in development ventures. $he currentl! applied approaches towards relief and rehabilitation can be made long term and sustainable. The International Strategy for 0N 3od! set up in .444 $he 1nternational *trateg! for Disaster /eduction revolves around three ma2or concepts, namel! natural ha(ards, vulnerabilit! and risk, for which the following definitions appl!" ,-T&R-. /-0-R S comprise phenomena such as earth uakes5 volcanic activit!5 landslides5 tsunamis5 tropical c!clones and other severe storms5 tornadoes and high winds5 river floods and coastal flooding5 wildfires and associated ha(e5 drought5 sand6dust storm5 infestations.
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isaster Re%uction *IS R+

"&.,#R-1I.IT2 to disasters is a function of human actions and behaviour. 1t describes the degree to which a socio-economic s!stem is either susceptible or resilient to the impact of natural ha(ards and related technological and environmental disasters. $he degree of vulnerabilit! is determined b! a combination of several factors including ha(ard awareness, the condition of human settlements and infrastructure, public polic! and administration, and organi(ed abilities in all fields of disaster management. -overt! is also one of the main causes of vulnerabilit! in most parts of the world. $he /1*8 of a disaster is the probabilit! of a disaster occurring. $he evaluation of a risk includes vulnerabilit! assessment and impact prediction taking into account thresholds that define acceptable risk for a given societ!. Enabling all societies to become resilient to natural ha(ards and related technological and environmental disasters, in order to reduce environmental, human, economic and social losses is the main purpose of 1*D/. $his vision will be reali(ed b! focusing on the following goals: 9oals" 1ncrease public awareness of the risks that natural, technological, and environmental ha(ards pose to modern societies :btain commitment b! public authorities to reduce risks to people, their livelihoods, social and economic infrastructure and environmental resources Engage public participation at all levels of implementation to create disasterresistant communities through increased partnership and expanded risk reduction networks at all levels. /educe the economic and social losses of disasters as measured for example b! 9ross Domestic -roduct

1n addition, the 9eneral +ssembl! separatel! mandated the 1*D/ to"

%ontinue international cooperation to reduce the impacts of El Ni;o and other climate variabilit!5 *trengthen disaster reduction capacities through earl! warning.

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*timulate research and application, provide knowledge, conve! experience, build capabilities and allocate necessar! resources for reducing or preventing severe and recurrent impacts of ha(ards for those people who are most vulnerable 1ncrease opportunities for organi(ations and multi-disciplinar! relationships to foster more scientific and technical contributions to the public decision-making process in matters of ha(ard, risk and disaster prevention Develop a more proactive interface between management of natural resources and risk reduction practices =orm a 9lobal %ommunit! dedicated to making risk and disaster prevention a public value >ink risk prevention and economic competitiveness issues to enhance opportunities for greater economic partnerships %omplete comprehensive risk assessments and integrate them with development plans Develop and appl! risk reduction strategies and mitigation measures with supporting arrangements and resources for disaster prevention at all levels of activit! 1dentif! and engage designated authorities, professionals drawn from widest possible range of expertise and communit! leaders to develop increased partnership activities Establish risk monitoring capabilities and earl! warning s!stems as integrated processes, with particular attention to emerging ha(ards with global implications such as those related to climate variations and change at all levels of responsibilit! Develop sustained programmes of public information and institutionali(ed educational components related to risk and disaster reduction common to all ages Establish internationall! and professionall! accepted standards for actions and events related to mitigation of risk and management of disasters *eek innovative funding mechanisms dedicated to sustained risk and disaster prevention activities
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Risk I%entification: +n! effective strateg! to manage disaster risk must begin with an identification of the ha(ards and who is vulnerable to those ha(ards. $his includes information on $he nature and extent of risk $he nature of particular ph!sical ha(ards obtained through ha(ard assessment Data on the degree of exposure of a population and its ha(ards

$his information helps in making decisions on where to invest and how to design sustainable pro2ects that will withstand the impacts of potential disasters. Risk Re%uction: Disasters occur when an extreme natural or technological event coincides with a vulnerable human settlement. /educing risk re uires the change in perception and behavior to place a high risk priorit! on safet! in planning @ development. Effective risk reduction involves mitigation measures such as, >and use planning *tructural design %onstruction practices Disaster warning s!stems

/isk reduction also involves overcoming the socio-economic, 1nstitutional and political barriers through pro2ects like, +nal!(ing roles of government, non-government and private sector organi(ation in risk reduction >ocal and regional workshops and conferences aimed at heightening the awareness Educational and training activities that increase the understanding of polic! makers, decision makers and practitioners of disaster management

Risk Sharing an% Transfer

-rivate 1nsurance sector contributes funding for reconstruction. 1ndividuals bear cost of disaster. +d-hoc funds transfers to respond to disasters and disrupt planned developmental activities. *uch diversion of funds postpones progress towards long term economic and social improvement. $ools have to be developed to assist the ver! poor to more effectivel! manage risk. Micro finance builds social capital and encourages risk mitigation for the ver! poor. Measures ma! include safet! nets, calamit! funds and informed mechanisms. e4elo'mental )lans an% Institutional -rrangements: Development and disasters have been considered separatel! b! the specific institutions, professionals and self assigned to deal with the disciplines within the current institutional arrangements. Different set of ministries for development and disasters exists. Development Disaster & /ural @ 0rban Development isaster !anagement:

Development -lanning @ 1mplementation Ministr! of +griculture & Ministr! of Disaster Management and /elief

Department of *ocial *ervices. Emergenc! /elief %ell =ederal =lood %ommission

$his arrangement indicates that no possible linkages between the two disciplines are assumed, for seen or understood. $he two organi(ations operate on their own without an! linkages in terms of content, action planning and investments. 0nder such an arrangement, while some efforts are made to place development issues within the larger context, disasters are taken to happen in a vacuum, with no relationship with the social, institutional or economic context. $he development parlance ha(ards and disasters are identified as happenings or events which hinder the development process.
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Disasters are considered 9od,s fur!. $his attitude is termed in literature as the ominant -''roach. + ke! characteristic of this approach is that interventions are made once a disaster occurs, with the ob2ectives of returning the situation to as it was before the event. 1n this approach the emphasis is placed on =orces *tructures Damages

$his approach gives no scope for an! linkages with socio-economic forces in the societ! or to place the disasters in the context in which the! take place. +fter the event action the following are done. Emergenc! Management /elief /ehabilitation ominant -''roach

-n -lternati4e to

Different ideas and vital variables have been brought to bear on the anal!sis of disasters. $he most crucial variables are, *ocial Economic

5ey Terms" /a6ar% 1t is the probabilit! of the occurrence of a dangerous phenomenon at a given place within a given period of time. 'a(ard is caused b! various reasons. "ulnerability: 1t is the degree of susceptibilit! to ha(ard, or the lack of capacit! to absorb the impact of a ha(ard and recover from it. 1t is related to ph!sical, social, economic, cultural @ political factors.
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Risk: 1t is defined as the product of ha(ard and vulnerabilit!, a statistical probabilit! of damage to a particular element which is at risk from a particular source or origin of ha(ard. Disaster ) 'a(ard x Dulnerabilit!. 'a(ard b! itself is not a disaster unless there are vulnerable populations who don,t have the capacit! to absorb it and who are unable to cope with it. $his conceptuali(ation is termed as the +lternative -erspective. $his approach takes disasters as part of the normal development process and recogni(es that linkages with societ! during the normal times are fundamental for understanding disasters. $he ob2ective of the intervention is to reduce vulnerabilit! of people and strengthen their capacit! and to work on the social structures that make people vulnerable. $hus, the foundation of the alternative approach to disasters lies in the anal!sis of the disaster & development linkages. isaster 7 e4elo'ment .inkages:

e4elo'ment: 1t is the social, cultural, economic, political environment that makes people vulnerable to shocks, disease and other negative forces. %lass, caste, ethnicit!, gender, disabilit! and age also affect people,s vulnerabilit!. isaster Risk: 3eing poor and having no choice increase people,s vulnerabilit! to disasters and increases the degree of risk to an! potential ha(ard. 1t is one of the ke! factors that constitute the overall vulnerabilit! of people, along with resource povert! and powerlessness. Development in broad general terms means a positive change. e4elo'ment is e8'laine% as Eell being >ivelihood %apabilit!
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E uit! *ustainabilit!

*ocio & economic vulnerabilit! can negativel! impact all the above mentioned five conditions. Disaster & Development linkages are most visibl! demonstrated in the livelihood anal!sis of people who live with various ha(ards. Development desks continue with their assigned tasks, while emergenc! management orientation dominates the disaster scenarios at the central and the provincial levels. 0nder such circumstances the development process itself becomes a cause of increased vulnerabilit! to disasters. 1n an institutional level disasters continue to be seen as events which happen at a point of time. 3ut for communities that live with disasters the! are a part of dail! survival. =or communities preparing to face ha(ards and risk management are a continuous process linked to their livelihood activities. $his contrasts with the event or relief approach adopted b! the institutional structures and offers man! reasons for integrating the alternative approach to disasters into the main stream. The 'rinci'le of risk 'artnershi': %oping with loss re uires co-operation of all involved parties, i.e., the potentiall! affected private individuals and industries with the financial sector and the state. Darious parties are $he insured persons or entities -rimar! insures /einsurers %apital markets 9overnment 6 public authorities

Each part! has its own tasks @ responsibilities in managing the risks arising from natural disasters. 3e!ond financing future losses which is a reaction after the event, more efforts need to be made towards a proactive strateg! to reduce and prevent future losses.
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T-S5S 39 T/# "-RI3&S )-RTI#S: .. $he insured persons or entities" 'ouseholders and business owners can reduce risk to propert! b! proper maintenance and securit!. %ertain portions of the financial risk are borne b! the insured entities. =or of participation" Deductibles & percentage of the sum insured or percentage participation in each and ever! loss. 7. -rimar! 1nsurers" -rimar! insurers have to provide and secure capacit! b!" %harging technicall! ade uate rates +ppl!ing appropriate underwriting guidelines +ccumulation control and portfolio management Establishing reserves for natural perils >imiting their liabilit! according to their financial strength that is reinsurance protection.

<. /einsurers" $he! are the main risk carriers in the case of natural disaster losses. -roper risk management includes" 3alancing the risk over time and regions $echnical support to the clients in rating considerations and assessment of probable maximum losses. %ontrolling and limiting liabilities.

?. %apital Markets" $he! provide additional capacit! for top ranking losses. Not a competition to reinsurance but a complement. +lternative /isk $ransfer #+/$) method. A. $he *tate"
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$he state has to act as an insurer of the last resort for ver! rare extraordinar! losses and 6 or uninsurable risks. $he main task of the state is however risk management and risk reduction b!" Designing and enforcing land use and building regulation *ecuring the serviceabilit! of critical facilities and infrastructure Developing emergenc! plans that precisel! define the responsibilit! and the coordination of the authorities involved. 9ranting tax exemption for catastrophe reserves of private insurers.

T(o !ark :uestions:

.. Define rapid onset disasters. 7. Define slow onset disasters. <. Ehat are complex emergenciesH ?. Ehat are manmade disastersH A. Ehat are two ke! components of disasterH B. Define 'a(ard. C. Explain the concept of disaster risk F. Ehat is disaster preparednessH 4. Expand 1*D/. .G. Erite down the need for 1*D/ in disaster management. ... Ehat are the goals of 1*D/H .7. Erite down an! five ob2ectives of 1*D/. .<. Ehat is risk identificationH .?. Ehat is the information involved in risk identificationH .A. Ehat is risk reductionH
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.B. Ehat is risk sharing and transferH .C. Explain the dominant approach. .F. Explain the need for alternative approach. .4. Ehat is vulnerabilit!H 7G. Ehat is the need to link disaster with developmentH 7.. Ehat is the principle of risk partnershipH 77. Eho are the primar! insurers and reinsurersH 7<. /ole of *tate69overnment in risk partnership. 7?. Ehat is the role of capital markets is risk partnershipH 7A. Disaster ) 'a(ard x Dulnerabilit!. Explain. 7B. Define disaster management 7C. Explain the different t!pes of disasters. )art 1 :uestions: .. Explain in detail the different categories of disasters with example. 7. Ehat are the < components of risk managementH <. Ehat is 1*D/H Explain the goals and :b2ectives in detail. ?. Erite short notes on i)'a(ard ii) Dulnerabilit! iii) risk A. 'a(ard b! itself is not a disaster unless there is vulnerable population. Discuss. B. Explain the concept of alternative approach towards disaster management. C. Discuss in detail the principle of risk partnership. F. Elaborate the linkage between Disaster and Development. 4. Natural Disaster can be controlled but not manmade discuss with examples. .G. *outh +sia proves to be the forefather for mitigation process in disaster management. Iustif! with example. &,IT II
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-''lication of Information Technology in

isaster !anagement

$he websites have been created b! millions of speciali(ed institutions on the Eorld Eide Eeb, thereb! making searching and browsing the net an integral part of the new professionals dail! routine. $he Jokohama declaration was a significant outcome of the Eorld %onference on Natural Disaster /eduction held on .44? at Iapan. $he declaration made the following observation" Disaster -revention, Mitigation, and -reparedness are better than disaster response. Disaster response alone is not sufficient as it !ields onl! temporar! results at a ver! high cost.
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$he ob2ective is to limit the human, material and economic cost of an emergenc! or disaster through different strategies of ha(ard management and prevention to speed! restoration of the affected communit!. $he availabilit! of accurate, authentic and reliable data is an essential ingredient in the decision making process. $his is evident in the assertion that emergenc! management is .GK telecommunications, 7GK operations and CGK information. 1nformation like people and mone! is a resource and the onl! resource that makes possible the coordination of vital services during an emergenc!. 1t is necessar! to ensure that a risk assessment and vulnerabilit! anal!sis of the disaster prone areas and disaster prone communities is carried is carried out through administering structured uestionnaires supplemented with participator! rapid appraisal techni ues.

1t should also be possible to document the coping strategies of communities which are fre uentl! exposed to disasters" like the settlement of an urban slum on the banks of a river or canal, which leads to stress situations during monsoons. $he relief commissioner,s office has to be a clearing house of data, which collects, anal!ses, compiles, stores communicates facts and figures for faster decision making.

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/E>+$1:N+> D+$+3+*E M+N+9EMEN$ *J*$EM* #/D3M*)" $he database can be compiled using /elational data base Management *!stems #/D3M*) so that it will be possible to sub2ect this database ueries for more informed decision making. /D3M* can be interfaced with 91* which will act as a front-end. 1t also supports forecasting and predictive models. Each disaster stakeholder has ver! different information needs and priorities. >ow understanding of their re uirement is the reason for lack of s!stematic organi(ation of disaster management information. $he humanitarian communit! needs an enormousl! diverse range of information such as" availabilit! and movement of relief supplies, population displacement, capacit! of local infrastructure such as ports, hospitals and airfields, disease surveillance including base line epidemiological information, specialist, relief expertise available, data on other agencies involved, national and local facts and figures on the economic, social and political situation information var! ver! widel! during the different phases in disaster management. =or eg5 information re uired at the disaster preparedness phase includes" countr! specific information such as demographic and geographic data, emergenc! plans and national development plans, reports from other agencies etc., $he database can form a ver! valuable resource especiall! when it is properl! archived with the facilit! for retrieval for specific purposes through well designed uer! interfaces.

M+N+9EMEN$ 1N=:/M+$1:N *J*$EM* #M1*) $his brings together data and information so that polic! anal!sis and problem solving exercises can be carried out for more informed decision making. +ll aspects of disaster management like search, rescue, evacuation, preparedness, prevention, rehabilitation and recover! can be carried out using M1* approach.

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1t is possible to anal!(e the damage caused b! disasters and the impact of disasters b! designing and developing comprehensive M1* for disaster prone areas.

DE%1*1:N *0--:/$ *J*$EM* #D**) D** are value added extensions of M1*, which facilitate more informed decisionmaking, problem-solving and polic! anal!sis. D** can pla! a ver! significant role for more effective, efficient and faster decision-making. D** provides linkages to predictive and forecasting models for carr!ing out simulation modeling and scenario anal!sis. 8N:E>ED9E 3+*E* + knowledge base on earth uakes will bring together all scientific and technical information on earth uakes, including case studies on some of the ma2or earth uakes. 8nowledge bases are available with a glossar! of terms, fre uentl! asked uestions, multimedia content etc. on a few powerful servers in different speciali(ed institutions in different parts of the world. +n!bod! from an!where in the world can log on to the internet and visit the site where the server is located for making specific ueries. $here can be bulletin boards, chat rooms, list servers etc with auto robots responding to specific ueries. %an be periodicall! updated.

EL-E/$ *J*$EM* 1t is possible to design and develop expert s!stems which can evaluate and anal!(e options and arrive at faster decisions where the s!stem will pla! the role of the domain expert and suggest wa!s of effective disaster management interventions. Medical professionals are using MJ%1N as a ver! useful expert s!stem.

*1M0>+$1:N M:DE>1N9 +ND *%EN+/1: +N+>J*1*

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*imulation model s can be used as planning tools before designing a response strateg! for disaster management interventions in the event of an alert or earl! warning. $hese can also be used as decision making tool for using real time operational control to supplement desktop planning efforts. -la!s a significant role in training and debriefing. *imulation models, forecasting and predictive models can assist the planner b! providing an opportunit! for evaluating alternatives for more effective decision making in the area of disaster management.

9E:9/+-'1% 1N=:/M+$1:N *J*$EM* #91*) 91* is a s!stem of storing, capturing, checking, integrating, anal!(ing and displa!ing data about the earth that is spatiall! referenced. 1n the words of %owen #.4FF), 91* is decision support s!stems involving the integration of spatial reference data in a problem solving environment. 0sed for risk monitoring, risk assessment and vulnerabilit! anal!sis, risk mapping, risk modeling and public awareness and dissemination. +pplies remote sensing, 91* photogrammetric, topographical surve!s, urban surve! and town planning, geolog!, h!drolog!, geomorpholog!, traffic and transport engineering, land use pattern, rainfall pattern, drainage pattern etc as thematic overla!s.

$wo Mark Muestions" .. Explain the terms" i) D3M* ii) /D3M* iii) M1* iv) D** v) 8nowledge 3ases
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vi) Expert s!stems vii) *imulation Modeling @ *cenario +nal!sis viii) 91* Descriptive Muestions .. Explain in detail the various data storage methods under risk reduction practices. 7. Enumerate the role of databases in disaster mitigation process with necessar! example. <. Discuss in detail the contribution of 91* in disaster risk reduction. ?. Ehat is the need to penetrate information technolog! with disaster managementH A. Explain in detail the various data storage methods under risk reduction B. Discuss in detail the contribution of M1* in disaster Mitigation process. C. Erite notes on" i) Decision support s!stem ii) Expert s!stem iii) 8nowledge 3ases iv) *imulation Modeling and *cenario anal!sis practices.

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