Disaster management preparedness: A

plan for action

Risk in urban areas

The dynamics of change in urban
settlements due to large scale migration has
led to the evolution of high-rise structures,
mixed land use, high population density,
growth of cottage ad hazardous industries,
cross country gas pipelines, bulk oil storage
tank farms and thermal power stations.
These increase losses during disasters. The
recent earthquake in turkey caused rippling
of electric poles. Collapse of buildings,
refinery fires, and blocked roads of so that
rescue teams from Switzerland, U.S.A
Greece and Germany struggled to reach
victims. More than 10,000 died. The
situation would be the same in developing
countries unless loss patterns are controlled
through co-ordinated disaster management
plans.
 Concept of mitigation
Mitigation embraces all measures taken to
reduce both the effect of the hazard itself
and the vulnerable conditions to it, in order
to reduce the scale of a future disaster and
its impacts. Mitigation also includes
measures aimed at reducing physical,
economic and social vulnerability. Therefore
mitigation may incorporate addressing
community-related issued such as land
ownership distribution, etc. Depending on
their purpose, mitigation measures can be
categorized as being 'structural' or non-
structural.
 Active preparedness measures
Both structural or non-structural mitigation
measures may be termed either 'passive' or
'active'. Active measures are those which
rely on providing incentives for disaster
reduction. They are often more effective
than passive measures which are based on
laws and controls. For example, while codes
and land use planning may provide a legal
context for mitigation, they are ineffective
unless rigorously enforced. Instead,
measures which provide incentives such as
government grants or subsidies, lessening
of insurance premiums for safer
construction and provision of government
technical advice are more effective.

Preparedness efforts
Structural mitigation measures relate to
those activities and decision making
systems which provide the context within
which disaster management and planning
operates and is organised. They include
measures such as preparation of
preparedness plans, training and education,
 public education, evacuation planning,
institution building, warning systems, and
land use planning.

Disaster response
Coping with the effects of natural disasters
is called Post Disaster Management. It
deals with problems concerning law and
order, evacuation and warnings,
communications, search and rescue, fire-
fighting, medical and psychiatric assistance,
provision of relief and sheltering, etc. Once
the initial trauma of the natural disaster is
over, the phase of reconstruction and
economic rehabilitation is taken up by the
people themselves and by the government
 authorities. Thereafter, the occurrence of
the disaster is relegated to historic memory
until the next one occurs.

Preparedness plans the foremost step

The existence of a disaster-preparedness
plan is blessing. Distraught officials have at
hand, a set of instruction they can follow to
issue direction tot heir subordinates and
affected people. This speeds up the rescue
and relief operations and boosts the morale
of victims. Disaster plans are also useful
pre-disaster operations, when warnings
have been issued. Time, which might
otherwise be lost in consultations with
senior officers and getting formal approval,
is saved.

Response plans are formulated by different

agencies that need to co-ordinate during
emergencies. For example, the electricity
supplying authority would be responsible for
preparing an action plan, which would be
used following a disaster event to restore
full services quickly. The contingency Action
Plan (CAP) already exists at the national
level that lists out in detail the actions to be
taken at various levels of government at the
time of calamity. There is, however, a need
to carry out a comprehensive revision of
CAP followed by clear cut operational
guidelines. Recently, a high power
committee has been established to prepare
a disaster management plant ad
 Central/State and district levels.

National policy
The Natural Disaster Management Division
in the department of agriculture and co-
operation. Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India deals with the post
disaster relief operations. a contingency
plan has been prepared for dealing with the
natural calamities as a part of the national
policy for the subject. The important issued
of the contingency plans are:

Types of Calamity
Natural Calamities, as contained in the plan,
have been broadly grouped into major and
minor types depending upon their potential
to cause damage to human life and
property. Earthquakes, floods, and cyclones
have been identified as major type of while
hailstorms, avalanches, landslides, fire
accidents, etc. whose impact is localized
and intensity of the damage being much
less are categorized as minor calamities.
 Role of the Central Government
In the federal set up of India, the
responsibility to formulate the Government's
response to a natural calamity major or
 minor is essentially that of the State
Government concerned. The Center,
however, supplements, to the extent
possible, these efforts by way of providing
financial and material assistance for
effective management of the situation in
accordance with the existing scheme of
finance and relief expenditure depending
upon the gravity of the calamity.

National Crisis Management

National Crisis Management Committee
(NCM), with cabinet secretary as its
chairmen is the supreme body at the center
that operates to provide policy response
and/or administrative response. The Crisis
Management Group (CMG) headed by the
Relief Commissioner deals with the matters
relating to relief in the wake of major natural
calamities. The CMG is responsible to:
1. Review every year the contingency
plans formulated by the Central
Ministries/Departments.
2. Review the measures required for
dealing with a natural calamity.
 3. Co-ordinate the activities of the
Central Ministers and the State
Governments in relation to disaster
preparedness and relief and
4. Obtain information from the Nodal

Officers of all the Ministers/Departments

such measures.
State Crisis Management Group (SCMG)
The SCMG works under the chairmanship
of Chief Secretary and State Relief
Commissioner. The group comprises of
senior officers from the Departments of
Revenue and Relief, Home, Civil Supplies.
Power, Irrigation, Water Supply, Local Self
Government, Agriculture, Forests, Public
Works and Finance and is primarily
responsible to formulate action plans for
dealing with different natural calamities in
the state and co-ordinate with CMG at the
Center. The SMCG will also have district
level plans for relief operations formulated
by collectors and deputy commissioners
that provide specific tasks and agencies for
their implementations for different calamites.

Mitigation strategy
The plans recognize the fact that effective
community involvement and public
awareness can largely minimize the impact
or disasters and community based
mitigation strategy would go along way in
strengthening and stabilizing the efforts of
the administration. The focus would be on
community capacity building including
formation of community Emergency
Response Teams (CERT)

The mitigation strategy also focuses on

micro risk assessment and vulnerability
analysis including hazard mapping, applied
research and technology transfer to improve
the quality of forecast and disseminate
warning quickly. It also highlights the need
for a disaster management legislation and
relief and rehabilitation policy that would
define specific roles and responsibilities as
well as set-up permanent administrative
structures and institutional mechanisms for
disaster management. The importance of
land use planning and regulations for
sustainable development, which include
development and implementation of building
codes; principles of sage special laws.
Structural and non-structural measures to
avoid damage during disasters are given in
the mitigation strategy document.

Training strategy
Training of the key community and social
functionaries is essential element for the
successful execution of a Disaster
Management Action Plan. The DMAP
cannot be fully operationalised without a
training strategy Manuals for warning and
evacuation, Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) and District Control room, (DCR)
have been prepared keeping this in mind.
The manuals list the tasks to be undertaken
by branch authority responsible. Information
on the important contact persons and
emergency officials has been provided in
the manual. The state and the district plans
also specify guidelines for the community as
well as NGO's and local community based
organizations in the advent of any disaster.

Community based preparedness

strategy
For calculated response in case of a
disaster a plan for community preparedness
is essential. The plan must incorporate.
1. Clearly perceived hazard and
development hazard profile of the
community and its neighborhoods.
2. Assessment of risk and vulnerability.
3. Identification of individual and
community resources.
4. Like any other plan it must, be clear
and simple, specific in details, define
duties and responsibilities of each
member, earmark various escape roots,
and locate shelter sites.
5. The pan has to be written and so
that we do not have to refer to it when
 emergency arises, a simple concise
'checklist' is needed.
6. The Panchayat resilient focal
communities. This however is possible
only with concerted efforts and
conscious policy at top level.
Mutual aid scheme
For an effective response, identification of
resources and development of mutual aid
agreements with neighboring resource
providers at district, state, country, and
international level for the extent and terms
for sharing of resources during
emergencies.

Periodical mock drills to test and update the

plan are of importance. Since a community
is a dynamic entity, no plan can be static
document.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Disaster planning involves predicting the
risk of natural hazard and possible impact.
The use of GIS can be made successfully in
communication, risk and vulnerability
 assessment and study of loss patterns,
search etc.

Hazard maps could be created for cities,

districts, state or even for the entire country.
They prove helpful for analysis and
determination of hazard zones and likely
affects during disasters. The maps can be
successfully used in establishing response
priorities, developing actions plans, quick
disaster location assessment, for carrying
out search and rescue operations
effectively, zoning them accordingly to risk
magnitudes, population details and assets
at risk. The GIS and RS (Remote Sensing)
facilitate record keeping and obtain status or
on going works which are the most critical
task disaster management.
 Conclusion
Disaster can not be prevented totally.
However, timely warning and planning can
minimize the affect of disasters. An accurate
disaster management plans needs to be
prepared. The use of modern technology
like GIS and RS can be of vital importance
in the preparation of plans. Keeping records
of vulnerable areas, monitoring of rescue
and relief operations deciding response,
managing the data base etc. Mutual aid
schemes shall be of great help in
mobilization of resources while mock drills
shall ensure the efficiency and various
functionaries, and an effective public
awareness and education campaign
involving the communities will ensure that
the plans are disseminated to the lowest
levels.