What is Disaster Management ?




Introduction : 

                         There are no natural disasters, but we have natural hazards like cyclones, floods, Tsunamy etc. Then what is a Disaster ? A Disaster happens when hazards causes disruption and casualities to people, their possessions and their environment. For eg if landslide occured in an uninhabited place then it is not considered as disaster. But only when it affects the people and their environment.

What is Disaster ? 
                                  The Disaster Managment Act, 2005 defines disaster as " a catastrophe, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man made causes, or by accident which results in substantial loss and is of such  nature as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area. " 

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction defines as " A serious disruption of the fucntioning of a comunity or a society involving widespread human , material , economic or environmental losses and impacts , which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.

Types of Disasters :

 
       Natural disasters can be classified into four categories 
  
  Atmospheric -  Thunderstorms, lightening, Tornadoes, Tropical Cyclones e.t.c

  Terristrial -  Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions , Soil erosion etc.
 
  Acquatic -  Floods, Tidal Waves ,Ocean Currents , Tsunami .

 Biological - Fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases such as dengue etc.


Levels of Disasters :

 A High Power Committee on Disaster Managment in its report categorized disaster situations into three levels. L1, L2, L3 

  • Level 1 : The level of disaster that can be managed within the capabilties and resources at the District level.
  • Level 2 : The disaster situations that require assistance and active mobilization of resources at the state level and deployment of state level agencies for disaster managemet/
  • Level 3 : It is a catastrophic situation or a very large scale disaster that overwhelms the State and District authorities.
     In brief , District level, state level and central level.


What is Disaster Management ?

 Disaster Managment Act 2005 defines disaster management as. " A continuous and integrated process of planning , organising , coordinating and implemeting measures which are necessary or expedient " for the following 1) Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster 2 ) Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences 3) Capacity Building 4) Preparedness to disaster 6) Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster 7) Evacuation, rescue and relief  8) Rehabilitaion and reconstruction.