UNIT: III DISASTER MANAGEMENT MECHANISM

PART -A
1. Define coping capacity?
 The ability of people, organizations, and systems using available skills and
resources to face and manage adverse conditions, emergencies, or disasters.

2. Write Short notes about Preparedness.

Preparedness, as defined by consist of “the knowledge and capacities developed by
governments, professional response and recovery organizations, communities and
individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from, the impacts of
likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions.”

3. Define Early Warning System.

The set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful
warning information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened
by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the
possibility of harm or loss.

4. What is mean by Flash Flood?

Flash Flood Hydrological - Heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time that
produce immediate runoff, creating flooding conditions within minutes or a few hours
during or after the rainfall.

5. How Private sector can help during disaster?

The private sector contributes to disaster recovery financing in a variety of ways,
including playing a key role in early response and long-term recovery, collaborating
with the public sector in public–private partnerships, driving innovation and
facilitating technology use, helping smaller communities manage influxes of funds,
and supplementing federal disbursement processes.

6. What are the classifications of Rehabilitation?

The rehabilitation is classified into the following
 Physical
 Social
 Economic and
 Psychological

7. Draw the Disaster management cycle.

8. Expand NDMP.
The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) provides a framework and direction
to the government agencies for all phases of disaster management cycle.

9. Define Landslide hazard.

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a
slope. Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope
movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity.

10. What on earth do you know about water?

That's because only 2.5% of the Earth's water is fresh, and of that, only 1% of it is
easily accessible. In other words, only .007% of the Earth's water is available for us
to use.

11. Write three general characteristics of cyclone.

A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is the eye,
 a central region of clear skies
 warm temperatures, and
 low atmospheric pressure.

12. Define Prevention.

Prevention is to ensure that human action or natural phenomena do not result
in disaster or emergency. The objective of prevention is to reduce the risk of being
affected by a disaster.

13. Write Short notes about Sustainable Development.

 Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

14. Define Hydro-Metrological Hazard.

 Process or phenomenon of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature
that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage,
loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage.

15. Write Short notes about Emergency Services.

 The set of specialized agencies that have specific responsibilities and
objectives in serving and protecting people and property in emergency
situations.

16. What is meant by Critical Facilities?

 The primary physical structures, technical facilities and systems which are
socially, economically or operationally essential to the functioning of a society
or community, both in routine circumstances and in the extreme circumstances
of an emergency.
17. Define Mitigation.
Mitigation is a consists of a framework of elements that will help to minimize
vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a society, to avoid (prevention) or to limit
(mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards, within the broad
context of sustainable development.

18. Write Short Notes about Landslide Risk Evaluation.

Landslide Risk Assessment provides guidance to practitioners on establishing the
likelihood and extent to which future slope failures could adversely impact society
and affect people and property.

19. Define Risk.

Disaster risk is expressed as the likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and
damage from a disaster in a given period of time.

20. Write Short notes about after a disaster or Post disaster.

Post-disaster recovery planning is a shared responsibility between individuals, private
businesses and industries, state and local governments, and the federal
government. Post-disaster recovery planning is defined as developing a set of
strategies to assist a community in rebuilding after a disaster occurs.

PART-B
1. Briefly explain objectives of NDMP.
Objectives of the NDMP are:
 Improve the understanding of disaster risk, hazards, and vulnerabilities
 Strengthen disaster risk governance at all levels from local to centre.
 Invest in disaster risk reduction for resilience through structural, non-structural
and financial measures, as well as comprehensive capacity development.
 Enhance disaster preparedness for effective response
 Promote “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
 Prevent disasters and achieve substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses
in lives, livelihoods, health, and assets (economic, physical, social, cultural
and environmental).
 Increase resilience and prevent the emergence of new disaster risks and reduce
the existing risks.
 Promote the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural,
legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological,
political and institutional measures to prevent and reduce hazard exposure and
vulnerabilities to disaster.
 Empower both local authorities and communities as partners to reduce and
manage disaster risks.
 Strengthen scientific and technical capabilities in all aspects of disaster
management.
  Capacity development at all levels to effectively respond to multiple hazards
and for community-based disaster management.
 Provide clarity on roles and responsibilities of various Ministries and
Departments involved in different aspects of disaster management.
 Promote the culture of disaster risk prevention and mitigation at all levels.
 Facilitate the mainstreaming of disaster management concerns into the
developmental planning and processes.

2. Identify Risk Reduction measures for cyclone

3. Briefly explain characteristics of cyclone.
 A cyclone is a huge strong wind system which blows around the centre of
intense low pressure area.
 Cyclones are the local name of the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean,
but in the Northwest Pacific Ocean they are known as typhoons, and in the
Northeast Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic, they are known as hurricanes.
 Since the cyclones form in the tropical region, they are also known as tropical
storms, tropical revolving storms or tropical cyclones.
 In the northern hemisphere, cyclone winds blow anticlockwise and they
reverse in the southern hemisphere.
4. Describe the factors to consider during good construction.
Technological factors
This includes aspects relating to or involving the application of scientific advances
including any tool, technique, product, process and method benefiting disaster
management.
Warning systems
Though it might be difficult to predict an earthquake, it is possible to predict a
tsunami and warn people in its path in order to move them to a safer location.
Communication systems
The media is able to fulfill the strategic role of information distribution, mass
communications and the education of people on how to evacuate, locate and relocate
Social factors
This category includes the aspects relating to human society and its members in
managing disasters.
Environmental factors
Aspects relating to the natural environment in managing disasters are considered here.
Natural barriers such as sand dunes, coral reefs, and mangroves can provide
protection from a tsunami as they can reduce the flow velocity.
Legal factors
These include aspects relating to law, accepted rules, and regulations for managing
disasters.
Economic factors
Economic factors can be classified into two areas: long term economic planning
measures and financial aspects.
Economic planning measures Destruction of infrastructure during a disaster directly
affects the economy of a country.
Financial The lack of funds for long term reconstruction after short term relief
operations is another frequently cited problem.
Institutional factors This includes aspects relating to an organization founded and
dedicated to disaster management and related activities.
Political factors
These include aspects relating to politics, parties or politicians in the context of
disaster management.

5. Explain
a) Metrological drought
Meteorological drought, defined as a situation when there is significant
decrease from normal precipitation over an area (i.e. more than 10%).
b) Hydrological drought
Hydrological drought resulting from prolonged meteorological drought
manifested in depletion of surface and sub-surface water resources, which
could occur even when the rainfall is normal, if there has been a
substantial reduction in surface water holding capacity
c) Agricultural drought
 Agricultural drought, signifying the situation when soil moisture and
rainfall are inadequate to support healthy crop growth

6. Explain in detail the vulnerability profile of our country.

 India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of disasters. More

than 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very
high intensity;
 over 40 million hectares (12%) of its land is prone to floods and river erosion;
 close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long coastline is prone to cyclones
and tsunamis;
 68% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts; and, its hilly areas are at
risk from landslides and avalanches.
 Moreover, India is also vulnerable to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and
Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies and other man-made disasters.
 Disaster risks in India are further compounded by increasing vulnerabilities
related to changing demographics and socio-economic conditions, unplanned
urbanization, development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation,
climate change, geological hazards, epidemics and pandemics.
 Clearly, all these contribute to a situation where disasters seriously threaten
India’s economy, its population and sustainable development. 

7. Briefly explain disaster management cycle with suitable example.

Mitigation

 Mitigation activities actually eliminate or reduce the probability of disaster

occurrence, or reduce the effects of unavoidable disasters.
  Mitigation measures include building codes; vulnerability analyses updates;
zoning and land use management; building use regulations and safety codes;
preventive health care; and public education.

 Mitigation will depend on the incorporation of appropriate measures in

national and regional development planning.

 Its effectiveness will also depend on the availability of information on hazards,

emergency risks, and the countermeasures to be taken.

 The mitigation phase, and indeed the whole disaster management cycle,
includes the shaping of public policies and plans that either modify the causes
of disasters or mitigate their effects on people, property, and infrastructure.

Preparedness

 The goal of emergency preparedness programs is to achieve a satisfactory

level of readiness to respond to any emergency situation through programs
that strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of governments,
organizations, and communities.

 These measures can be described as logistical readiness to deal with disasters

and can be enhanced by having response mechanisms and procedures,
rehearsals, developing long-term and short-term strategies, public education
and building early warning systems.

 Preparedness can also take the form of ensuring that strategic reserves of food,
equipment, water, medicines and other essentials are maintained in cases of
national or local catastrophes.

Response

 The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain

life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population.

 Such assistance may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as
assisting refugees with transport, temporary shelter, and food, to establishing
semi-permanent settlement in camps and other locations.

 It also may involve initial repairs to damaged infrastructure.

 The focus in the response phase is on meeting the basic needs of the people
until more permanent and sustainable solutions can be found.
  Humanitarian organizations are often strongly present in this phase of the
disaster management cycle.

Recovery

 As the emergency is brought under control, the affected population is capable

of undertaking a growing number of activities aimed at restoring their lives
and the infrastructure that supports them.

 There is no distinct point at which immediate relief changes into recovery and
then into long-term sustainable development.

 There will be many opportunities during the recovery period to enhance

prevention and increase preparedness, thus reducing vulnerability.

 Ideally, there should be a smooth transition from recovery to on-going

development.

 Recovery activities continue until all systems return to normal or better.

Recovery measures, both short and long term, include returning vital life-
support systems to minimum operating standards; temporary housing; public
information; health and safety education; reconstruction; counseling programs;
and economic impact studies.

8. Identify three major mitigation measures to reduce earthquake risk.

9. Briefly explain predictability of Tsunami.

To help identify and predict the size of a tsunami, scientists look at the size and type
of the underwater earthquake that precedes it. This is often the first information they
receive, because seismic waves travel faster than tsunamis.

 Developing tsunami models for at-risk communities

 Staffing NOAA warning centers around the clock
 Expanding the warning coverage area
 Deploying Deep-ocean Assessment and Report of Tsunamis (DART) buoy stations
 Installing sea-level gauges
 Offering expanded community education through the TsunamiReadyprogram.
 The DART system uses seafloor bottom pressure recorders (BPRs) to register the
temperature and pressure of ocean water at regular intervals.
 This information is relayed via surface buoys and GPS to the National Weather
Surface, where it is analyzed by experts.
 Unexpected temperature and pressure values can be used to detect seismic events that
can lead to tsunamis. Sea-level gauges, also known as tide gauges, measure ocean
levels over time and help confirm the effects of seismic activity.
 For tsunamis to be detected quickly and reliably, BPRs must be placed in strategic
locations.
 It is important that the devices are near enough to potential earthquake epicenters to
detect seismic activity but not so close that that activity disrupts their functioning.
 Although it has been adopted in other parts of the world, the DART system has been
criticized for its high failure rate.
 The buoys frequently degrade and stop functioning in the harsh marine environment.
Sending a ship to service them is very expensive, and non-functioning buoys are not
always replaced promptly.

10. Explain Risk and suggest two ways of reducing risk with appropriate examples.

Disaster risk is expressed as the likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and
damage from a disaster in a given period of time.
Risk Reduction
 On the one hand, risk reduction deals with mitigating potential losses. For
example, suppose this investor already owns oil stocks. There is political risk
associated with the production of oil, and the stocks have a high level of
unsystematic risk. He can reduce risk by diversifying his portfolio by buying
stocks in other industries, especially those that tend to move in the opposite
direction to oil equities.

 In order to engage in risk management, a person or organization must quantify

and understand their liabilities. This evaluation of financial risks is one of the
most important and most difficult aspects of a risk management plan.
However, it is crucial for the well being of someone's assets to ensure you
understand the full scope of your risks.

 Suppose the investor diversifies his portfolio and invests in various sectors of
the market. However, he currently faces systematic risk due to an economic
downturn. The investor may reduce his risk through a hedge. For example, the
investor can protect his long positions and reduce his risk by buying put
options for his long positions. He is protected from a potential drop in his
portfolio value because he is able to sell his stocks at a predetermined price
within a specified period.

 The investor who avoids the risk forfeits any potential gains the oil stock may
have. On the other hand, the investor who reduces his risk still has potential
gains. If the stock market goes higher, his long positions will appreciate in
value. However, if his positions decrease in value, he is protected by his put
options.

 Financial diversification is one of the most reliable risk reduction strategies.

When your financial risk is diversified, the adverse side effects are diluted. If
you have several streams of income, for instance, losing one stream won't hurt
as much if only 25% of a person's income comes from that stream.