Disaster is a serious, dangerous and intolerable phenomena on the planet earth. Thousands of people die in a moment. Many people may become homeless and parentless. Valuable properties get damaged within no time. Disasters are events shocking the whole world and making the humanity to feel very sad. All life support systems are affected by these incidences. What is required to minimize the effects is the application of certain management practices. Disaster management is an essential component of our development works. Let us see the aspects of Disaster Management in this module.

1. DISASTER MANAGEMENTDISASTER MANAGEMENTDISASTER MANAGEMENTDISASTER MANAGEMENT
PROF. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science
UNIVERSITY OF MYSORE, INDIA

2. The earth’s disasters may be
NATURAL MAN-MADE

3. Natural Disasters which we experience in
our planet earth include
• Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis,
cyclones, landslides, floods and droughts.
• It is possible to identify and analyse some
of the events using the modern monitoring
tools, except the earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions.
• Some of the events like desertification,
accidental fires and waterlogging are
controllable hazards.

4. Earthquakes:
are induced by the global TECTONIC
MOVEMENTS.
They come due to the continuing
PLATE MOVEMENTS.
The MAGNITUDE of the impact varies
from event to event. The effect may be
on the surface or in the oceanic waters.

5. Earthquakes :
• Are the most destructive events
• They strike with sudden impacts and with
very little warning. They occur at any time.
• They can devastate a city or a region of
several 100s to 1000s of sq.kms
• An earthquake can damage all urban
establishments and kill all inhabitants.

6. • It is learnt that more than one million
earthquakes shake the earth every year.
• It means, there are at least two events
experienced per minute.
• The impacts of earthquakes would be violent
ground motion,
• development of cracks and fissures,
• Collapsing of all structures,
• fire, permanent displacements,
• landslides, tsunamis, floods and land
subsidences.
• In addition to these, there will be a redistribution
pattern of surface water flow and groundwater
flow.

7. The Epicenter of an earthquake
• is the point on the
earth's surface,
vertically above the
hypocenter or focus.
This is the point in the
earth’s crust where a
seismic rupture begins.
• This point is an
unpredictable one.

8. • The forces are transformed in the form of
waves.
• They are called as the Seismic waves.
• There are two major three types of waves as
• Bo

9. SEISMIC WAVES:
• A body wave is a seismic
wave that moves through
the interior of the earth, as
opposed to surface waves
that travel near the earth's
surface. P and S waves are
body waves. Each type of
wave shakes the ground in
different ways.

10. P wave:
• A P wave, or
compressional wave, is a
seismic body wave that
shakes the ground back
and forth in the same
direction and the
opposite direction as the
direction of the wave is
moving.

11. S wave:
• An S wave, or
shear wave, is a
seismic body wave
that shakes the
ground back and
forth
perpendicular to
the direction the
wave is moving.

12. Seismograph: Seismic waves

13. Shocks:

14. Fault
plane:

15. Observation networks:
• Understand the location
conditions
• monitor using various methods
• network of stations needed
• global connectivity is needed

16. Earthquakes in 5 years(1991-95)

17. 15th Dec. 2005 8.30 AM- 119 eq

18. Asia- Dec.15th, 8 am

19. Global Seismicity maps-weekly

20. Global Seismicity maps-monthly

21. Global Seismicity maps-annual

23. Chinese earthquake:
• One well-known successful earthquake
prediction was for the Haicheng, China
earthquake of 1975, when an evacuation
warning was issued the day before a M 7.3
earthquake.
• In the preceding months changes in land
elevation and in ground water levels,
widespread reports of peculiar animal
behavior, and many foreshocks had led to a
lower-level warning. An increase in foreshock
activity triggered the evacuation warning.

24. Chinese earthquake:
• In spite of their success in 1975,
• there was no warning of the 1976 Tangshan
earthquake, magnitude 7.6, which caused an
estimated 250,000 fatalities.

25. Global Scenario: Earthquakes
• Worldwide, each year there are about 18
earthquakes magnitude (M) 7.0 or larger.
• Actual annual numbers are increasing
• range from lows of 6-7 events/year in 1986
and 1990
• to highs of 20-23 events/year in 1970, 1971
and 1992.

26. Predicting earthquakes:
• Neither tidal forces nor unusual animal
behavior have been useful for
predicting earthquakes.
• Scientific earthquake predictions
should state where, when, how big, and
how probable the predicted event is,
and why the prediction is made.

27. • Floods, earthquakes, cyclones,
tsunamis, droughts have always been
a part of the natural cycle.
• In the last two decades, natural
disasters have killed close to 3
million people worldwide, disrupted
over 820 million lives, and caused
more than $1 00 billion in property
damage.

28. Trend:
• Total 1900-2004 = 2049
earthquakes
• Average: 19.5 magnitude 7.0
and greater earthquakes per
year

29. How many earthquakes worldwide
occur each day? Each year?
• Descriptor Magnitude Average Annually
• Great 8 and higher 1
• Major 7 - 7.9 18
• Strong 6 - 6.9 120
• Moderate 5 - 5.9 800
• Light 4 - 4.9 6,200 (estimated)
• Minor 3 - 3.9 49,000 (estimated)
• Very Minor
• < 3.0 Magnitude 2 - 3: about 1,000 per day
• Magnitude 1 - 2: about 8,000 per day

30. FLOODS

31. Floods:
• Too much water in the wrong place. Comes
due to abnormally high stream flow.
• Damage crops and affect people and
settlements.
• Caused by heavy rain or storms, cyclones
and sudden snow melts.
• Occurrence and impacts vary from place to
place and event to event.
• Flood forecast and warning systems are
needed.

32. Flood related issues:
• Health issues. Disease vectors. Gives a
severe crop damage. Affects long term
economic growth.
• Inflation, unemployment and more financial
burden are the other effects.
• Flood hazard maps, flood proofing of
existing buildings, flood detection, facilities
to reduce flood damage, construction of more
open channels and detention facilities are
needed

33. Flood control method-1:
• To Modify the flood by
• construction of reservoirs,
• river channels, natural detention basins,
inter-basin water transfer, construction of
levees and flood walls, diversion canals,
bank stabilization, best agronomic practices,
afforestation and catchment zone
management

34. Flood control method-2:
Flood control measures are done to
modify the susceptibility of flood
damage through flood plain
management, structural changes,
flood proofing, disaster preparedness,
flood forecasting and flood warning

35. Flood control method-3:
• The methods are also adopted to reduce the
loss though
• emergency evacuation,
• flood fighting,
• public health,
• disaster relief,
• flood insurance and tax remission.

36. CYCLONES

37. Cyclones:
• The occurrence of unpredictable violent
storms bring devastating effects to the
coastal regions and on islands located in
their paths.
• High winds, heavy storms and intensive
rains are all the powerful collective
mechanisms of a cyclone causing the
damage.

39. Cyclones:
• are generally associated with heavy rain or
snowfall.
• The extra-tropical cyclones range from
nearly 1,000 to 4,000 km.
• Whereas, the tropical cyclones measure only
about 100 to 500 km in diameter.
• They are more violent than those occurring
in the mid-latitudes and can cause
considerable damage.

40. Cyclones:
• Villages near the coast will be washed away
and sealed off by sandcasting.
• Flooding, storm surges, sandcasting,
erosion and deposition of silt are the
impacts.
• A storm surge can rise several feet above
the normal ground and cause floods.
• It is very destructive if it occurs at high tide
level.

44. Hurricanes:
• When a hurricane moves over land, strong
winds and heavy rain hit the area for several
hours.
• It weakens as it moves over the land, but the
heavy rain continues even after the winds
decrease.
• The winds may exert a pressure of more than
400 kilograms per square metre on tall
structures and can flatten weak buildings at
first impact.

45. Hurricane:

46. • Tropical cyclones can cause immense
damage, both directly (by wind, pressure,
and rain) and indirectly (mainly through
storm surges and floods).
• Roofs and windows are damaged by the
suction produced by strong winds on the
downwind side.
• All loose objects are lifted by the wind.
• It also causes injuries and deaths by
toppling structures and hurling loose and
torn off objects with enormous force.

47. • Torrential rain may erode the soil, causing
landslides in mountainous regions and
making the streams and reservoirs overflow.
• These may cause floods.
• The indirect damages are mostly due to storm
surges.
• During these periods, the sea level is raised
by up to three to four metres for a period that
may last several hours.
• Notable and extreme tides have been recorded
on the Gulf Coast due to hurricanes.

48. Impacts of a cyclone:
• immediate and long-term impacts.
• Continuous and frequent incidences may
cause a severe decline in the economy of a
region and its country.
• Whenever a natural disaster occurs, it will
certainly cause an economic crisis,
starvation, epidemic, migration,
landlessness, homelessness, orphanage to
some children and massive deaths.

49. Impacts:
• Disruption of road networks, railway lines
and power supply are notable impacts.
• Homeless people need to be provided with
appropriate shelters, food, clothing and
financial support to sustain and recoup their
life.

55. Tsunami

56. Tsunamis:
• are seismic sea waves.
• Occur in all oceans.
• Moves at a max. rate of 1000
kmph in water.
• Spreads proportional to the
square root the depth of water
column.

57. Tsunami:Seismic sea waves
• Tsunami waves, once
generated, travel in all
directions at great speeds.
• Their speed is controlled by
the depth of the water.

58. • In the deeper parts of the Ocean, the
mean velocity of tsunami waves is
approximately 700 km/h or 430 mph.
• These waves cannot be noticed out at
sea because of their great
wavelengths which may be 200 km
or more.
• Satellite pictures can show these
effectively

60. Tsunami:
• Wave can travel across great expanses of
ocean with no loss of energy.
• When they get close to a coastline, these
waves can reach gigantic proportions and
can become extremely destructive.
• Tsunami waves can attain heights of as
much as 30 m or 100 ft and may inundate
extensive portions of coastlines, particularly
those low in elevation.

61. Tsunamis:
• Very destructive.
• Sometimes reach and sweep a considerable
distance over land from the sea.
• All Coastlines are affected.
• Warning system is needed.
• Dangerous killer waves.
• Effects are more.

62. Tsunami today:

63. A DISASTER:
• is any event causing death, injury,
disease or damage to life and properties,
infrastructure and the environment.
• Hazards are threats to life, well-being,
material goods and the environment.
• It has short-term and long-term impacts
on life and environment.

64. VULNERABILITY:
• is the degree to which an individual,
family, community or a region is at
risk of experiencing misfortune
following such extreme incidences.
• Risk perceptions are very complex.
• They depend on history, politics and
economy.

65. Disasters are
never ending issues:
• There is a continuing threat to life and
property due to the natural hazards.
• These are never ending processes of
the globe.
• Disasters are unevenly distributed.
• Their occurrence is also a complicated
phenomenon.

66. Disaster management:
• Most of the disaster management options
come after the disaster as a relief and
rehabilitation measure.
• This also includes disaster preparedness as
a pre-disaster professional development.
• There are several physical, educational,
institutional, psychological, political and
socio-economic issues which are to be
considered in disaster management.

67. A disaster manager:
• is aimed to prepare for facing the
event, reduce their impacts and
respond in case of its occurrence.
• The subject of professionalism
development includes disaster
prevention, disaster mitigation,
disaster preparedness and disaster
response.

68. Causes and Effects of Natural
Hazards:
• Natural disaster may have
• a cause,
• a pre-condition for its occurrence,
• Geographical distribution,
• physical manifestation of the event, and
• the effects of it before and after the
event.

69. Risk:
• Expected damage or loss caused by
any hazard.
• It depends on vulnerability of the
people exposed to these hazards
and its severity/ periodicity.

70. Vulnerability + Hazard
= Disaster

71. Pre-disaster activities:
• seismic resistant construction,
analysing soil and rocks, safety
systems, land use, dam
protection and circuit controls
for electricity

72. Post-disaster activities:
• involves, medical assistance, rescue
of victims, damage and needs
assessment, relief to survivors,
clearing of roads, re-establishing
communication channels, food,
blankets, clothes and other
materials.

73. Rehabilitation:
• Rehabilitation includes repair and
re-construction, setting the lines of
water, electricity and sewage lines.
• Economic programs to provide
jobs, credit assistance and
donations.

74. Issues:
• Shortage of fuel and food need immediate
attention. Control of disease vectors and
medical treatments are to be planned in
advance.
• Cyclones disrupt agriculture mainly and
destroy the crops.
• Coastal zone classification, building
norms, indoor and out door safety
measures and disaster preparedness are
the major factors to be considered.

75. Create Awareness:
• Awareness programmes should be
carried out to enlighten the issues
in all offices, villages forums and
in all schools and colleges.
• Education is a primary mechanism of
disaster management.

76. Need of the day:
• Disasters are recurring features over the
globe.
• There is not place on earth which is free
from these types of natural calamities.
• It is very essential to protect the life
mainly from these dangers.
• Strong will and sound scientific
predictions can help us to save the souls.

77. Phases of Disaster
Management:
• Disaster management is not a full-
time activity.
• It has three phases as
• 1. Rescue phase,
• 2. Recovery phase, and
• 3. Rehabilitation phase.

78. Vulnerable group:
• They include poor families,
people below poverty line,
slum-dwellers, children,
girls, disabled persons,
unaccompanied minors.

79. Rescue operations:
• start immediately after disaster. Searching
the relatives of survivors including children
is a major aspect.
• Identification of a caretaker, temporary
shelter, safe and secure camping site are
needed.
• Listing of unaccompanied minors, their
names, address of parents and relatives/
neighbours are to be done.
• Identification tags are to be given.

80. • Basic needs of water, food,
clothing and medical care are
needed.
• It is essential to help children to
overcome shock and fear by
reassurance and emotional
support.
• Trace relatives and parents using
all sources of publicity.

81. • Families should be placed
together in relief camps.
• Care should be taken to avoid
unwanted incidences during this
phase( Over-exploitation,
partiality, torture, denial of food,
etc).

82. The recovery phase:
• is a continuity of the rescue phase.
• It is necessary to address the basic
needs of nutrition, clothing,
appropriate medical and immunisation
requirements.
• Psychological counselling is needed.
• Stress disorders may crop-out.

83. A contingency action plan:
• is needed.
• Under the rehabilitation phase, a
stable, legal, administrative, socio-
economic measure has to be taken to
provide them all supports for future
survival.

84. Contingency Action Plan:
• keeps records of sources of
material and financial support to
be obtained for offering.
• Training is a primary aspect of
all disaster management
methods.

85. • Advance planning is needed to
keep the items of emergency use
for any disasters.
• Guidelines are to be prepared
and circulated to the educated
individuals.
• Awareness camps are to be
organised for others.

86. Training involves...
• the duties and responsibilities,
efforts to sustain, role of
employees/NGOs, risks, errors,
behavioural patterns, recovery
techniques, communication
channels, safety rules, priorities
and security measures.

87. • Crimes, violence, robbery,
kidnapping, phone threats and
rumours are to be curbed.
• Knowledge of water quality,
sanitation, first aid, emergency
medicines, electricity controls
and gas usage are needed.

88. • Evacuation, reporting and
alert procedures are to be
evolved.
• Proper insurance policies,
alterations to existing
buildings, changes in business
locations and other resources
are to be planned.

89. Pre-disaster risk reduction:
Conducting risk assessment
of vulnerable areas,
Ensuring responsibilities of
various people,
Conducting awareness
camps.

90. Literature supply, education with a
curriculum, mitigation measures and
alarming networks.
Proactive policies and strategies are
required.
Any disaster makes under-
development and poverty.
So, readiness to cope with the
circumstances is to be planned.

91. • Disaster-time response and
relief.
• Emergency health management
and epidemiological
surveillance.
• Vector controls.
• Post-disaster rehabilitation and
development.
• Providing relief to survivors

92. Damage and Needs assessment:
• Assess the level ad extent of damage
• Evaluate the financial requirements of relief
and future plans.
• Team visits, Surveys with indicators of
assessment, tools and techniques.
• It caters to the subjects like housing, food,
sanitation, power, communication, transport,
health, agriculture, labour, economy and
immediate needs.

93. • Compare and contrast, critical sectors,
emergency and chronic issues, inter-
relationships of various indicators are the
common approaches.
• Aerial surveys and ground truth
verification, interviewing the affected
and meeting the administrators for
emergency operations are adopted.
• Lifeline and critical facilities are to be
provided and checked.
• Surveillance systems are o be constituted.

94. Professional Development:
• This relates to the training activities with
practical emphasis.
• Regular curriculum and offering
programmes under distance education
are suitable approaches.
• Self-study course modules, printed texts,
media resources are useful.

95. • Posters, stickers, regular group
discussions, standing instructions and
pocket radios may help in many ways.
• Instructions are to be provided to the
public about the safety measures
before and after an incident.
• Municipal administration, health and
police departments play an active
role.
• Hence, their staff are to be trained

99. • A disaster can only be faced but the
severity of its impacts can be
managed.
• It is a challenge to mitigate, predict
and prevent the disasters.
• Earth is a dynamic evolving system.
• Unless the restless process of the earth
are properly understood, mitigation
and prevention becomes a futile
exercise and with great loss.

100. Give importance to
values:
• Human orientation is directed to
gain wealth, employment and
entertainment.
• In front of the hazard, everybody
is same.

101. • New methods of control are
needed.
• More parts of earth science has to
be taught at primary and
secondary level.
• Disaster monitoring is a must.
• Management is a method of
controlling/ mitigating the
impacts.

102. Task forces:
• State level Departments- State
Disaster Management System
• Counter Disaster and Rescue services
organisations
• Disaster Co-ordination centres
• Local Disaster Management Bodies.
• Task Force Committees with NGOs.

103. • For a state experiencing a
continuous occurrence of such
natural disasters, these bodies
are permanently needed.
• They may also act as
emergency services in the local
areas.

104. •This subject is to be
taught as a part of the
curriculum of all courses
with latest methods of
approach and the
remedies.

105. KNOWLEDGE OF
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
IS A
COMPULSORY PART
OF HUMAN LIFE