Basics of disaster risk management

1. BASICS OF DISASTER RISK
MANAGEMENT

2. What is a Disaster ?
DISASTER is an event which is –
 Generally unpredictable,
 Happens instantly or without giving enough time to react
 Affects a large number of people,
 Disrupting normal life and leading to a large scale devastation in terms of loss of life and
property
 Always finding the administration and affected people struggling to respond in the desired
manner and
 Leaving deep socio-psychological, political and economic after effects which persist for a long
time to come.

3. Definition of Disaster
 A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale due to
hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to
one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and
impacts.- UNISDR
 “A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community
or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the
community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature,
disasters can have human origins” –IFRC
Any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life or deterioration of
health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside
the affected community or area”. BY - World Health Organisation -(WHO)

4. Types of Disasters :
Natural
Disasters
Earthquake
Floods
Cyclones
Tsunami
Landslide
and
Avalanches
Manmade
Disasters
Chemical
Disaster
Nuclear
Disaster
Biological
Disaster
Examples
• Natural disasters : Earthquakes, landslides,
volcanic eruptions, floods and cyclones
• Man-made disasters : Stampedes, fires,
transport accidents, industrial accidents, oil spills
and nuclear explosions/radiation. War and
deliberate attacks may also be put in this
category.

5. Different Forms of Disaster
 Small-scale disaster: a type of disaster only affecting local communities which require assistance
beyond the affected community.
 Large-scale disaster: a type of disaster affecting a society which requires national or international
assistance.
 Frequent and infrequent disasters: depend on the probability of occurrence and the return period of a
given hazard and its impacts. The impact of frequent disasters could be cumulative, or become chronic
for a community or a society.
 A slow-onset disaster is defined as one that emerges gradually over time. Slow-onset disasters could
be associated with, e.g., drought, desertification, sea-level rise, epidemic disease.
 A sudden-onset disaster is one triggered by a hazardous event that emerges quickly or unexpectedly.
Sudden-onset disasters could be associated with, e.g., earthquake, volcanic eruption, flash flood,
chemical explosion, critical infrastructure failure, transport accident.

6. Emergency/disaster categories
Rapid-onset natural disasters floods, EQ, tropical storms, volcanic
eruptions
Slow-onset disasters drought, famine, desertification
Technological disasters pollution, spillage, explosion, fires
Complex emergencies armed conflict
Epidemics cholera, measles etc
Sudden, large population movements

7. Effects of disaster :
 Population displacement
 Injury or Death
 Risk of epidemic of diseases
 Damage to infrastructure
 Psychological problems
 Food shortage
 Socioeconomic losses
 Shortage of drugs and medical
supplies.

8. What is Disaster Management ?
Disaster Management can be defined as the
organization and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian
aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness,
response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of
disasters.

9. Principles of disaster management
 Comprehensive – disaster managers consider and take into account all hazards, all phases, and all
impacts relevant to disasters.
 Progressive – anticipate future disasters and take preventive and preparatory measures.
 Risk-driven – use sound risk management principles (hazard identification, risk analysis, and impact
analysis) in assigning priorities and resources.
 Integrated – ensure unity of effort among all levels of government and all elements of a community.

10. Contd...
 Collaborative – create and sustain broad and sincere relationships among individuals and
organizations .
 Coordinated – synchronize the activities to achieve a common purpose.
 Flexible – use creative and innovative approaches in solving disaster challenges.
 Professional – value a science and knowledge-based approach for continuous improvement.

11. Different Phases Of Disaster Management

12. Disaster risk reduction
The concept and
practice of
reducing disaster
risks through
systematic efforts
to analyse and
manage the causes
of disasters.
Includes:
reducing exposure to hazards
lessening vulnerability of people and property
wise management of land and the environment
improving preparedness for adverse events

13. Disaster Risk=
Hazard (Danger) X Vulnerability (Weakness)
Capacity (Streangths)

14. DRR means ensuring that
 Vulnerable men and women understand the risks they face and direct their available capacities to
make them more resilient;
 people and institutions manage the resources available to them in ways that do not increase, but
reduce, risks to the most vulnerable – this includes natural productive resources (such as land or
water) and human resources (such as risk knowledge and education, organising community disaster
management committees or advocacy groups)
 vulnerable people are prepared for hazards and get out of poverty in spite of them;
 people at risk can depend on early warning systems and regularly rehearse how to take action to
reduce or avoid the impact of hazards – early warning information must be accessible to all, especially
traditionally excluded people such as those who do not speak the national language or are excluded
from communal activities, such as women, older people or those with HIV;
 effective institutional frameworks, policy and legislation exist to reduce and manage disaster risk;
 organisations, institutions and governments who are responsible for reducing disaster risk exhibit
good
 governance, transparency and accountability in their work; and
 increased funds are spent on activities that reduce vulnerability.

15. DRR is not:
 just about preparedness;
 just ‘good programming’ – the sum of the parts of Oxfam’s programme as it stands will not
achieve as much as a consistently applied, more ambitious, more focused DRR approach in all
our work;
 just about physical structures – while some physical measures do reduce risks, policy and
planning are also essential;
 just about standalone interventions – for Oxfam DRR involves integrating disaster risk analysis
and action into all humanitarian and development processes;
 too expensive – the benefits of DRR far outweigh the costs. There are many good examples of
developing countries making a huge difference by adopting a DRR approach. For example, flood
protection structures can also provide irrigation or drinking water and electricity.
 Community-level activities are very cost–effective. For
 example using cash for work interventions to raise
 housing in flood-prone areas.

16. disaster risk reduction approached
 How is disaster risk reduction approached globally?
 In 2000, a coalition of 168 governments, UN agencies, regional organisations and civil society organisations
committed to reduce disaster risk. A ten-year strategy known as the Hyogo Framework for Action was drawn
up in 2005, outlining five priority areas:
 The Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–15)
 1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for
implementation
 2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning
 3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels
 4. Reduce the underlying risk factors
 5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

17. DRR
Programme cycle management and disaster risk reduction:
 Community Institution Building
 Capacity Development of Community members/ institutions/ Task force teams;
Context analysis and identification: hazard, capacity and vulnerability analysis:
 The composite term for hazard, capacity and vulnerability analysis is risk analysis.
 External change analysis (policies, socio - political context etc…)

18. community participation in the risk identification and analysis process and promotes community
empowerment and action.
 This means that the most vulnerable should determine the priorities that ideally should guide all
stakeholders’ interventions. Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA) is an expanded
participatory learning and action planning process for community DRR
Critical issues in context analysis for DRR: gender, social exclusion and HIV and AIDS:
 Social exclusion, whether caused by gender, ethnic background, age, disability or HIV status, is central
to the notion of vulnerability. Social exclusion affects the use and control of resources, as well as
access to information and decision-making power. Often this means that livelihood options, in the face
of hazards, may be more limited for women and other excluded groups.
 While vulnerability is much broader than simply risk of mortality, women and children are 14 times more
likely to die than men during a disaster

19. Critical issues in context analysis for DRR
This should result in:
 identification of the most excluded groups in any given context;
 prioritisation of the involvement of these groups in community-based
disaster management structures to make best use of their knowledge and
skills, and ensure that the outcomes of DRR work are accessible to all;
 implementation of public health or livelihoods work that improves the
ability of these groups to access and control natural resources in ways that
reduce their vulnerability; and
 greater empowerment of excluded men and women and an overall
challenge to the social structures that exclude them

20.  Critical issues in context analysis for DRR: conflict sensitivity
 Design: planning for DRR in different contexts
 Sudden and relatively unpredictable hazards
 Sudden but predictable/cyclical hazards
 Slow-onset hazards affecting chronically vulnerable men and women
 Implementation: DRR in practice
 Monitoring & Evaluation
 Learning & Future Planning

21. The Risk Reduction Cycle
Hazard
Analysis
Risk Reduction:
•Hazard mitigation
•Vulnerability reduction
Sustainable
development
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