1. Disasters disrupt normal living conditions and cause suffering that exceeds a community's ability to cope. 2. Factors like poverty, population growth, and environmental degradation increase a community's vulnerability to hazards, while a lack of resources and services limits their resilience and capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. 3. Disaster management aims to reduce potential losses from hazards, provide prompt assistance to victims, and support rapid and sustainable recovery through activities like mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation.

1. 1
DISASTERS
&
EMERGENCIES
DEFINITIONS
Training Package
WHO/EHA
Panafrican Emergency Training Centre, Addis Ababa
Updated March 2002 by EHA

2. 2
WORLDWIDE
Number of People Affected by Disasters
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
M illion
2000 IFRC World Disaster Report

3. 3
Definition :
DISASTER :
A disaster is an occurrence disrupting
the normal conditions of existence and
causing a level of suffering that
exceeds the capacity of adjustment of
the affected community.

4. 4
It is the people
who matter most, and
without the people
we have no disaster.

5. 5
Reconstruction
Rehabilitation
Response
Prevention
Preparedness
DISASTER
THE DISASTER -DEVELOPMENT
C O N T I N U U M

6. 6
RELIEF-DEVELOPMENT
CONTINUUM
Disaster prevention, mitigation &
preparedness safeguard development.
Good response facilitates recovery and
development.
Africa’s hazards and vulnerabilities have
been the targets of 30 years of
development: their persistence testifies to
as many failures.
Today, ever-increasing resources are
spent for disaster relief, at the expense of
development.
But only development can reduce
vulnerabilities, and the hazards arising
from the socio-economic structure.

7. 7
THE DISASTER-DEVELOPMENT
CONTINUUM
Disasters and crisis
(“emergencies”)
are not aberrant phenomena.
They are reflections of
the ways societies
structure themselves
and allocate their resources.
(R. Kent, 1997)

8. 8
DISASTER MORTALITY IN RELATION
TO DEVELOPMENT STATUS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
low income middle income high income
Gross Domestic Product per capita
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Belgium
deaths/1,000 population

9. 9
Every year
Western Governments spend
USD 100 billion
subsidizing power stations
(i.e. Global Warming)
USD 300 billion
subsidizing agriculture
(i.e. Deforestation and Overgrazing)
USD 50 billion
subsidizing fisheries
(i.e. Overfishing)
(Worldwatch Institute, 1996)

10. 10
EMERGENCY
a state in which
normal procedures
are suspended
and
extra-ordinary measures are taken
in order to avert a disaster

11. 11
Definition:
HAZARD
A natural or human-made event
that threatens to adversely
affects human life, property or
activity to the extent of causing
a disaster.

12. 12
HAZARDS AND DISASTERS: CLASSIFICATION
STORM
HEAT WAVE
FREEZE
EARTHQUAKE
VOLCANIC ERUPTION
LANDSLIDE
DROUGHT
FLOOD
EPIDEMIC
PEST
FIRE
EXPLOSION
COLLISION
SHIPWRECK
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
WAR
ECONOMIC CRISIS
SUDDEN
OCCURRENCE
MONOCAUSAL
PROGRESSIVE
OCCURRENCE
MULTICAUSAL
SUDDEN
OCCURRENCE
MONOCAUSAL
PROGRESSIVE
OCCURRENCE
MULTICAUSAL
BY NATURAL
CAUSES
BY HUMAN
CAUSES
DISASTER
INSUFFICIENT
CAPACITY OF
RESPONSE

13. 13
A disaster occurs when hazards and vulnerability meet
Trigger event
Earthquake
High winds, storm
Floods
Landslide
Volcanic eruption
Drought
War, civil strife
Economic crisis
Technological accident
Vulnerability
+ Hazard
=DISASTER
Underlying causes
Poverty
Limited access to
- power structures
- resources
Ideologies
Economic systems
Age
Sex
Illness and disabilities
Dynamic pressures
Lack of
- local institutions
- education
- training
- appropriate skills
- local investments
- local markets
- services
- press freedom
Macro-forces
- population expansion
- urbanization
- environment degradation
Unsafe conditions
Fragile physical
environment
- dangerous locations
- dangerous buildings,
etc.
Fragile local economy
- low levels of income
- livelihoods at risk
Public actions
VULNERABILITY HAZARD
DISASTER

14. 14
VULNERABILITY
the predisposition
to suffer damage
due to external events

15. 15
SUSCEPTIBILITY
exposure to danger
RESILIENCE
adaptability,
capacity to recover

16. 16
Poverty, population growth and
urbanization force
living in unsafe areas
Site after pressures from population growth and urbanization
Site

17. 17
Disaster Management and Emergency
Management
Reconstruction
Rehabilitation
Response/Relief
Mitigation/
Prevention
Preparedness
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Post-disaster: recovery
Pre-disaster: risk reduction
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
DEVELOPMENT RELIEF

18. 18
AIMS OF DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
· reduce (avoid, if possible) the
potential losses from hazards
· assure prompt and appropriate
assistance to victims when
necessary
· achieve rapid and durable
recovery

19. 19
CAPACITY
ability, ableness to do
Capacity for emergency
management is made of:
· INFORMATION
· AUTHORITY
· INSTITUTIONS
· PARTNERSHIPS
· PLANS, RESOURCES
AND PROCEDURES
TO ACTIVATE THEM

20. 20
MITIGATION:
permanent reduction of the risk of
disaster
“Primary Mitigation”
· reducing the PRESENCE of the
Hazard
· reducing VULNERABILITY
“Secondary” Mitigation:
· reducing the EFFECTS of the Hazard
(Preparedness)

21. 21
PREPAREDNESS
the measures that ensure
the organized mobilization of
personnel,
funds,
equipment and supplies
within a safe environment
for effective relief

22. 22
RESPONSE
the set of activities implemented after the
impact of a disaster in order to
· assess the needs
· reduce the suffering
· limit the spread and the
consequences of the disaster
· open the way to rehabilitation

23. 23
REHABILITATION:
The restoration of basic social functions.
RECONSTRUCTION:
The full resumption of socio-economic
activities plus preventive measures.

24. 24
ELEMENTS OF DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
· disaster preparedness planning
* vulnerability and risk assessment
· disaster response
* disaster assessment
· rehabilitation &
reconstruction
· disaster mitigation

25. 25
Disaster management: leading activities and related terms
Disaster
occurrence
Disaster Management
Disaster Mitigation Disaster Response
Risk Assessment Prevention Preparedness Relief Rehabilitation Reconstruction
Hazard
assessment
Vulnera-
bility
assessment
Structural
measures
Non-
struct.
measures
Contin-
gency
planning
Warning
and
evacuation
•Search
& rescue
•Security
•Food
•Water
•Shelter &
sanitation
•Clothes &
blankets
•Health care
Pre-disaster Post-disaster
Hazard assessment:
mapping, monitoring
Vulnerability assessment:
assessment of vulnerability
for all elements exposed
to the hazard
Risk assessment:
calculation of expected
losses
Structural measures:
special building codes,
dams, floodwalls, etc.
Non-structural
measures:
land use planning, laws,
insurance, public
education, etc.
Contingency planning:
plan of action in case
of disaster, training
of teams
Warning and Evacuation:
development of
indicators
& early warning systems,
simulation exercises
Immediate
intervention.
Duration:…
by definition,
short-term
Reconstruction.
Full resumption of
socio-economic
functions, plus
preventive
measures.
Duration:…months
to years
Rehabilitation.
Restoration of
basic
social functions.
Duration:… weeks
to months

26. 26
Comparing the natural history of disaster with the disaster-
development continuum
PRE-PATHOGENIC PERIOD PATHOGENIC PERIOD
Population
Environment
Hazards
IMPACT
Political awareness
Level of suffering
deaths
extintion
disintegration
disappearance of
the community
recovery and
resumption
of development
the length of
the latency will
be a function
of
Preparedness
and Readiness
VULNERABILITY ALERT READINESS R E L I E F REHABILITATION RECONSTRUCTION
PREVENTION PREPAREDNESS R E S P O N S E RECOVERY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PREVENTION& MITIGATION RESPONSE & RECOVERY
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
(Health Promotion and) SECONDARY TERTIARY
PRIMARY PREVENTION PREVENTION PREVENTION
H E A L T H C A R E
PRE-DISASTER DISASTER POST-DISASTER
DISTANT IMMEDIATE LATECY EMERGENCY IMMEDIATE DISTANT