The document discusses the roles of police and civil defense in disaster management. It defines disasters and outlines the key aims of disaster response such as rescue, relief, and restoration of essential services. It describes how coordinated multi-agency response is important during relief efforts. The document also discusses the police response to disasters and how events like Hurricane Katrina revealed ill-prepared public sectors. It outlines the roles of police before, during, and after disasters. Finally, it discusses the major tasks of civil defense which include warning the public, organizing relief, and assisting in recovery operations.

1. POLICE AND CIVIL DEFENSE IN
DISASTER MANAGEMENT

2. DISASTER
 The term disaster owes its origin to the French
word “Desastre” which is a combination of two
words ‘des’ meaning bad and ‘aster’ meaning star.
Thus the term refers to ‘Bad or Evil star’.
 A disaster can be defined as “A serious
disruption in the functioning of the community or
a society causing wide spread material, economic,
social or environmental losses which exceed the
ability of the affected society to cope using its own
resources”.

3. DISASTER RESPONSE /
RELIEF
 Focused predominantly on immediate and short-term
needs the division between this response/relief stage and
the subsequent recovery stage is not clear-cut.
 Some response actions, such as the supply of temporary
housing and water supplies, may extend well into the
recovery stage.
 Rescue from immediate danger and stabilization of the
physical and emotional condition of survivors is the
primary aims of disaster response/relief, which go hand in
hand with the recovery of the dead and the restoration of
essential services such as water and power

4.  Coordinated multi-agency response is vital to this stage
of Disaster Management in order to reduce the impact of
a disaster and its long-term results with relief activities
including:
 Rescue
 Relocation
 Provision Food and Water
 Provision Emergency Health Care
 Prevention of Disease and Disability
 Repairing Vital Services e.g. Telecommunications,
Transport
 Provision Temporary Shelter
 Disaster Recovery

5. Disasters and the Police Response
 There is little doubt that the events of September 11th
and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita raised serious
concerns about the capacity of public safety
community, police included, to effectively respond to
large-scale disasters.
 These events made it clear in the mind of many that
not only are communities vulnerable to the devastating
effects of disasters, but they are also vulnerable to an
ill-prepared public sector relied on to function as the
frontline of defenses and recovery.

7. Telengana Government Launches Disaster Response
Force

8. Role of Police before Disaster-
Prevention and Preparedness
 Emergency Traffic Plan
 Detail communication Plan
 Identification of Building
 Security Plan
 Resource Mapping
 Training

9. Role of police during Disaster-
Emergency Response phase
 Search and Rescue(SAR)
 Deployment of resources
 Prevention of commission of cognizable offences
including all offences against property, human body and
public tranquility
 Security during Relief distributions/ Relief management
 Camp management
 Emergency transportation and Traffic Regulation
 Casualty information/ Disposal of dead
 Media management

10. CIVIL DEFENSE
 The Civil Defense policy of the Government of India, till
the declaration of Emergency in 1962, remained
confined to making States and UTs conscious of the
need for civil protection measures and asking them to
keep ready civil protection plans for major cities and
towns under the Emergency Relief Organisation [ERO]
scheme. However, following the Chinese aggression in
1962 and the Indo Pak conflict of 1965, the policy and
scope of Civil Defense underwent considerable
rethinking, which culminated in the enactment of the
Civil Defense (CD) Act 1968. After this the organisation
has functioned under the parameters delineated in the
Act.

11. Major Tasks of Civil Defense
1. To make sure that the public is warned of danger and provided
with instructions on how to avoid hazards.
2. Advice people to protect themselves by either evacuating the area
or remain and take shelter.
3. Organizing immediate relief to the survivors.
4. Support emergency services
5. Rescue operations
6. Firefighting
7. Law enforcement
8. Medical care
9. Public works repair
10. Provision of voluntary Food, Shelter and Clothing.
11. Assist in recovery operations
12. Clearance of Debris
13. Restoring utility services
14. Managing relocations centers

12. Civil Defense Revamp
 NDMA was given the responsibility of preparing a National Policy
Approach Paper related to revamping Civil defense in the country .
This document has been approved by Government of India and is
now being implemented. Major recommendations of the policy paper
are:
 Amendment of Civil defense Act-1960, to involve Civil defense (CD)
in Disaster Management
 CD to be changed from town specific to district specific Training
infrastructure to be upgraded in all states
 Involvement of Youth Organizations with Civil defense
 Involvement of Corporate/ Private Sectors for Civil defense
revamping
 Recognition of Civil defense Wardens
 Renewal of Civil defense services
 Capacity Building at the grass root level
 Empowerment of Director General Civil defense
 Training abroad
 Distinctive identity of Civil defense
 Motivation of Civil defense Volunteers

13. Pre-disaster
 a) Educating the Community
 Taking a lead role in spreading public awareness about the
various kinds of disasters and possible community responses to
them.
 Educating/training the people at grass-roots level in vulnerable
areas as a part of community capacity building to respond to any
disaster situation.
 Liaising with print and electronic media for regular publicity of
civil defense activities, including utilization of local TV channels
to conduct discussion, debated, etc., on civil defense.
 Holding regular mock drills, exercises and rehearsal of civil
defense activities, to generate public interest.
 Preparing publicity material, literature and brochures about Civil
defense and distributing these in events related to Civil defense.
 Organizing public functions to honour persons who have
contributed to the Civil defense cause by participating in its
activities.

14.  b) Civil defense Awareness in Schools
 Taking guest lecturers in schools, holding
demonstrations, showing films, visits to Civil defense
establishments, etc.
 Holding camps for students to provide them basic
training in skills for Civil defense/Disaster Management.

15.  c) Sensitizing Government Servants
 Holding seminars and workshops in government departments
to sensitize government servants at various levels about Civil
defense functions and their role in a disaster scenario.
 Identifying suitable personnel in local government offices, in
consultation with the Head of Office, and sponsoring them for
various courses in Civil defense.
 Maintaining a record of ‘trained government servants’ and
keeping in regular communication with them to ensure their
constant association with Civil defense activities.
 Developing resource personnel particularly in those
government departments which would not be directly involved
in any Disaster Management effort, since officials of police,
health, supplies, revenue, etc., may not be available to Civil
defense in the event of a disaster.

16. During Disasters
 Assisting in taking precautionary measures whenever any advance
warning is received about any Natural disaster.
 Helping in evacuation of population to less vulnerable areas depending
on the nature of disaster.
 Launching search and rescue operations.
 Providing first aid to injure and transporting them to medical centres.
 Setting up ‘Information and Guidance Centers’ for providing information
regarding missing persons, injured, etc., and also information about the
nature of facilities and assistance available to affected people
 Participating in distribution of relief material to affected people.
 Assisting police/traffic police in ensuring smooth movement of
emergency vehicles in the affected areas.
 Helping the local administration in assessing the extent of loss to life
and property.
 Training Infrastructure in States have been upgraded
 Disaster Awareness Training is conducted involving Civil defense, NCC
& NYKS in Districts/States

19. REFERENCE
 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
What is a Disaster. http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-
management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/. [Accessed: 9 Jan
2017]
 WCPT. What is disaster
management? http://www.wcpt.org/disaster-management/what-is-
disaster-management. [Accessed: 5 Jan 2017]
 http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/agriculture/agri_majorareas_disastermgt_
anintroduction.html
 https://ndma.gov.in/en/about-ndma/members/12-get-prepared/23-
civil-defense.html
 http://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/disaster-management-1/civil-
defense-volunteer
 Deflem, M., & Sutphin, S. (2009). Policing Katrina: Managing law
enforcement in new orleans. Policing, 3(1), 41–49.