India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasterson account of its

unique geo-climatic conditions. Floods,droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and

landslides have beenrecurrent phenomena. At the global level, there
has beenc o n s i d e r a b l e c o n c e r n o v e r n a t u r a l d i s a s t e r s . E v e n a
s substantial scientific and material progress is made, the losso f l i v e s a n d p r o p e r t y
d u e t o d i s a s t e r s h a s n o t d e c r e a s e d . Over the past couple of years,
the Government of India has brought about a paradigm shift in the approach to
disaster m a n a g e m e n t . T h e n e w a p p r o a c h p r o c e e d s f r o m t
h e conviction that development cannot be sustainable unless d i s a s t e r
mitigation is built into the development
process.T h i s p r o j e c t d i s c u s s e s t h e r o l e s t h a t g o v e r n m e
n t a n d various agencies that play an important role in
m a n a g i n g disasters. We too as citizens of India can play a major role.We can also be a
volunteer and also a skilled personnel andsave lives of our near and dear country
men/women in anydisaster scenario. At the time of disaster
various agencies both government and non - government organizations playa crucial
role in preparing the society. Home
Guards,CivilD e f e n c e , V o l u n t e e r s o f n a t i o n a l S e r v i c e S c h e m e , N e h r u
Yuva Kendra Sangathan too play a major role at the time of c r i s i s . T h i s c h a p t e r t r i e s
t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e f u n c t i o n s a n d role of these agencies in disaster
management, who makethe society a better place to lives.
Definition of Disaster
A Disaster is an event that occurs in most cases suddenly and unexpectedly, causing severe
disturbances to people, objects and environment, resulting in loss of life, property and
health of the population. Such a situation causes disruption in normal pattern of life,
generating misfortune, helplessness and generating misfortune, helplessness and suffering
affecting the socio-economic structure of a region/country to such an extent that there is a
need for assistance or immediate outside intervention.

Types Of disaster
1)natural
2) manmade

GENERAL EFFECTS OF DISASTER

 Loss of life
 Injury
 Damage to and destruction of property
 Damage to and destruction of production
 Disruption of lifestyle
 Loss of livelihood
 Disruption of essential services
 Damage to national infrastructure
 Disruption to governmental systems
 National economic loss
 Sociological and psychological after effect

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE

 Response
 Recovery
 Prevention and mitigation
 Preparedness

RESPONSE
Response measures are usually those which are taken immediately priorto and
following disaster impact.
TYPICAL MEASURES INCLUDE:
 Implementation of plans
 Activation of counter – disaster system
 Search and rescue
 Provision of emergency food, shelter and medical assistance, etc.
 Survey and assessment
 Evacuation measures
RECOVERY
Recovery is the process by which communities and the nation are assistant in
returning to their proper level of functioning the following a disaster.

Three main category of activity are normally regarded as coming within the
recovery segment

 Restoration
 Reconstruction
 Rehabilitation
PREVENTION AND MITIGATION
Prevention:
Action within the segment is designed to impede the occurrence
having harmful effects of communities or key installation
Mitigation:
Action within the segment usually takes the form of specific
programmes intended to reduce the effects of disaster of a nation or
community. For instance, some countries regard the development and
application of building codes [which can reduce damage and loss in
the event of earthquake] as being in the category of mitigation.

PREPARDNESS
Preparedness is usually regarded as comprising measures which
enable governments, organization, communities and individuals to
respond rapidly and effectively to disaster situation the case of an
earthquake, non resistant buildings may collapse burying thousands
of people beneath. It may lead to a dislocation or blocking of road and
rail route which may make it difficult to reach aid on time. In light of
this, it is pertinent to take precautions, especially the regions that are
at a higher risk of earthquakes, whereas other regions which are even
mildly prone to a seismic activity can avail the following precautions.

Precautions- Following is a list of things to keep handy in case an

earthquake strikes.

1. Sufficient supply of medication that you and your family would

 need.

2. Flashlights with extra batteries

3. Fire extinguisher

4. Canned package foods, non perishable. Extra food for pets.

5. Camp stove to use outdoors

6. Water proof plastic bags for waste disposal

7. Enough stock of sanitation

During an earthquake:

1. It is important that you stay clear of windows, fireplaces, appliances and heavy furniture
and do not wait in the kitchen.

2. Try not rush outside the building or run downstairs where there is a risk of getting hurt
with the falling glass or debris and if you are outside, it is preferred that you stand in the
open away from the buildings, power lines etc. do not stop your car under a bridge, tree or
any other building.

3. In a mountainous area, watch for falling rocks, trees and other debris which loosens due
to the earthquake.

Post earthquake-

1. First of all wear shoes that are resistant with water, glass etc.

2. Once you are fine, check other people for injuries. Cover the injured with blankets and
seek medical help for serious injuries. Do not move injured persons unless they are in
further danger.

3. Check for various hazards like fire or gas leaks, damaged electrical wiring, utility wires
etc.
 4. Last but not the least, be sure you help other people.

Role of government: Following an earthquake are various other hazards like rains, break
out of an epidemic, shortage of basic necessities, jammed roads etc. Given below are some
of the efforts made by the government in order to ease the situation.

- Locates, extricates and provides initial medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed
structures.

- Manages and coordinates food, shelter and first-aid for victims; provides bulk distribution
of relief supplies; operates a system to assist family reunification.

- Provides assistance for public health and medical care needs.

- Identifies food needs; ensures that food gets to affected areas.

III. Preventive measures:-

1. The pre-disaster preparedness based on scientific and technical principles (with special
focus on building techniques). This forms an important cornerstone of earthquake disaster
mitigation efforts -
· Seismic safety of man-made structures such that it ensures the structures do not collapse;
· Revision of town planning bye-laws and adoption of model bye-laws;
· Assessing the seismic vulnerability of the existing buildings by carrying out structural safety
audits;
· Developing seismic strengthening & setting up standards and guidelines for existing
upcoming critical lifeline structures & also of buildings of national importance;
· Undertaking mandatory technical audits of structural designs of major projects like dams,
bridges etc.
· Incorporation of earthquake resistant design features in the new buildings.
· Ensuring the compliance of earthquake-resistant building codes, town planning laws and
other safety regulations.

2. Educating masses & the role of community participation

· Introducing earthquake safety education in schools, colleges and universities;
· Conducting mock drills for greater public awareness;
· Participation of the community at the local level in the planning, implementation and
monitoring processes;
· Launching public awareness campaigns on seismic safety and risk reduction;
· Technical education following comprehensive curriculum related to earthquake management.
3. Medical emergency & preparedness –
· The emergency medical plan to be immediately put to work on receiving information from
the earthquake affected areas;
· Prompt and efficient emergency medical response with effective reach to affected masses;
· Resuscitation, triage and medical evacuation of victims who require hospitalization,
· Appropriate counseling will be provided to the victims suffering from pshyco-social trauma.

4. Setting up “Disaster Response Force” battalions in high seismic risk zones, training and
equipping them.

5. A brief review of the status of earthquake management efforts periodically.

IV. Response/ Emergency measures :-

1. Emergency relief measures –

· Planning and setting up emergency shelters, relief camps for people affected;
· Distributing relief among the affected people,
· Identifying missing people and launching search & rescue operations for them,
· Addressing the needs like- health care, water supply and sanitation, food etc.,
· Deployment of armed forces for post-earthquake response work,
· Establishing systems for proper identification of the deceased, recording the details of
victims, and their DNA fingerprinting.

V. Rehabilitation & Recovery:-

· Steps to be taken to ensure adequate nutrition, medical services , water & sanitation facilities,
· Providing psychological care and social support,
· Re-housing of those rendered shelter-less after-quake,
· Rehabilitate amputees and other disabled,
· Providing them with opportunities for earning living & settlement.