URGENT NEED

India lies in a region highly vulnerable to natural disasters

• Between 1991 and 2000, almost 40% of natural disasters occurred in Asia and the
total affected people in the region counts for almost 90% of the world total.
• 80% of the natural disasters worldwide occur in Asia; and of these, 80% are hydr
o-meteorological or climate related.
• In 1995 to 2005, natural disasters affected over 1.7 million Asians, costing 369
billion dollars in damage to hard won assets.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
• Disaster Preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce effects
of disasters.
• It requires the contribution of many different areas ranging from training and l
ogistics to health care to institutional development.
Objectives
These overall objectives provide broad guidelines for action by national governm
ents, civil society organizations, regional institutions and international organ
izations.
• Obtaining political commitment from public authorities through
- Inter sectoral coordination at all levels
- Adoption of risk management strategies
- Allocation of appropriate resources inc. development of new funding m
echanisms.
• Involvement of societies, NGOs and community based organizations(CBOs).
• Increasing public awareness and public participation to reduce vulnerability to
hazards through
• - Public information
• - Education
• - Multidisciplinary Professional Training
• Fostering better understanding and knowledge of the causes of disasters. The iss
ues to be addressed include
• - Assessment and analysis of gender-specific socio-economic impact of di
sasters
• - Construction of databases on disasters
• - Formulation of suitable coping strategies for different social groups
• - Introduction of early warning systems
• - Promotion of relevant scientific research
• Stimulating interdisciplinary partnerships and expansion of risk reduction netwo
rking, greater involvement of private sector, academic institutions, the Red Cro
ss and Red Crescent.
• Increasing the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of disaster emergency respon
se mechanisms at community and national levels.
• Strengthening community based disaster preparedness that includes educating, pre
paring and supporting local populations in their everyday efforts to reduce risk
s and prepare their own local response mechanisms to address disaster.
DISEASTER CLASSIFICATION
• Disasters are often classified according to their cause, their speed of onset an
d whether or not they are due to “acts of nature or acts of humans”.

HAZARD CAUSING DISASTERS

Disasters classified according to cause are named after the hazard which results
in disastrous social and economic consequences.
The classification includes earthquakes, floods, cyclones, tornadoes, landslides
, mudflows, draughts, pest and insect infestations, chemical explosions etc.
SPEED OF HONEST
The speed of the disaster onset is another way to distinguish between disasters –
and the type of responses that may be required
RAPID ONEST DISASTER
SPEED OF HONEST
SLOW HONEST DISASTER

Rapid Onset
• This occurs suddenly with little warning taking lives and destroying economic st
ructures and material resources.
• These disasters may be caused by earthquakes, floods, storm winds, tornadoes or
mudflows.
Slow Onset
• These occur over time and slowly deteriorate the societies and population’s capaci
ty to withstand the effects of the hazard.
• Hazards causing these disasters include draughts, famine, environmental degradat
ion, desertification, deforestation and pest infestation.

ARCHITECTURAL PREPAREDNESS
The following areas of consideration are of utmost significance when preparing f
or protection from disasters. These are subjective to functional purpose and the
capacity of the building. These are elaborated as:-
1.) Hydro-meteorological & Seismic Condition
The initial most step to be taken before planning the constructi
on of any building, residential or commercial, is to consider its feasibility ba
sed on climatic as well as seismic condition of the area proposed for construct
ion. In no sense should the area pose any danger to the building occupants from
future comprehended disaster.
2.) Soil Condition
The soil should be free from any condition of liquefaction, rock
and landslides etc. which are very important to be considered in case of earthq
uakes. Depending on the capacity of the building it shall be treated for higher
or lower protection against the disasters.
3.) Choice of Site and Site Treatment
Sites that can liquefy are to always avoided, stable slopes shou
ld be maintained. In coastal areas, buildings to be constructed on high ground c
atering to the threat of Tsunami and cyclones.

The site should be well drained with waterproof apron on all four sides of the b
uilding to prevent any seepage under the foundation. Water drains to be construc
ted away from the buildings at the edges of the apron. Thorough analysis should
be conducted before deciding on the type and adequate depth of foundation.
4.) General Principles regarding Building Form
The choice of appropriate form leads to stable behavior during d
isasters. The aspects of form which are important include the building plan, int
ernal partitions and size and location of openings in both internal and external
walls.
For example, in case of cyclones a building should designed to withstand
cyclonic winds. And there should be an understanding of the force a cyclone wil
l apply on the building as a whole or to its components like walls, roof etc.
FORMS OF BUILDING FOR STABLE
BEHAVIOR DURING EARTHQUAKES
 ROOF CORRECTION FOR THE RESISTENCE TO IMPACT OF CYCLONES

5.) Material for Construction

The suitability of materials for construction is dependent on th
e characteristics of the materials themselves as well as their combination with
other materials. To resist the internal forces caused by earthquakes, cyclones e
tc. it is helpful if the materials perform well both in compression and in tensi
on. Materials which perform well only in compression are often reinforced by oth
ers with good tensile strength qualities. Simple, as well as economical, methods
for strengthening buildings made of traditional materials have been developed b
oth for constructing new buildings and for upgrading existing ones. These method
s have been scientifically developed through analytical research, observation of
damage occurring during disasters and the physical testing of large scale model
s.
Note- The materials used should conform to the standard specifications and the m
ethod of use should be appropriate and most accurate.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
DISASTER MANA GEMENT

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