DISATER RISK MANAGEMENT

What is a risk?
Risk is a measure of the expected losses due to a hazard event occurring in a given area over
a specific time period. Risk is a function of the probability of particular hazardous event and
the losses each would cause. The level of risk depends upon:

Nature of the hazard

Vulnerability of the elements which are affected

Economic value of those elements

A community/locality is said to be at risk when it is exposed to hazards and is likely to be

adversely affected by its impact. Whenever we discuss disaster management it is basically
disaster risk management. Disaster risk management includes all measures which reduce
disaster related losses of life, property or assets by either reducing the hazard or vulnerability
of the elements at risk.

Disaster Risk Reduction can take place in the following ways:

Preparedness:

This protective process embraces measures which enable governments, communities and
individuals to respond rapidly to disaster situations to cope with them effectively.
Preparedness includes the formulation of viable emergency plans, the development of
warning systems, the maintenance of inventories and the training of personnel. It may also
embrace search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for areas that may be at risk
from a recurring disaster. Preparedness therefore encompasses those measures taken before a
disaster event which are aimed at minimising loss of life, disruption of critical services, and
damage when the disaster occurs.

Mitigation

Mitigation embraces measures taken to reduce both the effect of the hazard and the
vulnerable conditions to it in order to reduce the scale of a future disaster. Therefore
mitigation activities can be focused on the hazard itself or the elements exposed to the threat.
Examples of mitigation measures which are hazard specific include water management in
drought prone areas, relocating people away from the hazard prone areas and by
strengthening structures to reduce damage when a hazard occurs. In addition to these physical
measures, mitigation should also aim at reducing the economic and social vulnerabilities of
potential disasters

Disaster risk reduction:

Disaster risk reduction is defined as the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks
through systematic efforts to analyse and manage the causal factors of disasters, including
reduced exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise
management of land and the environment, and improved preparedness for adverse effects.
Disaster reduction strategies include, primarily, vulnerability and risk assessment, as well as a
number of institutional capacities and operational abilities. The assessment of the
vulnerability of critical facilities, social and economic infrastructure, the use of effective early
warning systems, and the application of many different types of scientific, technical, and
other skilled abilities are essential features of disaster risk reduction.
Disaster risk (R) = Vulnerability (V) x Hazard (H)
Capacity (C)

OR
Disaster risk = function of H and V/C

Mass casualty Management (or) mass casualty incident

Definition: A mass casualty incident is defined as an event which generates more patients at
one time than locally available resources can manage using routine procedures. It requires
exceptional emergency arrangements and additional or extraordinary assistance
A mass casualty incident (often shortened to MCI and sometimes called a multiple-casualty
incident or multiple-casualty situation) is any incident in which emergency medical services
resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed by the number and severity of
casualties. For example, an incident where a two-person crew is responding to a motor
vehicle collision with three severely injured people could be considered a mass casualty
incident. The general public more commonly recognizes events such as building collapses,
train and bus collisions, earthquakes and other large-scale emergencies as mass casualty
incidents. September 11 attacks in 2001 are well-publicized examples of mass casualty
incidents.
Agencies involved in mass casualty management
A mass casualty incident can involve a variety of responders and agencies. The most
common are listed below.
1. Emergency medical services
Certified first responders or emergency medical responders may arrive as part of local
emergency medical services, or may arrive on their own. They will assist with all aspects of
patient care, including triage and treatment at the scene, and transport from the scene to the
hospital.
Paramedic and emergency medical technician (EMT) personnel may arrive in
ambulances, in their personal vehicles, or from another agency. They will have control of all
aspects of patient care, as assigned by the medical officer or incident commander.
Ground ambulances will be assigned to the transport sector to transport patients and
personnel to and from the incident scene, emergency departments of hospitals, and a
designated helipad. These ambulances may be municipal services, volunteer services, or
from private corporations.
Air ambulances will transport patients from the scene or from designated helipads to
receiving hospitals.
2. Fire and rescue
Fire-fighters will perform all initial rescue-related operations, as well as fire suppression
and prevention. They may also provide medical care if they are trained and assigned to do
so. They may arrive on a fire truck, in their personal vehicles, or from another agency.
Many areas near airports will have automatic mutual aid agreements with airport fire
departments in the event of a plane crash outside of the airport boundaries.
3. Public safety
Police officers will secure and control access to the scene, to ensure safety and
smooth operations.
Utility Services will ensure that utilities in the area are turned off as necessary, in
order to prevent further injury or damage at the scene.
4. Specialized teams
Specialized rescue teams may be part of the local fire department; they may be
associated with the state, provincial, or federal governments; or they may be privately
operated teams. These teams are specialists in specific types of rescue, such as Urban
search and rescue (USAR) or Confined Space Rescue.
 HazMat teams are responsible for cleaning up and neutralizing any hazardous
materials at the scene. Sometimes these will be specialized CBRNE (chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives) teams.
National Guard Units have medics specifically trained in mass-casualty triage who
may be called in to respond to a disaster-related incident.
5. Public services
Railways and transportation agencies will be notified if an incident involves their
tracks or right-of-way, or if they are required to cease operations in and through
affected areas. Transportation agencies will provide buses to transport lightly injured
people to the hospital. Buses can also provide shelter at the scene (for example,
"warming buses") if required.
The media play an important role in keeping the general public informed about the
incident and in keeping them away from the incident area. However, a Public
Information Officer should be assigned as the only designated responder who
communicates with the media, to prevent the spread of misinformation.
o Non-governmental organizations such as St. John Ambulance, the Order of Malta, the
Red Cross, the Red Crescent, the Medical Reserve Corps, and the Salvation Army
will provide assistance with all aspects of a mass casualty incident, including trained
medical staff, vehicles, individual registration and tracking, temporary shelter, food
service, and many other important services.
6. Hospitals
Hospitals with emergency departments will have a mass casualty incident protocol
which they initiate as soon as they are notified of an MCI in their community. They will
have preparations in place to receive a massive number of casualties, like calling in
more staff, pulling extra and spare equipment out of storage, and clearing non-acute
patients out of the hospital. Some hospitals will send doctors to the scene of the incident
to assist with triage, treatment, and transport of injured persons to the hospital.
This is not an exhaustive list, and many other agencies and groups of people could be
involved in a mass casualty incident.
Flow of an MCI
Ideally, once an MCI has been declared, a well-coordinated flow of events will occur, using
three separate phases: triage, treatment, and transportation
1.Triage
Simple triage and rapid treatment (START) is a triage method used by first responders to
quickly classify victims during a mass casualty incident (MCI) based on the severity of their
injury. The first-arriving crew will conduct triage. Pre-hospital emergency triage generally
consists of a check for immediate life-threatening concerns, usually lasting no more than
one minute per patient. It is the most common and is considered the easiest to use. Using
START, the medical responder assigns each patient to one of four color-coded triage levels,
based on their breathing, circulation, and mental status. The triage levels are:

When responding to a chemical, biological, or radiological incident, the first-arriving crew

must establish safety zones prior to entering the scene. Safety zones include:
The hot zone: The contaminated area
The warm zone: The area where specialists will decontaminate patients and fellow
responders
The cold zone: The safe zone, where any personnel who are not specially trained in
HazMat and do not have chemical or biological protection gear must remain at all times.
Depending on the contaminant, the cold zone should be roughly 200300 yards from the
incident, uphill and upwind. It should also be at least 50 yards uphill and upwind from the
warm zone.
2. Treatment
Once casualties have been triaged, they can be moved to appropriate treatment areas. Unless
a patient is Green Tagged and ambulatory, litter bearers will have to transport patients from
the incident scene to safer treatment areas located nearby. These treatment areas must
always be within walking distance, and will be staffed by appropriate numbers of properly
certified medical personnel and support people. The litter bearers do not have to be
advanced medical personnel; their role is to simply place casualties onto carrying devices
and transport them to the appropriate treatment area. Casualties should be transported in
order of treatment priority: Red-Tagged patients first, followed by Yellow-Tagged, then
Green-Tagged, and finally Black-Tagged.

Each colored triage category will have its own treatment area. Treatment areas are often
defined by coloured tarpaulins, flagging tape, signs, or tents. Upon arrival in the treatment
area, the casualties are re-assessed and they are treated with the goal of stabilizing them
until they can be transported to hospitals; transported to the morgue or medical examiner's
office; or released.
3. Transport
The final stage in the pre-hospital management of a mass-casualty incident is the transport
of casualties to hospitals for more definitive care. If an insufficient number of ambulances is
available, other vehicles may transport patients, such as police cars, fire trucks, air
ambulances, transit buses, or personal vehicles. As with treatment, transport priority is
decided based on the severity of the patient's injuries. Usually, the most seriously injured
are transported first, with the least serious transported only after all the critical patients have
been transported.

MASS CASUALTY MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY SYSTEMS

Definition: The Emergency Management Plan for Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) is for
events occurring inside and outside the hospital requiring additional staff, resources,
communication, and preparation.
The national government is the ultimate authority in emergency management as part
of its overall responsibilities for the safety and security. Depending on the size and
seriousness of the incident the government is responsible for implementing national
coordination structures, approving extraordinary resources, calling up the military,
assuming extraordinary powers, and for activating international systems of cooperation and
aid.
A variety of Ministries, agencies and other organizations have roles to play in
emergencies, with the Ministry of Health taking on a major one. the various branches of the
military; Civil Defence agencies; Red Cross/Red Crescent, the private sector, and so on
Emergency Management Council or Cabinet Emergency Committee (comprising the head
of state and key ministers); National Interdepartmental Emergency Committee (top-level
 civil servants); and National Disaster Recovery Committee (a wider grouping which may
include non-governmental as well as government.

The government and public administration take, national emergency management systems
should include:
o Identification of lines of authority, from the national to the local level
Financial arrangements for funding emergency work
Arrangements to ensure that government and community activities are maintained (for
Example, creation of parallel or hardened communications systems to take over if normal
Voice or data transfer systems are affected)
National stockpiling of appropriate resources (including provincial or state and local
prepositioning of stockpiles)
Database of national experts for advice on specifi c problems
Protocols and formal arrangements for coordinated efforts with other countries, or between
Provincial/state governments within the country.
Planning for mass casualty management at national level
1. Establishing a baseline
2. Hazard analysis and risk assessment
3. Developing a National Mass Casualty Management Plan
4. Training guidelines and standards
5. Monitoring, surveillance and early warning
6. Financial and material resources
7. Community and local government level
8. Communications planning
9. Health care facility level
10. Training and exercises
National Emergency Operational and Preparedness Structure
 Risk management

Main Elements of Disaster Management

Key elements of disaster risk management

 Frame work of Disaster Risk Reduction

WHAT IS RISK ASSESSMENT?

It defines as a risk , as the probability of harmful consequences casualties, damaged property,
lost livelihoods, disrupted economic activity, and damage to the environment resulting from
interactions between natural or human-induced hazards and vulnerable conditions. Risk
assessment is a process to determine the nature and extent of such risk, by analyzing hazards
and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that together could potentially harm
exposed people, property, services, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend.
Risk assessment, therefore, is an integral part of decision and policy-making processes and
requires close collaboration among various parts of society.
Comprehensive risk assessment consists of the following steps:
1. Understanding of current situation, needs and gaps.
2. Hazard assessment: to identify the nature, location, intensity and likelihood of major
hazards prevailing in a community or society.
3. Exposure assessment to identify population and assets at risk and delineate disaster prone
areas
4. Vulnerability analysis to determine the capacity (or lack of it) of elements at risk to
withstand the given hazard scenarios.
5. Loss/impact analysis to estimate potential losses of exposed population, property, services,
livelihoods and environment, and assess their potential impacts on society.
6. Risk profiling and evaluation to identify cost-effective risk reduction options in terms of
the socio-economic concerns of a society and its capacity for risk reduction.
Elements at risk during /after the disaster:
1. People
2. Livestock
3. Rural housing stock
4. House vulnerable
5. Crops, trees, telephone, electric poles
6. Boats, looms, working implements
7. Personal property
8. electricity, water, food supplies
9. infrastructure supports
Risk factors vulnerability:
Physical Vulnerability: It includes damaged or destroyed by natural hazard such as
earthquakes or floods. It is based on the physical condition of people and elements at risk,
such as buildings, infrastructure etc.; and theirproximity, location and nature of the hazard. It
also relates to the technical capability of building and structures to resist the forces acting
upon them during a hazard event.
e.g. poor design and construction of buildings, unregulated land use planning, etc.
Economic vulnerability: the potential impacts of hazards on economic assets and processes
(i.e. business interruption, secondary effects such as increased poverty and job loss)
Vulnerability of different economic sectors,
e.g. the uninsured informal sector, vulnerable rural livelihoods, dependence on single
industries, globalisation of business and supply chains, etc.
Social vulnerability: the potential impacts of events on groups such as the poor, single
parent households, pregnant or lactating women, the handicapped, children, and elderly;
consider public awareness of risk, ability of groups to self-cope with catastrophes, and status
of institutional structures designed to help them cope.
e.g. poverty and inequality, marginalisation, social exclusion and discrimination by gender,
social status, disability and age (amongst other factors) psychological factors, etc.
Environmental vulnerability: the potential impacts of events on the environment. Natural
resource depletion and resource degradation are key aspects of environmental vulnerability.
Example: Wetlands, such as the Caroni Swamp, are sensitive to increasing salinity from sea
water, and pollution from storm water runoff containing agricultural chemicals, eroded soils,
etc.
e.g. poor environmental management, overconsumption of natural resources, decline of risk
regulating ecosystem services, climate change, etc
Disaster Risk Reduction: It refers to the conceptual framework of elements considered with
possibilities to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risk throughout a society, to avoid
(prevention) it only includes (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards,
within the broad context of sustainable developments.
Disaster Risk Management: It includes but goes beyond Disaster risk reduction by adding a
management perspective that combines prevention, mitigation, and preparedness with
response.
Risks Assessment and Analyses:
Risk assessment includes the identification of hazard agents (seen as hazards risk factors in
Figure 1, e.g., tsunamis, flooding, oil leakage, and urban fires), exposure and consequence
assessment, and risk characterisation. The first, and perhaps most difficult step in the process,
is to identify all hazardous conditions. For example, an earthquake can affect and damage key
infrastructure such as water supply systems, roads, bridges petroleum depots, power, housing
and trigger secondary events such as liquefaction, landslides, rock falls, raised and drops in
land against sea level and flooding from water and irrigation systems. Risk cannot be reduced
unless vulnerability and hazardous conditions are recognised before they trigger impact.
Once a hazardous condition is recognised it must be evaluated to determine the threat or risk
it presents. The level of risk is a function of the probability of exposure to the hazard and the
severity of the potential harm that would be caused by that exposure. Some hazards may
present very little risk to people or equipment (e.g. a toxic chemical well enclosed in a strong
container in a stationary secure and unpopulated area). Additionally, risk factors include
social, economic, physical and environmental vulnerabilities.
What is a Risk Management
Risk management encompasses all those activities required to reach and implement decisions
on risk reduction or elimination. Once a risk has been characterised, an informed decision can
be made as to what control measures, if any, are needed to reduce the risks or eliminate the
hazard. Control measures can consist of any action for risk reduction or elimination. Often
control measures involve reducing the probability of occurrence or the severity of an incident.
Risk management also must start at the lowest possible level of government administration
and community with each level accepting responsibility for an appropriate level of
mitigation, preparedness, and response and/or recovery activity. This includes strengthening
and supporting community level initiatives on disaster risk reduction and encouraging active
Participation or involvement of people in the process of risk assessment, planning,
implementation of disaster risk management strategies and activities.
The Social, Economic and Environmental Context of Disaster Risk Reduction
Framework
This Policy aims to be consistent with accepted risk reduction strategies that will
Considerably reduce social and economic losses caused by natural and human-induced
Disasters such as technological hazards and conflicts.
The essential points adopted in this Policy cover:
a) A necessary shift in managing disasters from a traditional manner emergency assistance
or crisis management to disaster, conflict and climate change risk Reduction strategies;
b) The general framework and activities of disaster risk management;
c) Integration and mainstreaming of disaster, conflict, climate change and adaptability
Across all sectors through economic, social and environmental national recovery and
Development;
d) A focus on strengthening community capacities and reducing vulnerabilities;
e) Integration of gender perspectives;
f) The need for attention to be given to children and youth in disaster risk management
Main objectives of Disaster Risk Management
The right to life is recognized by the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-
Leste. It is the mandate of the National Disaster Management Directorate (NDMD) to
guarantee this right in circumstances of disasters.
The general objective of NDMD is to reduce the risk of disasters. Reducing the risks of
disasters is obtained through the diminishment of the occurrences of disasters. Internationally
a focus on reduction was chosen because the action eliminate was deemed to be an
unachievable objective.
Disaster reduction actions consist of the following global aspects:
a) Disaster Prevention;
b) Disaster Preparedness for Emergencies;
c) Disaster Response;
d) Recovery/Reconstruction Post-Disaster/Development.
Difference between Disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction:
Disaster risk management Disaster risk reduction
1. It includes almost all kinds of 1. It avoid the prevention and includes
activities, which strength and also the all kinds of activities , which
non-structural actions to prevent strength and also non-structural
hazards. actions to prevent hazards

2. It includes Mitigation, preparedness, 2. Risk is a measure of the expected

prevention , recovery, losses due to a hazard event occurring
in a given area over a specific time
period.
Hazards x Vulnerability =disaster risk

3. It also includes rehabilitation, 3. It includes the hazard analysis and

reconstruction, recovery, relief preparations to taken up before
disaster.

4. Measures taken up prior to impact of 4. Measures to be taken to alert disaster

the disaster to minimize its effects from occurring, if possible to impede
sometimes refer to which strength and hazards so that it does not have
also non-structural actions to prevent harmful effects.
hazards.
5. It does not include financial and legal
5. It includes all financial and legal
aspects.
aspects.

6. It have only local people to

6.It have a authorization structure
authorization before disaster
includes government and non-
preparations like early warning.
government agencies
Emergency Management planning:
The Joint National Disaster Operation Centre (DOC) will have a critical role in assisting
agencies/partners and coordinating emergency actions which will include:
Directions and control of the populations survival recovery efforts and operations;
Public information regarding emergencies;
Monitoring global early warnings on a 24 hour basis;
Notifying the public of probable impending disaster in time to take protective action;
Damage assessment;
Evacuation, traffic control and security;
Health and emergency medical care;
Emergency food and shelter;
Debris clearance; and
Restoration of utilities.
Every nations accepts the need for measures to protect and preserve the human lives and
property of its residents whether from external threats or internal hazards. All such measures
are development and maintenance of safer, sustainable communities , communities in which
all members can live, work and pursue their appropriate needs in safe and sustainable
physical and social environment.
1. Community: A group of people with a commonality of association and generally defined
by location, shared experience or function
2. Elements at risk: The population, building and civil engineering works economic activities,
public services and infrastructure etc.,
3. Emergency management: A range of measures to manage risks to communities and the
environment.
4. Emergency risk management: A systematic process that process that produces a range of
measure that contribute to well-being of communities and the environment.
5. Event: an incident or situation which occurs in a particular place during a particular
interval of time.
6. Hazards: A sources of potential harm or a situation with potential to cause loss.
7. Risk: The chance of something happening that will have an impact upon objectives
measured in terms of consequences and likelihood.
8. Emergency: An event actual or imminent which endangers or threatens to endanger life,
property or the environment.
 Emergency management planning
Mitigation
Preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects
n emergency
happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.

activities take place before and after emergencies.

Preparedness
Preparing to handle an emergency
and to help response and rescue
operations.
es of preparedness.

Response
Responding safely to an emergency
t further property damage in an emergency
situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.
alves in an earthquake are both response
activities.
 Response activities take place during an emergency.
Recovery
Recovering from an emergency
return to a normal or an even safer situation following an
emergency.

Administrative setup & Organizational Structure:

National Level:
The nodal Ministry/Department for each disaster to which the district is prone may be
indicated. For example, The Ministry of Agriculture is the Ministry for every natural disaster.
Similarly, Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal Ministry for the management of
chemical accidents. The nodal Ministry/Department be ascertained and indicated so that
unnecessary time is not wasted in ascertaining it at the time of disaster and furnishing
information and getting Support. Ordinarily, Secretary of the concerned Ministry/Department
acts as head of the Crisis Management Group with representatives from other concerned
Central Government organizations and Ministries. For each disaster, it should be separately
given.
In the case of serious disasters, The Cabinet Secretary heads the Crisis Management Group
with Secretaries of concerned Ministries/ Departments and heads of Central organizations.
State Level:
The State level organizational structure for disaster management is indicated. Where
responsibility for management of different types of disasters is assigned to different
departments, the nodal department for each type of disaster should be clearly indicated.
While ordinary disasters (difficult to define and therefore intensity and severity to be
determined in each case) may be dealt by the secretariat administrative departments, serious
may require coordination and action at the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister's level.
Provisions of an official Committee at the Chief Secretary's level consisting of Secretaries of
relevant departments and a ministerial level Committee at the Chief Ministers level consisting
of Ministers of relevant departments for coordination, direction, monitoring action and
organizing support be provided in the plan.
District Level:
At the district level, the Collector is the focal point for disaster response and recovery. A
district level Committee consisting of the district level representatives of all the concerned
departments. This could be designated as District crisis management Group. Sub-division
level committees consisting of subdivision level officers for coordination and action.
Each concerned departmental head to organize his team for carrying out the plan of action
for management.
Involvement of Panchayat raj and municipal institutions with responsibility for disaster
management.
Involvement of District Planning committee and other representatives in disaster
management role as may be determined.
Involvement of NGO's and community in awareness generated management.
Involving media for collection and dissemination of information.

Role of GIS (Geographical Information System) in disaster management:

Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer based application of technology
involving spatial and attributes information to act as a decision support tool. It keeps
information in different layers and generates various combinations pertaining to the
requirement of the decision making. In the recent times, GIS has emerged as an effective tool
in management of disasters since, geo-spatial data and socio-economic information need to
be amalgamated for the better decision making in handling a disaster or to plan for tackling a
disaster in a better way. GIS could be utilized by the different line departments and agencies
who are stakeholders in the disaster management process. Some basic hardware like
computer system, printer, network systems, along with GIS software are required to set up
the GIS in any organisation.

Objectives:
The prime objectives of developing the GIS database are to help disaster managers at State,
District and Block level for:
i) Pre-disaster planning and preparedness
ii) Prediction and early warning
iii) Damage assessment and relief management
Application of GIS in disaster management
GIS has been effectively used in the following cases as a decision support tool.
1. Identification of location for construction of multipurpose cyclone shelters
2. Grid analysis for setting up the Automated Weather Stations (AWS)
3. Preparation of the district and grampanchayat level vulnerability maps
4. Strengthening of embankment, repair of roads
5. Identification and demarcation of weak points in the embankments, area to be affected
by flood for preparedness planning
6. Preparing the base map indicating location and operation of boats and deployment of
rescue personnel
7. GIS was extensively used as a part of the Incident Command System and Decision Support
System during the Air dropping operations in management of floods in 2007 and 2008