Similarly, when natural disasters happen, humans cannot control them.

However, we can prevent

them. In other words, whenever a calamitous situation arises that may disturb the life and
ecosystem, we need emergency measures to save and preserve lives. As natural disaster are not
predictable, they can take place anywhere at any time. To understand disaster management
thoroughly, we need to first identify the types of disasters.

Types of Disasters

If we look at the disasters that have taken place earlier, we can easily say that nature is not
merely responsible for them to happen. They happen due to other reasons too. This is why we
have classified them in different categories. First comes the natural disasters which are caused by
natural processes. They are the most dangerous disaster to happen which causes loss of life and
damage to the earth. Some of the deadliest natural disasters are earthquakes, floods, volcanic
eruptions, hurricanes, and more.

Furthermore, we have man-made disasters. They are the results of technological hazards or
man’s carelessness. Some of the man-made disasters include fires, nuclear explosions or
radiations, oil spills, transport accidents, terrorist attacks and more. Nature has little or no role to
play in these types of disasters.

As no country is spared from any kind of disasters, India also falls in the same category. In fact, the
geographical location of India makes it a very disaster-prone country. Each year, India faces a number of
disasters like floods, earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, cyclones, droughts and more. When we look at the
man-made disasters, India suffered the Bhopal Gas Tragedy as well as the plague in Gujarat. To stop
these incidents from happening again, we need to strengthen our disaster management techniques to
prevent destructive damage.

Disaster Management

Disaster management refers to the efficient management of resources and responsibilities that
will help in lessening the impact of the disaster. It involves a well-planned plan of action so we
can make effective efforts to reduce the dangers caused by the disaster to a minimum.

Most importantly, one must understand that disaster management does not necessarily eliminate
the threat completely but it decreases the impact of the disaster. It focuses on formulating
specific plans to do so. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in India is
responsible for monitoring the disasters of the country. This organization runs a number of
programs to mitigate the risks and increase the responsiveness.

Proper disaster management can be done when we make the citizens aware of the precautionary
measures to take when they face emergency situations. For instance, everyone must know we
should hide under a bed or table whenever there is an earthquake. Thus, the NDMA needs to take
more organized efforts to decrease the damage that disasters are causing. If all the citizens learn
the basic ways to save themselves and if the government takes more responsive measures, we
can surely save a lot of life and vegetation.