Disaster preparedness and Emergency Response

Mahmudur Rahman
Lecturer
Department of Public Health and Informatics
Jahangirnagar University
 Disaster Preparedness

Disaster preparedness includes preparation of a contingency plan which

consists of institutional arrangements, rescue and relief operations and an
action plan.
Usually non government organizations and trust come forward with various
kinds of help in case a disaster, whose participation in relief supply and
operation should be dovetailed in the disaster preparedness planning.
Disaster preparedness should include the following elements:
❑ Pre disaster preparedness
❑ Disaster preparedness
❑ Pre-disaster action
❑ Mapping
❑ Disaster zoning
 Pre-disaster preparedness

For effective pre-disaster preparedness to face the disaster and to avoid last
minute arrangement in panic condition , the following aspects shall be covered:

• Well documented emergency plan.

• Data on availability of resources and buffer stocks of restoration materials.
• Identification of key personnel with their skills and experience on the disaster
management.
• Allocation of budget for emergencies.
• “Delegation of power” at various level of disaster condition.
 Disaster preparedness

▪ Good knowledge about vulnerability of target area.

▪ Clear roles and responsibilities of governmental and non-governmental agencies.
▪ Appropriate arrangement to ensure security and law and order.
▪ Training of disaster managers and relief workers and volunteers.
▪ Adequate rescue equipment and relief item.
▪ Adequate transportation facilities.
▪ Appropriate mechanism of receipt and distribution of internal/ external assistance.
▪ Identification of safe houses, shelters including schools, other government and
community building for persons and livestock, safe evacuation routes etc.
▪ Stock water ,food, clothes, kitchen utensils, candles, petromax lights, medicine etc,
emergency use, procure rescue materials, water testing and cleaning equipment ,
kerosene relocation plan for vulnerable habitations, install forecasting and warning
systems.
 Various phases of disaster management for which full preparedness and
actions teams are required are:
1. Prediction/forecasting and warning in the form of precautionary measures.
2. Threat , emergency action and survival methods
3. Environmental , social and economical impact.
4. Taking stock of situation , resources, decisions for actions
5. Ensuring timely relief , medical and security measures to victims
6. Rescue operation for survival of maximum victims.
7. Rehabilitation, recovery, relocation and reconstruction.
 Pre-disaster Actions

The stage occur when the prior information is available about a situation that
may lead to a disaster in near future. The emergency management group,
depending upon the nature of emergency should be put in high alert, and
following actions are taken:
Pre-alert notification: this type of notification mainly used for disseminating an
important piece of information and is not intended to convey whether or not an
emergency situation can arise. For example notification that attained full
reservoir level is a pre-alert notification. This notification include slowly
developing dam site emergencies which can develop immediately or even after
10 to 15 days or may not develop at all.
Alert notification: An alert notification shall be used to provide notice that
although a crisis/disaster is not imminent, a more serious situation could occur
unless the condition improve. Example of such situations could be full reservoir
with forecasts of heavy storms in the catchment which could lead to release of
water that can submerge downstream areas.

Warning notification: a warning notification implies that a crisis or disaster is

imminent, an advance action may be initiated for minimizing the damages/ rescue
operations. The warning notification indicating the magnitude of disaster should
be communicated to all concerned in the region.
 Mapping

The main aim of the mapping exercise is to provide a pictorial base to planning
process. Following are the types of maps:
Social mapping: These maps are
I. Exact location of the habitat and natural topography.
II. Other common infrastructures of the locality such as religious place, school, health
center, safe shelter etc.
Resource mapping: Mainly focuses on the locally available resources and other
assets which can be utilize for building the capacity of the community members during
the disasters. It include:
I. Identification of individuals skill, e.g., doctors, community leaders etc.
II. Available resources around the region, e.g., food stock, boats.
III. Important location in the area like open field.
IV. Drainage facilities, protection bund, shelter centre, agricultural zone, forest area
etc.
 Vulnerability mapping: it helps to identify the hazards and the possible regions
which are likely to be affected such as:
I. Number of vulnerable houses
II. Low lying region prone to flood.
III. Landslide prone region.
IV. Exact location of dangerous industries, electrical installation, weak building.

Safe and alternate route mapping: the aims is to identify the places and
location that are safe. This map also shows the alternate safest approach route to
the area. It can be either roadway or waterway.
 Disaster zoning

Natural calamities like earthquake, cyclones, floods etc have been studied
based on data collected from them it has become possible to predict their
intensities with certain degrees of confidence so that structures/plants etc can
be designed to withstand the effect of these forces.
The concept of disaster zoning identifies the areas having similar parameters
on the average.
1. Zoning for earthquake: our country has been demarcated from the point of
view of intensity of seismic loads in five zones i.e., zone-1 to zone-5. Zone-1
indicates that part of the country where seismic risk is minimum and zone-5
covers that portion of the country where seismic risk is the highest.
2. Zoning for wind load: indicates the wind speeds and wind load intensities
in various parts of the country based on measured and collected data on wind
speeds.

3. Flood plain zoning: flood plain zoning is used to regulate land use in the
flood plains in order to restrict the damage by floods, which are likely to occur
from time to time. The aims determining the locations and the extends of areas
likely to be affected by floods for different magnitudes/frequency and to develop
these areas in such way that the resulting damage is minimum.
As per flood plain zoning, the flood plains have been classifies as follows:

I. Prohibitive zones: in this no building activity should be carried out as this

area is highly susceptible to flooding

II. Restrictive zones: these are moderately flood prone areas.

III. Warning zones: these areas would be safe to floods up to the large
extent and are very less liable to flooding
For the purpose of regulating land use in different flood zones, the different
types of buildings and utility services have been grouped under following
priorities:
a. Priority 1: defense installation, aerodromes, railway stations, industries,
public utilities like hospitals, electric installations, water supply, telephone
exchange etc
b. Priority 2: public institutions, offices, residential areas
c. Priority 3: parks and playgrounds.
 Emergency response

Response is the first phase which occurs after the onset of an emergency and
is intended to provide emergency assistance for disaster effects and
causalities. This include search rescue, evacuation, shelter, medical care, relief
measure, clearance of debris, disposal of bodies and other efforts to reduce the
probability or extent of secondary disaster.

Emergency response phase is the detailed programme of action to control

and/or minimize the effects of an emergency requiring prompt corrective
measures to protect human life, minimize injury etc. The sufferings are not due
to disaster, but due to post disaster.
 Emergency response phase

❖ Maintenance of law and order.

❖ Evacuation of people
❖ Recovery of dead bodies and their disposal
❖ Medical care for injured
❖ Supply of food and water
❖ Restoration of electricity and water supply system
❖ Temporary shelters
❖ Restoration communication line and transport routes
❖ Assessment of damage and demareation of damage areas.
❖ Preparation of proposal about the reconstruction requirements and strategy
to be adopted.
 Objectives of Emergency Response

❑ Prevention loss of live.

❑ Minimize of human sufferings.
❑ Minimize property damage and economic loss.
❑ Face and manage quick and courageously the disaster condition.
❑ Ensure and rescue from panic.
❑ Alert and inform in the public and authorities for prevailing risks that
necessary to mitigate the condition.
 Emergency response management requirement

Emergency Response Area:

Ensure participation of all sectoral professional.
Ensure sufficient food among the team.
Ensure logistics (Shelter, communication, manpower, vehicles. etc.).
Ensure decentralized control of the team.
Identifying need and capacity of operation team.
Emergency response planning ( Sector & damage wise ).
 Operational response

Reliable and early detection of disaster threats and careful planning for
accumulation of warning message .
Command , control & coordination in the related person.
Identification of emergency resources .
Resources allocation for handling disaster efficiently by trained person.
Appropriate emergency response wise actions.
Effective notification and communication facilities.
 Pre-Disaster Phase management

I. Warning
II. Planning
III. Civil& Military team, Evacuation, search & Rescue, Restoration of Critical
services, Response by sector, Operational support, Organizational roles &
responsibility.
IV. Operational system, lose and need assessment, rapid emergency need
assessment and early recovery need assessment considering different
sectors.
V. Prepare action plans for all sectors. Resources allocation and action plan
implementation and monitoring.
 During Disaster Phase management

I. Restoration of Critical services

II. Response by sector wise
III. Operational support, Organizational roles & responsibility
IV. Operational system, Civil& Military team
V. Standard communication, appropriate vehicles
VI. Evacuation, search & Rescue
 Post Disaster Phase management
1.Food, Cash, Cloth, Water, Medical service, Critical services & sector wise
rehabilitation.
2. A. Early recovery and Rehabilitation. B.Medium and
C. long term recovery and Rehabilitation
I. Sustainable & plan wise Shelter
II. Developed Sustainable & plan wise transport-Power-Telecommunications-Water
supply and sanitation-Urban and municipal infrastructure development.
III. Social sector development (Education-Health and nutrition).
IV. Productive sectors development (Agriculture - crop, livestock, fisheries and forestry,
Industry and commerce including tourism).
V. Cross cutting issues (Environment).
VI. Livelihood recovery and economic recovery (standard & sustainable institutional &
infrastructural facilities).
 Conclusion

✔ Emergency response consider as a series of activities.

✔ Its requirements depend on impact of disaster.
✔ Effectiveness depends on cooperation, coordination, control & operational
handling.
✔ Emergency response management should works on priority base.
✔ Emergency response management system should consider authenticity in
their data on the planning of operation.