DISASTER

PREVENTION AND
MITIGATION
Genwil M. Ilagan
Disaster

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is

defined as a sudden ecological phenomenon of sufficient
magnitude to require external assistance”.
 It is also defined as any event that causes damage, ecological
disruption , loss of human life, deterioration of health.
Prevention
 Defined as those activities taken to prevent a
natural phenomenon or potential hazard from
having harmful effects on either people or
economic assets
Principal Objectives of Prevention
 Save lives, reduce economic disruptions, decrease
vulnerability/increase capacity decrease chance/
level of conflict Simply “Risk Reduction”.
Classification of Disaster
 Natural Disaster - – Occur as the result of action of
the natural forces and tend to be accepted as
unfortunate, but inevitable.
 Manmade Disaster - – result from some human
activities, such as explosions, fires, the release of
toxic chemicals or radioactive materials, bridge or
building collapse, crashes, dam or levee failure,
nuclear reactor accidents, breaks in water, gas, or
sewer lines, deforestation, war, etc.
Classification of Disaster

Natural Disaster Man Made Disaster

Classification of Disaster
 Complex Emergencies – some disasters can result
from multiple hazards, or, more often, to a
complex combination of both Natural and Man-
made causes which involve a break-down of
authority, looting and attacks on strategic
installations, including conflict situations and war.
Example of Complex Emergency
Classification of Disasters
 Pandemic Emergencies It is an epidemic of
infectious disease that has spread across a large
region, which can occur to the human population
or animal population and may affect health,
disrupts services leading to economic and social
costs.
Disaster Management
 Ifyou don’t create a plan to deal with disasters,
you could end up dealing with lost revenue and
massive human casualties.
 Disaster management covers whole range of
events, including communication failures, public
disorder, terrorism, natural disasters, and artificial
disasters like electrical fires and industrial
sabotage.
Goals of Disaster Management
 Proactiveplans to mitigate various business risks
 Minimizing loss via more effective preparedness
and response.
 Creating more effective and durable recovery
Disaster Mangement consist of five
Phases
 Disaster Prevention
 Disaster Preparedness
 Disaster Response
 Disaster Recovery
 Disaster Mitigation
Disaster Prevention
 While not all disasters can be prevented , good risk
management, evacuation plans, environmental
planning, and design standards can reduce risk of
loss of life and injury mitigation.
Example of Disaster Prevention
Disaster Preparedness
 Refers to measures taken to prepare for and
reduce the effects of disasters, be they Natural or
Man Made.
 It can be achieved through research and planning
in order to try to predict areas or regions that may
be at risk of disasters on the vulnerable
populations that may be affected so they can
effective cope.
Disaster Response
 The provision of emergency services and public
assistance during or immediately after a disaster in
order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure
public safety and meet the basic subsistence needs
of the people affected.
Disaster Response
 Rescue
 Relocation
 Provision Food and Water
 Provision Emergency Health Care
 Prevention of Disease and Disability
 Repairing Vital Services e.g. Telecommunications
, Transport
 Provision of Temporary Shelter
Disaster Recovery
 Disaster Recovery refers to those programs which
go beyond the provision of immediate relief to
assist those who have suffered the full impact of
disaster and include the following activities.
Disaster Recovery
 Rebuilding Infrastructure e.g. Homes, Schools,
Hospitals, Roads
 Health Care and Rehabilitation
 Development Activities e.g. building human
resources for health
 Development Policies and Practices to avoid or
mitigate similar situations in future
Mitigation
 Mitigation involves steps to reduce vulnerability to
disaster impacts such as injuries and loss of life
and property.
Loss Control
 Loss control is a risk management technique that
seeks to reduce the possibility that a loss will
occur and reduce the severity of those that do
occur
Planning for Emergencies
 The planning process may bring to light
deficiencies, such as the lack of resources
(equipment, trained personnel, supplies), or items
that can be corrected before an emergency occurs.
 In addition, an emergency plan promotes safety
awareness and shows the organization's
commitment to the safety of workers.
The overall objective of the plan?
 An emergency plan specifies procedures for
handling sudden or unexpected situations. The
objective is to be prepared to:
 Prevent fatalities and injuries
 Reduce damage to buildings, stock, and equipment
 Protect the environment and the community
 Accelerate the resumption of normal operations.
Development of the plan begins with a
vulnerability assessment.
 The results of the study will show:
 How likely a situation is to occur.
 What means are available to stop or prevent the
situation.
 What is necessary for a given situation.
 From this analysis, the appropriate emergency
procedures can be establi• Employees with
knowledge of the work
 Supervisor of the area or work
 Safety officer
 Health and safety committee
 Union representative, if applicable
 Employees with experience in investigations
 "outside" experts
 Representative from local government, police,
fire, or ambulance
Vulnerability Assessment
 1st step is to identify which hazards pose a threat
to your organization.
 Knowledge of both technological (chemical or
physical) and natural hazards can be broadened by
consulting with similar organizations, fire
departments, insurance companies, engineering
consultants, and government departments.
Examples of Technological Hazards

FIRE
EXPLOSION
Building Collapse
MAJOR STRUCTURAL
FAILURE
Oil Spill
Unintentional release of products
Deliberate release of products
Terrorist Activities
Exposure to ionizing
radiation
Loss of Electrical Power
Loss of Water Supply
Loss of communications.
The risk of natural world include:

Floods
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Severe wind storms
Snow or Ice Storms
Severe extremes in temperature
Pandemic like COVID 19
What is the series of event or decisions
that should be considered?
 Having identified the hazards, the possible major impacts
of each should be itemized, such as:
 Sequential events (for example, a fire after an explosion).
 Evacuation.
 Casualties.
 Damage to plant infrastructure.
 Loss of vital records/documents.
 Damage to equipment.
 Disruption of work.
Based on these events, the required
actions are determined. For example
 Declare emergency.
 Sound the alert.
 Evacuate danger zone.
 Close main shutoffs.
 Call for external aid.
 Initiate rescue operations.
 Attend to casualties.
 Fight fire.
Also consider what resources are
required and their location, such as:
 Medical supplies.
 Auxiliary communication equipment.
 Power generators.
 Respirators.
 Chemical and radiation detection equipment.
 Mobile equipment.
 Emergency protective clothing.
 Firefighting equipment.
 Ambulance.
 Rescue equipment.
 Trained personnel.
What are the elements of the
emergency plan?
 All possible emergencies, consequences, required
actions, written procedures, and the resources
available.
 Detailed lists of emergency response personnel
including their cell phone numbers, alternate contact
details, and their duties and responsibilities.
 Floor plans.
 Large scale maps showing evacuation routes and
service conduits (such as gas and water lines).
Objectives
 The goal is a quick précis of the reason of the plan;
that is, to lessen human damage and harm to
belongings and surroundings in an emergency.
 It additionally specifies the ones personnel
individuals who might also additionally placed the
plan into action.
Organization
 One person must be appointed and trained to act as
an emergency coordinator and a "backup"
coordinator.
 However, staffing on-site in an emergency is
important for taking swift and efficient measures
to minimize damage.
 However, emergency field staff are important to
ensure that damage mitigation measures can be
implemented quickly and efficiently.
Among the responsibilities that must
be assigned are:
 Reporting the emergency.
 Activating the emergency plan.
 Assuming overall command.
 Establishing communication.
 Providing medical aid.
 Alerting staff.
 Ordering response, including evacuation.
 Alerting external agencies, as necessary.
 Confirming evacuation is complete.
 Alerting outside population of possible risk, as necessary.
 Requesting external aid
 Coordinating activities of various groups.
 Advising relatives of casualties.
 Providing medical aid.
 Ensuring emergency shut offs are closed.
 Sounding the all-clear.
 Advising media.
External organizations that may be available to
assist (with varying response times) include:
 Fire departments.
 Mobile rescue squads.
 Ambulance services.
 Police departments.
 Telephone companies.
 Hospitals.
 Utility companies.
 Industrial neighbors.
 Government agencies.
Pre Planned Coordination
 However, emergency field staff are important to
ensure that damage mitigation measures can be
implemented quickly and efficiently.
Procedures
Many factors determine what procedures are needed in
an emergency, such as:
 Nature of emergency.
 Degree of emergency.
 Size of organization.
 Capabilities of the organization in an emergency
situation.
 Immediacy of outside aid.
 Physical layout of the premises.
The Following are musts
 Identify evacuation routes, alternate means of escape, make
these known to all staff; keep the routes unobstructed.
 Specify safe locations for staff to gather for head counts to
ensure that everyone has left the danger zone. Assign
individuals to assist employees with disabilities.
 Carry out treatment of the injured and search for the missing
simultaneously with efforts to contain the emergency.
 Provide alternate sources of medical aid when normal facilities
may be in the danger zone. • Ensure the safety of all staff
(and/or the general public) first, then deal with the fire or other
situation.
Testing and Revision
 Exercises and drills may be conducted to practice all or
critical portions (such as evacuation) of the plan. A
thorough and immediate review after each exercise,
drill, or after an actual emergency will point out areas
that require improvement. Knowledge of individual
responsibilities can be evaluated through paper tests or
interviews.
 The plan should be revised when shortcomings have
become known, and should be reviewed at least
annually.
Summary
 In this lesson, We were able to discussed and
define what is Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Where I gave us an overall understanding of what
is a Disaster and its classification, how to prevent
a disaster using the Disaster Management cycle
method.