Disaster

Introduction
• Disaster is a sudden , calamitous event bringing great damage, loss
and destruction and devastation to life and property.
• The damage caused by disaster is immeasurable and varies with
geographical location, climate and type of the earth surface/ degree
of vulnerability.
• This influences the mental, socio-economic, political and cultural state
of the affected area.
Meaning of Disaster
• The word disaster derived from French “desastre” which means in
Geek is “Bad Aster= Bed Star”.
• The root of the word disaster comes from an astrological theme is
which the ancients used to refer to the destruction or deconstruction
of a star as a disaster.
• The ancient people believed that disaster is occurred due to the
unfavourable positions of the “planets” or “Act of god”.
DISASTER
D= Destruction
I = Incidents
S= Sufferings D = Detection
A= Administrative/financial I= Incident Command
failure S= Safety and Security
S= Sentiments
A= Assess Hazards
T= Tragedies
E= Eruption of Communicable S= Support
disease T=Triage and Treatment
R= Research program and its E= Evacuation
implementations R= Recovery
Definitions
• WHO defines disaster as “ any occurrence that causes damage,
ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and
health services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary
response from outside the affected community or area”.
• Red cross define disaster as “ an occurrence such as hurricane ,
tornado, storm, flood, high water, tidal wave, earthquake, drought,
blizzard, pestilence, famine, fire, explosion, building collapse,
transportation wreck, or other situation that cause human suffering
and creates human needs that the victims cannot alleviate without
assistance”.
Goals
• The overall goal of disaster Public health is to achieve the best possible level
of health for the people and community involved in the disaster.
1. To meet the immediate basic survival needs of populations affected by
disaster (water, food , shelter and security).
2. To identify the potential for secondary disaster.
3. To appraise both risks and resources in the environment.
4. To correct inequalities in access to health care or appropriate resources.
5. To empower survivors to participate in and advocate for their own health
and well being.
6. To respect cultural, lingual and religious diversity in individuals and
families and to apply this principle in all health promotional activities.
7. To promote the highest achievable quality of life for survivors.
Roles and responsibility of PH
• Disseminate information on the prevention and control of
environmental hazards
• Interpret health laws and regulations
• Serve yourself of self- Survival
• Accepts directions and take orders from an organized authority
• Serve the best of the MOST
• Teach the meaning of warning signals
• Exercise leadership
• Refer to appropriate agencies
Types of Disasters
• Natural Disaster
• Man made Disaster
Natural Disaster
• According to the Natural Disaster Relief Act (NDRA), 1982 A.D. Natural
Disaster means earthquake, fire, storm, flood, landslide, heavy rain,
drought, famine, epidemic and other similar natural disaster.

• It also includes the industrial incident or accident caused by

explosions of poisoning and any other kinds of disaster.
Types of Natural Disaster
• Earthquake
• Volcanic Eruptions
• Cyclones
• Floods
• Droughts
• Tornadoes/Typhoons
• Tsunami
• Fires
• Landslides
• Famines
• Avalanche
Earthquake 2072
Koshi flood 2008 August
Drought
Volcanic Eruption Cyclones in India
Man Made disaster
• A man made disasters is a disaster resulting from human intent,
negligence or error.
• It can be both intentional and unintentional. It results in huge loss of
life and property.
• It further affects a person’s mental, physical and social well being.
Example of Man made disaster
• Chemical Weapons : Chemical emergency occurred when a hazardous
chemical has been released and the release has potential for harming
people’s health.
• Radiation emergency : Emission of radiation from radioactive materials for
example reactors, radioactive active substance (uranium) and medical supply
(radium).
• Bioterrorism : Is a terrorism by international release or dissemination of
biological agent (bacteria, viruses or toxins)
• Pandemic and disease
• War and civil conflicts
• Terrorism
Example of man made disaster
• London smog
• The Al-Mishraq Sulphur plant Fire
• The nuclear power plant explosion in Chernobyl
• The Kuwait oil fire
Characteristics of Disaster
• Predictability
• Controllability
• Speed of onset
• Length of forewarning
• Duration of impact
• Scope and intensity of impact
Level of disaster
• Level I: If the organization, agency or community is able to contain the
event and respond effectively utilizing its own resources
• Level II: If the disaster requires assistance from external source, but
these can be obtained from nearby agencies
• Level III: If the disaster is of a magnitude that exceeds the capacity of
the local community or origin and requires assistance from state level
or even federal assets.
Phases of Disaster
• Pre impact phase
• Impact phase
• Post impact phase
Some Disaster Terminology
• Hazard
• Risk
• Vulnerability
• Disaster
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster response
• Capacity
• Mitigation
• Risk reduction
• Rehabilitation
• Reconstruction
Hazard Vs Risk
• A hazard is an agent which has the potential to cause harm to a
vulnerable target. Hazards can be both natural or human induced. Eg
slippery surface, knife, moving machinery etc.

• Risk : Is a chance or probability of causing harm from a hazard. Eg.

Chance of fall of person, chance of cut from a knife
Vulnerability

• Vulnerability in this context can be defined as the diminished capacity

of an individual or group to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover
from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard.
• Reflects the level of disruption and loss a hazard can potentially cause
in a community or society or an institution.
• Vulnerability may also vary in its forms: poverty, for example, may
mean that housing is unable to withstand an earthquake or
a hurricane, or lack of preparedness may result in a slower response
to a disaster, leading to greater loss of life or prolonged suffering.
Capacity
• The ability of human beings/institutions to mitigate or cope with the
combined effect of hazard and vulnerability
• The more capacity one has, the less vulnerable one is, and vice versa.
 Disaster Equation

Disaster risk = Hazard x Vulnerability

Capacity/ Preparedness
 Disaster Management Cycle

DISASTER / EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
PREPAREDNESS

MITIGATION
/ RISK REHABILITATION /
REDUCTION RECONSTRUCTION

RECOVERY
Disaster Response

• Actions taken during and immediately after the occurrence of an

event, to ensure that disaster effects are minimized and people are
given immediate relief and support.
Rehabilitation
The coordinated process of restoring all functions incorporating needs
for better disaster management in the future.

“To rehabilitate a building or an area means to improve its condition so that it can
be used again”
• Physical infrastructure (buildings, bridges and roads etc.)
• Systems (supply, surveillance etc.)
• Services (e.g. primary health care)
• Psychosocial/mental aspects
Reconstruction
• “The reconstruction of a building, structure, or road is the activity of
building it again

• Requires strategic planning – reconstruction of health institutions

should be integrated in over-all plans for reconstruction of the
affected community
Recovery
• The coordinated process of supporting disaster affected communities
in reconstructing their physical infrastructure and restoration of
emotional, social, economic and physical well-being
Risk Reduction
Risk = Hazard x Vulnerability/ Capacity

Aims at reducing:
• Vulnerability
• Reducing exposure to hazards
• Ensuring safety
Through risk mitigation and emergency preparedness
Mitigation
• Structural and non-structural measures undertaken to limit the
adverse impact of natural, human-generated, or technological
hazards.
Preparedness
Arrangements to reduce suffering, immediate and long-term
avoidable mortality, morbidity and disability in any type of emergency
and to build a bridge for development.
THANK YOU