Disaster Terminologies

Disaster Management

• The systematic process of using

administrative decisions, organization,
operational skills and capacities to implement
policies, strategies and coping capacities of
the society and communities to lessen the
impacts of natural hazards and related
environmental and technological disasters.
It is a collective term
encompassing all
aspects of planning
for preparing and
responding to
disasters. It refers to
the management of
the consequences of
disasters.
Disaster Risk Management

A broad range of activities

designed to:

 Prevent the loss of lives

 Minimize human suffering
 Inform the public and
authorities of risk
 Minimize property damage
and economic loss
 Speed up the recovery
process
 Disaster Management Cycle
Disaster Impact

Response /
Preparedness 3 4 Relief
1
Pre Post
Mitigation 2 Disaste Disaste 5 Recovery
r Phase r Phase

Prevention 1 6 Development
 Vulnerability
A concept which describes factors or constraints
of an economic, social, physical or geographic
nature, which reduce the ability of a community
to prepare for and cope with the impact of
hazards.
 DEFINITIONS OF “VULNERABILITY”

• “The extent to which a community, structure,

services or geographic area is likely to be
damaged or disrupted by the impact of particular
disaster/hazard…”

• “Vulnerability is the propensity of things to be

damaged by a hazard”.
Pictorial Understanding
10
 Capacities
The resources and skills people posses, can
develop, mobilize and access, which allow them
to have more control over shaping their own
future and coping with disaster risks.
 Risk
The probability that negative consequences may arise
when hazards interact with vulnerable areas, people,
property and environment.
 Risk
The probability that a
community’s structure
or geographic area is
to be damaged or
disrupted by the impact
of a particular hazard,
on account of their
nature, construction,
and proximity to a
hazardous area.
Hazard x Vulnerability Disaster Risk
=
Capacity
Hazard x Vulnerability
= Disaster Risk

Capacity
 Risk vs. Hazard

Hazards are circumstances or events which

cause harm or damage to people and property.

Risk is a measure of the likelihood that such an

event may occur.
“How the word shows the strategy”
D Designing strategies that will ensure community
involvement
I Incorporation of risk assessment in development
planning
S Sustaining the natural environment as a resource
base of a community
A Addressing the root causes of vulnerability

S Strengthening the community’s structure and coping

strategies
T Targeting the most vulnerable

E Empowering the communities to participate in

making decisions on issues that affect their lives
R Reducing vulnerabilities of the communities by
increasing the people’s capacities
 Emergency Management
The organization and management of resources
and responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of
emergencies, in particularly preparedness,
response and rehabilitation.
 DISASTER RESILIENT
COMMUNITY
Resilient communities are
compared to bamboos. This
means that communities that are
hit by a hazard (which then
becomes a disaster) are able to
spring back and resume their
original form and readily recover
and adjust easily. They are able
to cope. This is a result of
communities disaster
preparedness plan.
DISASTER RESISTANT
COMMUNITY
A community in which
residents are aware of the
hazards; know how to, and
have the skills to protect
themselves, their families
and homes, their properties
and livelihood from a
hazard impact. As a result,
emergencies resulting from
hazards do not escalate to
become disasters
Community Organization
• Bringing together of people within the same community
to enable them to collectively address a common
problem or issue, or collectively pursue common
aspirations.
 Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
 Community Based Disaster Risk
Reduction
A process of disaster risk
management in which at-
risk communities are
actively engaged in the
identification, analysis,
treatment, monitoring
and evaluation of
disaster risks in order to
reduce their
vulnerabilities and
enhance their capacities.
Building Codes

Building codes are

Ordinances and regulations
controlling the design,
construction, materials,
alteration and occupancy of
any structure to insure
human safety and welfare.
Building codes include both
technical and functional
standards.
Early Warning

• The provision of timely

and effective
information, through
identified institutions,
that allows individuals
exposed to a hazard to
take action to avoid or
reduce their risk and
prepare for effective
response.
Retrofitting (or upgrading)

• Reinforcement of
structures to become
more resistant and
resilient to the forces
of natural hazards.
Structural measures for Disaster

• Structural measures
refer to any physical
construction to
reduce or avoid
possible impacts of
hazards, which
include engineering
measures and
construction of
hazard-resistant and
protective structures.
and infrastructure.
Non-structural measures
• Non-structural measures
refer to policies,
awareness, knowledge
development, public
commitment, and
methods and operating
practices, including
participatory mechanisms
and the provision of
information, which can
reduce risk and related
impacts.
Thanks to
• Blakia et al: At Risk Natural Hazard People Vulnerabilities and Disaster
• Prof. Dr. Zari Rafiq: Community Development
• Robert Chamber: Putting the Last First
• Howard Handelman: The Challenges of Third World Development
• Asian Disaster Preparedness Center Thailand www.adpc.net
• FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance Islamabad http://www.akdn.org/focus
• Pamir Times www.pamirtimes.net
• ERRA www.erra.gov.pk
• PDMA KP www.pdma.gov.pk
• UNISDR www.unisdr.org
• NDMA Pakistan www.ndma.gov.pk