Disaster Management in Natural Calamities

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Disaster Management in Natural Calamities

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Mr. Prasad P. Kamat & Mr.Gaurav Meghani

D.Y.Patil College Of Engg. & Technology Kolhapur

I. Introduction

Various disasters like earthquake, landslides, volcanic eruptions, fires, flood, tsunamiand cyclones are natural hazards that kill thousands of people and destroy billions ofdollars of habitat and property each year. The rapid growth of the world's populationand its increased concentration often in hazardous environment has escalated both thefrequency and severity of natural disasters. With the tropical climate and unstableland forms, coupled with deforestation, unplanned growth proliferation non-engineered constructions which make the disaster-prone areas mere vulnerable, tardycommunication, poor or no budgetary allocation for disaster prevention, developing

countries suffer more or less chronically by natural disasters. Asia tops the list ofcasualties due to natural disaster. Among various natural hazards, earthquakes,landslides, floods and cyclones are the major disasters adversely affecting very largeareas and population in the Indian sub-continent. These natural disasters are of (i)geophysical origin such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, land slides and (ii)climatic origin such as drought, flood, cyclone, locust, forest fire. Though it may not

be feasible to control nature and to stop the development of natural phenomena butthe efforts could be made to avoid disasters and alleviate their effects on human lives,infrastructure and property. It is almost impossible to prevent the occurrence ofnatural disasters and their damages. However it is possible to reduce the impact ofdisasters by adopting suitable disaster mitigation strategies. The disaster mitigation

works mainly address the following: (i) minimise the potential risks by developingdisaster early warning strategies, (ii) prepare and implement developmental plans to

provide resilience to such disasters, (iii) mobilise resources including communicationand tele-medicinal services and (iv) to help in rehabilitation and post-disasterreduction. Disaster management on the other hand involves: (i) pre-disaster planning,

preparedness, monitoring including relief management capability. (ii) prediction andearly warning. (iii) damage assessment and relief management. Disaster reduction is asystematic work which involves with different regions, different professions anddifferent scientific fields, and has become an important measure for human, societyand nature sustainable development.

II. Classification of Disaster

Natural disaster

Flood, Typhoon, Cyclone, Storm, Drought, Earthquake, Tsunami, Landslides

Man-caused disasterFire, Collapse, Explosion, Traffic accident, Wars, Pollution

Table 1. Applications of space remote sensing in disaster management

Disaster Prevention Preparedness (Warning) Relief


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Earthquakes

Mappinggeologicallineaments land

use

Geodynamic measurements ofstrain accumulation

Locate stricken

areas, mapdamage

Volcaniceruptions

Topographi andland use maps

Detection/measurement of

gaseous emissions

Mapping lava flows,ashfalls andlahars,map damage

LandslidesTopographic andland use maps

Rainfall,slope stability Mapping slide area

Flash floods Land use maps Local rainfall measurementsMap flood damage

Major floodsFlood plain maps;land use maps

Regional rainfall ; evapo-transpiration

Map extent of floods

Storm surgeLand use and landcover maps

Sea state; ocean surface windvelocities

Map extent of

damage

Hurricanes Synoptic weather forecastsMap extent of

damage

TornadoesNowcasts; local weather Localweather observations

Map amount, extent

of damage

Drought Long ranged climate modelsMonitoringvegetative biomass;

TsunamiNowcasts; local weather Localweather observations

Map extent of

damage

Normal -Operational or needs very little research

Underlined -Research and development required

Bold -Requires improved observation capability

Italics -Requires improved spatial or temporal resolution

NATURAL DISASTERS

FLOODFlood is a common natural disaster during the later part of the monsoon period. Floodscale estimated to affect 6.7 million hectares of land annually. The statistics of 10years(1979-89) indicates that on an average in India about 30 million population areaffected every year. The effects of flood on the affected population are manifested inthe form of drowning, Diarrheas diseases, respiratory infections etc.MANAGEMENT

PRE FLOOD STAGE

State level flood preparedness review chaired by Chief Secretary and heads ofother departments in the month of April.

Flood Preparedness meeting in all the affected districts before 15th of May.


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Regular Coordination at all levels with all line departments, PRIs & NG0s forbetter flood management.

Establish early warning mechanisms with the helpof related deptts.

Installation & Maintenance of Rain Gauge beforethe flood season.

Repairing of embankments and continuoussupervision of the same.

Construction of Mounds and identification of highplaces for shelter of the old, infant, handicapped,women & destitute.

Repairing of roads which are likely to

be flooded on the basis of pastexperiences.

Identification & inventory of Boatsand necessary repairing of the same

before the flood.

Pre stocking of food and other

essential commodities in thevulnerable areas for quick distribution among the affected population.

Identification of proposed relief centres & wider dissemination of the same

among the masses.

Equip the hospitals and vaterinary centres with sufficient medicines and

vaccines along with doctors and paramedical staff.

Mobilize the services of trained home guards. Ensure safe drinking water for the marooned population.

To ensure functioning of Control Rooms from District-Subdivision-Block

level round the clock.

Prestocking of Materials for immediate repairing of roads, culverts &

Embankments with sufficient manpower to ensure communication.DURING FLOOD

Regular Information Sharing at each level. Distribution of relief according to the norms. Evacuation & Shelter arrangements.

Regular patrolling of vulnerable embankments. Ensuring safe drinking water and action for controlling outbreak of

Epidemics. Preparation of database { Form- 9} of affected population for relief, cash dole. Mobilizing the services various Disaster Management Committees, Task

Forces for necessary support to the flood victims.AFTER FLOOD

Restoring communication {road, telecom, electricity etc}. Immediate repairing of embankments and irrigation channels. Steps for control of epidemics. Allotment of fund for repairing/ reconstruction of fully & partly damaged

houses as per norms.


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To provide support to farmers for crop damage.DROUGHT

Drought is also perennial feature in India 16% ofthe country make up drought prone areas. Statistics

of 10 years (1979-89) shows that on an averagemore than 50 million population are affectedannually by the drought conditions.LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT

Several chronically drought-affecteddistricts in India experience acute shortage ofdrinking and irrigation water. To address this issue,a nationwide project titled 'Integrated Mission forSustainable Development (IMSD)' was taken up in

collaboration with other DOS centres and State Remote Sensing Applications Centres.The project essentially aims at generating locale-specific action plan for developmentof land and water resources on a micro watershed basis in drought- prone areas of thecountry using IRS data. In the first phase, 175 districts covering 84 million ha has

been covered (Rao,1998).For providing safe drinking water to rural masses, a nationwide project titled

"National Drinking Water Technology Mission", was launched by Department ofSpace (DOS) in collaboration with other State Remote Sensing Applications Centres,and Central Ground Water Board and State Ground water Departments. Ground water

potential maps showing ground water prospect at 1:250,000 scale have been preparedfor entire country. The success rate achieved by drilling wells through the use ofremote sensing data has been found to be much better than those achieved by

conventional means. Furthermore, as a follow-up large scale (1:50,000) mapping ofground water prospects for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnatakaand Kerela under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission is in progress.CYCLONES

Coastal area of the country experiences about two to three Tropical cyclones ofdifferent intensity every year with varying degree of destruction and loss of life. Eastcoast is more vulnerable than West Coast. Statistics of 9 years period indicates that onan average at least 3 cyclones annually of varying intensity touch the Indian coast.Since 1990, cyclones are showing upward trend

CYCLONE MANAGEMENT

The most striking advantage of the earthobservation satellite data has beendemonstrated during the recent Orissa super-cyclone event

Meteorologists have been using satelliteimages for monitoring storms over the recentyears.

One of the most important applications in thisendeavor is to determine the strength andintensity of a storm.

EARTHQUAKE


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The Himalayan region from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh is in Seismic Belt in thepast century 20 earth quake of severe magnitude affected India. Recent Earthquake inLatur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra State indicated that even large numberof casualty can take place even in low seismic zone.

MANAGEMENTEngineers have devised several techniques and have worked out ways to

reduce earthquake damage to buildings and structures of all sizes and shapes. Theseare very much in evidence in US and Japanese cities especially San Francisco andTokyo with their skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings.

There are a number of ways, ranging from simple to complex, to buildearthquake-resistant structures. Simplertechniques for small and medium-size buildingsinclude bolting buildings to their foundations,

providing support walls call shear walls made ofconcrete reinforced with steel bars or rods. Shearcores made up of shear walls in the buildingcentre, around a stairwell or lift shaft, are alsocommon in larger buildings. Walls can also bereinforced by cross-bracing with diagonal steel

beams or even with steel mesh or rods forming acage around brick walls to keep them from falling. Medium-size buildings are also

provided base isolators, kind of shock-absorbers between the building and thefoundation made of alternative layers of concrete and an elastic material such assynthetic rubber, to absorb some of the sideways motion that would otherwise damagea building. Base-plates or concrete flat platforms on which the building rests are also

sometimes used. Moats around the building also provide shock-absorbing capabilitiesbesides isolating buildings from other structures around. Skyscrapers are speciallyconstructed with deep and secure anchoring and reinforced framework with stronger

jointing to provide greater flexibility. Provisions are also made within buildings suchas schools, hospitals and workplaces with heavier appliances, furniture etc fasteneddown, water and gas lines specially reinforced with flexible jointing to prevent

breaking.TSUNAMI

It is now well known to the world that a tsunami can be dangerous,destructive and cause extensive damage. When thefirst news came that an earthquake with a large

magnitude of 7 or 8 on the Richter scale, occurrednear Sumatra in Indonesia on December 26, 2004,all the neighboring countries were of the view thatthe danger was far away from their location andhence took no action. Scientists, officials of thegovernment and other organizations, and also themembers of expert disaster management groups inSouth East Asian countries, although aware of theevent within minutes after the occurrence of thelarge earthquake, did not realize at that time, the

extent of damage that it could cause in other regions several hundred kilometers away.


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The human loss from the Asian tsunami now stands at nearly 250,000, with a belatedrecognition that this great loss could have been avoided (Kerr, 2005; Bhattacharjee,2005). The tsunami came, caused tremendous damage to human life and property andthen retreated.

MANAGEMENTSite Planning and Land Management- Within the broader framework of acomprehensive plan, site planning determines the location, configuration, and densityof development on particular sites and is, therefore, an important tool in reducingtsunami risk. The designation and zoning of tsunami hazard areas for such open-space uses as agriculture, parks and recreation, or natural hazard areas isrecommended as the first land use planning strategy. This strategy is designed to keepdevelopment at a minimum in hazard areas. In areas where it is not feasible to restrictland to open-space uses, other land use planning measures can be used. These includestrategically controlling the type of development and uses allowed in hazard areas,and avoiding high-value and high-occupancy uses to the greatest degree possible. Thecapital improvement planning and budgeting process can be used to reinforce land use

planning policies.Engineering structures As most of the structures along the coast area

comprises of fisherman community, which are constructed of light weight materialswithout any engineering inputs. Therefore there is an urgent need to educate thecommunity about the good construction practices that they should adopt such as:

Site selection Avoid building or living in buildings within several hundredfeet of the coastline as these areas are more likely to experience damage fromtsunamis. Construct the structure on a higher ground level with respect to mean sealevel. Elevate coastal homes: Most tsunami waves are less than 3 meters in height.

Elevating house will help reduce damage to property from most tsunamis. Structuralcolumns resist the impact while other walls are expendable. It is important to alsotake note that adequate measures are also brought into the design to cater forearthquake forces. Construction of water breakers to reduce the velocity of waves.Use of water & corrosion resistant materials for construction. Construction ofcommunity halls at higher locations, which can act as shelters at the time of adisaster.VOLCANIC ERUPTION

Many times precursors of volcanic eruptions have been observed in various areas ofvolcanic activity. Ground deformations, changes in the compositions of gases emittingfrom volcanic vents, changes in the temperatures of fumaroles, hot springs and crater

lakes as well as earth tremors are preceding volcanic eruptions.Thermal infrared remote sensing has been applied for

volcanic hazard assessment. However, deficiencies ofequipment and coverage suggest that thermal infrared has not

been adequately evaluated for surveillance of volcanoes.MANAGEMENT

To help protect lives and property, scientists of theUSGS Volcano Hazards Program maintain a close watch onthe volcanic regions of the United States, including the PacificCoast States, Wyoming, Hawai`i, and Alaska. This ongoing


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work enables the USGS to detect the first signs of volcano unrest and to warn thepublic of impending eruptions and associated hazards.LANDSLIDES Aerial photographs and large-scale satellite images have been

used to locate the areas with the

incidence of landslide. Higher spatialresolution and stereo imagingcapability of IRS -IC and -1D enablefurther refining the location andmonitoring of landslides. A number ofstudies have been carried out in Indiausing satellite data and aerial

photographs to develop appropriatemethodologies for terrain classificationand preparation of maps showinglandslide hazards in the GarhwalHimalayan region, Nilagiri hills insouth India and in Sikkim forest area.Such studies have been carried outusing mostly aerial photographs

because of their high resolutionenabling contour mapping withintervals of better than 2m in height.The availability of 1m resolution datafrom the future IRS mission may helpgenerating contour maps at 2m

intervals making thereby space remote sensing a highly cost effective tool in landslidezonation. Landslide: refers to the downward sliding of huge quantities of landmasswhich occur along steep slopes of hills or mountains and may be sudden or slow.

MANAGEMENT

The main factors which contribute to landslides are Slope, water content,geological structure,

unconsolidated or loose

sediments, lithology and

human interference.

Slope: Retainingwall may be constructed

against the slopes, which canprevents rolling down of

material. Terracing of the slope is an effective measure. Effect of water: Make proper drainage network for quick removal of

percolating moisture or rain water by constructing ditches and water waysalong the slope

Geological structures: Weak planes or zones may covered or grouted toprevent percolation of water, this increases the compaction of loose material.

II. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

1. Disaster Management Structure

a. National level


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The Emergency Medical Relief Division of Directorate General Health Services in theMinistry of Health & Family Welfare is the technical unit exclusively meant formanagement of crisis situations. The Division is headed by Director, EmergencyMedical Services and Relief. For the purpose of the crisis situations, he

reports/receives instructions directly from the technical chief (Director General ofHealth Services) and Administrative Headed of the Ministry (Secretary Health &F.W). The secretary, Health & F.W. has empowered Director, EMR to represent theDept. for crisis situation in different Crisis Management Groups. DisasterManagement requires multisectoral and multidisciplinary approach, which needscoordination at various levels from Central to District Level. In the Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare (Govt. of India) and mechanism of coordination is done throughthe office of the Director, Emergency Medical Services and Relief (EMR). Theobjective of the coordination is to review crisis situations from time to time and meetthose needs, which State Government cannot meet. For this purpose, continuousdialogue and communication are maintained with the Director of Health Services,Stores Division under the Federal Government, vaccine producing institutes and

National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Director, Malaria unit.b. State level:

Usually a Joint Director or a Deputy Director of Health Services under Director ofHealth Services in the state is responsible for crisis management, coordination,monitoring and implementation. He has information about key personnel involved indisaster management at State, District and Central level.c. District/PHC level:

At district level, the chief medical officer/Civil Surgeon is responsible to implementand coordinate heath sector activities. He has details of information about officer

involved in disaster management at PHCS, District and State level.2. Non-Governmental Organizations:There are number of NGOs which are functioning in the field of disastermanagement. Most of them are small and work locally. However, Indian Red CrossSociety and Ramakrishna Mission are the two organizations, which take very active

part in disaster management. As a matter of fact these two organizations supplementgovernment efforts. They have sufficient infrastructure to provide immediate facilitieswithin shortest possible time.a. Indian Red Cross Society:

The Indian Red Cross Society was established in the year 1920 to render medical andother assistance to the sick and injured during was and peace time and to manage the

funds and gifts received from public for such purposes. Its activities include motherand child welfare scheme including nutrition programme, arrangements of relief to thevictims of epidemics, earthquakes, cyclones, droughts, floods and natural andindustrial calamities in India and abroad. They also provide paramedical education infields like first aid, nursing and blood banking. Promotion of voluntary blooddonation is one of the prime targets of the society and the government is providinggrants-in-aid to it to help in this programme. There is a network of 51 blood banks run

by Red Cross in 11 States.3. CONTINGENCY PLAN

A detailed contingency plan is circulated in advance upto district level in the high riskareas Distribution of health education material in local language, mobilization of extra


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medical team for immediate deployment, purification of water by bleaching powderand chlorine tablets and frequent checking of chlorine level of water at distribution

point by sanitary inspectors, are the salient features to reduce morbidity and mortalityfollowing disaster. The separate budget allocation is available upto district level for

such public health activities.a) Pre-Disaster Activities:

(i) Guideline / Checklist

A detail guideline separately for food (Annexure I), drought (Annexure II), cycloneand earthquake has been prepared and is circulated in the month of March and Aprilto all drought prone states and during May and June to flood and cyclone prone states.Telephone Nos. and other relevant information of concerned officers at the State levelare updated.(ii) Control rooms

Control rooms during disaster situation are established at the State Directorate ofHealth Services and Chief Medical Officer at District level Control Room at Federallevel is activated during monsoon period or during any other disaster. In the normal

period, the office of the Director, EMR functions as control room.(iii) Mass casualty management:

The casualties management system is different in the towns and cities and rural areas.Ambulance Services

In towns and cities following agencies have fleet of ambulances. The facilities ofambulance services have plenty of scope for improvement in order to satisfy the

people. These ambulances provide transport services and do not have latestcardiopulmonary resuscitation equipments except oxygen supply, first aid box exceptin Delhi where Centralized Accident Trauma Services (CATS) has been established

as a pilot project which would be subsequently replicated in other towns and cities inphased manner. St. John Ambulance Association in the Ambulance Wing of theIndian Red Cross Society. It performs sports meets, factories, mines and other placesrequiring urgent attention for safety and care in natural and industrial calamities. Isalso imparts training in first-aid nursing and allied subjects. Rural areas there is noorganized ambulance services where the casualty clearance is usually done bycommunity, local police officials or local health officials. Other services are provided

by normal health infrastructure mentioned above. Ambulance services throughout thecountry can be requisitioned by dialing the following telephone Nos.a) Police : Tel: 100

b) Fire Services : Tel: 101

c) Hospital Services: Tel: 102 (Casualty Services)(iv) Temporary Settlements:

The east coast is mare vulnerable to cyclones than west coast there are many ovalshaped temporary shelter, having two floors attached with Community kitchen andtoilet facilities in the four states of eastern coast. These Centers are utilized duringdisaster phase as community centres. They are managed by local community. Forother types of disaster there is no pre identified Centres to be used as temporaryshelters after a disaster. However, the local authorities use existing buildings ofschools, colleges, court building for this purpose. In State plan of Deli and Assamthere are pre-identified shelters.4. Activities During Disaster (Emergency Phase):


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a) Mechanism of activation of Disaster Contingency Plan: The first information aboutthe disasters is known through mass media or Governmental agencies namely theState Government, Meteorology Dept. and Ministry of Agriculture. Following thisinformation telephonic contacts is made with the health authorities at the State level to

get detailed information about disaster. Simultaneously contacts are established withthe State representative located at Delhi and Ministry of Agriculture Government ofIndia. During entire process Director, EMR have requisite permission from MinistryHealth to take necessary steps immediately followed by detailed information to themfor their information. The ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, being thechief of the Crisis Management Group meets daily at 4:00 PM with respectiveresponsible person from different departments. During this meeting the situation isanalysed and backup support is arranged. By 6:00 PM the Ministry of AgricultureInforms about the magnitude and action taken to Head of the Government followed

by the media coverage at National level.b) Arrangement for Feedback Information:

During disaster Director, EMR contacts the Control Room and the officer concernedat the State level either by telephone, telex or wireless system (Police Control Room)

between 10 to 12 Noon. The feedback information consists following:i) The extent of disaster situation on particular dayii) Population affectediii) Health profile like No. of patients, type of patients and any problem to deal withthe situationc) Mobilization of manpower:

By and large, initial re-deployment of medical team is done by District Chief fromPHCs under them followed by medical teams from other Districts by Directors of

Health Services. Federal deployment of manpower is rarely done as such state hasadequate manpower. Specialised coverage during mass scale casualties (surgical andorthopedic) is provided at Developmental Block level by District Hospitals. Theyhave the facilities or surgery, medicine, orthopedic, paediatrists and obstetrics andgynecology. Super speciality services are provided by teaching medical institutionslocated nearby. There are 125 Medical colleges all over the country amongst 450districts.d) Support facilities

i) Communication

Wireless:Police wireless network is available in all police stations throughout thecountry upto grass root level which plays a major role for communication during

disaster.Telephone: District as well as large number of developmental block have telephonefacilities which are utilized during disaster situations.Telegraph Facilities: Telegraph facilities are also available upto peripheral areas.Postal Services: All villages in the country have the facilities of daily postal servicesHam Operators: There are number of Amateur Radio Associations with Hamfacilities all over the country. These facilities are utilized for large number ofoccasions such as rallies, big gatherings; Motor rallies as well as disasterwarning.ii) Transport and logistical supply

Each Community Health Centres have the facility of one jeep, one van and a truck. Incase of emergency they are utilized for disaster management. By and large the other


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officials are also having transport facilities, which are pooled by District Magistratewho is the nodal person for disaster management in the District where large numberof vehicles are available. Additionally, under the Law the District Collector canrequisition any type of vehicle from any source. With these powers transport facilities

hardly poses any problem.e) Communication and Public Information:

The District Chief is in direct contact with the State Chief of the Health by telephones.All Districts have such facilities. In case of non-functioning or any other problem theyare allowed to use Police wireless network, which is well spread upto periphery. TheState Chief of Health communicates with Doctors, EMR by telephone, telex, throughtheir representative at Delhi or Police wireless network. Control Room at Federallevel is activated during monsoon period or during any other disaster. In the normal

period, the office of the Director, EMR functions as control room. It is under thecharge of Senior Medical Officer supported by three clerical and other supportivestaff. Additional staff are provided immediately by the Administrative wing ofDirector General of Health Services for round the clock service. They are providedtransport facilities, food, tea snacks etc. The control room has telephone facilities (twolines) and utilize telex facilities available in the Directorate General of HealthServices.f) Public Information: Public information is given through mass media either byRelief and Rehabilitation Department at State level and Ministry of Agriculture atCentral level.5. Post-Disaster Activities:Post disaster activities mainly confine to repair of damage to health infrastructure,

replenishment of medical stores up to pre disaster level and financial transactions.

Post disaster evaluation in a scientific manner and workshops/exchange of views oflessons learnt are not done at present.

Philosophy that disaster management needs to be built into the development

process.

Disaster management is not a function of Disaster Management Department

alone but of all Departments mitigation concerns must inform all aspects ofGovt. activity.

Institutional mechanisms

States asked to convert Departments of Relief and Rehabilitation into

Departments of Disaster Management with wider Terms of Reference toinclude mitigation and vulnerability reduction.

States also asked to set up Disaster Management Authorities with the Chief

Minister as the Head and Ministers of relevant Departments like Health,Agriculture, Water Resources, PWD as Members.

This will:-

(a) Ensure that the ownership of responsibility for mitigation and preparedness isjointly shared by the relevant Departments.

(b) Enable holistic approach to disaster management

National Disaster Management Authority being set up at the National level.

Empowered Group of Ministers on Disaster Management.

Draft National Policy prepared.


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States also advised to clearly enunciate a disaster management policy.

States advised to adopt Disaster Management Acts.

Financing

Financing arrangements put in place by Finance Commissions. Terms ofReference of the Twelfth Finance Commission changed to mandate that theFinance Commission looks at the entire disaster management cycle and notonly relief and rehabilitation.

Draft policy proposes that 10% of the plan funds be set apart for mitigation.

Planning Commission has included a specific chapter on Disaster

Management in the Tenth Five Year Plan document with emphasis on pre-disaster aspects.

States advised to draw up plan schemes for Disaster Management.

Guidelines issued to all Ministries/State Governments that:-

Wherever there is a shelf of projects, projects addressing mitigation will be

given priority.

All projects in vulnerable areas must have disaster mitigation as a Term of

Reference

States advised to change their Relief Codes into Disaster Management Codes

by including aspects of prevention/reduction/mitigation.Response Systems

Specialist teams being trained. Four battalions set apart for conversion to

specialist response teams for search, rescue and evacuation.

States also advised to constitute Specialist Response Teams.

Orders issued that States may spend upto 10% of allocation of CRF in a

particular year for procuring search and rescue equipment.

Training in Search and Rescue made an integral part of post induction training

for all CPMFs.

Caches of equipment being positioned at regional CPMF centres.

National level training institutions for search and rescue identified and

declared.Drawn up Project for strengthening of emergency and fire services.

Project finalized to convert Fire Services into all hazard response units 9cost

US $ 417 million).

Equipping and training of fire services for carrying out search and rescue in all

types of disasters. Filling up deficiencies in the availability of fire units as well as rescue

equipments at sub-divisional and district level.

Provision of Hazmat vans in selected metropolitan cities.

Management Systems

Incident Command System work on institutionalizing the Incident

Command System initiated so as to make arrangements for professionalIncident Management. Working with US Forest Service on this.

States being assisted to set up Control Rooms at the State level as well as at

district level under the GOI-UNDP project in multi-hazard prone States.


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Funds under the Police Modernisation Scheme made available for setting up

Control Rooms.

CONCLUSION:

Apart from loss of human lives, natural disasters inflict severe damage toecology and economy of a region. Space technology has made significant contributionin all the three phases, i.e. preparedness, prevention and relief of disastermanagement. With a constellation of both INSAT and IRS series of satellites, Indiahas developed an operational mechanism for disaster warning especially cyclone anddrought, and their monitoring and mitigation. However, prediction of certain eventslikes earthquake, volcanic eruption and flood is still at experimental level.Developments in space-based earth observation and weather watch capabilities infuture may help refining existing models/approaches for prediction of such events and

their management.It is absolutely necessary to create awareness amongst the public as well as

decision makers for allocating resources for appropriate investments in informationtechnology. Awareness and training in Information technology in a much gratermeasure is required to develop human resources, particularly in the developingcountries, who are chronically suffer from natural disasters. The disasters usuallyoccur in the well-defined areas, even though the community does not know the copingmechanism for the disaster. The disaster mitigation programmes must be extensivelytaken up covering various aspects at national level to minimize the disaster damages.There should be a greater emphasis on development of new technologies in disastermitigation. The disaster preparedness and awareness is the only effective way of

mitigating the impact of future disasters.REFERENCES:

CSR Journals

Resource material from the First International Training course on Disasters and

Development organized by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center Bangkok, Thailand

National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures headquarters :

http://www.mogaha.go.kr/ndch/start.htm

Federal Emergency Management Agency http://www.fema.gov/

www.google.comwww.yahoosearch.comwww.pudhari.comwww.esakal.com
http://www.fema.gov/http://www.fema.gov/http://www.google.com/http://www.yahoosearch.com/http://www.pudhari.com/http://www.fema.gov/http://www.fema.gov/http://www.google.com/http://www.yahoosearch.com/http://www.pudhari.com/

Disaster Management in Natural Calamities

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