Understanding Disaster Management: An Analysis

Disaster is defined as rapid and sudden natural calamity impacting the natural environment and socio-economic system that disrupts normal functioning of the community life. On the other hand, hazards are the pre-disaster situation in which some risk of disaster exists as human population has put themselves in a vulnerable situation. When the risk becomes tangible and impending, there is a distinct threat of disaster. This situation is not only threatening for national defence and security but may also pose various large scale medical, social, economic problems like epidemics, pandemics, shortage and scarcity of food and usable water, accumulation of waste, displacements of persons, problems of hunger and refugees etc. Poor are the worst sufferers in these circumstances. Disasters whether natural or man-made are not confined to a particular location or nation but are of a transnational character as it occurs throughout the world. It is beyond human comprehension and control as Nature has its own laws of creation, destruction and devastations. Human beings have made tireless efforts to protect themselves from the bad effects of these disasters.

Due to the result of various types of hazards, vulnerability and insufficient capacity to reduce the potentiality of risk, disasters impact individuals physically (through loss of life, injury, health, disability) as well as psychologically (fear, threat, stress, shock, trauma, behavioural and mental disorder, non-working of reflex action).The disaster risks in India are further contributed and aggravated by increasing vulnerabilities due to fast changing demographic profile and socio-economic conditions, poor and unplanned urbanization, infrastructural development within catchment area of high risks zones, environmental pollution and degradation, climate change, geological hazards, epidemics and pandemics.

Thus, disaster management requires the management of resource and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies; in particular, preparedness, response and recovery in order to reduce the impacts of disaster. Disasters are the consequences of natural and human hazards. Disaster planning should be aimed at prevention, mitigation and reducing the effects of various disaster which do occur. The identification of post disaster tasks, allocation of these tasks to organisation and individual and coordination of planning efforts of all potential responders are the basic element of the disaster planning process so that the eventual response when it is required is co-ordinated and effective.