AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

UINT - IV
4.1 Hazard and Vulnerability Profile of India
Indian sub-continent has unique geo-climatic and socio-political conditions
that make it vulnerable to both the natural as well as manmade disasters.
Around 6% of the population of India is impacted annually by the exposures
to disasters. They Key natural disasters in India include floods, droughts,
cyclones, earthquakes, landslides and avalanches that have resulted in loss of
lives and livelihoods.
According to a Planning Commission report, the key vulnerabilities of India
include the following :
 Coastal States, particularly in the East Coast and Gujarat on west
coast, are vulnerable to cyclones.
 4 crore hectare land mass is vulnerable to floods and river erosion.
 68 per cent of net sown area is vulnerable to drought.
 55 per cent of total area is in Seismic Zones III-V and vulnerable to
earthquakes of moderate to high density.
 Sub-Himalayan/ Western Ghat are vulnerable to landslides.
 Vulnerability to disasters or emergencies of Chemical, Biological
Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) origin has increased on account of
socioeconomic development. The changing climate also exasperates
the vulnerabilities. The occurrence of heat waves, cold waves, floods,
droughts, intense cyclones and flash floods is getting increased due to
climate change and global warming.
 Further, Disaster vulnerability is function of poverty and poverty is
inextricably linked to disaster vulnerability. Poverty compels the
people to compromise in matters of shelters and dwellings and more
and more people live at unsafe places. Moreover, the low cost material
used in making the dwellings makes them more unsafe to live.
They have been discussed below :

4.1.1 Hydrological and Climate Related Hazards

A) Floods
 Floods can be caused by heavy rainfall, inadequate capacity of rivers to
carry the high flood discharge, inadequate drainage to carry away the
rainwater quickly to streams/ rivers. ice jams or landslides blocking
streams, typhoons and cyclones etc.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Further, flash floods occur because of high rate of water flow
particularly in areas with less permeability of soil.
 Over 40 million hectare of landmass in India is prone to floods.
 Nearly 75 % of the total annual rainfall is concentrated over a short
south-west monsoon season of three to four months from June to
September.
 As a result there is a very heavy discharge from the rivers during this
period causing widespread floods.
 Flood problem is chronic in at least 10 states. From October to
December each year, a very large area of South India, including Tamil
Nadu, the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and the union
territory of Puducherry, receives up to 30 percent of its annual
rainfall from the northeast monsoon (or winter monsoon).
 These have caused devesatiing floods in Chennai in 2015. Most
devastating floods in recent times have been the 2013 Assam floods,
2013 Uttarakhand Floods, 2012 Brahamputra Floods etc.

B) Cyclones
 India has a very long coastline which is exposed to tropical cyclones
arising in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
 Indian Ocean is one of the six major cyclone-prone regions in the world.
 In India cyclones occur usually in April-May, and also between October
and December.
 The Eastern coastline is more prone to cyclones as about 80 percent of
total cyclones generated in the region hit there.
 The worst hitting cyclones have been the Andhra Pradesh cyclone of
November 1977 and the super cyclone of Odisha in the year 1999.
 The impact of the cyclones is mainly confined to the coastal districts,
the maximum destruction being within 100 km. from the centre of
the cyclones and on either side of the storm track.
 The principal dangers from a cyclone include the gales and strong
winds; torrential rain and high tidal waves (storm surges).
 Most casualties are caused by coastal inundation by tidal waves and
storm surges.

C) Heat waves, Cold waves and fog

 Heat waves refer to the extreme positive departure from the maximum
temperature in summers.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 The fatalities caused by heat waves have increased in recent decades.
 The problem of heat wave is compounded by a decrease in Diurnal
Temperature Range (DTR).
 In urban areas, the heat wave is increasing gaining notoriety for more
and more fatalities.
 Cold waves occur mainly due to the extreme low temperature coupled
with incursion of dry cold winds from north-west.
 Most affected areas of country due to the cold waves include the
western and north-western regions and also Bihar, UP directly affected
by the western disturbances.

D) Thunderstorm, Hailstorm, Dust Storm etc

 India’s central, north-eastern, north-western and northern parts are
generally affected by these.
 The southern coastal areas are less prone to thunderstorms,
hailstorms and dust storms.
 The hailstorms are more frequent in Assam, Uttarakhand and some
parts of Maharashtra.
 Dust storms are common in Rajasthan, MP and Haryana. Tornadoes
are rare in India.

E) Droughts
 Drought refers to the situation of less moisture in the soil (which
makes the land unproductive) and scarcity of water for drinking,
irrigation, industrial uses and other purposes, usually caused by
deficient/less than average rainfall over a long period of time.
 Some states of India feature the perennial drought such as Rajasthan,
Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc.
 Sixteen percent of the country’s total area is drought-prone and
approximately 50 million people are affected annually by droughts. In
India about 68 percent of net sown area in the country is drought-
prone.
 Most of the drought-prone areas identified by the Government of India
lie in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas of the country.
 In the arid and semi-arid zones, very severe droughts occur once in
every eight to nine years.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
4.1.2 Geological Disasters
A) Earthquakes
 Earthquake is almost impossible to be predicted, so it is the most
destructive of all natural disasters.
 It is almost impossible to make arrangements and preparations against
damages and collapses of buildings and other man-made structures hit
by an earthquake.
 More than half of India’s total area is vulnerable to seismic activity of
varying intensities.
 The most vulnerable regions are located in the Himalayan, Sub-
Himalayan belt and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 The Himalayan ranges are among world’s youngest fold mountains so
the subterranean Himalayans are geologically very active.
 The Himalayan frontal arc, flanked by the Arakan Yoma fold belt in
the east and the Chaman fault in the west make one of the seismically
active regions in the world.
B) Tsunami
 Tsunami refers to the displacement of a large volume of a body of
water such as Ocean.
 Most Tsunamis are seismically generated, result of abrupt
deformation of sea floor resulting vertical displacement of the
overlying water.
 The Tsunami waves are small in amplitude and long wavelength (often
hundred of kilometers long).
 The east and west coasts of India and the island regions are likely to be
affected by Tsunamis generated mainly by subduction zone related
earthquakes from the two potential source regions, viz. the Andaman-
Nicobar-Sumatra Island Arc and the Makran subduction zone north of
Arabian Sea.
C) Landslides
 Landslides are common in India in Himalayan region as well as
Western Ghats. The Himalayan ranges are among the youngest fold
mountains of world.
 They comprise a series of seven curvilinear parallel folds running
along a grand arc of around 3400 kilometers.
 The landslides in this region are probably more frequent than any
other areas in the world.
 The Western Ghats, particularly Nilgiri hills also are notorious for
frequent landslides.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
4.1.3 Industrial, Chemical and Nuclear Disasters
 The industrial and chemical disasters can occur due to accident,
negligence or incompetence.
 They may result in huge loss to lives and property.
 The Hazardous industries and the workers in these industries are
particularly vulnerable to chemical and industrial disasters.
 The most significant chemical accidents in recorded history was the
1984 Bhopal Gas disaster, in which more than 3,000 people were
killed after a highly toxic vapour, (methyl isocyanate), was released at
a Union Carbide pesticides factory.

4.2 Components of Disaster Relief

 Disaster relief means first aid provided for alleviating the suffering of
domestic disaster victims.
 Hence it aims to meet the immediate needs of the victims of a
disastrous event.
 Usually, it includes humanitarian services and transportation, food,
clothing, medicine, beds and bedding, temporary shelter and housing,
medical materiel, medical and technical personnel, and repairs to
essential services.
 From earlier times, disaster relief is considered a local responsibility of
the federal government to provide assistance, when local and state
relief capacities are exhausted.

4.2.1 Water
 Global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper
hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading
to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic
development. However, many countries are challenged to provide
these basic necessities to their populations, leaving people at risk for
water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-related diseases.

Community water systems and water safety plans

 A couple pumps water out of a community well Human health and well-
being are strongly affected by the environment in which we live - the
air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food and nutrients we
eat. Community water systems and water safety plans are important
ways to ensure the health of the community.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 In many places, communities lack the capacity to effectively adapt
their current systems for water, sanitation, and hygiene to the
community’s changing needs (population growth, changes in water
quality).
 According to the World Health Organization, the objectives of a water
safety plan are to ensure safe drinking water through good water
supply practices, which include :
o Preventing contamination of source waters;
o Treating the water to reduce or remove contamination that could be
present to the extent necessary to meet the water quality targets;
and
o Preventing re-contamination during storage, distribution, and
handling of drinking water.

Prepare an emergency water supply

 Store at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person and each pet.
Consider storing more water than this for hot climates, for pregnant
women, and for people who are sick.
 Store at least a 3-day supply of water for each person and each pet.
Try to store a 2-week supply if possible.
 Observe the expiration date for store-bought water; replace other
stored water every 6 months.
 Store a bottle of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach to
disinfect your water and to use for general cleaning and sanitizing. Try
to store bleach in an area where the average temperature stays around
70°F (21°C). Because the amount of active chlorine in bleach
decreases over time due to normal decay, consider replacing the bottle
each year.
• Note : Alcohol dehydrate the body, which increases the need for
drinking water.

Water Containers (Cleaning and Storage)

 Unopened commercially bottled water is the safest and most reliable
emergency water supply.
 Use of food-grade water storage containers, such as those found at
surplus or camping supply stores, is recommended if you prepare
stored water yourself.
 Before filling with safe water, use these steps to clean and sanitize
storage containers :

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Wash the storage container with dishwashing soap and water and
rinse completely with clean water.
 Sanitize the container by adding a solution made by mixing 1
teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach in one quart of
water.
 Cover the container and shake it well so that the sanitizing bleach
solution touches all inside surfaces of the container.
 Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the sanitizing solution out of the
container.
 Let the empty sanitized container air-dry before use OR rinse the
empty container with clean, safe water that already is available.
 Avoid using the following containers to store safe water:
 Containers that cannot be sealed tightly
 Containers that can break, such as glass bottles
 Containers that have ever held toxic solid or liquid chemicals, such
as bleach or pesticides
 Plastic or cardboard bottles, jugs, and containers used for milk or fruit
juices

For proper water storage :

 Label container as “drinking water” and include storage date.
 Replace stored water that is not commercially bottled every six months.
 Keep stored water in a place with a fairly constant cool temperature.
 Do not store water containers in direct sunlight.
 Do not store water containers in areas where toxic substances such as
gasoline or pesticides are present.

4.2.2 Food

Prepare an emergency food supply

A disaster can easily disrupt the food supply at any time, so plan to
have at least a 3-day supply of food on hand.
Keep foods that :
 Have a long storage life.
 Require little or no cooking, water, or refrigeration, in case utilities are
disrupted.
 Meet the needs of babies or other family members who are on special
diets.
 Meet pets’ needs.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Are not very salty or spicy, as these foods increase the need for
drinking water, which may be in short supply.

How to store emergency food

 When storing food, it is not necessary to buy dehydrated or other
types of emergency food.
 Check the expiration dates on canned foods and dry mixes. Home-
canned food usually needs to be thrown out after a year.
 Use and replace food before its expiration date.
 Certain storage conditions can enhance the shelf life of canned or
dried foods. The ideal location is a cool, dry, dark place. The best
temperature is 40 ° to 70 °F.
 Store foods away from ranges or refrigerator exhausts. Heat causes
many foods to spoil more quickly.
 Store food away from petroleum products, such as gasoline, oil, paints,
and solvents. Some food products absorb their smell.
 Protect food from rodents and insects. Items stored in boxes or in
paper cartons will keep longer if they are heavily wrapped or stored in
waterproof, airtight containers.

Preparing food
Preparing food after a disaster or emergency may be difficult due to
damage to your home and loss of electricity, gas, and water. Having the
following items available will help you to prepare meals safely :

Cooking utensils
 Knives, forks, and spoons
 Paper plates, cups, and towels
 A manual can- and bottle-opener
 Heavy-duty aluminum foil
 Propane gas or charcoal grill; camp stove
 Fuel for cooking, such as charcoal. (CAUTION : Only use charcoal
grills or camp stoves outside of your home to avoid smoke inhalation
and carbon monoxide poisoning.)

Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in a four-step process :

 Wash with soap and hot, clean water.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Rinse with clean water.
 Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 1 cup (8 oz/240
mL) of unscented household chlorine bleach in 5 gallons of clean
water.
 Allow to air dry.

4.2.3 Sanitation and Hygiene

 Sanitation and hygiene are critical to health, survival, and
development. Many countries are challenged in providing adequate
sanitation for their entire populations, leaving people at risk for water,
sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)- related diseases.
 Throughout the world, an estimated 2.4 billion people lack basic
sanitation (more than 32 % of the world’s population).
 Basic sanitation is described as having access to facilities for the safe
disposal of human waste (feces and urine), as well as having the ability
to maintain hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage
collection, industrial/hazardous waste management, and wastewater
treatment and disposal.

The need for latrines and toilets

 Proper sanitation facilities (for example, toilets and latrines) promote
health because they allow people to dispose of their waste
appropriately.
 Throughout the developing world, many people do not have access to
suitable sanitation facilities, resulting in improper waste disposal.

Absence of basic sanitation facilities can

 Result in an unhealthy environment contaminated by human waste.
Without proper sanitation facilities, waste from infected individuals
can contaminate a community’s land and water, increasing the risk of
infection for other individuals.
 Proper waste disposal can slow the infection cycle of many disease-
causing agents
 Contribute to the spread of many diseases/conditions that can cause
widespread illness and death. Without proper sanitation facilities,
people often have no choice but to live in and drink water from an
environment contaminated with waste from infected individuals,
thereby putting themselves at risk for future infection.
 Inadequate waste disposal drives the infection cycle of many agents
that can be spread through contaminated soil, food, water, and insects
such as flies.
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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
Personal hygiene and handwashing after a disaster or emergency
 Handwashing under faucet
 On this page
 Disaster kit
 Handwashing
 When to wash hands
 Bathing
 Dental hygiene
 Wound care
 Good basic personal hygiene and handwashing are critical to help
prevent the spread of illness and disease. Clean, safe running water is
essential for proper hygiene and handwashing.
 Hygiene is especially important in an emergency such as a flood,
hurricane, or earthquake, but finding clean, safe running water can
sometimes be difficult. The following information will help to ensure
good hygiene and handwashing in the event of an emergency.
 Disaster supplies kit (Hygiene supplies)
 Before an emergency, make sure you have created a disaster supplies
kit.

Handwashing
Keeping hands clean during an emergency helps prevent the spread of
germs. If your tap water is not safe to use, wash your hands with soap and
water that has been boiled or disinfected. Follow these steps to make sure
you wash your hands properly :
 Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply
soap.
 Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be
sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and
under your nails.
 Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer
? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
 Rinse your hands well under running water.
 Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
 A temporary hand washing station pdf icon[PDF-38 kB]external icon
can be created by using a large water jug that contains clean water
(for example, boiled or disinfected).

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the
number of germs on them. If soap and water are not available, use an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 % alcohol.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of
germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all
types of germs.
 Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty.

When to wash hands

Wash hands with soap and clean, running water (if available) :
 Before, during, and after preparing food
 Before eating food
 After using the toilet
 After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
 Before and after caring for someone who is sick
 After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
 After touching an animal or animal waste
 After touching garbage
 Before and after treating a cut or wound
 Other hand hygiene resources
 Food and water safety and hand hygiene resources
 Handwashing : Clean hands save lives
 Safe and healthy diapering for emergency settings
 Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth,
wash and prepare food, or make ice.

Bathing
 Bathing or showering after a water-related emergency should only be
done with clean, safe water. Sometimes water that is not safe to drink
can be used for bathing, but be careful not to swallow any water or
get it in your eyes.
 If you have a drinking water well, listen to your local health authorities
for advice on using your well water for showering and bathing. If
extensive flooding has occurred or you suspect that your well may be
contaminated, contact your local, state, or tribal health department for
specific advice on well testing and disinfection.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
Dental hygiene
 Brushing your teeth after a water-related emergency should only be
done with clean, safe water. Listen to local authorities to find out if tap
water is safe to use.
 Visit the safe drinking water for personal use page for more
information about making your water safe for brushing your teeth.
 You may visit CDC’s Oral Health Web site for complete dental
hygiene information.

Wound care
 Keeping wounds clean and covered is crucial during an emergency.
Open wounds and rashes exposed to flood waters can become infected.
To protect yourself and your family :
 Avoid contact with flood waters if you have an open wound.
 Cover clean, open wounds with a waterproof bandage to reduce
chance of infection.
 Keep open wounds as clean as possible by washing well with soap
and clean water.
 If a wound develops redness, swelling, or oozing, seek immediate
medical care.
 Vibrios are naturally occurring bacteria that live in certain coastal
waters. They can cause a skin infection when an open wound is
exposed to salt water or a mix of salt and fresh water, which can occur
during floods.
 The risk for injury during and after a hurricane and other natural
disasters is high. Prompt first aid can help heal small wounds and
prevent infection. Wash your hands with soap and water before and
after providing first aid for a wound to help prevent infection. Use
an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 % if soap and
water are not available. Tetanus, other bacterial infections, and fungal
infections are potential health threats for persons who have open
wounds.

Seek medical attention as soon as possible if :

 There is a foreign object (soil, wood, metal, or other objects)
embedded in the wound;
 The wound is at special risk of infection (such as a dog bite or a
puncture by a dirty object);
 An old wound shows signs of becoming infected (increased pain and
soreness, swelling, redness, draining, or you develop a fever).

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
Septic and onsite wastewater systems
 A well-maintained and constructed septic system will better withstand
the stresses of heavy rains or flooding. Regular inspection is necessary
to ensure proper functioning.
 During heavy rains and floods, the ground can become saturated,
preventing proper operation of the system. For example, a septic tank
can collapse or float out of position. Signs that a septic system is not
working properly include the following :
 Sinks drain slowly
 Toilets drain slowly
 Floor drains overflow
 Sewage becomes visible outside the home

4.2.4 Shelters
 Individual family shelter should always be preferred to communal
accommodation as it provides the necessary privacy, psychological
comfort, and emotional safety.
 It also provides safety and security for people and possessions and
helps to preserve or rebuild family unity.
 Emergency shelter needs are best met by using the same locally
available, sustainably sourced materials and construction methods as
would be normally used by the refugees themselves or the local
hosting population.
 Only if adequate quantities cannot be quickly obtained locally should
emergency shelter material be brought into the country.
 The simplest structures, and labour-intensive building methods, are
preferable.
 Materials should be environmentally friendly and obtained in a
sustainable manner.
 Plastic sheeting has become the most important shelter component in
many humanitarian response operations often in combination with
rigid materials, as they offer flexibility and can be used in a variety of
ways in both urban and rural settings.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 Regardless of the type of emergency shelter used the following
principles generally apply :
o Shelters must provide protection from the elements, space to live
and store belongings, privacy and emotional security.
o Blankets, mats, and tarpaulin must be provided as needed.
o Refugee shelter should be culturally and socially appropriate and
familiar where possible. Suitable local materials are best, if
available.
o Shelter must be adequate regardless of seasonal weather patterns,
if not it should be adapted accordingly.
o Wherever possible, persons of concern should be empowered to
build their own shelter, with the necessary organizational and
material support.
 This will help to ensure that the shelter will meet their particular
needs, promote a sense of ownership and self-reliance, and reduces
costs and construction time considerably
 Each type of emergency shelter has advantages and disadvantages
depending on the context in which it is used. Consider the following
points when deciding on the emergency shelter or combination of
shelter types to be used in any given response :
Shelter solution Pros Cons
Family tents Traditional relief tent; Inflexible; may be unstable in
lightweight; proven high winds or heavy snow,
design; good headroom; difficult to heat.
can be winterised; large Where tents are used for
production capacities. long durations, provisions
for repair materials should
be considered.
Plastic sheeting Most important shelter Collecting wood for shelters'
component in many relief support frames or stick
operations; UV-resistant; skeletons can considerably
heavy duty; lightweight, harm the environment if
flexible; large production collected from surrounding
capacities. forests. It is therefore
important to always consider
sustainable sources of
framing material which is
sufficient to support plastic.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
Materials and Suitable local materials are Required time and training
tools for best, if available, and must
construction be suitable for variance in
(shelter kits) the seasons, culturally and
socially appropriate and
familiar.
Prefabricat Permanent or semi- High unit cost; long shipping
ed shelter permanent structures; time; long production time;
and long lasting. transport challenges;
containers assembly challenges;
inflexibility; disregard cultural
and social norms.
Rental subsidies Greater sense of Difficult to monitor that
independence; greater shelter meets standards;
integration in a competitive market may
community; influx of result in exploitation and
income to host community. abuse; inflation and
speculation may occur;
upgrades or repairs may be
needed.

4.2.5 Health

Management of medical supply

 Disasters can also cause disruptions to the health care infrastructure.
 Hospitals and health centers may suffer structural damage, or health
personnel may be among the casualties, limiting the ability to provide
health services to disaster victims.
 Emergency health kits that contain essential medical supplies and
drugs are often provided to victims as part of the immediate response
to disasters.
 These kits are designed to meet the primary health care needs of
people without access to medical facilities.
 Each kit covers the needs of about 10,000 persons for three months
 The twelve essential drugs in the basic kit include anti-inflammatories,
an antacid, a disinfectant, oral dehydration salts, an antimalarial, a
basic antibiotic (effective against the most common bacteria), and an
ointment for eye infections.

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 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV

Assessment of immediate health needs

 Natural disasters do not usually result in infectious disease outbreaks.
However, certain circumstances can increase the chance for disease
transmission.
 Immediately after a disaster, most increases in disease incidence are
caused by fecal contamination of water and food supplies.
 This contamination usually results in intestinal disease. Outbreaks of
communicable diseases are directly associated with population density
and displacement.
 If disaster victims live in overcrowded conditions or are forced to leave
their homes, the risk of a disease outbreak increases.

Disposal of dead
 In many emergency situations, especially in the immediate aftermath
of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or cyclone, there may be
many dead bodies that require appropriate disposal.
 Despite many myths and rumours to the contrary, exposure to dead
human bodies is not in itself a serious health hazard except in specific
cases. For this reason, bodies should as far as possible be handled and
buried or cremated by the families of the dead people, in ways which
are as close as possible to their normal cultural and religious practices.
Mass cremation or mass burial should be avoided if possible.

4.2.6 Waste Management

 Depending on their nature and severity, disasters can create large
volumes of debris and waste.
 The waste can overwhelm existing solid waste management facilities
and impact on other emergency response and recovery activities.
 If poorly managed, the waste can have significant environmental and
public health impacts and can affect the overall recovery process.

Sewer systems and wastewater management

 A sewer system pipe opening, along with the dirty water coming out of
it.
 Community wastewater management and adequate sewer systems
play important roles in sanitation and disease prevention.

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 Wastewater can contaminate the local environment and drinking
water supply, thereby increasing the risk of disease transmission.
 Therefore, to improve health, it is vital to develop a system to manage
community wastewater and sewage.
 In many countries, proper wastewater management is not practiced
due to lack of resources, infrastructure, available technology, and
space.

4.2.7 Institutional Arrangements

National level
 In the event of a disaster of a severe nature, National Crisis
Management Committee under Cabinet Crisis Management Committee
under Cabinet Secretary gives policy directions and guidelines to the
Secretary gives policy directions and guidelines to the Crisis
Management Group where national/ international efforts are required.
international efforts are required.
 Crisis Management Group in MHA reviews the situation in Inter
situation in Inter-Ministerial meeting to coordinate Ministerial meeting
to coordinate various emergency support functions for the affected
various emergency support functions for the affected States. States.
 Union Cabinet may set up a Cabinet Committee/Task Force/GoM for
effective coordination of relief for effective coordination of relief
measures in the wake of calamities of severe nature.

State level
 A State level Crisis Management Committee under the Chairmanship
of Chief Secretary is responsible for formulating policies and
guidelines for management of natural disasters in the States.
 This committee comprises of concerned functionaries in various State
Departments and representatives of Central Organizations located in
the State.
 State Relief Commissioner is the Nodal Officer for coordinating the
activities for relief operations in the event of natural disasters.

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District level
 District level is the focal point in a disaster situation from which
disaster management related activities are coordinated and
implemented.
 A district level committee exists under the District Collector / Deputy
Commissioner.
 District Collector is the key functionary for directing, supervising and
monitoring all disaster management operations.

Role of Central and State Governments

 Central and State Governments are jointly responsible for undertaking
mitigation, preparedness, response, relief and rehabilitation
preparedness, response, relief and rehabilitation measures.
 Central Government supplements the efforts of State Government by
providing financial and logistic support in case of a major calamity.
 Involvement of local bodies, NGOs, Self help Involvement of local
bodies, Self help groups etc in relief and response.

4.3 Mitigation, Response and Preparedness

Mitigation : Activities aimed at trying to mitigate the impact of a disaster
if prevention is not possible, such as building schools to be more earthquake
resistant.
Response : Activities aimed at understanding needs and responding to
them, including rapid assessments, provision of food and non-food items,
provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services, and health and shelter
interventions.
In the immediate hours and days after a disaster, when search-and-rescue
activities are critical, it is most often local actors who are first to respond.
Information is often patchy and confused; there can be significant damage to
infrastructure, and large movements of people.
Preparedness : Activities aimed at trying to prepare communities for a
disaster, such as emergency drills or pre-stocking relief items in logistic
hubs.
 This involves measures designed for lessening the likely effects of
emergencies.

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 Includes appropriate land-use planning, flood mitigation works,
improved building codes improving structural qualities of schools,
houses and such other buildings so that medical causalities can be
minimized.
 Ensuring the safety of health facilities and public health services
including water supply and sewerage system to reduce the cost of
rehabilitation and reconstruction.
 Mitigation compliments the disaster preparedness and disaster
response activities.
 Preparedness efforts include plans or preparations made in advance of
an emergency that help individuals and communities get ready to
either respond or to recover. It aims to achieve a satisfactory level of
readiness to respond to any emergency situation through programs
that strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of governments,
organizations, and communities.
 These measures can be described as logistical readiness to deal with
disasters and can be enhanced by having response mechanisms and
procedures, rehearsals, developing long-term and short-term
strategies, public education and building early warning systems.
 The preparations may include the stocking of reserve food and water,
the gathering and screening of willing community volunteers, or
citizens education & evacuation plan, holding disaster drills, and
installing smoke detectors, mutual aid agreements, development of
hospital disaster plans, emergency medical service plans, etc.
 Preparedness activities increase a community’s ability to respond
when a disaster occurs. The National Incident Management System
(NIMS) defines preparedness as "a continuous cycle of planning,
organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking
corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during
incident response."
 This preparedness cycle is one element of a broader National
Preparedness System to prevent, respond to, recover from, and
mitigate against natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-
made disasters.
 Typical preparedness measures include developing mutual aid
agreements and memorandums of understanding, training for both
response personnel and concerned citizens, conducting disaster
exercises to reinforce training and test capabilities, and presenting all-
hazards education campaigns.

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 Unlike mitigation activities, which are aimed at preventing a disaster
from occurring, personal preparedness focuses on preparing
equipment and procedures for use when a disaster occurs, i.e.
planning.
 Preparedness measures can take many forms including the
construction of shelters, installation of warning devices, creation of
back-up life-line services (e.g. power, water, sewage), and rehearsing
evacuation plans.
 Two simple measures can help prepare the individual for sitting out
the event or evacuating, as necessary. For evacuation, a disaster
supplies kit may be prepared and for sheltering purposes a stockpile of
supplies may be created. These kits may include food, medicine,
flashlights, candles and money.

4.4 Disaster Management Act and Policy

Definitions - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -
"Affected area" means an area or part of the country affected by
a disaster; "Capacity-building" includes -
 Identification of existing resources and resources to be acquired or
created;
 Acquiring or creating resources identified under sub-clause (i);
 Organization and training of personnel and coordination of such
training for effective management of disasters;
"Central Government" means the Ministry or Department of the
Government of India having administrative control of disaster management;
"Disaster" means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in
any area, arising from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or
negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or
damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of,
environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping
capacity of the community of the affected area;
"Disaster management" means a continuous and integrated process of
planning, organising, coordinating and implementing measures which are
necessary or expedient for -
Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster;
 Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or
consequences;
 Capacity-building;
 Preparedness to deal with any disaster;

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 Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster;

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 Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster;
 Evacuation, rescue and relief;
 Rehabilitation and reconstruction;
 "District Authority" means the District Disaster Management Authority
constituted under sub-section (1) of section 25;
 "District Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the district
prepared under section 31;
 "Local authority" includes panchayati raj institutions, municipalities, a
district board, cantonment board, town planning authority or Zila
Parishad or any other body or authority, by whatever name called, for
the time being invested by law, for rendering essential services or,
with the control and management of civic services, within a specified
local area;
 "Mitigation" means measures aimed at reducing the risk, impact or
effects of a disaster or threatening disaster situation;
 "National Authority" means the National Disaster Management
Authority established under sub-section (1) of section 3;
 "National Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of
the National Authority constituted under sub-section (1) of section 8;
 "National Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the whole
of the country prepared under section 11;
 "Preparedness" means the state of readiness to deal with a threatening
disaster situation or disaster and the effects thereof;
 "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
 "Reconstruction" means construction or restoration of any property
after a disaster;
 "Resources" includes manpower, services, materials and provisions;
 "State Authority" means the State Disaster Management Authority
established under sub-section (1) of section 14 and includes the
Disaster Management Authority for the Union territory constituted
under that section;
 "State Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of a
State Authority constituted under sub-section (1) of section 20;
 "State Government" means the Department of Government of the State
having administrative control of disaster management and includes
Administrator of the Union territory appointed by the President under
article 239 of the Constitution;

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 "State Plan" means the plan for disaster management for the whole
of the State prepared under section 23.

India : National policy on Disaster Management 2009

This policy aims at :
i) Promoting a culture of prevention, preparedness and resilience
at all levels through knowledge, innovation and education;
ii) Encouraging mitigation measures based on technology, traditional
wisdom and environmental sustainability;
iii) Mainstreaming disaster management into the developmental planning
process;
iv) Establishing institutional and technolegal frameworks to create
an enabling regulatory environment and a compliance regime;
v) Ensuring efficient mechanism for identification, assessment and
monitoring of disaster risks;
vi) Developing contemporary forecasting and early warning systems
backed by responsive and fail-safe communication with information
technology support;
vii) Ensuring efficient response and relief with a caring approach
towards the needs of the vulnerable sections of the society;
viii) Undertaking reconstruction as an opportunity to build disaster
resilient structures and habitat for ensuring safer living; and
ix) Promoting a productive and proactive partnership with the media
for disaster management.
This policy of 2009 replaces the policy of 2005.

4.5 Other Related Policies, Plans, Programmes and Legislation

A) Indian Constitution and Natural Disaster

 Indian Constitution, the Magna Carta of Fundamental Rights for
Indians guarantees protection of life and security with the purpose of
ensuring a welfare State.
 Not only the laws and regulations framed by the Central and State
Governments have to be in conformity with the Constitutional
provisions, but also the authorities have a duty under the Constitution
to safeguard and protect the Fundamental Rights.

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 The scope and applicability of these Fundamental Rights and the
validity of the laws passed by the legislatures and the executive actions
of the government are often the subject matter of various decisions by
the Supreme Court of India.

B) The Environment Protection Act, 1986

 After the Bhopal Gas Leak Tragedy, the Indian Parliament enacted the
Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 for the purpose of
safeguarding and protecting the environment from unregulated
industrial or other activities. Under the EPA, the central Government is
entrusted with responsibility to take all the measures for protecting
and improving the quality of the environment and preventing
controlling and abating environmental pollution.
 It prohibits persons carrying on any industry, operation or process
from discharging or emitting any environmental pollutants in excess of
prescribed standards.
 The EPA imposes obligations on persons handling any hazardous
substance to follow prescribed procedure and comply with prescribed
safeguards.

C) Environment Impact Assessment Statement

 In the year 1994, a notification was issued by the Central Government
under Section 3 of EPA making it mandatory on the part of all new
industrial units and those with intent to modernize or expand to submit
an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Statement for the purpose of
obtaining clearance from the Central Government for setting up
industrial projects.

D) The ‘Manufacture, Storage and Impact of Hazardous Chemical Rules’, 1989

 In the Year 1989, the Central Government framed the „Manufacture,
Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules‟, 1987 under the
EPA.
 The principal objective of the rules is the prevention of major accidents
arising from industrial activity, the limitation of the effects of such
accidents both on humans and the environment, and the harmonization
of the various control measures and the agencies to prevent and limit
major accidents.

E) The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991.

 In the year 1991, with a view to protect the fragile ecosystem of the
coastal areas in India from unregulated developmental activities, the
Government of India issued Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
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Notification under the EPA to control the developmental activities
within 500 meters of High Tide Line (HTL).

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F) The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
 The parliament also enacted the “Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991‟
to provide for public liability insurance for the purpose of providing
immediate relief to the persons affected by accidents occurring while
handling hazardous substances.
 The Act imposes on the person, who has control over handling any
hazardous substance, the liability to give the relief specified in the Act
to all the victims of any accident, which occurs while handling such
substance.

G) The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997

 This Act has been enacted to provide for the establishment of a
National Environment Appellate Authority to hear appeals with respect
to restriction of areas in which any industries, operations or process or
class of industries, shall not be carried out subject to certain
safeguards under the EPA.

4.6 Role of GIS and Information Technology Components in Preparedness,

Risk Assessment, Response and Recovery Phases of Disaster
 Disasters are spatial in nature as they strike at a specific location and
influence a particular area.
 Location intelligence plays a critical role in disaster management. GIS
coupled with remote sensing provides a basic framework that helps in
all the stages of disaster management starting from preparedness, to
response and recovery.
 Through advanced wireless technologies and web-based GIS
applications, disaster management by governments and other agencies
is being revolutionized and is enhancing the coordination of response
efforts as well as planning for disaster risk reduction.
 GIS decision support systems for disaster have been applied in several
parts of the world for effective management.
 For assessing disaster risks, one needs an understanding of key
disaster event characteristics such as location of impact (for example,
earthquake epicenter, cyclone landfall), physical characteristics
(magnitude in case of earthquakes, central pressure in case of
cyclones), local conditions like land use and type and height of
structures.
 These characteristics require an understanding of the geography of the
impacted area in order to model the hazard intensity and severity and
to understand the impact on buildings, infrastructure and population,

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and at the same time respond to the disaster for evacuation and
rehabilitation works.
 Use of GIS and remote sensing, helps conduct all these tasks in a
planned an efficient manner.
 Earlier, when the concept of GIS did not exist, response decisions
during disasters were taken mostly on the basis of prior experience
and intuition rather than any live information.
 But today, live data on many parameters such as topography,
geographic features, population, infrastructure, demographics can be
crucial to the response and recovery activities.
 GIS has the power to integrate data from various sources into a
common platform and make it readily accessible to various
stakeholders for disaster management. It enables dissemination of
critical information in a timely manner in cases of emergencies.
 Further, the visualization of this data helps in analyzing a situation and
taking quick decisions. In advanced countries of the world, GIS has
been successfully utilized to address all phases of disaster
management-preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
 It is very helpful to lay a foundation of GIS as all these stages are
interconnected. The output of one stage serves as input to the next
stage.

4.6.1 Awareness and Preparedness

Some critical questions that arise during awareness and preparedness for
disaster management are :
 What is the population of the area,
 Location of buildings and infrastructure,
 Social and structural characteristics of the area,
 Population at risk, evacuation time and technique,
 Location of the safe structures that could be used as shelters and others
?
GIS and remote sensing techniques can be used to build database of
critical facilities such as hospitals, ambulances, fire stations, police stations,
schools and other places which can be helpful for planning purposes.
 Disaster maps can be prepared to show the risk zones as well as
disaster impact zones. From a mitigation point of view, hazard maps
can be created for various natural and manmade hazards such as
floods, earthquakes, cyclones, forest fires etc., that help in
understanding the risk of a location and planning accordingly for the

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same.
 For e.g., in areas with high earthquake vulnerability, retrofitting of
structures and enforcing strict building codes is a must. The
governments and local agencies can preplan and improve
preparedness by mapping evacuation routes, shelter planning, debris
removal planning, stocking enough supplies, conducting mock drills
etc.

4.6.2 Risk Assessment

 A fundamental principal of risk assessment is that risk due to natural
catastrophes such as earthquakes, hurricanes and flood, is location
dependent, and that it can be assessed within an acceptable range of
uncertainty if reliable historical and location specific data is available.
 Risk assessment of natural catastrophes has two components-hazard
and vulnerability. The hazard is a measure of the physical intensity of
the peril (earthquake, wind, surge, etc.) at a particular location and
the associated probabilities of these intensities. Hazard is location
dependent.
 For example a location which is surrounded by seismic faults and has a
weak surface geology has a higher hazard potential than a location for
away from faults and with strong surface geology.
 Similarly, hurricane, hazard at a location near the coast and with a
flat, bare terrain is far higher than at a location which is inland and
has a rugged terrain.
 Vulnerability is a measure of the damage that the peril can cause to
the built environment (house, buildings, infrastructure and utilities) at
that location.
 Manmade structure respond to different perils in different ways,
depending on the design of their structural systems and methods of
constructions.
 Flood and cyclones play havoc with irrigation processes in the coastal
areas of Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, the Rayalseema and
Telenagana regions with semiarid to arid climatic conditions are
frequently affected by droughts.
 The worst affected are the rural people who are not adequately warned
about the impending disasters.
 Now, the Andhra Pradesh State Remote Sensing Applications Centre
(APSRC) has developed a remote sensing application to overcome
some of the problems that the state faces.

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4.6.3 Planning and Mitigation
 Earlier, the role of governments during natural calamities was limited
to rescue, relief and rehabilitation. With changing times, mitigation
and main streaming of disaster risk reduction has become a crucial
activity requiring government intervention.
 GIS is enabling development of decision support systems capable of
assessing risk from natural disasters and helping governments in
mitigation and planning.
 RMSI has developed an innovative ‘Decision support system for
disaster risk reduction’ that utilizes the outcomes of multi-hazard risk
assessment for activities performed for mitigation, preparedness,
response and recovery.
 This framework has been successfully implemented in several nations
of the world and has proven to be an impactful tool for mainstreaming
disaster risk reduction. Mathematical modeling and GIS analytics form
the backbone of this framework.

4.6.4 Response and Recovery

 Responding to a disaster adequately requires critical information like
the location where the disaster has occurred, intensity and severity of
the event in various disaster zones, areas of maximum damage,
location of impacted population and the kind of resources needed to
evacuate the trapped population.
 GIS and remote sensing techniques coupled with technologies like
satellite imagery, aerial photography using aircraft or drones can help
find answers to many such questions.
 Soon after a disaster strikes, use of remote sensing technologies (such
as aerial photographs or satellite images) can be used to map the
affected locations and compare the data to historical information to
assess the overall damage.
 While remote sensing aids in map preparation, GIS can be used for
storage of digitized maps, their visualization and analysis.
 There is a greater need for liaisoning of the public and private sector.
GIS organizations such as RMSI are equipped to turn around such
tasks at a faster rate, provided high resolution satellite imagery is
made available by the government bodies or private companies.
Further, this is supported by on ground sample damage assessment
surveys conducted by experts. RMSI experts have participated
multiple times in such post disaster surveys, including the Gujarat

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earthquake, Mumbai floods in 2005, Surat floods in 2006 and Krishna
river floods in 2008.
 Damage assessment helps in estimating the number of households
damaged and families displaced along with casualties and injured in
short term, as well as the damaged infrastructure.
 It also helps in re-establishing communication so that it performs
better in future or laying foundation for an emergency communication
network that could activates immediately in the aftermath of a
disaster.
 At the same time, estimates of economic impacts and social impacts
can be traced as the information would help in identifying the most
affected families, particularly widows, single parent children, orphans,
differently-abled persons and senior citizens.
 Furthermore, GIS platforms have proven to be very useful in
connecting dislocated families. Open applications with abilities to
upload the photographs of missing family members and tagging the
location of other family members have been applied for several
disasters worldwide.
 GIS technology is increasingly being used in spatial decision support
systems. In the past few years, GIS emerged as a powerful risk
assessment tool and is being put to use to assess risk to property and
life stemming from natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes,
cyclones and floods. Manipulation, analysis, and graphic presentation
of the risk and hazard data can be done within a GIS system, and
because these data have associated location information which is also
stored within the GIS, their spatial interrelationships can be
determined and used in computer based risk assessment models. This
assessment can be used by insurance companies to help them make
decisions on their insurance policy rates, by land developers to make
decisions on the feasibility of project sites, and by government
planners for better disaster preparedness.

4.7 Disaster Damage Assessment

Damage assessment is an important tool for retrospective and prospective
analysis of disasters to assimilate the extent of impact of a disaster. This
forms the basis for future disaster preparedness and preventive planning. It
is essential in determining : what happened, what the effects were, which
areas were hardest hit, what situations must be given priority and what types
of assistance are needed, for example, Local, State, or Union ? Emergency
response can be more effective, equipment and personnel can be

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better used, and help can be provided quicker if a thorough damage
assessment is performed beforehand. The basic objectives of damage
assessment could be summarised as follows :
 To make a rapid assessment of areas affected to know the extent of
impact for purpose of immediate rescue and relief operations;
 To prepare estimates for the amount of relief to be provided and the
mode of relief, be it food, clothing, medicines, shelter or other
essential commodities;
o To make a detailed assessment regarding requirements for long-
term relief and rehabilitation planning; and
o To identify focus areas for the purpose of ‘retrofitting’ actions in
similar future situations.
 Damage assessment is therefore a prerequisite for effective disaster
response effort. For effective decisions, officials responsible for
organising post-disaster relief operations should be properly informed
of the damage/possible damage should the event repeat itself some-
time in the future, so that they can know the needs, current, as well as
prospective, in precise terms.
 They must have appropriate and timely information about : what
happened, what needs to be done, and what resources are available ?
Their decisions can save lives; minimise injury, damage and loss;
prevent any further escalation; prevent secondary hazards and inform
people who need to know. Well-organised response will also help in
building confidence and enhancing the credibility of the
administration.
 Relief operations are essentially about the management of information
and resources, which is based on assessments and reports carried out
from time to time. Information is needed at all levels of administration
but the nature of the information required varies from one level to
another. Good assessment and reporting require forethought; hence,
the assessment and reporting system should be established during the
preparedness planning stage.

4.7.1 Essential Features of Damage Assessment

A) Flow of information
There is a clearly defined sequence to managing
information: Converting raw data to useful
information;
 Information input;
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 Sorting (grading, collating, discarding what is unreliable);
 Evaluation;
 Decision making;
 Information output (dissemination); and
 Action
For example, specific objectives for damage assessment in the aftermath
of cyclones and droughts would include :
 Identification of the extent of damage or loss
 Identification of the types of assistance needed
 Identification of crops that can be grown as an interim substitute
 Determination of the amount of seeds, fertilizer and tools needed, the
resources available in the area, and the amount of supplies required
from outside the affected area.
 Identification of local institutions that could carry out the program and
their capabilities.
 Identification of the level of farming skills in the affected community
 Determination of technical assistance requirements
 Determination of the receptivity of local institutions and the public to
proposed agricultural rehabilitation activities.
Data would be required regarding :
 Identification of the predominant food and cash crops, cropping
patterns, and normal production levels.
 Likely losses, such as; if whole or part of a crop is likely to be
damaged, if any portion could be salvaged by timely mitigation, the
quantum of insurance that would suffice, keeping in view, estimated
losses.
 Identification of land problems to identify the extent of erosion,
landslide zones, flood-prone areas, and areas where desertification
could occur.
 Also note agricultural land forms such as terraces or contour farming
(or lack thereof).
 Identification of water supply problems as certain disasters create
special problems in water supply, for example, salt water flooding in
cyclones can pollute local water wells and leave irrigation water salty;
droughts dry up aquifers; wave action can destroy irrigation channels
and desert windstorms can erode or fill shallow irrigation channels in
arid zones.

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 Determination of supply needs meaning, a determination should be
made whether additional seeds, tools, fertilizers, etc., or alternative
seeds could be planted immediately.
 For example, replacing traditional varieties of rice with a fast-
growing variety may be possible in some cases, yet this might require
introduction of needed fertilizers.
 Determination of local farming practices since it is important to
identify the social, cultural and traditional aspects of farming,
especially in the low-income and subsistence farming sectors. The time
needed to plant certain crops, the normal growing season, and
information about seasonal availability or constraints to certain types
of crops is vital.
 It is also important to identify traditional responses to the disaster
such as crop diversification, growing alternative varieties or
alternative crops, altering cropping patterns, growing “famine foods,”
or building food reserves.
 Determine the status of drought animals to check total losses and
determine whether the losses will delay rehabilitation. Check to see if
animals need emergency feeding, and determine whether farmers
would have to sell them off.
 Institutional preparedness, studying ministries/departments engaged
in disaster management, whether, disaster plan, contingency funding,
official maps are in place, etc.

B) Utility of damage assessment

The information would enable :
 Quantified assessment of losses that would accrue to farmers and the
likely impact on food supply in the market.
 Planning interim assistance like insurance needs of identified
vulnerable segments, which are mainly, small-scale farmers, repairing
irrigation systems, contouring, farmland repair etc. that would help
further mitigation efforts.
 Alternate supportive projects; also possibly for how long; leading to
articulation of long-term strategy for generating sustainable
livelihoods and therefore achieving risk reduction in the area.

C) Levels of assessment
Damage assessment is required at two basic levels of intervention. Firstly,
it is required for emergency relief measures in which quick assessment of
damage is the basis for the amount of relief material and food stocks that
reach the disaster area. This type of an assessment is called Rapid Damage
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DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
Assessment. At the second level would be, a detailed technical analysis of
damage for long-term restoration and rehabilitation works.
From a long-term perspective, damage assessment scrutinises the
mechanisms of failure that took place during the disaster. It is called Detailed
Damage Assessment.
These studies are very useful for all prevention and mitigation efforts for
disasters in the future.

4.7.2 Rapid Damage Assessment

The official agency for reporting estimates of disaster damages is usually
the Revenue and Relief Department of the state government, as they are also
the authority for distributing relief to affected persons. As usual, there is a
hierarchy of officials who report from the lowest level of Villages/Panchayats
through Blocks/Revenue Circles, Tehsils/ Talukas, and Sub-divisions and
finally to the districts and then to the state headquarters.
However, relief agencies including NGOs also have their own damage
assessment systems and teams to carry out the assessments. The basic items
covered in rapid assessment are :
 Name of the place.
 The relevant disasters.
 Date and time of disaster strike.
 Area affected.
 Total number of villages or neighbourhoods affected.
 Total population.
 Population affected in terms of number of people and households.
 Details of local bodies (panchayats or wards/municipalities) affected.
 In case of floods, area still under water.
 In case of an earthquake or cyclone, buildings damaged.
 Infrastructure affected (transportation, power, social infrastructure).
 Estimated number of deaths and injuries.
 Estimated loss of property.
 Closest sources of emergency aid.

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DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
4.7.3 Detailed Damage Assessment
Detailed damage assessment goes further than the rapid assessment, and
it includes the following additional information regarding disaster damage :
Verified number of human lives lost and number of injuries.

Livestock lost
a) Number.
b) Estimated value.

Details of damage to crops in hectares and estimated loss of produce in quintals

a) Hectares completely damaged.
b) Hectares partially damaged.
c) Hectares likely to be replanted or re-sown.
d) Extent affected in percentage.
e) Crops lost in quintals.
f) Estimated value of crops lost in rupees.

Houses damaged or destroyed

a) Number.
b) Estimated value.

Loss to public works and utilities including local bodies property

a) Name of the work and utility.
b) Nature of damage.
c) Estimated value of damage.
d) Estimated cost to restore work or/and utility.

4.7.4 Assessing Loss and Damage to Human Life

 Safety of human life is one of the prime objective of any humanitarian
action. The life of any human being is invaluable for the family, friends
and for the larger community and social groups.
 Risk to human life during natural disasters varies depending on factors
such as gender, age, social status, etc.
 The inequalities, poverty and other social imbalances contribute to this
risk.
 The disaster may not cause deaths but injury or disability and stress
and trauma
to the affected
persons.
 AKSAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
 This has grave ramifications on the lives of the affected, their relatives
and friends. Besides such impact, the loss of human lives may affect
other aspects of the lives of the survivors that may be necessary for
dignified living such as ability of the families to earn and the loss of
care and protection providers.
 This loss due to the natural disasters is most overwhelming and brings
focused attention to the region.
 The loss of human life shapes the humanitarian response, as this is the
greatest loss that any affected region has to bear.
 The loss of human life, therefore, is the most critical part of any
damage assessment.
 The first information regarding this loss is to determine the baseline
data related to the number of families residing in the affected area,
where the damage assessment is being undertaken.
 The loss and damage to human life can be understood by its varying
extent such as
i) Deaths,
ii) Permanent disabilities,
iii) Major injuries,
iv) Minor injuries and
v) Missing.
 Details of minor injury, major injury and permanent disability are
essential to formulate immediate care and support system; as well as
to plan long-term support and follow-up mechanisms.
 In cases of death or injury, information like death certificate by police
or authorities, injury certificate by hospital or the government doctor is
needed for government support or compensation.
 Similarly, in case of missing people, it is important to understand if
legalities like police complaint have been registered or not, which may
be essential for the affected families to access government assistance.
 It is also important to know whether they have received government
assistance or compensation to cope with the distress.
 Data should be segregated gender wise, age wise or occupation wise to
develop deeper understanding.
 Details of occupation also provide a hint of economic status of families.
Similarly, details of family members of the affected person are
essential; as it enables us to determine the number of earning
members and dependents within the family.
 It might be possible that a person, who has died or has become
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DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
permanently disabled, was the only earning member of the family.

4.8 Mitigation Measures for Home

One of the most effective means of protection is to take steps to make your
home and your household safe from the potential effects of disaster like
floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. This is called mitigation.
Ideally, mitigation measures are implemented before disaster strikes since
they can help protect your household as well as your property. However, even
after a disaster strikes, actions can be taken to avoid or reduce the impact of
the next disaster.
1. If your home was damaged during the disaster, consider
implementing mitigation measures while you repair your home.
2. Be sure that all upgrade construction projects comply with local
building codes that pertain to seismic, flood, fire and wind hazards.
Make sure your contractors follow the codes, including periodic
building inspections of the construction.
3. If you live in a flood-prone area, consider purchasing flood insurance
to reduce your risk to floods. Buying flood insurance to cover the
value of a building and its contents will not only provide greater
peace of mind, but will also speed recovery if a flood occurs.
4. If you live in an area prone to high winds, make sure your roof is
firmly secured to the main frame of the residence. Consider building
a wind “Safe Room or Shelter” in your home to protect your
household.
There are several additional steps you can take to reduce wind damages
and losses, including the following :
 Secure light fixtures and other items that could fall or shake loose in
such events.
 Move heavy or breakable objects to low shelves.
 Anchor water heaters and bolt them to wall studs.
 Purchase storm shutters for exterior windows and doors to protect
your home against high winds.
5. If you live in an area likely to have an earthquake, consider using
straps or other restraints to secure cabinets, bookshelves, large
appliances, (especially water heater and furnace), and light fixtures
to prevent damage and injury.
6. Determine ways to prevent other types of
hazards in
7. our home, such as installing a fire sprinkler system.
8. Obtain information specific to your area and home. Ask local
emergency management, fire and police departments, zoning and
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DEPARTMENT OF COMUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
UINT - IV
building offices, the American Red Cross, hardware dealers, home
inspectors, structural engineers and architects.
9. Ask your local government, a hardware dealer or a private home
inspector for technical advice on these and other mitigation
measures.

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