Terminology of Disaster And Management

Module-4-Disaster Management

83. Sources of chemical disaster

Sources of chemical disasters are:
1. Transportation accidents while moving the chemicals by rail, road, ship, air etc.
2. Leaking of pipe line carrying toxic gases.
3. Explosions or leakage in chemical factories.
4. Oil well fires.

Bhopal gas tragedy was one of the major chemical accident happened in India.

Minamita tragedy was a chemical disaster occurred in Japan.

84. Environmental Stress

It is pressure on the environment caused by natural hazards like earth quake, flood and draught or by human activities like generation of pollution.

Study and analysis of environmental stress helps to reduce its effects and response after disaster.

85. Disaster Management

Disaster management can be defined as the organizing and managing of resources and responsibilities for all the activities related to the disasters.
The various activities involved in the disaster management are:
1. Prevention of hazards that lead to disasters
2. Reduce the risk and severity of any disaster.
3. Capacity building of vulnerable community.
4. Preparedness to deal with any disaster.
5. Prompt response at disaster situations.
6. Assessment of the severity and effects of disasters.
7. Evacuation, rescue and relief operations.
8. Rehabilitation and reconstruction.

86. Stages of disaster management

Disaster management include mainly of three stages:

1. Pre-disaster stage (preparedness)
2. Emergency stage
3. Post disaster stage

Pre disaster stage (Preparedness)

It is the activities that enable all the communities to deal with any disaster. The activities involved in disaster management stage are:
- Training and emergency exercises for community emergency response team.
- Develop emergency warning system, evacuation plans and emergency shelters.
- Ready health systems, food supply and other supplies and equipment for emergency response stage.

Emergency Stage(response)

Response stage start when any hazard event occurs. It basically concentrate at first to provide immediate relief to the affected community in terms of food, water and shelter. The response activities include public warning system, emergency operations like search and rescue, building temporary shelters and providing all immediate needs of the affected community.

Post disaster stage ( Recovery )

The recovery stage start after the immediate threat to the human life has subsided. It involve the long term activities that help the affected community to stand back on their foot and in a better position to deal with future disasters. These activities include rebuilding, insurance claim processes, various grants and aids that are provided for community for recovery and come back into normal life in addition to medical care facility.

87. Mitigation

Mitigation is the measures taken prior to the impact of hazard event to minimize the effects. Mitigation measures are taken in two stages. At first stage, try to prevent or reduce the intensity of the occurrence of the particular hazard. And at the second stage, try to reduce the impacts of the particular hazard by reducing the vulnerability of the community or by enhancing the capacity level. The mitigation level involve the following activities:
1. Legal frame work
2. Land use planning
3. Grants, subsidies, insurance, incentives etc.
4. Training and education.
5. Mitigation plans on construction sites and building.

88. Hazard zone mapping

It is the mapping of the areas that are affected by or vulnerable to the particular hazard. They are typically created for natural hazards such as earth quakes, volcanoes, land slides, flood and hurricane. 

-  It is a part of mitigation measures.
- It helps to mitigate the after effects of the hazard.
- It help the community to aware about the potential threat.
- It help the authority to carry out disaster management plans easily.

89. Land use zone mapping

Land use zoning is a part of mitigation measures taken by government to reduce disaster effects. Governments restrict the use of areas of lands that are zoned for a particular purpose.

While there is no universal coding for land use zones, there are many types of land use zones such as residential, agricultural, industrial, historical etc.

90. Heat Island

Temperature levels of the some areas of the land are often a few degree higher than the surrounding areas. Such areas are called as heat islands. Heat islands are mostly formed in cities. 
One of the reason is that the buildings and pavements absorb a significant amount of heat that warm the cities. Another reason is that the less vegetation in the urban areas. Various other factors contributing to the heat islands are:  urbanization, vehicle emission, air conditioners etc.