MPA-04: Disaster Preparedness Assignment

Course Code: MPA-004

Assignment Code:

Asst/TMA/2023

SECTION –I

1) Discuss measures towards effective disaster management. 10

2) Write a note on the concept and significance of disaster preparedness plan. 10

3) Analyse the role of women in disaster preparedness activities. 10

4) The community-based preparedness plan requires several types of activities in

pre-disaster, during-disaster and post-disaster phases-Elaborate. 10

5) Examine the components and strategies of Information, Education, Communication

and Training in fostering disaster preparedness. 10

SECTION-II

6) Examine the role of international agencies in disaster preparedness. 10

7) Disaster the role of remote sensing in managing disasters. 10

8) ‘Disaster mitigation tools include measures to address prevention goals”-Elaborate. 10

9) Write a note on social cost benefit analysis. 10

10) Write short notes on each of the following in 200 words each.

(a) Ham Radio 5

(b) Media Management 5

1) Discuss measures towards effective disaster management.
Mentioned below are certain key aspects of managing disasters effectively:

Citizens' Participation
Public Administration and citizens have to work together, as the existence of one without
the other is not possible in a civilised society. There is a need to:
▪ Encourage people's participation - a sine qua non for development and modernisation.
▪ Kindle the potential energy of the citizens into kinetic energy to accelerate development.
▪ Supplement the efforts of the government in the conduct of its affairs.
▪ Strengthen the values of democracy in the minds and spirit of the people. Enlist respect
in the Constitution, which is rooted in people's sovereignty.
▪ Develop bonds of friendship and goodwill between citizens and administration, and vice
versa.
▪ Avoid social unrest, tensions, violence and other social upheavals, which have become
the order of the day.
Concern for People
Administration has to be responsive towards people. It is seen that structures are in
place but those holding positions of power, become at times insensitive to the needs of
people especially in a crisis.
Prompt and Fast Action
It is very common that in times of a disaster an already impoverished population finds
itself defenseless against the twin threat of hunger and disease. The reasons underlying
this unfair situation are obvious. The rich suburbs are sited in the safest zones and were
built of quakeproof materials. The poorest houses are often constructed by their owners'
hands from adobe - bricks of dry mud -which are quite incapable of withstanding sudden
shocks; they are also unplanned and therefore tend to be built in the most precarious
places. So, a natural phenomenon may not be a disaster in itself, but only in the effect it
has on people. 'Throughout the developing countries, 95 per cent of such events leave
victims behind them, and all of them have dire consequences for the national economy.
'There is a distinct geographic correlation between disaster-prone regions and the
developing countries.
 Management of disasters through appropriate prevention, preparedness and mitigation
measures is gaining significance. The fatalistic approach to disasters is giving way to
application of rational and scientific techniques for their reduction. Efforts are on to
reduce the physical, economic and social vulnerability of communities to disasters.
Realising the costs' associated in rescue and relief activities in the aftermath of
disasters, the government, non-governmental organisations, and communities are
attempting to address disaster management effectively.

2) Write a note on the concept and significance of disaster preparedness plan.

A plan of action that indicates the objectives to be fulfilled, the preparedness and all
measures to be taken before, during and post to mitigate the loss is called a Disaster
Preparedness Plan.
The plan provides a checklist of activities, responsibilities of various government agencies,
officials, NGOs, and international agencies at various stages, post disaster review and
assessment. It is a comprehensive plan that enables the authorities take prompt action in
disaster situations. Nodal plans that reflect the emerging paradigms in disaster
management were also prepared, principal of which is the increasing emphasis on
prevention and preparedness as means to reduce risks.
The High-Powered Committee also emphasised on formulation of preparedness plans at
the national/state and district levels. A significant HPC recommendation is the incorporation
of trigger mechanism as an emergency quick response mechanism.Trigger mechanism is
seen as preparedness plan whereby the receiving of a signal of an impending disaster
would simultaneously energise and activate the mechanism for response and mitigation
without loss of critical time. The trigger mechanism in essence is the Standard Operating
Procedure in which the implementation of the efforts on ground is well laid. Activities such
as evacuation, search and rescue, temporary shelter, food, drinking water, clothing, health
and sanitation, communications accessibility and public information, which are the
components of disaster management would follow on the activation of the Trigger
Mechanism.
A Disaster Preparedness Plan made at any level
 • Provides for hazard identification and risk analysis
• Indicates basic information about the resources, demography, existing organizational
set up, administrative facilities at that level, be it state, district and local levels
• Lists preparedness and mitigation measures and response mechanisms
• Defines specific roles and responsibilities for various actors at various levels; and
• Ensures networking/coordination with media, NGOs, international agencies etc.
A Disaster Preparedness Plan facilitates the following:
✓ Clarifying Authority, Responsibility and Relationships
✓ Clarifying as to who is responsible for ensuring that the work gets done, distributing
✓ decision-making authority among the team members & establishing frontal lines of
communication.
✓ Obtaining Resources, the funds, personnel, supplies and equipment necessary for doing the
project.
✓ Establishing the Control System
✓ Determining the nature of information, which is necessary for carrying out the activities,
✓ identifying sources of such information and setting up reporting systems for the project.
✓ Directing and Controlling
✓ Motivating project staff, executing project activities, and obtaining information for control
✓ and taking corrective action as necessary.

3) Analyse the role of women in disaster preparedness activities.

During disasters, generally, women suffer the most. Their nutritional status, mobility, access
to information is less as compared to men especially in poorer sections of the society, In the
event of death or physical disability of men arising out of the disasters, it is the women who
shoulder the responsibilities. Though in many developing countries, women's role in
emergency planning, risk assessment etc., is not much or at times totally absent, still,
women display tremendous courage, resilience and necessary skills, in crisis. It is women,
who come forward to provide care to the affected family members, and arrange for food,
water and fuel for the families affected by disasters.
In one of the workshops conducted by Duryog Nivaran (1996) six Case Studies from
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were presented which focused on the empowerment
of women in, handling the crises. Women, it was brought out are the greatest victims of
disasters in the developing countries. The specific needs and situation of women and
children it was felt, need to be addressed. These include privacy, separate, toilets and other
sanitary facilities in temporary camps, presence of female relief workers etc. Women,
especially rural women, are considered to have a repertoire of conventionial and traditional
wisdom, which has to be taken into consideration, instead of relying on only external
knowledge and methods. The situation of women in emergency situations reflects their
position in the household and in the society. In many ways this makes them extremely
vulnerable during these periods. Because they are confined to their homes the warning
signals often do not reach them in time. The inability to understand the language of the
warning systems and through them the gravity of the situation, make these women even
more vulnerable.
Women possess the required organizational and managerial skills to gear towards facing as
well as managing their households in disaster situation. For instance, In Bangladesh, where
frequent flooding is a regular feature in most parts of the country, women take on the role of
preparing and storing food items, which can be the source of energy and nutrition for the
family for days when the floods come.
Women do play a key role in the disaster preparedness activities. Their capacities need to
be strengthened. One has to appreciate the concerns of vulnerable groups and especially
the policy makers and administration need to accommodate these. Their specific needs
need to be reflected in disaster preparedness measures.

7) Disaster the role of remote sensing in managing disasters.

Remote sensing is an advanced technology to analyse satellite images through digital image
processing and interpretation. Remote sensing provides a vast data base from which past
disasters can be analysed. Satellite images can help in detection of early stages of on-set
of disasters and also facilitate the monitoring of these events. It is widely used by
technocrats, planners, and decision makers working in various fields. High resolution images
from these technologies play a major role in mapping even at the village level,
Under remote sensing techniques, maps can be prepared using satellite data or aerial
photographs, and are then digitalized and stored on computers using GIs software. More
meaningful statistics
and data could then be attached to such maps. Communication satelites have become vital
for providing emergency communication and timely relief measures. lntegration of space
technology inputs into natural disaster monitoring and mitigation mechanisms is critical for
hazard reduction.
For the past two decades, at National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Department of
Space, Government of India, space technology has been playing a significant role in disaster
management. Satellite remote sensing provides cost-effective. reliable and critical inputs for
prevention, preparedness and relief management in the events of floods and drought" -
Krishna Rao and Bhanumurthy (2004)
These flood maps are useful in providing relief to the people on ground. Moreover, the flood
wave progression and recession can be continuously monitored with the help of satellite
remote sensing data. Relief measures can be planned effectively with the help of flood maps.
National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) space
technology it is considered as one of the best means for assessing the situation and mapping
the drought-affected areas quickly, accurately and repetitively covering wide areas, apart
from its cost effectiveness.
Satellites can be used to detect the early stages of these events as anomalies in a time
series. Images are available at regular short-term intervals, and can be used for the
prediction of disasters. The speed of information collection from satellites and the possibility
of information dissemination with a matching swiftness make it easy to monitor the
occurrence of the disaster. Many disasters may affect large areas and no other tool than
remote sensing would provide a matching spatial coverage. Remote sensing can assist in
damage assessment and aftermath monitoring, providing a quantitative base for relief
operations. This hazard reduction effort clearly demonstrates how a focused application of
available technologies can significantly reduce disaster proportion of natural hazards.
 10) Write short notes on each of the following in 200 words each.

(a) Ham Radio 5

(b) Media Management 5

Ham Radio:
When disasters occur, normal communication system frequently gets ovel-loaded, damaged
and completely disrupted at a time when rapid establishment of communication becomes
essential to facilitate rescue operations. A communication emergency exists when a critical
communication system failure puts the public at risk. The international experience has
repeatedly proved that the only communication system, which is disaster proof, is amateur
radio communication system. Amateur (Ham) radio is emerging as a significant
communication tool that facilitates direct two-way contact with people. During disasters, as
communication systems generally break, amateur radio transmitters and receivers can be
put to use as they are wireless devices that can operate with a car battery.
An Amateur is a person who is given amateur radio license by government. Amateurs, also
known as HAMS, have the equipment, the skills and the frequencies in different bands
necessary to create expedient emergency communication networks under poor conditions.
Ham is a person who is licensed to operate a ham radio. They are licensed and are pre-
authorized for national and international communications. HAMs have the ability to rapidly
enlarge their communication capacity to meet growing needs in an emergency, something
commercial and public systems cannot do. HAMs are actually "Communication
Commandos".

Media Management:
Disasters bring many dramatic and traumatic stories, and it depends on how the news is
delivered by the media. Most of the time, media tries to find fault with regard to the provision
of relief to the victims by highlighting the impact on affected community. The role of media
in a disaster is multipurpose. It can be broadly classified in three categories: Informative,
suggestive, Analytical.
Media can play an informative role in all three situations: before, during and after disaster.
Media have a significant role in providing suitable suggestions for political attention and
public understanding in the time of disaster. The most critical role of media is analytical. This
approach can be applied to Disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief & rehabilitation.
Media have to establish cooperation between local officials and media. Most of the time the
local officials are unable or unwilling to give information, because of sensitivity or security
reasons or the news is still unconfirmed. In such cases, media should depend on reliable
sources so that right information may reach the people and other national and international
agencies. However, the media have to ensure balanced reporting so as to avoid
unnecessary panic created due to rumours.