Disaster Management Module 2

Cheatsheet Content

Hazard Types Definition: A dangerous condition or event that threatens or has the potential for causing injury to life or damage to property or the environment. Natural Hazards: Events or phenomena due to natural processes. Geological Hazards: Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis. Often occur with little warning. Hydro-meteorological Hazards: Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires. Related to weather and climate patterns. Human-Induced Hazards: Result directly from human actions (intentional or accidental). Conflicts & Terrorism: Armed conflicts, acts of terrorism, civil unrest. Lead to displacement, loss of life, property destruction. Environmental Degradation: Deforestation, pollution, unsustainable land use. Lead to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, climate change. Biological Hazards: Biological agents causing harm to human, animal, or plant life. Pandemics & Epidemics: Diseases spreading rapidly (e.g., COVID-19, influenza). Zoonotic Diseases: Transmitted from animals to humans (e.g., avian influenza, rabies). Technological Hazards: Man-made or anthropogenic hazards, from human activities, failures, or industrial processes. Industrial Accidents: Chemical spills, explosions, fires in plants/refineries. Nuclear Hazards: Power plant accidents, radiation leaks, mishandling of radioactive materials. Hazards can be single (volcanoes), sequential (flood), or combined (earthquake + tsunami). Hazard Mapping Definition: Critical tool in disaster management, offering a visual representation of areas susceptible to various types of hazards. Importance: Risk Assessment & Prioritization: Assess likelihood and impact of hazards. Informed Decision-Making: Guide land use, infrastructure development, resource allocation. Public Awareness & Preparedness: Educate public about risks, encourage preparedness. Early Warning & Evacuation Planning: Identify at-risk areas, set up alerts, ensure safe evacuation routes. Types of Hazard Maps: Flood Hazard Maps: Indicate areas prone to flooding based on historical data, rainfall, river flow, topography. Seismic Hazard Maps: Show regions vulnerable to earthquakes based on tectonic plates, fault lines, historical records, ground shaking. Landslide Hazard Maps: Identify areas at risk of landslides based on slope gradient, soil type, vegetation, rainfall. Volcanic Hazard Maps: Depict areas at risk from volcanic eruptions, lava flows, ash fall based on historical activity, geological surveys. Technological & Human-Induced Hazard Maps: Focus on hazards from industrial activities, nuclear facilities, transportation, conflicts/terrorism. Steps in Hazard Mapping: Data Collection & Analysis: Gather historical records, geological surveys, meteorological data, satellite imagery, demographic info. Hazard Identification: Identify specific hazards and assess potential impact (frequency, magnitude, consequences). Mapping & Visualization: Use GIS to visually represent hazards, including layers for topography, land use, population, infrastructure. Validation & Updating: Validate maps through field studies, expert consultations, community feedback; regularly update. Dissemination & Communication: Share maps with stakeholders (government, planners, emergency responders, public). Public Awareness Campaigns to educate on map interpretation and use. Integrate into disaster management plans, land-use planning, building codes. Applications of Hazard Mapping: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Guide mitigation measures (building codes, drainage systems, relocation). Emergency Preparedness & Response: Identify safe zones, evacuation routes, shelter locations; coordinate rescue. Insurance & Risk Financing: Assess risk levels for premiums in hazard-prone areas. Vulnerability Definition: The degree to which a community, structure, service, or environment is likely to be damaged or disrupted by a hazard's impact. It reflects weaknesses that increase susceptibility. Types of Vulnerability: Physical Vulnerability: Susceptibility of infrastructure, buildings, other physical assets to damage. Influenced by construction quality, location, design, maintenance. Social Vulnerability: Inability of certain groups to withstand disaster impacts due to poverty, inequality, lack of education, social exclusion. Includes capacity to recover. Economic Vulnerability: Susceptibility of an economic system or individuals' livelihoods to negative disaster effects. Considers income, employment diversity, financial access, dependency on vulnerable sectors. Environmental Vulnerability: Extent to which the natural environment can be affected by disasters. Includes environmental degradation's role in increasing human/infrastructure vulnerability. Cultural Vulnerability: Extent to which cultural beliefs, practices, values influence community's ability to prepare, respond, recover. Involves potential loss of cultural heritage. Assessment of Vulnerability: Identify Hazard & Context: Identify hazard types (natural/man-made) and understand geographic, environmental, social, economic context. Determine Elements at Risk: List all physical, social, economic, environmental assets exposed to hazards. Analyze Exposure: Assess how and to what extent each element is exposed to identified hazards. Assess Susceptibility: Evaluate fragility or sensitivity of exposed elements to potential damage (e.g., poorly constructed buildings, communities without healthcare). Evaluate Adaptive Capacity: Assess ability of individuals, communities, institutions to prepare, respond, recover (resources, education, plans, social support, early warning). Quantify or Qualify Vulnerability: Measure vulnerability qualitatively (low, medium, high) or quantitatively (indices, scoring systems) to prioritize areas. Develop Vulnerability Maps & Reports: Use GIS/data visualization to present vulnerability levels across areas/sectors for planning, risk reduction. Disaster Risk Assessment Definition: Critical process to identify, analyze, and evaluate potential risks from hazards. Involves understanding likelihood, vulnerabilities, and consequences. Approaches: Hazard-Based Approach: Focuses on nature and characteristics of hazards (magnitude, frequency, location). Identifies potential threats. Vulnerability-Based Approach: Analyzes susceptibility of people, infrastructure, environment to hazards. Considers physical, social, economic, environmental vulnerabilities. Capacity-Based Approach: Examines resources, skills, coping abilities to reduce disaster impacts (infrastructure, institutions, community preparedness). Historical / Event-Based Approach: Uses past disaster records to estimate likelihood and impact. Helps in forecasting and planning based on recurrence. Integrated (Holistic) Risk Assessment: Combines hazard, vulnerability, and capacity assessments for a complete risk profile. Often uses GIS/remote sensing. Community-Based Risk Assessment (CBRA): Involves local people in identifying hazards, vulnerabilities, capacities. Uses participatory mapping. Procedures for Disaster Risk Assessment: Hazard Identification: Identify hazard types (natural/human-induced) using maps, satellite images, historical data, community input. Hazard Analysis: Study frequency, magnitude, duration, location; determine probability and intensity. Prepare hazard maps. Vulnerability Assessment: Analyze susceptibility of people, infrastructure, economy, environment. Assess physical, social, economic, environmental vulnerabilities. Capacity Assessment: Identify existing strengths (early warning, emergency services, trained personnel, community organizations, resources). Risk Analysis: Combine hazard, vulnerability, capacity data to determine risk levels: $Risk = Hazard \times Vulnerability / Capacity$. Rank risks (high, medium, low). Risk Evaluation & Prioritization: Compare risks with acceptable levels. Identify immediate action items. Prioritize based on impact and mitigation feasibility. Documentation & Communication: Prepare maps, charts, reports. Share with stakeholders. Ensure accessibility. Review & Update: Regularly review and update assessment. Incorporate new data, events, environmental/population changes.