Earthquake.

Fire.

Tornado.

Flood.

Hurricane.

SURVIVE FROM A DISASTER

ALIVE, WE SHALL TRY PROBLEM SOLVING

In 1948, all the worlds governments made a firm commitment in the form of Article 3 of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights to

safeguard all peoples rights to life and security. But for human rights to have meaning, it is not enough for them simply to exist. In the aftermath of conflicts and disasters, affected communities

are all too often left without the assistance

required to save life and protect livelihoods.
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Geneva: India ranks second in the world for natural disasters after China, a top UN official has said. It was underlined that

unplanned urbanization and

failure to address the issue of climate change

pose a grave threat worldwide.

The two rapidly growing countries in the world, China and India, rank first and second in the number of

reported natural disasters. While China witnessed 22

natural disasters, India came second with 16.
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A disaster is "a situation or

event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating

a request to a national or
international level of external assistance" and "an unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering."
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NATURAL DISASTERS: PREPARE, MITIGATE, MANAGE

Disaster preparedness includes all of the activities

that are carried out prior to the advance notice of a

catastrophe in order to facilitate the use of available resources, relief, and rehabilitation in the best possible fashion. Disaster preparedness starts at the local community

level; if local resources were insufficient, it would

branch out to the national level, and if needed, the international level.
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Many governments fail to cope with threats like storms, floods and earthquakes. They fail to act effectively enough in response to these events, or to take preventative action to reduce unnecessary deaths and suffering.
A GOVT. CAN BE CHANGED ONCE IN 5 YEARS ONLY!
Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen to U. Explain what to do in each case to your own group.
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New Initiatives Taken By Government of India 1. National Disaster Management Framework 2. Home Secretary Letter to All Chief Secretaries 18.12.2002 3. Home Secretary Letter to All Chief Secretaries 26.05.2003 4. Deputy Prime Minister Letter to All Chief Ministers 29.07.2003

5. NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR CAPACITY BUILDING OF

ENGINEERS IN EARTHQUAKE RISK MANAGEMENT 6. NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR CAPACITY BUILDING OF

ARCHITECTES IN EARTHQUAKE RISK MANAGEMENT

7. 38 CITIES "URBAN EARTHQUAKE VULNERABILITY
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REDUCTION PROJECT"

The Northridge earthquake occurred on Jan. 17, 1994, in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, Calif., and lasted for about 10-20 seconds.

The quake resulted in more than 60 deaths and more

than 5,000 injuries. More than 25,000 people were left homeless, according to the Federal Emergency

Management Agency.
In addition, the earthquake caused an estimated $25 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in the U.S. history.
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The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, occurred on Jan. 17, 1995, in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The focus of the quake was located

16 km (10 miles) beneath its epicenter, 20 km (12 miles)

away from the city of Kobe. Measured at 6.8 magnitude, the earthquake killed nearly 6,500 people, making it the

deadliest disaster in the world that year.

The Kobe quake caused about $100 billion in destruction, but Japanese trade rebounded within a year, with imports recovering fully and exports back to 85 percent of normal levels.
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Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst disasters in the U.S. history. It made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Aug. 25, 2005.

At least 1,836 people died in the hurricane and in the

subsequent floods. Five years later, thousands of displaced residents in Mississippi and Louisiana were still

living in temporary accommodations.

The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $81 billion (2005 U.S. dollars). It also generated the largest single loss in the history of insurance - $41 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
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The May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 magnitude. The quake killed about 70,000

people and left more than 18,000 missing. The

epicenter was 80 km (50 miles) west-northwest

of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province,

where almost 4 million people resided. Estimates put direct damage and losses from the earthquake at $29 billion, with indirect damage much higher.
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LOSS OF PEOPLE & $

About 373 natural disasters killed over 296,800 people in 2010. The estimated costs of natural disasters in 2010,

in which an earthquake in Haiti killed over

222,500 people and the Russian heat wave caused around 56,000 fatalities, is around $ 110 billion.
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Other than the Haiti earthquake and the heat wave in Russia, other major disasters include the earthquake in China (estimate number of

deaths 2,968), floods in Pakistan (1985 deaths),

landslides in China (1765 people killed) and floods in China. Floods, drought, earthquake, and extreme temperatures are the major sources for rising wave natural disasters.
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White smokes rises from burning

houses in Yamadamachi in
Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011, one day

after a strong earthquake triggered a devastating

tsunami in the area. (AP Photo/Kenji Shimizu, The Yomiuri Shimbun) The aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan has been devastating. Meanwhile, the government struggled to contain a nuclear crisis, which added to the country's disaster.
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So far, 8,649 people dead and another 13,262 missing since the 9.0-magnitude quake struck off the coast near Sendai, Japan, on March 11, 2011. The damage caused

by the earthquake and resulting tsunami was enormous.

Failure of the cooling system at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant intensified the situation, resulting in

evacuation of about 200,000 people residing around the

plant. Japan's government had a estimate of $309 billion. Estimate could go higher as it does not include losses in economic activity from planned power outages.
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Indeed, the very actions of some governments and their national elites place marginalised people at risk from disasters by discriminating against them, like those who live in flimsy slum housing easily destroyed by floods and landslips. We didnt ask them to be there. God help them. Meet your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
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Disaster mitigation
It is the ongoing effort to lessen the impact disasters have on people and property. Fewer people and communities would be affected by natural disasters with the use of this

process.
Because of the varying degree of each natural

disaster, there are different mitigation strategies

for each.
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Even in daunting economic times, the world can afford to meet the humanitarian needs of every person struggling to survive a disaster.

It is possible to reduce the threats from climaterelated catastrophes. It is possible for governments to provide goodquality aid to their citizens. The governments of developing countries must take greater responsibility for responding to disasters and reducing peoples vulnerability to them.
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NATIONAL POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT (NPDM) INDIA India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of natural as well as man-made disasters. 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares (12 per cent of land) is prone to floods and river erosion; of the 7,516 km long coastline, close to 5,700 km is prone to cyclones and tsunamis; 68 per cent of the cultivable area is vulnerable to drought and hilly areas are at risk from landslides and avalanches.
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NATIONAL POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT(NPDM)

Heightened vulnerabilities to disaster risks_ related to

expanding population, urbanization and industrialization,

development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation and climate change. The economically and socially weaker segments of the population are most seriously affected. Elderly persons, women rendered destitute and children orphaned on account of disasters and the differently abled persons are exposed to higher risks.
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On 23 December, 2005, the Government of India (GoI) took a defining step by enacting the Disaster

Management Act, 2005, (hereinafter referred to as the

Act) which envisaged the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the

Prime Minister, State Disaster Management Authorities

(SDMAs) headed by the Chief Ministers, and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) headed by the Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner as the case may be, to spearhead and adopt a holistic and integrated approach to DM.
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There will be a paradigm shift, from the erstwhile relief-centric response to a proactive prevention, mitigation and preparedness-driven approach for conserving developmental gains and also to minimise losses of life, livelihoods and property.

VISION: To build a safe and disaster resilient India

by developing a holistic, proactive, multi-disaster oriented and technology driven strategy through a culture of prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response.
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The growth in localised climate-related shocks will hit people in developing countries hardest, because their homes and livelihoods will be most vulnerable. So developing countries will need to enable

regional authorities and civil society to respond

effectively. Whether or not there is sufficient will to do this will be one of the defining features of our age, and will dictate whether millions live or die.
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Drought There are three types of droughts; Meteorological drought is when the actual rainfall is much less than the climatologically mean of the area. Hydrological drought results from the depletion of surface water and Agricultural drought resulting from depletion of soil Moisture. India has been severely affected by droughts over the past years. The agriculture in India is dependent on rains, which when is not adequate results in poor yielding of crops. Drought-

prone regions are southern/eastern Maharashtra,

northern Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
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In India, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has created 900 million

person-days of employment for rural people

living in poverty, the advent of social protection

mechanisms offers the hope that the cycle of

disaster and poverty can be broken. The state is the principal guarantor of its citizens right to life. And the impetus to make the state deliver better lifesaving assistance is often the action of citizens

holding their governments to account.

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The NREGA came about because Indian

national legislators had the political will to challenge rural vulnerability. With strong rights-based legislation and clear mechanisms of accountability, the NREGA has the potential to improve government services so that they meet the demands of active and

empowered citizens.
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The humanitarian challenge of the twenty-first

century is this:
an increasing total of largely local catastrophic events, increasing numbers of people vulnerable to them, too many governments failing to prevent or respond to them, and an international humanitarian system unable to cope.

Humanitarian emergencies are caused by

conflict, other human-made crises, and

environmental hazards.
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These cause immense suffering. For those who do not immediately lose their lives, many will

lose loved ones, experience catastrophic

damage to their homes and livelihoods, witness

the destruction of their communities, and suffer

the dangers and humiliations of displacement and destitution. For them, the aftermath of a catastrophe becomes a daily struggle for survival, for dignity and for a future.
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As the twenty-first century progresses,

humanity will face a greater threat from catastrophic events.
Let us estimate what is the growth in humanitarian need between now and 2020. Take a look at some of the reasons why so many more people will feel the impact of these

catastrophic events in the coming decades.

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In particular, let us look at how vulnerability, defined by

who one is,

where one lives, and how one makes a living, will have a direct bearing on the chances of surviving the immediate effects or longer-term impact of

catastrophes with health and livelihood

intact.
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Ask what can realistically be done to help those affected by the vast and seemingly overwhelming forces of climate change, population growth, displacement, and

vulnerability.
The necessary skills, knowledge, and financial resources can be mobilised to radically reduce the numbers of

people who will die or be made destitute by catastrophes

For this to happen, all parties governments, the UN, civilsociety organisations, and ordinary citizens must acknowledge and respond to the growing threat.
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Mumbai is one of the worlds most populous cities. Built

on a narrow, low lying promontory jutting into the Arabian Sea, it is also one of the most vulnerable cities in

the world to coastal and rainwater flooding.

Some 54 per cent of the citys population live in slums, many of them built on reclaimed swamp-land to the north and east of the centre. In July 2005, widespread flooding in Mumbai caused the deaths of around 900 people, most killed not by drowning but by landslips and collapsed buildings.
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Mumbai
The impact of unusually high rainfall was compounded by failure to invest in replacing Mumbais crumbling early twentieth-century drainage network, the uncontrolled

development of the citys poorer suburbs, and

the destruction of rainwater sinks (in particular, the mangrove swamps that had once surrounded the city).Mumbai- kars coped well.
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OVER 200 FERRY PASSENGERS STILL MISSING

Over 200 passengers of a ferry that capsized in the Brahmaputra, near Medartary in lower Assam's Dhubri district, during a cyclonic storm on 30 April are still missing. Search made by divers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army and the Border Security Force (BSF) till Tuesday morning. According to the survivors, more than 400 passengers, including women and children, were on board when the tragedy occurred. While about 350 tickets were issued to adult commuters, there were many children without tickets. 17 bodies were recovered, there were 10 injured and 35 were missing. About 100 people swam to safety or were rescued.
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Alas, the Assam Transport Minister has now promised to introduce a new and better ferry service across the river. Was the government sleeping so far? Unfortunately, in our country, the administration

rises from its slumber only when a disaster strikes!

When will Indians get governments that acts pro-actively ? _a commentator on the boat disaster.
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Two killed, two others injured, 1.000 houses damaged as wind, rain wreak havoc in Pathanamthitta [Kerala], April 24, 2012
A fierce whirl wind, accompanied by heavy summer
showers wreaked havoc in many parts of Adoor and Kozhencherry taluks of Pathanamthitta (Kerala) on Monday evening. As per an official survey conducted by the Revenue department, 403 houses partially damaged and 113 houses fully destroyed. The official survey has estimated loss worth Rs 2.12 crore in the natural calamity.
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Sudden shocks such as flooding and earthquakes are not the only risks for poor urban populations. Other risks are: People live close to each other, without adequate housing,

water and sanitation,

health services, or education, leading to the increased risk of epidemics of communicable disease.
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BUILDING STATE RESPONSIBILITY AND EMPOWERING AFFECTED PEOPLE

Governments must reinforce national and local

capacity to respond in emergencies and to reduce

peoples vulnerability; donor governments and others must substantially increase their support to help them do that; Communities must be empowered to demand that governments and others fulfil their obligations to safeguard their lives, as well as to respond to and prepare for disasters themselves; and ..
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BUILDING STATE RESPONSIBILITY AND EMPOWERING AFFECTED PEOPLE

Continued The international community, including

regional organisations, must use mediation

and diplomacy far more robustly to press

states to assist their own citizens.

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Poor people in urban settings are often highly vulnerable to conflict and violence too. In conflict as well as disasters, civil-society organisations can influence the way affected people are treated, and support them in demanding that governments uphold

their rights. Humanitarian organisations, both local

and international, regularly demonstrate enormous skill, commitment and courage in delivering essential aid to those who need it most.
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In rural areas, high population density, the increasing stress on productive land, soil degradation, and increasing aridity due to climate change are making hundreds of millions of rural livelihoods vulnerable.

People are being forced to eke out a precarious

living on land that is becoming more and more arid and degraded, with the result that food is getting harder and harder to come by.
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People affected by emergencies deserve aid that is more than just an empty gesture of support. They deserve aid that:

1 Saves lives (that is relevant, good quality, and

well-managed);

2 is delivered impartially on the basis of need;

3 is accountable, with mechanisms to challenge failure and abuse; 4 builds durable solutions; and 5 is sufficiently resourced.
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A continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, 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 including research and knowledge management.
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Preparedness to deal with any disaster.

disaster situation or disaster.

Prompt response to any threatening Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster. Evacuation, rescue and relief. Rehabilitation and reconstruction.

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There is nothing inevitable about a future in which greater numbers of people die and are made destitute by natural hazards and conflict.

In a future of climate change, rising hazard and

a proliferation of disasters, the world can still mitigate threats and reduce peoples vulnerability to them. Many governments, humanitarian organisations, and communities are already doing this but not nearly enough.
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The United Nations (UN) International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is annually observed on the second Wednesday of October to raise the profile of disaster risk reduction. It also encourages people and governments to participate in building more resilient communities and nations. 46

What do people do?

Activities for the International Day for Natural

Disaster Reduction usually include

media announcements about launches for campaigns that center on the day's theme. Governments and communities also take part in the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
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This is done through various events such as

drawing, drama, essay or photography competitions that focus on making people aware of natural disaster reduction and

increasing their preparedness for such

situations. Other activities include: community tree planting; conferences, fairs and seminars; and street parades.
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Natural disasters are not in themselves evil or a failure of God. A classic example of this is earthquakes. An earthquake causes massive damage to humans and can result in extreme losses of life. The fact is, however, that earthquakes are a part of the processes that keep the earth living and suitable for life. Land masses wear down

with time because of rain, snow, freezing, heating,

glaciers, landslides, and gravitational forces. If there were no forces that lift the land to replenish the worn away

parts, after a while all land on the earth would be under

water.
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Man's problem is that rather than understanding these processes as natural and beneficial, we tend to worship the forces and ignore the common sense lessons all around us. If you build your house in the mouth of a volcano you have no complaint when it erupts.

People continue to ignore the warnings of nature and

the lessons of the past. The results are frequently catastrophic. Draining wet-lands, building huge

structures that alter climate, and placing massive

structures over fault zones in the earth have resulted in tragedy for humans.
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