Hormud Postgraduate Center
Disaster Management, Health, and Safety
Lecture Note 2
Course Description
Disaster Management, Health, and Safety
Course Overview:
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to disaster management,
focusing on strategies and the disaster management cycle. It equips students with
the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage and respond to disasters,
both natural and human-made. The course emphasizes understanding
vulnerabilities, risks, and capacities at the local level and developing appropriate
intervention strategies.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe disaster management strategies and disaster management
cycle.
2. Formulate an adequate strategy of intervention for society through a
presentation.
3. Examine some critical programs in disaster management regarding
vulnerability, risk and capacity at local level.
4. Choose the appropriate activities and tools and set up priorities to build a
coherent and adapted disaster management plan for lifelong
achievement on the basis of case studies.
Lecture 2 Introduction to Disaster
Objectives:
• Understand the different kinds of disasters.
• Identify the key elements of disasters.
• Analyze the consequences of disasters.
1. Introduction to Disasters
Disasters are sudden, catastrophic events that cause significant damage to life,
property, and the environment. They disrupt normal functioning and require
immediate response and long-term recovery efforts. Disasters can be broadly
categorized into natural and human-made disasters.
A disaster is defined by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR) as a "serious disruption of the functioning of a community or
Lecture Note 2 2
a society involving widespread human, material, economic, or environmental
losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or
society to cope using its own resources"
Key Definitions:
1. Hazard: A potential source of harm or adverse effect on a person or
persons. Hazards can be natural (e.g., earthquakes, floods) or humanmade
(e.g., industrial accidents, conflict).
2. Vulnerability: The characteristics and circumstances of a community,
system, or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a
hazard.
3. Risk: The combination of the probability of an event and its negative
consequences. It is often expressed as the potential for loss of life, injury, or
destruction of property and livelihoods.
4. Capacity: The combination of all the strengths, attributes, and resources
available within a community, society, or organization that can be used to
achieve agreed goals.
5. Disaster Management: The organization and management of resources
and responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of emergencies, in particular
preparedness, response, and recovery, to lessen the impact of disasters.
2. Kinds of Disasters
Natural Disasters
1. Geophysical Disasters: Geophysical disasters are natural events caused by
the Earth's physical processes. These include earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and tsunamis. They result from the movement and changes in the
Earth's crust, which can cause significant damage to the environment and
human structures.
• Earthquakes: Sudden shaking of the ground caused by the movement
of tectonic plates.
• Volcanic Eruptions: Explosion or emission of lava, ash, and gases from a
volcano.
• Tsunamis: Series of ocean waves generated by underwater earthquakes
or volcanic eruptions.
Lecture Note 2 3
2. Hydrological Disasters: Hydrological disasters are natural events related to
water that cause damage and destruction. They happen because of
changes in the water cycle, such as heavy rainfall leading to floods or lack
of rain causing droughts. These disasters can affect people's homes,
communities, and the environment.
• Floods: Overflow of water onto normally dry land.
• Flash Floods: Sudden, intense flood typically caused by heavy rain.
3. Meteorological Disasters: Meteorological disasters are natural events
related to weather and the atmosphere. These include hurricanes,
tornadoes, storms, and extreme temperatures (like heatwaves and cold
waves). They occur because of changes in the weather patterns and can
cause significant damage to buildings, infrastructure, and can impact
people's lives.
a. Cyclones: Large-scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low
atmospheric pressure.
Example Case: Cyclone Idai (2019) – One of the worst cyclones in
Africa, affecting Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
b. Hurricanes: A type of cyclone occurring in the Atlantic Ocean and
northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Example Case: Hurricane Katrina (2005) – A catastrophic storm that
devastated New Orleans, USA, causing massive flooding and over 1,800
deaths.
c. Tornadoes: A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm
to the ground.
Example Case: Joplin Tornado (2011) – One of the deadliest tornadoes in the U.S.,
destroying much of Joplin, Missouri.
4. Climatological Disasters: Climatological disasters are natural events related
to long-term climate conditions. These include droughts, wildfires, and
extreme temperatures that last for long periods. They happen because of
changes in the climate over time and can cause serious harm to the
environment, agriculture, and human communities.
• Extreme Heatwaves: Prolonged periods of excessively hot weather.
Lecture Note 2 4
• Cold Waves: Rapid fall in temperature within a 24-hour period requiring
a substantial increase in protection against the cold.
5. Biological Disasters : Biological disasters are natural events caused by living
organisms that can harm humans, animals, and plants. These include
diseases and epidemics, such as flu outbreaks, COVID-19, or plant diseases
that affect crops. These disasters happen when harmful bacteria, viruses, or
other organisms spread and cause illness or damage.
• Epidemic: An epidemic occurs when a disease spreads rapidly and affects
a large number of people within a specific community, region, or
population. For example, if a flu outbreak affects a particular city or region
more than usual, it is considered an epidemic.
• Pandemic: A pandemic is much larger in scale, occurring when a disease
spreads across multiple countries or continents, affecting a large number of
people worldwide. An example of a pandemic is COVID-19.
Human-made Disasters
1. Technological Disasters
• Industrial Accidents: Accidents in industrial establishments causing harm to
workers and the environment.
• Chemical Spills: Release of hazardous substances into the environment.
• Nuclear Accidents: Release of nuclear energy leading to contamination.
2. Environmental Degradation
• Deforestation: The large-scale removal of forest, leading to erosion and loss
of habitat.
• Pollution: Contamination of air, water, and soil affecting ecosystems and
human health
3. Conflict
• Wars: Armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or clans.
Lecture Note 2 5
3. Elements of Disasters
• Hazard (H): A hazard is something
dangerous that can cause harm to
people, property, and the environment.
This can include natural events like
earthquakes, dangerous substances,
human activities, or conditions that lead to
injury, death, property damage, loss of
jobs and services, social and economic
problems, or environmental harm.
• Vulnerability (V) : Vulnerability refers to the conditions that make people,
communities, or systems more likely to be harmed by hazards. These
conditions can be physical, social, economic, or environmental, and they
increase the risk of damage or loss when a hazard occurs.
• Exposure (E): Exposure is the presence of people, buildings, infrastructure,
and other valuable things in areas where hazards are likely to happen. It
means these assets are at risk of being affected by dangerous events.
• Capacity (C): Capacity is the collection of strengths, skills, and resources
that a community, society, or organization has. These can be used to
achieve goals and manage hazards effectively.
Disaster Risk Equation. This equation helps to understand how different factors
contribute to the overall risk of a disaster. The formula is:
Disaster Risk (DR)=Hazard (H)×Vulnerability (V)×Exposure (E)÷Capacity (C)
4. Consequences of Disasters
1. Human Impact
• Loss of Life: Immediate fatalities and injuries.
• Health Issues: Long-term health problems due to disease, malnutrition,
and lack of medical services.
2. Economic Impact
• Destruction of Infrastructure: Damage to buildings, roads, and utilities.
Lecture Note 2 6
• Financial Loss: Loss of income and increased expenditure for recovery
efforts.
3. Social Impact
• Displacement: Forced migration of people from their homes.
• Psychosocial Effects: Trauma, stress, and mental health issues.
4. Environmental Impact
• Habitat Destruction: is when natural areas where plants and animals live
are damaged or destroyed. This can happen because of human activities
like deforestation, building cities, farming, or mining. When habitats are
destroyed, the plants and animals that live there lose their homes and
may struggle to survive.
• Pollution: Contamination of land, water, and air.
5. Political Impact
• Government Response: Effectiveness and efficiency of disaster
management and recovery.
• Policy Changes: Implementation of new regulations and safety standards.
Questions
1. Can you list and explain three types of natural disasters and their primary
causes?
2. What are the key elements that make a community vulnerable to disasters?
3. How can technology, such as GIS, aid in disaster preparedness and
response?
4. Provide an example of a human-made disaster and discuss its
consequences on the local population and environment.
Lecture Note 2 7
References
• Tomaszewski, B. (2014). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Disaster
Management. CRC Press.
• Sylves, R. (2008). Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency Management and
Homeland Security. CQ Press.
• Kapucu, N., & Liou, K. T. (2014). Disaster and Development: Examining
Global Issues and Cases. Springer.
• Birkland, T. A. (2008). Review of Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency
Management and Homeland Security. Journal of Homeland Security and
Emergency Management, Vol. 5, Iss. 1
Lecture Note 2 8
