DisasterA disaster is an occurrence

disruptingthe normal conditions of existence

andcausing a level of suffering that

exceeds the capacity of adjustment of

the affected community.

It is the people

who matter most, and

without the people

we have no disaster

The United Nations defines a disaster as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society. Disasters involve widespread human, material, economic or environmental impacts,

which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its

own resources.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies define disaster management as the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.

Types of disasters

Natural disasters: including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions that have immediate impacts on human health and secondary impacts causing further death and suffering from (for example) floods, landslides, fires, tsunamis.

Environmental emergencies: including technological or industrial accidents, usually involving the production, use or transportation of hazardous material, and occur where these materials are produced, used or transported, and forest fires caused by humans.

Types of disasters

Complex emergencies: involving a break-down of authority, looting and attacks on strategic installations, including conflict situations and war.

Pandemic emergencies: involving a sudden onset of contagious disease that affects health, disrupts services and businesses, brings economic and social costs.

Disaster prevention

These are activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. Not all disasters, particularly natural disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design standards. In January 2005, 168 Governments adopted a 10-year global plan for natural disaster risk reduction called the Hyogo Framework. It offers guiding principles, priorities for action, and practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable communities.

Disaster preparedness

These activities are designed to minimize loss of life and damage – for example by removing people and property from a threatened location and by facilitating timely and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation. Preparedness is the main way of reducing the impact of disasters. Community-based preparedness and management should be a high priority in physical therapy practice management

Disaster relief

This is a coordinated multi-agency response to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term results. Relief activities include rescue, relocation, providing food and water, preventing disease and disability, repairing vital services such as telecommunications and transport, providing temporary shelter and emergency health care.

Disaster recovery

Once emergency needs have been met and the initial crisis is over, the people affected and the communities that support them are still vulnerable. Recovery activities include rebuilding infrastructure, health care and rehabilitation. These should blend with development activities, such as building human resources for health and developing policies and practices to avoid similar situations in future.

THE DISASTER –DEVELOPMENT CONTINUUM 

Disaster prevention, mitigation &preparedness safeguard development.Good response facilitates recovery and

development.Africa’s hazards and vulnerabilities have

been the targets of 30 years ofdevelopment: their persistence testifies to

as many failures.Today, ever-increasing resources are

spent for disaster relief, at the expense ofdevelopment

EMERGENCYa state in which normal

proceduresare suspended

andextra-ordinary measures are taken

in order to avert a disaster

 

AIMS OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

reduce (avoid, if possible) thepotential losses from hazards

assure prompt and appropriateassistance to victims when

necessaryachieve rapid and durable

recovery

Capacity for emergency management is made of:

INFORMATIONAUTHORITY

INSTITUTIONSPARTNERSHIPS

PLANS, RESOURCESAND PROCEDURESTO ACTIVATE THEM

PREPAREDNESSthe measures that ensure

the organized mobilization ofpersonnel,

funds,equipment and supplies

within a safe environmentfor effective relief

RESPONSEthe set of activities implemented after

theimpact of a disaster in order to

assess the needsreduce the suffering

limit the spread and theconsequences of the disaster

andopen the way to rehabilitation

REHABILITATION:

The restoration of basic social functions.

RECONSTRUCTION:

The full resumption of socio-economicactivities plus preventive measures.

ELEMENTS OF DISASTERMANAGEMENT

disaster preparedness planning* vulnerability and risk assessment

disaster response* disaster assessment

rehabilitation & reconstructiondisaster mitigation

More than 90 percent of natural disaster-related

deaths occur in developing countries, where poverty and

lack of resources exacerbate the suffering

Haiti’s Uphill Battle: Developing Countries Struggle with Natural Disasters

The earthquake in Haiti devastated the capital Port-au-Prince, killing an estimated 230,000

people and leaving 1.2 million homeless.With much of the country’s population

unemployed and homeless, Haiti has not seen the economic growth it was hoping for over

recent years or the recovery it urgently needed after the earthquake’s devastation. In fact, more than 300,000 Haitians are still displaced from the earthquake, living in camps around the country.

Aid & Relief Agencies

An aid agency is an organization dedicated to distributing aid-many professional aid organizations exist, both within government between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations (or non-governmental organizations. There are many different agencies in Canada and around the world.

Examples of Canadian Agencies supporting Disaster Relief

World Vision Canada Canadian Red CrossAdventist Development & Relief

AgencyAga Khan Foundation CanadaAlternativesCanadian Catholic Organization for

Development & Peace

Agencies cont’d

Canadian Food grains BankCanadian Lutheran World ReliefCare CanadaChristian Children’s Fund of CanadaDoctors without BordersGlobal MedicOxfam CanadaPlan Internal Canada

Agencies cont’d

Presbyterian World Service & Development

Salvation Army CanadaSave the Children CanadaThe United Church of CanadaUNICEF CanadaThe Sharing Way-Canadian Baptist

Ministries

The world's worst natural disastersCalamities of the 20th and 21st centuriesPosted: May 08, 2008 CBC news

Jan. 12, 2010. More than 230,000 people were killed when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti.

May 12, 2008. About 70,000 people were killed and 18,000 people were reported missing after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan, China.

Oct. 8, 2005. At least 80,000 people were killed and three million left homeless after a quake struck the mountainous Kashmir district in Pakistan.

Dec. 26, 2004. A magnitude 9.0 quake struck off the coast of Sumatra, triggering tsunamis that swept through the coastal regions of a dozen countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The death toll has been estimated at between 225,000 and 275,000.

Dec. 26, 2003. An earthquake devastated the ancient city of Bam, in central Iran, leaving between 31,000 and 43,000 people dead.

July 28, 1976. The 20th century's most devastating quake (magnitude 7.8) hit the sleeping city of Tangshan in northeast China. The official death toll was 242,000. Unofficial estimates put the number as high as 655,000

May 22, 1927. A magnitude 7.9 quake near Xining, China, killed 200,000

Sept. 1, 1923. A third of Tokyo and most of Yokohama were levelled when a magnitude 8.3 earthquake shook Japan. About 143,000 were killed as fires ravaged much of Tokyo.

Dec. 16, 1920. China was also the site for the world's third-deadliest quake of the 20th century. An estimated 200,000 died when a magnitude 8.6 temblor hit Gansu, triggering massive landslides.

Dec. 28, 1908. Southern Italy was ravaged by a 7.2 magnitude quake that triggered a tsunami that hit the Messina-Reggio-Calabria area, killing 123,000.

Volcanic eruptions

July 15, 1991. Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon Island in the Philippines erupted, blanketing 750 square kilometers with volcanic ash. More than 800 died.

Nov. 13-14, 1985. At least 25,000 are killed near Armero, Colombia, when the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, triggering mudslides.

May 8, 1902. Mt. Pelee erupted on the Caribbean island of Martinique, destroying the capital city of St. Pierre. Up to 40,000 were killed. The day before, a volcano had killed 1,600 people on the nearby island of St. Vincent and five months later Mt. Santa Maria erupted in Guatemala, killing another 6,000.

Hurricanes, cyclones and floods

July-August 2010. Floods triggered by heavier-than-normal monsoon rains hit northwest Pakistan. By the time the waters began to recede in late August, more than 160,000 square kilometers of land — about one-fifth of the country — was under water. More than 1,700 people were killed and 17.2 million people have been affected. 

May 3, 2008. Cyclone Nargis, swept along by winds that exceeded 190 kmh and waves six meters high struck the Burmese peninsula and may have left as many as 100,000 dead, according to U.S. estimates.

Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 1998. Hurricane Mitch was the deadliest hurricane to hit the Americas. It killed 11,000 in Honduras and Nicaragua and left 2.5 million homeless.

Aug. 5, 1975. At least 85,000 were killed along the Yangtze River in China when more than 60 dams failed following a series of storms, causing widespread flooding and famine. This disaster was kept secret by the Chinese government for 20 years.

August 1971. An estimated 100,000 died when heavy rains led to severe flooding around Hanoi in what was then North Vietnam.

Nov. 13, 1970. The Bhola cyclone in the Ganges delta killed an estimated 500,000 in Bangladesh. Some put the complete death toll as high as one million.

Pandemics and famines

1900 to present. Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in the developing world even though it is curable and largely preventable. According to the World Health Organization, malaria causes severe illness in 500 million people each year and kills more than a million annually.

1984-1985. Famine killed at least one million in Ethiopia as severe drought led to desperate food shortages.

World Health Organization. The SARS outbreak of 2003. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the 2003 outbreak. Of these, 774 died.

The Ebola virus has killed over 1,000 people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

1980 to present. Toll from AIDS worldwide since 1980 is estimated at 25 million, with 40 million others infected with HIV.

1968. The Hong Kong flu became the third flu pandemic of the 20th century.

1965-67. Three years of drought in India resulted in an estimated 1.5 million deaths from starvation and disease. Severe Indian droughts also killed millions in 1900 and 1942.

1959-1961. The "Great Leap Famine" cost an estimated 20 to 40 million lives in China as the policies of Mao Zedong resulted in massive social and economic upheaval. China was also hit by large famines in 1907, 1928-1930, 1936 and 1941-1942.

1957-1958. The Asian flu swept around the world, killing an estimated two million and making it the second biggest flu pandemic of the century.