Disaster management and disaster risk reduction terms [1]
Various
terminologies in disaster risk reduction (DRR) have surfaced in recent years to
convey the essence of different DRR concepts. Hence common understanding of the
terms and concepts is required. This will enable you to comprehend fully the
succeeding discussions on risk reduction (DRR).
Frequently Used Terms in
DRR:
Capacities – refers to individual and collective strength and resources
that can be enhanced, mobilized and accessed, to allow individuals and
communities to shape their future by reducing disaster risk. This includes
prevention, mitigation, and survivability of the individual and readiness of
the community.
Capacity building – efforts aimed to develop human skills or societal
infrastructures within a community that is needed to reduce the level of risk
Community – people living in one geographical area, which are exposed to
common hazards due to their location.
They
may have a common experience responding to hazards and disasters. However, they
may have different perceptions of and exposure to risk. Groups within the
locality will have a stake in risk reduction measures.
Community Capacity Assessment – identify the strengths and resources
present in individuals, households and the community to cope with, withstand,
prevent, prepare for, mitigate or quickly recover from a disaster. Coping means
managing resources in adverse situations.
Community Hazard Assessment – defines the threats and understands the
nature and behavior of particular hazards. The assessment brings out
information on the characteristics of hazards, specifically warning signs and
signals, forewarning, speed of onset, frequency, period of occurrence and
duration.
Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) – is a
condition whereby a community systematically manages its disaster risk
reduction measures towards becoming a safer and resilient community.
Community Risk Assessment – the process of gathering all relevant
data about the community, such as physical characteristics (e.g., location,
area, natural resources, climate, etc.), demographic features, economic and
sociopolitical aspects of the community, environmental problems, etc. and able
to determine the nature and extent of risk by analyzing the characteristics of
hazards, the degree of vulnerability and the capacity of the community.
Community Vulnerability Assessment – this assessment is to
understand the complex combination of interrelated, mutually reinforcing and
dynamic factors.
Vulnerability analysis is the process of estimating the
susceptibility of ‘elements at risk’ in the community to various hazards.
Disaster – the serious disruption of the functioning of society causing
widespread human, material or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of
the affected communities to cope using their own resources. Disasters occur
when the negative effects of the hazards are not well managed.
Disaster Risk – the probability of meeting danger or suffering/harm
Disaster
Risk Management – the
systematic process of using administrative decisions, organization, operational
skills and capacities to implement policies, strategies and coping capacities
of the society and communities to lessen the impacts of natural hazards and
related environmental and technological disasters. This comprises all forms of
activities, including structural and non-structural measures to avoid
(prevention) or to limit (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of
hazards, within the broad context of sustainable development.
Disaster Risk Reduction – is a framework and a tool that determines the degree of risk
and describes measures to increase capacities and reduce hazard impact on the
elements at risk so that disaster will be avoided.
Duration – how long is hazard felt – earthquake and aftershocks:
days/weeks/months that area is flooded, length of military operations
Early Warning - the provision of timely and effective information, through
identified institutions, that allows individuals exposed to a hazard to take
action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response
Emergency Management – the organization and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of emergencies, particularly
preparedness, response and rehabilitation
Emergency Response – includes essential services and activities that are
undertaken in the aftermath of a disaster to assist disaster survivors.
Examples are search and rescue; repair of critical facilities like bridges,
power lines; provision of food and non-food relief; emergency health;
psycho-social interventions; management of evacuation center; emergency
operations center.
Environmental Degradation – the reduction of the capacity of the
environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs
Forewarning – time between warning and impact.
Frequency – does hazard occur seasonally, once a year or every five
years?
Geological Hazard – natural earth processes or phenomena that may cause the loss
of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or
environmental degradation.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – analysis that combine
relational databases with spatial interpretation and outputs often in form of
maps. A more elaborate definition is that of computer programs for capturing,
storing, checking, integrating, analyzing and displaying data about the earth
that is spatially referenced.
Hazard – a potential event that could cause loss of life, or damage to
property or the environment.
Mitigation – covers measures, which can be taken to minimize the
destructive and disruptive effects of hazards and thus lessen the magnitude of
a disaster. Mitigation measures can range from physical measures such as flood
defenses or safe building design, to legislation and non-structural measures as
training, organizing disaster volunteers, public awareness, food security
programs and advocacy on development issues.
Period of occurrence – the particular time of year a hazard normally occurs.
Preparedness- involves measures taken in anticipation of a disaster to
ensure that appropriate and effective actions are taken in the aftermath.
Preparedness attempts to limit the impact of a disaster by structuring the
response and effecting a quick and orderly reaction to the disaster. Examples
of preparedness measures are the formation and capability building of an
organization to oversee and implement warning systems, evacuation, rescue and
relief; formulation of a disaster implementing plan or a counter disaster plan;
warning systems; stockpiling of supplies for immediate mobilization; emergency
communications; training of volunteers; community drills and simulation
exercises; public education and awareness.
Prevention – covers activities designed to impede the occurrence of a
disaster event and/ or prevent such an occurrence from having harmful effects
on communities and facilities.
Usual examples are safety standards for industries, flood
control measures and land use regulations. Other non-structural measures are
poverty alleviation and assets redistribution schemes such as land reform,
provision of basic needs and services such as preventive health care, and
education.
Public Awareness – the processes of informing the general population, increasing
levels of consciousness about risks and how people can act to reduce their
exposure to hazards. This is particularly important for public officials in
fulfilling their responsibilities to save lives and property in the event of a
disaster.
Public Information – information, facts and knowledge provided or learned as a
result of research or study that are to be made available or disseminated to
the public.
Readiness – group/community organization functioning as a system, which
is prepared for any hazard that is going to happen.
Reconstruction – is a permanent measure to repair or replace damaged dwellings
and infrastructure and to set the economy back on course
Recovery – decisions and actions taken after a disaster with a view to
restoring or improving the pre-disaster living conditions of the stricken
community, while encouraging and facilitating necessary adjustments to reduce
disaster risk.
Rehabilitation – covers interventions to restore basic services to facilitate
recovery of the affected population. Examples are assistance to victims to
repair their dwellings; reestablishment of essential services such as community
facilities, and revival of key economic and social activities.
Relief/Response – the provision of assistance or intervention during or
immediately after a disaster to meet the life preservation and basic
subsistence needs of those people affected. It can be of an immediate,
short-term, or protracted duration.
Resilience/Resilient – the capacity of a system, community or society potentially
exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing in order to reach and
maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure. This is determined
by the degree to which the social system is capable of organizing itself to
increase its capacity for learning from past disasters for better future
protection and to improve risk reduction measures.
Speed of onset – rapidity of arrival and impact. We can distinguish between
hazards that occur without almost any warning (earthquake) and a hazard that
can be predicted three to four days in advance (typhoon) to a very slow-onset
hazard like drought and famine.
Survivability – is to manage to stay alive or continue to exist, especially in
hazard event.
Sustainable Development – development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; it
contains within it two key concepts: the concept of “needs”, in particular the
essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be
given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and
social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future
needs. (Brundtland Commission, 1987)
Technological
Hazards – danger
originating from technological or industrial accidents, dangerous procedures,
infrastructure failures or certain human activities, which may cause the loss
of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.
Vulnerability – the degree to which an area, people, physical structures or
economic assets are exposed to loss, injury or damage caused by the impact of a
hazard.
Vulnerability Assessment – identifies what people do in time of
crisis to reduce the damaging effects of the hazard, and to secure
sustainability of their life.
Warning signs and signals; scientific and indigenous indicators that
hazard is likely to happen.
Distinction between a hazard and a disaster
A hazard can either be man made or natural but it is not
synonymous with ‘disaster’.
A
disaster occurs when a community cannot cope with the deleterious effects of a
hazard. Therefore, a disaster is a social construct, always the consequence of
human failure to plan well. In other words, a hazard event is a necessary but
not sufficient condition for the occurrence of a disaster. For example, if a
flood occurs in south Sudan
but does not result in massive loss of lives and property, the flood is only a
hazard event not a disaster
Oftentimes, government or external agents go
ahead and declare a disaster on behalf of communities without consulting them.
Government declaration of disasters is also sometimes political. It should be
noted that if a community can cope with the effects of a hazard they would not
seek external assistance. However, if they cannot cope, they will also let it
be known right away. Therefore, the point of reference for declaring a disaster
is the community.
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