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Disaster Management Cycle

The document discusses the disaster management cycle which consists of 4 phases - Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. [1] Mitigation aims to reduce the effects of disasters through proactive measures like building codes and land use planning. [2] Preparedness includes developing emergency plans and training to better respond to disasters. [3] Response occurs during and immediately after a disaster to save lives through search and rescue and relief efforts. [4] Recovery rebuilds infrastructure and returns life to normal through rebuilding and income generation projects. The phases are interrelated and preparation in earlier phases can reduce impacts in later ones.

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612 views5 pages

Disaster Management Cycle

The document discusses the disaster management cycle which consists of 4 phases - Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. [1] Mitigation aims to reduce the effects of disasters through proactive measures like building codes and land use planning. [2] Preparedness includes developing emergency plans and training to better respond to disasters. [3] Response occurs during and immediately after a disaster to save lives through search and rescue and relief efforts. [4] Recovery rebuilds infrastructure and returns life to normal through rebuilding and income generation projects. The phases are interrelated and preparation in earlier phases can reduce impacts in later ones.

Uploaded by

Daisy Reynancia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE:

Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from


hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and
achieve rapid and effective recovery. Disaster Risk Management includes sum
total of all activities, programmes and measures which can be taken up before,
during and after a disaster with the purpose to avoid a disaster, reduce its
impact or recover from its losses.

The four disaster management phases illustrated here do not always, or even
generally, occur in isolation or in this precise order. Often phases of the cycle
overlap and the length of each phase greatly depends on the severity of the
disaster. The cyclical nature of disaster management process focuses on the
ongoing and continual actions to prevent and manage the disasters.

o Mitigation - Minimizing the effects of disaster.


Examples: building codes and zoning; vulnerability analyses; public
education.
o Preparedness - Planning how to respond.
Examples: preparedness plans; emergency exercises/training; warning
systems.
o Response - Efforts to minimize the hazards created by a disaster.
Examples: search and rescue; emergency relief .
o Recovery - Returning the community to normal.
Examples: temporary housing; grants; medical care.
1. Mitigation; the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness
of something.

Mitigation activities actually eliminate or reduce the probability of disaster


occurrence, or reduce the effects of unavoidable disasters through proactive
measures taken before an emergency or disaster occurs.

The mitigation phase, and indeed the whole disaster management cycle,
includes the shaping of public policies and plans that either modify the causes
of disasters or mitigate their effects on people, property, and infrastructure.
Mitigation measures may include but not restricted to:

➢ Enforcement of building codes, floodplain management codes and


environmental regulations.
➢ Public safety measures such as continual maintenance of roadways
and dams.
➢ Land-use planning (zoning) and controlling human activities in hazard
prone areas
➢ Earthquake resistant construction, permanent houses
➢ Community health and sanitation (improving nutrition, keeping the
community clean, immunization, herbal gardens, training of
community health workers)
➢ Deployment of warning systems to alert and notify the public.

2. Preparedness: Getting ready to cope

Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the
effects of disasters. These measures can be described as logistical readiness
to deal with disasters
Disaster preparedness has the potential to save the maximum number of lives
and property during a disaster.

Preparedness phase coves a wide range of activities;

➢ Individual, family and community preparedness measures: knowing what to do


➢ before, during and after a disaster for earthquake, drought, epidemic
➢ Preparedness can also take the form of ensuring that strategic reserves of food,
equipment, water, medicines and other essentials are maintained in cases of
emergencies and disasters.
➢ Public awareness activities - public awareness campaigns such as community
meetings and house-to-house information dissemination, posters and
pamphlets, media coverage, disaster consciousness day/ week/month.
➢ Formulation of community counter disaster plan or disaster management plan

3.Response; When disaster strikes.

The assistance and intervention during or immediately after a disaster. Focus is on


saving lives and protecting community assets (buildings, roads, animals, crops,
infrastructure). Usually measured in hours, days or weeks. Humanitarian
organizations are often strongly present in this phase of the disaster management
cycle.

➢ Evacuation and evacuation center management


➢ Search and rescue
➢ First Aid and Medical Assistance
➢ Damage Needs Capacity Assessment
➢ Relief delivery (food and drinking water; non-food items such as clothing,
blankets, kitchen utensils…)
➢ Psycho-social counseling (comforting, critical stress debriefing)

4. Recovery; Getting back to normal

After the disaster - recovery: rehabilitation and reconstruction

Disaster recovery has three distinct but interrelated meanings. First, it is a goal that
involves the restoration of normal community activities that were disrupted by
disaster impact. Second, it is a phase, that starts after the recovery phase and ends
when the community has returned to its normal routines.Third, it is a process by
which the community achieves the goal of returning to normal routines.

There is no distinct point at which immediate relief changes into recovery and then
into long-term sustainable development. There will be many opportunities during the
recovery period to enhance prevention and increase preparedness, thus reducing
vulnerability.
Recovery activities continue until all systems return to normal or better. Recovery
measures, both short and long term, include;

➢ Rebuilding and strengthening of damaged structures


➢ Relocation to safe places
➢ Income generating projects
______________________________________________________________
• Environmental health in emergencies and disasters: A practical guide. WHO,
2002.
• Lindell, M.K. Recovery and Reconstruction After Disaster Texas A&M
University, College Station, USA
• Warfield, C. The Disaster Management Cycle
https://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/1-dm_cycle.html

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