It is important to understand that disasters take place through the interplay of hazard, and vulnerability; there are a number of hazards present in our vicinity or our hazard exposure level is high, and as we are unprepared our vulnerability to these hazards is high. These (hazard and vulnerability) thus create a state of emergency that, if not tackled effectively and timely, results in disaster.
Furthermore, one disaster can trigger another disaster; ground shaking due to an earthquake can facilitate downslope movement of unstable rock mass resulting in landslides. The landslides can disrupt the flow of streams, and rivers resulting in the formation of landslide-dammed lakes, and breach of these lakes can cause landslide lake outburst floods (LLOFs) in the downstream areas. These can damage property, and infrastructure besides causing bank erosion, and facilitating further downslope movement, slope instability, and ground subsidence. Continuing disasters can force the affected population to migrate to safer areas. Agricultural lands can thus be rendered barren resulting in food grain shortage, malnutrition, and diseases while other areas can face increased anthropogenic pressure, and related problems; urban sprawl, poor housing, human traffiking and lacking civic amenities. This can go on endlessly with adverse socio-economic impact on the affected area, and population.
Most of us tend to assess the impact of disasters in terms of economic and human losses, but the disaster-induced losses are often underestimated as all the losses are generally not taken note of, and indirect losses are mostly not accounted. Magnitude of the indirect losses could however be many times larger, and therefore post-disaster recovery could actually take much longer than contemplated.
Disasters can damage horticultural crops painstakingly developed for a particular market or for export, and rehabilitating these can take many years. Loss of farm animals due to disasters can have adverse impact on milk, meat, and wool production. Disasters can at the same time have adverse impact on industrial output due to reduced availability of raw material, manpower, and power. In the highly competitive scenario of present times supply-chain disruption by disasters can permanently displace a product from niche market.
Moreover, disaster incidences force the state to divert the resources earmarked for various developmental activities towards post-disaster search and rescue, relief, rehabilitation, restoration, and recovery. Money that would have been otherwise spent on creating infrastructure, civic amenities, and employment opportunities is thus spent on various post-disaster functions.
Disasters thus disrupt the pace of growth and development, and therefore there arises pressing need of interventions that have the potential of reducing disaster impact, and thereby sustaining the pace of growth and development. These interventions are generally understood as being disaster management, and encompass efforts, interventions and activities that prevent disasters from taking place or cushion the impact of disasters, and facilitate prompt and effective search and rescue, relief, rehabilitation, restoration, and recovery so as to sustain economic growth, and development, and reduce human miseries.
Disaster Management Act 2005 defines disaster management as a continuous and integrated process of planning, organising, coordinating, and implementing measures which are necessary or expedient for (i) prevention of danger or threat of any disaster, (ii) mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences, (iii) capacity building, (iv) preparedness to deal with any disaster, (v) prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster, (vi) assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster, (vii) evacuation, rescue and relief, and (viii) rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Most of us generally hear about disaster management in the post-disaster phase through media and other channels, and therefore we sometimes tend to consider disaster management as being limited to post-disaster relief, rescue, and rehabilitation. Overwhelming coverage of post-disaster search and rescue by media reinstates this belief. The scope of disaster management is however much wider, and not limited to post-disaster initiatives.
It is important to note that we are used to working within the defined periphery of the departmental activities; Irrigation Department is concerned with maintenance of canals, and ensuring water for agriculture, and allied purposes, Drinking Water, and Electricity Departments are concerned with ensuring supply of drinking water, and electricity while Public Works Department is concerned with maintaining surface connectivity. The scope of disaster management related activities however encroaches well defined boundaries of a number of departments; roads have to be clear for quick deployment of responders, supply of electricity and water has to be quickly restored to reduce the trauma of the affected population, health camps have to be organised to provide both preventive and curative medicine, shelter and food have to be arranged for those who have been rendered homeless and injured and ill have to be referred for medical care.
After the establishment of a separate Department of Disaster Management or Disaster Management Authorities all disaster management related activities are often considered sole responsibility of this department or agency. This is however a misconception, and the Department of Disaster Management has to just facilitate, and ensure dovetailing of disaster management precepts in routine plans, and activities of various departments.
Moreover disaster management is not a one-time activity, and like security check it has to be performed repeatedly, and by almost every department, and individual. The role of the Department of Disaster Management is thus to provide an environment wherein the related activities get incorporated in the routine activities of departments and individuals, and are carried out subconsciously.
Disaster management is thus a development issue, and the investment on it is for sustaining the pace of development. Disaster management is thus a collective term encompassing all aspects of planning for, and responding to emergencies and disasters, including both pre- and post-event activities. It refers to the management of both the risk, and the consequences of an event.
In essence, disaster management is more than just response and relief; it is a systematic process aimed at reducing the negative impact or consequences of adverse events. Disaster management aims at (i) having proactive plans to mitigate the risks, (ii) minimizing loss via more effective preparedness and response, and (iii) creating more effective and durable recovery.
Disaster management is often understood as a continuum consisting of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. These are understood as comprising the disaster management cycle.