DISASTER MANAGEMENT
AND MITIGATION
Module 3
NATURAL DISASTER REDUCTION &
MANAGEMENT
a) Provision of Immediate relief measures to
disaster affected people
b) Prediction of Hazards & Disasters
c) Measures of adjustment to natural hazards
PROVISION OF IMMEDIATE RELIEF
MEASURES TO DISASTER AFFECTED PEOPLE
Rescue from immediate danger and stabilization of the
physical and emotional condition of survivors is the
primary aims of disaster response/relief, which go hand
in hand with the recovery of the dead and the
restoration of essential services such as water and
power
PROVISION OF IMMEDIATE RELIEF
MEASURES TO DISASTER AFFECTED PEOPLE
Coordinated multi-agency response is vital to this stage of Disaster
Management in order to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term
results with relief activities including:
• Rescue
• Relocation
• Provision Food and Water
• Provision Emergency Health Care
• Prevention of Disease and Disability
• Repairing Vital Services e.g. Telecommunications, Transport
• Provision Temporary Shelter
PREDICTION OF HAZARDS &
DISASTERS
• Natural disasters are not preventable but their impacts can
be reduced with the help of science and engineering.
• Some natural disasters can be forecasted based on past
scientific data.
• Scientists look for patterns in data to determine where and
when natural disasters are likely to occur, like tornadoes.
Other disasters like earthquakes are not yet predictable
REDUCING IMPACT OF NATURAL
DISASTERS
• Natural disasters cannot be prevented, but some can be
predicted, allowing humans to engineer and design
solutions for minimizing the impact of natural disasters.
• Scientists and engineers work together to improve
existing technologies or develop new ones to increase
their benefits hoping to reduce the impact of natural
hazards such as earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires,
tsunamis, and hurricanes.
SOME NATURAL DISASTERS CAN BE
FORECASTED
Meteorologists use weather data such as air
pressure, wind speed, and temperature to make
predictions about weather systems. Because of
that, severe thunderstorms that have the capability
of producing tornadoes can be forecasted,
sometimes allowing people to be prepared for a
tornadic event by taking shelter and having
supplies.
SOME NATURAL DISASTERS CAN BE
FORECASTED
Tornadoes are most common in the central United
States in an area known as “tornado alley” and are
known to cause mass destruction reaching wind
speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Other
times, however, weather systems can change
rapidly without warning, and it can make it more
difficult to predict storm systems with accuracy
OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS ARE LESS
PREDICTABLE
Earthquakes are examples of natural hazards that
are less predictable than weather events.
Earthquakes are a result of tectonic plates rubbing
and compressing together, breaking rock beneath
the Earth’s surface.
When this rock breaks, it generates energy causing
other parts of the Earth’s crust to shake and tremble.
OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS ARE LESS
PREDICTABLE
Earthquakes can also occur on the ocean floor,
resulting in massive wave systems to rush in various
directions from the earthquake. This is known as a
tsunami.
Seismologists use data from past earthquakes to make
predictions about future events, but scientists have not
yet figured out how to determine when and where an
earthquake will occur.
Air Quality
Satellite data have been used to track propagation of toxic
gases like CO from massive fires; accurate early warnings
of such pollution spikes are useful because they give
people the option to reduce their risk of exposure to poor
air by limiting outdoor activity at these times.
Ash Plumes
Satellite data are useful for identifying and tracking ash
plumes from volcanic eruptions. The use of NRT satellite
data for monitoring volcanic plumes is undergoing further
developments to enable quantitative retrievals to be
produced, which should enable a global capability for
volcanic ash monitoring to be introduced.
Drought
Agro-climatic monitoring programs and global food
security risks are monitored using NRT satellite data(Near
Real Time) including the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems
Network (FEWS NET) and GEOGLAM – open community
which has interest in monitoring agriculture.
Dust Storms
Dust storms can have an impact on human health, weather
patterns as well as cause disruption through flight delays
and the closure of highways. Data from LANCE(Earth
observing system-NASA) are used to monitor and predict
dust storms. This information is used by agencies within
the Department of Defense to improve resource allocation
in remote areas and help promote aircraft safety.
Fires
Ultra Real-Time (URT), Real-Time (RT), NRT satellite data
and imagery enable people on the ground, including those
responsible for mobilizing fire-fighting resources around the
world, detailed information about the locations of fires.
URT, RT and NRT MODIS, VIIRS and Landsat active
fire/hotspot data are available in easy to use formats
through the Fire Information for Resource Management
System (FIRMS).
Floods
Mapping floodwater extent for active floods is critical for
local and regional officials and for disaster relief
organizations that need to ascertain where to focus their
efforts.
METHODS TO PREDICT NATURAL
DISASTERS
1. Fractal method
2. Dilatancy model for prediction
3. Scientific method of Predicting Hazards
4. Animal Behaviour
FRACTAL METHOD
Predicting the size, location, and timing of natural hazards is virtually impossible,
but now, earth scientists are able to forecast hurricanes, floods, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and landslides using fractals.
• Normally using statistics to predict the future.
• It is a mathematical formula to a pattern that repeat over a wide range of size
and time scale.
• Prof. Benoit Mandel brot from Yale University is considered as father of Fractals.
DILATANCY MODEL FOR PREDICTION
• Based on the rock observation when rocks are stressed they begin to expand
and loose their magnetizations which result in the formation of microcracks &
fractures
Change on seismic velocity
Change on electrical resistivity
Uplifting of topography
SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF PREDICTING
HAZARDS
• Weather monitoring & forecasting network
• Meteorological and satellite system – To predict hurricane
• Argo – Measuring Tsunami
• Anemometer – Wind speed and Pressure
monitoring
• Seismograph – To measure Earthquake
MEASURES OF ADJUSTMENT OF NATURAL
HAZARD
Activities of human that tend to reduce/minimize any negative impact of an extreme events
• Reducing the loss by affecting the cause of disaster
• Floods, afforestation's, river dredging, risk of climate change with global warming
• Construction of Physical structures
• Construction of dams across river to control flood, shore/tsunami protection walls
• Afforestation
• Forest acts as buffering area against strong winds or flash floods or land slides
• Hazard resistant building
• Non structural measures
• Warning systems to increase public awareness to protect themselves from extreme events
• Insurance Measures
• Recovery from Losses.