Disaster:
A catastrophe, calamity or mishap, a grave occurrence which causes
loss of life, human suffering, damage to and destruction of property,
and or degradation of environment and or which disrupts the normal
functioning of societies, Government, communities and adversely affects
individuals and families with severity. Disasters can be classifies
as:
Natural Disasters: Floods,
Droughts, Cyclones, Earthquakes, Landslides and Heat wave.
Man made Disasters: Fire, Industrial accidents, Epidemics,
Riots, conflicts and refugees.
Disasters
like an Earthquake at Gujarat or Latur, Super Cyclone in Orissa, the
spread of Plague at Surat (Gujarat) or periodic Floods, Drought and
other Natural Calamities all over the country have an uncanny ability
to strike unannounced. Henceforth it has become imperative for us
to keep our forces well prepared to face emergency situations if and
when they arise.
| Our
forces are not armed with ammunition and guns but, nevertheless
they do face a war like situation where they have to take fast
decisions and even faster action such that the affected people
get some kind of help at the earliest. It's not easy being the
Sole source of Solace for these unassuming, suffering individuals. |
|
The measures proposed for Disaster Mitigation to reduce
economic disruption and decreasing vulnerability are:
Mound construction construction in low lying areas.
Raising
the plinth areas and using reinforcement in traditional houses.
Using
disaster proof technology in house building.
Afforestation,
plantations on embankments of rivers and canals etc.
Emergency
fund/ Community fund kept as reserve to meet any untoward incident.
Alternative
income generation sources for early recovery of household income.
Community
grain and seed bank.
Awareness
about different hazards and safety measures.
|
 |
Measures to proactive Disaster Preparedness include:
Stockpiling of foodstuff, dry ration, kerosene oil, free kitchen etc.
Relief and
reconstruction material.
Shifting
of population from low lying areas.
Evacuation
after getting warning.
Ensuring
the mechanism for dissemination of warning to vulnerable areas.
Remaining
alert with equipments for rescue operation.
Effective
delivery of relief to the marooned population and rehabilitation of
the evacuees.
The preparedness starts from:
Household preparedness
Village
preparedness
GP preparedness
Block preparedness
District
preparedness
State preparedness
Community
based Preparedness
Response mechanism to save lives, livestock and assets with available
resources.
Leads to
multi-pronged development interventions to address the root cause
of vulnerability.
Leads to
a self reliant disaster proof community.
The community as mentioned above consists of:
Panchayati Raj institutions/ members such as Gram Panchayat, Panchayat
Samiti and Zila Parishad.
Villagers
Women, Men,
Elders and different caste groups.
Student
and Teachers
CBOs/ other
NGOs/ other civil society members.
After analysis of situation, the
villagers would form different groups to carry out the activities
of Disaster Preparedness. The Task Forces formed thus form the nuclei
of the Village Disaster Management Committee
and Task Force and include:
Warning groups.
Evacuation and Rescue group.
Shelter Management group.
First Aid group.
Water and sanitation group
Carcass/dead body disposal group
Psycho- social counseling group
Relief and rehabilitation group
Vigilance group
Damage assessment group
