#1. WHAT IS DISASTER?

A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be ostensively defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, or explosions. In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risk. These risks are the product of hazards and vulnerability. Hazards that strike in areas with low vulnerability are not considered a disaster, as is the case in uninhabited regions.[1] Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when a disaster hits more than 95 percent of all deaths caused by disasters occur in developing countries, and losses due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as a percentage of GDP) in developing countries than in industrialized countries.[

#2. WHAT IS DISASTER PREPAREDNESS?

Preparedness

Airport emergency preparedness exercise. Personal preparedness focuses on preparing equipment and procedures for use when a disaster occurs, i.e., planning. Preparedness measures can take many forms including the construction of shelters, installation of warning devices, creation of back-up life-line services (e.g., power, water, sewage), and rehearsing evacuation plans. Two simple measures can help prepare the individual for sitting out the event or evacuating, as necessary. For evacuation, a disaster supplies kit may be prepared and for sheltering purposes a stockpile of supplies may be created. The preparation of a survival kit such as a "72-hour kit", is often advocated by authorities. These kits may include food, medicine, flashlights, candles and money. Also, putting valuable items in safe area is also recommended.

Preparing for a disaster can reduce the fear, anxiety and losses that disasters cause. A disaster can be a natural disaster, like a hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake. It might also be man-made, like a bioterrorist attack or chemical spill. You should know the risks and danger signs of different types of disasters. You should also have a disaster plan. Be ready to evacuate your home, and know how to treat basic medical problems. Make sure you have the insurance you need, including special types, like flood insurance.

No matter what kind of disaster you experience, it causes emotional distress. After a disaster, recovery can take time. Stay connected to your family and friends during this period.
Disaster preparedness minimizes the adverse effects of a hazard through effective precautionary actions, rehabilitation and recovery to ensure the timely, appropriate and effective organization and delivery of relief and assistance following a disaster. .

#3. WHAT IS DISASTER MANAGEMENT?

Disaster management is a process or strategy that is implemented when any type of catastrophic event takes place. Sometimes referred to as disaster recovery management, the process may be initiated when anything threatens to disrupt normal operations or puts the lives of human beings at risk. Governments on all levels as well as many businesses create some sort of disaster plan that make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal function as quickly as possible.
One of the essential elements of disaster management involves defining the types of catastrophes that could possibly disrupt the day to day operation of a city, town, business, or country. Identifying those potential disasters makes it possible to create contingency plans, assemble supplies, and create procedures that can be initiated when and if a given disaster does come to pass. A truly comprehensive disaster management plan will encompass a wide range of possibilities that can easily be adapted in the event one disaster sets off a chain reaction of other types of disasters in its wake

#4. WHAT IS CONTINGENCY PLAN?

Disaster contingency plans normally focus on means to address particular hazards. This is not to say that a good contingency plan ignores the need for mitigation and recovery measures, but it usually is not concerned with the entire disaster continuum, such as rehabilitation and development linkages. The main focus is on ways to address a particular hazard (such as a flood), within a fairly finite period, such as from early warning and response to immediate recovery phases. An effective national strategy will usually generate various contingency plans to meet specific disaster conditions.

#5. WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD DISAASTER PLAN?

A plan must: have a clearly stated objective or set of objectives reflect a systematic sequence of activities in a logical and clear manner assign specific tasks and responsibilities integrate its activities, tasks and responsibilities to enable the overallobjective or set of objectives to be achieved

1.Put together a team. The first step is to select the group of people who will form your contingency planning committee for the next six months - or for as long as it takes to put your plan together. Look for individuals who will bring a variety of perspectives on the company' s vulnerabilities to the table. For example, you might want to include a facilities manager or someone else who has detailed knowledge of the office building itself. Include high-level managers, consider representatives from all the departments within your business, and, if possible, include a human resources representative as well. 2.Maintain a complete company roster with multiple methods of contact. Not only should you keep a list of the names of all employees, but that roster should include alternate ways that people can communicate with each other. Include home phone numbers, pager numbers, non-work e-mail

addresses, and cell phone numbers. The more ways you have to keep in touch should disaster strike, the better. And keep it updated - disconnected phone numbers or outdated e-mail addresses won' t do you any good in an emergency. You might also want to set up a formal phone tree that can be activated should you need to get in touch with your employees quickly. 3.Determine a chain of command. If something should happen to your CEO, what would happen to your company? What if several members of your management team were in an accident and couldn' t perform their regular responsibilities? What if key members of your company simply couldn' t be contacted for a period of time when you need to make some critical decisions? To prepare for this kind of circumstance, you need to consider a clear chain of command and authority. Think about the chain of command written into the laws of governmental succession in the United States; you need to think that way for your company, too. If key personnel are missing, who' s in charge? Who makes decisions? 4.Designate disaster authorities. Gordon recommends having a single decision-maker. That person needs to know the steps to take in a crisis, and how to reach all employees and other essential contacts (clients, customers, etc). And employees need to know who to take direction from in the chaos that frequently follows a disaster. 5.Think about work space alternatives. If something happened to you primary base of operations, what would you do? If there was an anthrax scare in your office, and you couldn' t re-enter for an extended period of time, where and how would you and your employees work? There' s no one-size-fits-all solution to this question. Can employees work out of their homes? Is there another company that would share their facilities with you temporarily until you can rent or buy space at a new location? Ask the questions now, so you' ll be prepared. 6.What are your main vulnerabilities? Make a checklist. Do you live in tornado alley? Put tornado damage on that list. Do you work in an office with no alarm system? Put building security on the list. Might layoffs occur sometime in the future? Add workplace violence. What if the phones get disconnected? What if your key supplier can' t get shipments to you? Take everything into account - think about anything that could go wrong. Many scenarios will be specific to certain businesses and industries. You should consider how each one of those situations would affect your core business, your revenue streams, your customer service, and your employees. 7.Backup your data. Most people have thought about backing up their computer data. Where are your important papers and files both print and electronic? If your office computers or servers are destroyed, you' d better have your data recently backed up off site. But what about intellectual data? That needs to be backed up, too. As Gordon explains, " At many smaller companies, assets are largely vested in a key individual or individuals. These companies need to take what' s in the head of those individuals and pass it on." How do you " back up" intellectual data? There are quite a few ways to do it. You can interview that person, and create educational materials from those sessions. You can start a mentoring program so more knowledge gets shared. In short, develop formal procedures through which you document that knowledge, and educate employees about that knowledge on a regular basis. 8.What equipment and supplies do you need to perform your business activities? Based on your company needs, determine what' s needed to keep the business running if disaster strikes. If certain parts of your business shut down or were destroyed, how would you stay solvent? Where would revenue come from? What people, equipment, space, supplies, or services do you need to keep that revenue flowing if you experience a business disruption?

DISASTER ON AIR

DISASTER ON LAND

DISASTER ON SEA

MAN-MADE DISASTER

NATURAL DISASTER