Preparedness & Response
Disaster Management · तैयारी और प्रतिक्रिया · 19 facts
Disaster Cycle has 4 phases: Mitigation (reduce risk) → Preparedness (be ready) → Response (immediate action) → Recovery (rebuild); cyclical, not linear.
Mitigation: Actions taken to reduce severity of future disasters; includes building codes, flood embankments, mangrove planting, risk mapping.
Preparedness: Training, mock drills, early warning systems, stockpiling relief materials, evacuation planning, community awareness.
Response phase: Search and rescue, evacuation, first aid, emergency medical care, food and shelter distribution, damage assessment.
Recovery phase: Short-term (debris clearance, temporary housing) and long-term (permanent housing, livelihood restoration, infrastructure rebuilding).
AAPDA MITRA Scheme: Trains community first responders (volunteers); target 6 lakh volunteers in 350 most disaster-prone districts of India.
Mock drills: NDMA mandates regular mock drills; school safety drills are especially important for earthquake preparedness.
Early Warning Systems (EWS): IMD (weather), INCOIS (ocean/tsunami), CWC (flood), GSDA (groundwater) — multi-hazard early warning for India.
4 last-mile communication: Cell broadcast alerts, SMS warnings, sirens, TV/radio — NDMA's Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) for disaster warnings.
IRS (Incident Response System): Command structure for disaster response; Incident Commander, Operations Section, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Admin.
Unified Command: Used in multi-agency response; ensures coordination between NDRF, Army, police, state government, and NGOs during disaster.
INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group): UN body setting USAR standards; India's NDRF is INSARAG-certified — one of 32 internationally classified teams.
Medical First Responders: Trained in first aid, triage, trauma care; NDMA with Ministry of Health trains through hospitals and NHM.
School Safety Programme: NDMA and MoE partnership; trains students, teachers, and parents in disaster preparedness, first aid, and evacuation.
Civil Defence: Trained volunteers under MHA; assist in peacetime disasters; organized at district level under Civil Defence Act 1968.
India's disaster response: Armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) are critical for disaster response; have dedicated disaster response teams and helicopters.
Disaster relief logistics: Pre-positioned relief materials (food, water, medicines, tarpaulins) in prone areas; National Disaster Response Reserve maintained by NDMA.
Sendai Framework Target B: Reduce affected people by 2030; Target C: Reduce economic losses; Target D: Reduce damage to critical infrastructure.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA): Conducted after major disasters to assess damage, losses, and recovery needs; guides rebuilding decisions.