UNIT 10 DISASTER PREPARIEDNESS: ROLE AND

RESPONSIBllLlTIES OF
ATIONAL AGENCIES, NON-
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS, I

COMMLTNITY- BASED
ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITY AND
MEDIA
Structure
10.0 Learning Outcome
10.1 Introductio~i
10.2 Role of International Agencies
1 0.3 Role of Non-governmental Organ isations
10.4 Role of Community-based Organisations
10.5 Role of Community
10.6 Role of Family and Individuals
10.7 Role of Media
10.8 Conclusion
10.9 Key Concepts
10.10 References and Further Reading
10.1 1 Activities

10.0 LEARNING OUTCOME

-

After studying this Unit, you shoi~ldbe able to:

Discuss the role of international agencies in the field of disaster preparedness
e Highlight the non-governmental organisations' and community- based organisations'
contribution towards disaster preparedness
Appreciate the role of community in disaster preparedness
Orient yourself and your family in handling disasters; and
Examine the role of media in disaster situation

1 0 1 INTRODUCTION
Disaster by definition is an occurrence of an event of severity and magnitude that normally
results in deaths, il~juries,and property damage which cannot be managed through the
 136 Disaste~.Preparedness

routine procedures and resources of government. It usi~allydevelops suddenly and

unexpectedly and requires immediate, coordinated, and effective response by government,
voluntary and private sector organisations to meet human needs and ensures speedy
recovery.
One traces the legacy of international assistance in disaster management, Red Cross has
been the first transnational organisation which provided relief to the war affected, in the
Battle of ~olferinoin 1859. It was J.H. Durant, a Swiss Philanthropist and Humanitarian,
who founded the Ititernational Committee of Red Cross in 1863 in Geneva. Gradually,
increasing frequency and magnitude of darnages resulting from disasters, has made disaster
assistance an important part of the international relations. The increasing interdependence
of nations 'has also provided a boost to several international agencies, to come forward
and provide needed resources. In this Unit, we shall discuss the role of International
Agencies, Non-governmental Organisat ions (NGOs), Community-based Organisations,
Coriimunity, Family, Individual, and the Media.

10.2 ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES*

With the world becoming a global village, the interdependence of nations has increased.
In such a scenario, disaster assistance tias got a respectable image and makes it an
acceptable part of international relations. The overall concept of international disaster
assistance is recognised by most nations as being valid, practicable and productive and
has been accepted both by the victim and donor countries.
The most significant example of this is the eat-thquake of Barn in Iran in December 2003,
in which most part of the town constituting around 50,000 population was totally
destroyed with hardly any survivors. The international agencies, UN organisations, Red
Cross and Red Crescent, foreign governments and other agencies rushed emergency
assistance, with search and rescue operations, medical aid and relief supplies. The
impostant point is that even USA which did not have diplomatic relationship with Iran for
over twenty years, provided assistance. I
International agencies render assistance at various stages from pre-disaster, response
operations to recovery programmes as well as capacity building. The assistance encompasses
all forms, including, formulation of plans at national and other levels, standard operating
procedures, institution building, monitoring and warning systerns, disaster assessment
surveys, search and rescue, provision of emergency equipment and supplies, emergency
communication facilities, medical teams, medical eq~~iprnent and supplies, transport facilities,
food, water purification plants, logistic facilities, expert guidance, training, shelter material,
I
and financial grants or credits. I
During sudden catastrophic disasters, assistance is needed and the affected recipient
country is usually in some form of post-impact shock. In such a situation, the recipient
countries may have difficulty in identifying the assistance needs, In some circumstances, the
affected community may become totally or over-dependent on aid. In such situations,
generally, tlie traditional practices of combating disaster get eroded and self-coping
mechanisms of rehabilitation have to be strengthened.
During severe and widely publicised disasters, over supply of aid in itself becomes a
problem. The transport, co~nlnunicationand infrastructi~refacilities which get severely
* Some portions of this Unit are adopted from the Report of the High Powered Committee on Disaster
Management, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, New Deliii, 2001
 Disaster Preparedness: Role and Responsihilitie.s qf'lntel-national Agencies, Non-govcrnn~enl~I
Organisations, Commz~nity-based Orgnnisations. Comnizlnity and Mc~ifa
damaged have to be taclcled with volunteers and relief supplies. The over supply some
times results in aid of diverse types showered on a disaster striclten nation with little or
no regard for its suitability or the amount of aid already received. After the Gujarat
, earthquake in 2001 truck loads of neck ties and slcirts were sent which were not of
use to the local people. Earlier there was shortage of certain medicines, but subsequcntly
so much supply came that even if these were to be used following the aftermath o f
disaster (and not nor~i~altimes) they would last for about twenty years. Therefore, logistics
and inventoly management becomes an important consideration while accepting aid from
international agencies.
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and International Strategy
for Disaster and Risk Reduction
In 1989, tlie General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the decade 1990-2000
as the International Decade for Natural Disaster and Reduction (IDNDR). At the World
Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction in the city of Yokohama, Japan in 1994, deep
concern was expressed for tlie continuing human suffering and disruption of development
caused by natural disasters and Yokohama Strategy and a Plan of Action for a Safer
World was developed. The framework of action of tlie International Decade for Natural
Disaster Reduction provided all v~~lnerablecountries, in particular the developing countries,
with an opportunity to achieve a safer world. In this regard, the international community
and the United Nations system in particular provided support to the IDNDR and its
mechanisms. In India too, in accordance with tlie objectives of the IDNDR, and
otlienvise there is now an increased awareness on disaster management. Many institutions
within the country are now part of various worldwide initiatives on reducing disaster risks.
Regional cooperation between countries in South Asia has also been initiated to exchange
experiences on good practices and facilitate convergence of preparedness action.
Since 2000, we have embarked upon the International Strategy for Disaster Risk
Reduction Program~ne(ISDR) which aims at enabling all cornrn~~nities to become resilient
to natural, technological and environmental hazards and reducing risks associated with
social and economic vulnerability. The World Conference on Disaster Reduction held from
18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe. Hyogo, Japan adopted the Framework for Action
2005-215 as Building the Resilience of Nations and Commitnities to Disasters. We shall
now focus on initiatives of' international agencies.
United Nations System
.The emergency management system of the United Nations is co~nplex,UN has designated
the Office of the Coordinator for 1-lurnanitarian Affairs (OCIIA) for Iiandling immediate
disaster response and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to pro~note
disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. The specialised UN agency OCMA that
mobilises emergency response services worldwide in the event of catastrophic disasters,
has set up International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), UN Disaster
Assessment and Coordinatioli 'Team (UNDAC) and On Site Operations Coordination
Centre (OSOCC) to provide emergency services to countries overwhelmed by nat~~ral
'calamities or other "complex emergencies" viz., accidents, terrorist incidents and Nucleat;
Chemical, Biological (NBC) disasters. Many of tlie international Urban Search and
Rescue Teams, which handled Gujarat earthquake, were trained by INSARAG / OCHA.
UNOCHA has standing Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with international agencies
for "environmental emergencies" e.g., for chemical weapons related emergencies, they
 I38 U I S C I Sr ~~t ~ p~a l ' e d n e s s I

have an MOU with Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Warfare (OPCW) and
another for chemical / industrial accidents with United Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) and for nuclear emergencies they have standing arrangements with International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The role of intertiational agencies is critical to the
functioning of the above systems.
UN Disaster Mitigation Team (UNDMT) in India has an inter-agency worlting group I
I

consisting of United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), United Nations Children's , I

Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Food and Agric~lltureOrganisation (FAO), [riternational

Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO), United Nations Family Planning Agency (UNFPA), United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO), World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health
Organisation (WHO) (Interested learners may visit the websites of respective UN
agencies to know about their role in disaster preparedness). These agencies with a
concern for disaster management are ltnown as the Humanitarian Agencies i l l the UN
family.
UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme
A Disaster Risk Management Programnie has been taken up by India with the assistance
from UNDP, United States Agency for International Aid (USA ID) and European Union
in 169 most hazard prone districts in 17 States including the North Easter11States during
2002-07. The programme aims to minimise losses of developme~~t gains from disasters
and reduce vulnerability. Disaster preparedness is the important component of this project.
Other activities include awareness generation and p~~blic education, preparedness, planning
and capacity building, developing appropriate institutional, admi~iistrative,legal and techno-
legal policies at state, district, block, village, ~ ~ r b alocal
n body and levels for
vulnerability reduction.
UNDP's Emergency Response Division sponsors activities in two main areas. The first is
!
preventive development, which includes: I

0 Assessing vulnerability to crises and iiatural disasters

Establishing early warning systems
Developing and maintaining a framework of development responses and ottier
contingency disaster plans to be used if a crisis erupts
Forming and strengthening UN Disaster Management Teams i

Integrating disaster preparedness, mitigation, prevention and response programmes k

into national development programmes; and i i

I

Preparing National Human Development Reports. :, I 1

The second activity is training in order to contribute to human resources developmelit by I
t
improving capabilities in:
1
o Risk and vulnerability analysis i
1
Planning for contingencies I
1

e
Designing responsive structures
Implementing prevention and mitigation strategies for disaster and crisis (Lynch and
I
Unnikrishnan, 2000).
I
Disaster Preparedness: Role and Re~pon~sibilitiesof lnternationt~lAgcncies. Non-governmental
Ot-ganisations,Comrnzrnity- based Organisations, Conimliniry and Media
World Bank
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) popularly known as
World Bank offers project loans for reconstruction and development to developing
countries. In July 1998, a Specialist Disastes Management Facility (DMF) was set up at
its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The, World Bank has also posted Disaster Management
Specialists in some or its offices. Realising the importance of disaster management in
development projects, World Bank 11ow incorporates disaster management component in
many of its projects. World Bank has financed rehabilitation projects after the Latur
earthquake (1993), Orissa super cyclone (1 999), and Gujasat earthqualte (2001). The
main objective of setting u p DMF is to promote disaster risk management. The World
Bank's central assistance strategies include preventive and mitigation measures, enabling
communities to reduce the vulnerability to any disaster.
Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank, wl2icli is in Manila, is a Philippines-based regional developrnent
bank for Asia and the Pacific. It provides long-term project financing. ADB has also
financed rehabilitation projects in India mostly in conjunction with IBRD. ADB also does
research on disaster management and has broi~ghtout some useful publications. Tl~us,
international agencies play a key role in all activities of disaster management cycle. Their
activities encompass areas pertaining to preparedness, respolise, recovely and rehabilitation.

10.3 ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORCANISATIONS

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) occupy a place of prominence in establishing a
vital link between government arid the community. They perform varied roles in pre-
disaster, du ring-disaster and post-d isaster stages. They can contribute in a positive manner
in establishing closer and informal links with the community, providing dedicated, motivated
personnel, mobilising financial and natural resources and professional and teclinical services.
Abhiyan
Abhiyan, as Ihe Kutch Nav Nirman Abliiyan is known, is a network of grass soots
organisations that was set up in the aftermath of the devastating cyclone that hit Kutch
in May 1998. It is a network of 29 voluntary organisations which has undertaken
coordination, planning, lobbying and capacity building activities. It is not a directly
implementing organisation. Abhiyan galvanised liiglily effective disaster relief operations by
ensuring close coordination between NCOs, the district administration, health services,
donor agencies and the disaster-affected people. 'The main objective is to foster rehabilitation
of the individual communities and ensure that local capabilities are built and the resources
are maximised to avoid dependency. As Abhiyan was already operating in the field, during
the Gujarat earthquake of January 2001, they were able to provide effective arid efficient
services. Abhiyan with help from Gujarat State Disaster Management Authol-ity (GSDMA)
and UNDP has published at letst four editions of "Coming Together", which gives
interalia, details of 21 1 NGOs which have worked or are worlcing in the K~ltcharea.
VASUDEVA
Voluntary Agencies for Sustainable Universal Development and Emergency Voluntary
Action - VASUDEVA network was formed with the intention of creating a bridge
between the NGOs and the Government sector as also within the NGOs working in the
field of disaster management. Five elements to sustain VASLIDEVA were recognised
4
 140 Disaster Pt-eparedness

which include donation, grant, cooperation, skill application and offering se~vices.One of
the principles of VASUDEVA was that development must be such that it protects from
.calamities, not such that it becomes a calamity itself. It was envisaged to become a
people's movement for disaster management.
Indian Red Cross Society
I n India, Red Cross Sbciety functions at the national, stare and district level. This is an'
organisation that provides relief to the people when they are in dire need of it. Since this
is an offsl~ootof an international movement, it is a non-political organisation. It is the
image of the Red Cross that maltes it one of the most acceptable institutions in providing
relief to the people in distress. Till 1995, the Red Cross was working primarily as a relief
organisation. From 1996 onwards, it has shifted its focus from relief to disaster
preparedness and started developing community- based disaster preparedness plans. This
is a unique feature of the training programmes being organised by the Red Cross. It is
basically concerned with relief distribution including first aid and transporting / shifting the
victims of disaster to hospital or other safer places. It has around 650 branches. The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCRCS) is the
coordination body of national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It publislies World
Disaste~asReport every year on different themes.
The lack of a well coordinated network between the NGO sector and the government
and also between the NGOs themselves is well known. The general perception is that
lack of coordination among the NGOs is responsible for dearth of informarion about most
of the exetnplary work done by NGOs at the grass roots level, and duplication of efforts
in some areas and near total absence in other areas.
NGOs are of different sizes, origins, with different areas of operations and varied
expertise. They can be those working at field level, associations of local occupation
groups, residents' associations, religious and charitable bodies etc. NGOs cover a whole
range of activities, Some are international in character, some national, some regional and
some times the outcome of efforts of an individual. Some NGOs work in a professional
way, some have full time paid staff, and others do activities voluntarily.
By and large, NGOs have well-delineated priority areas. These include:
Developing personnel capabilities, with inputs h m organisations like Church's Auxiliary
for Social Action (CASA) and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywilere
(CARE).
m Identifying the feasible areas from the long list of disaster management needs.
e Reducing relief duplication and wastage.
* ,. , ' . Lembassies.
Coordinated access to donors (UN agencies bilateral aid agencies etc.).
.,; .. '.1

* Communication avenues and hardware (telephone, fax, radio, wireless recovery etc.) i
(Sllarma V.K., 2001). :I

There are some interest groups NGOs, such as Rotary Club, which also come forward !
I
for help during disasters. Professional societies, like those of doctors, managers, engineers,
i
chartered accountants, lawyers, which are well organised bodies of professionals coirld be I
of immense help in disaster preparedness. However, their potential in disaster preparedness ,
has not yet been channelised. Local Residents' Associations which cater to the welfare 1
 Disaster Preparedness: Role and Res,bonsibilities of international Agencies, Non-governmentul
Organisations, Conzmunity- bused Organisations, Comnlzrnity and Media
of local people come to help when there are localised problems. Religious and charitable
bodies become very active during any disaster and are able to raise resources and a large
number of volunteers. They have capabilities to cater to feeding mass gatherings, which
are required d~lringdisasters. This was witnessed during the floods in Mumbai in August
2005. Edr~cationalInstitutions can spread the basic tenets OF disaster preparedness from
early childhood. They can get students and their parents involved in disaster preparedness
activities.

10.4 ROLE OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS

Affected commilnities always are the first responders to disasters. Hence emphasis is
being laid on Community- based Disaster Prepared~iess(CBDP). For example, after the
Orissa super cyclone. NGOs invohed in rehabilitation worlc initiated steps to strengthen
commi~nitylevel preparedness as a necessary component of their humanitarian intervention.
UNDP and Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) have jointly undertalten
Community- based Disaster Preparedness Programmes in 144 vulnerable blocks of Orissa
under the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Progra~nrnebeing coordinated by the Union
Home Ministry. DRM involves preparation of contingency plans based on local resousces
and hazard mapping, risk and vulnerability assessment, formation of disaster task forces
at Village, Gram Panchayat, and Block levels involving key stakeholders, and training
these task forces in search and rescue operations, relief and emergency shelter management,
regular mock drills, etc. Women self-help groups, farmers, fishermen, schoolteachers,
anganwadi workers actively participate in this process (Sanyal, 2004). We have discussed
in detail about this in Unit 6 of this Course.
Community- based organisations have an impot-tant role in expediting the recovety process
including personal recovery of individuals, repair or replacement of physical assets. These
organisations:
a Offer muti~alsupport and solidarity
0 Strengthen people's ability to face crisis
a Generate consciousness, awareness, discussion, analysis of issues of comlnon concern
Enable people demand an access to services offered by government agencies; and
a Organise collective acquisition of skills and knowledge in varied spheres (Medury,
200 1).
In the aftermath of earthquake in Maharashtra i n 1993, the Maharashtra Earthquake
Emergency Rehabilitation Programme (MEERP) was started. Under this, the 'Samvad
Sahayaks' or village communicatian assistarits and women's groups acted as an interface
between the people and the administration. They initiated eftbrts to strengthen the
capabilities of all those involved in the programme such as women's gro~tps,representatives
of gram panchayats, bankers, house owners and comtnunity through informatio~i,editcation
*
... . - and training. This pro&amme has the following components:
Y

Information dissemination . '

.:. ' " .
Education and skills on earthquake-resistant constriction

.. houses
Motivating house owneersto build earthquake-resistant I.

Forming collectives for construction management

 Disaster. Preparedness

e Settlement planning exercises and resources mapping

+ Problem-solving of individual beneficiaries (SPARC-SSP, 1998).
The community- based organisations play a vital role in working with people at the grass
root Jevel and build their cooperation. Efforts need to be made to orient these
organisations towards certain key aspects of disaster management such as vulnerability
analysis, risk assessment, disaster mapping, preparation of community- based disaster
preparedness plans, methods of commi~nityresource mobilisation and uti lisation and post-
disaster rehabilitation. In Orissa, after the super cyclone, self-help groups have been
formed in some districts where the members have been given training in livestock
management and fodder cultivation. Also, revolving funds have been created to initiate
livestock related and other economic aclivities.

ROLE OF COMMUNITY
Community as an institution in itself is emerging as the most powerhl entity in the entire
meclianisrn of disaster management. In the event of actual disasters, the community, if well
aware of the preventive actions it is required to take, can substantially reduce the damage
caused by the disaster. It is the community especially at the grass roots level, which faces
the wrath of disasters. Hence mitigation, preparedness efforts, and emergency response
system need to be strengthened at the community level. Awareness and training of the
com~nunityis particularly useful in areas that are prone to frequent disasters. The efforts
of people in certain areas are laudable, where communities have formed their own
organisations that take initiative in such situations.
It is also-known that local communities have an active part to play before and after
disasters because: ,

e A good state of preparedness before a disaster strikes may reduce its impact.
e More nimber of lives can be saved during the first few I~oursafter a disaster has
occurred, before help arrives from elsewhere. The numerous problems of survival and
health resulting from a disaster are dealt with more efficiently, $,the com~nunityis
active and well organised (Lotto, 1989). ,
One such community- based organisation is the Village Task Force formed in villages of
Andhra Pradesh by the Churc11's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA). The Village Task
Force has been trained in. emergency evacuation and relief within the village. The people
tliernselves elect the members of task force and during disasters it serves as the nodal
body at village level, which has to mobilise resources for the community and disseminate
necessary infoni~ationpassed on by outside agencies.
In South Asia, the Bangladesh Red Cross has been silccessfirl in establishing a community-
based early warning system in cyclone-affected districts in collaboration with IFRC, The I

Disaster Mitigation Institute in India is working with community in flood and drought-prone
areas in the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Community-based Disaster Preparedness
Programmes (CBDP) are being initiated in several countries. In India, with the active role *1
being played by Panchayati Raj Institutions, in developmental activities, efforts are initiated I

to strengthen the capacities of these fi~nctionariesto enable them work with the 1

communities. I

A community- based disaster management approach enables the community assess their I
vulnerability to disasters, examine their strengths, capacities, resources, set goals, draw I

suitable programmes, prioritise the activities, mobilise and distribute resoilrces. While the ,
I
I
Disaster. Prepared/~e.ss:Role u ~ i dResponsibilities of lnfe~.nulionalAgencies. Non-govet.17r1ien/~1/
Ot-ganisations, Cornmunip- bused O/ganisntions.Community and Media
community as an effective institution is yet to take shape with low literacy levels and
widespread poverty, considerable efforts are being made to form and strengthen community-
based organisations at grassroots levels. Over time, the component of co~nmi~nity
preparedness has gained considerable significance in handling disasters. If human intervention
can be listed as the cause for increase in the scale of destruction then it is through
community preparedness that the intensity can be reduced. In such circumstances,
adhering to building byelaws and standards could be cri~cial.
Creating awareness among the community through education and training and information
dissemination about disasters and empowering them to cope with 11azal.d~constitute
mitigation strategies. The objective should be to enable the colnmunity take action for
itself. Disaster mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the scale of destruction need to
focus on the section of the population that is vulnerable and is at a greater risk of being
exposed to the adverse impact of disasters. Socio-economic, cultural practices etc., have
made them weak and put them in a disadvantaged position. Most of the time, the
measures and efforts taken by them go unnoticed such as the coping strategies adopted
by women in disaster situations, which need to be brought to light.
Pu blic-private-people Partnership
The role of Public-private-people Partnership (PPP) in disaster preparedness and mitigation
cannot be over emphasised. Public Private Partnership involves a triangular partnership of
Government-NGO-People with the involvement of the Gram Sabha especially at the grass
root level for an "enduring partnership".
The PPP represents an opportunity for NGOs to "link the community to the permanent
development agency", namely the government, and to enable people benefit from various
government schemes through an organised effort. PPP entails transparency and accountability.
It provides an opportunity for people to Ihave a say in the activities. PPP generates better
understanding with the government at different levels. It helps establish the NGOs'
credibility in the government mach inety.
The housing reconstruction programme following the afternlath of Gujarat earthquake is a
participatory programme with emphasis on multi-hazard resistant construction and capacity
building. The basic approach is owner-driven reconstruction. People tl~emselvesreconst~z~cted
their houses with the assistance of the government. ln addition, NGOs have undertaken
construction of some houses under the 'public-private partnersl~ipprogramme'. Under the
public private partnership programme, 42,526 houses were to be reconstructed out of
which 41,528 houses have been co~npleted by October 2003. Thus NGOs have
participated in twenty per cent of the houses to be reconstructed (Misra, 2004).
The private sector in India has always played an importarit role in disaster management.
The corporate sector being a repository of resources in terms of personnel, materials,
finance, mobilises efforts during crises. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is
playing a key role in areas of disaster preparedness and mitigation. The Ministry of Home
Affairs, recognising the importa~~ce of safety of built environment, had initiated interaction
with the construction sector organisations for integration of disaster-resistant and safe
construct~onpractices in upcoming c~structions.It has held discussions with the Builders'
Association of India (BAI) and the Construction Federation of India (CFI), with a
combined membership of over forty thousand construction companies for seeking their'
association with the disaster management fiamework,
 ROLE OF FAMILY AND INDIVIDUALS
During the disasters, the people have to act instantly. If a disaster occurs without any
warnings or predictions or at a large scale than predicted, the first activity for an
individual is to save the lives of dear and near ones, protect the valuable documents and
properties, and later should join others in rendering all possible help to the unfortunate
and the needy ones. All concerted action should be taken together to prevent the loss
of lives and property of the society as a whole (Arunachalarn, 2004).
An individual is a basic unit of society, whose family cornes next. If individuals and
families are well prepared for disaster, the nation will be prepared for disasters. It is the
individual attitude towards disaster preparedness which could reduce the risk to life atid
property. Each family should have a family disaster plan and family disaster supplies kit,
ready at all the times. We give below guidelines for preparation of fanlily disaster plan
and a list of family disaster supplies kit. These are just guidelines arid families skould
modify according to their special needs.
Family Disaster Plan*
0 Be familiar with the types of disasters that are most likely to happen in your area
and discuss with your family.
0 Evolve ways of preparing for each type of disaster and discuss with your family.
0 Find out how to help the elderly, expectant mothers, physically challenged or
children, if needed.
Enquire about the disaster plans at your work place, your childre~i'sschool and other
places where your family spends time. If they do not have plans, persuade them to
have.
Fix two places to meet:
a) right outside home in case of sudden emergency, like a fire.

b) outside neighbourhood in case you can't return I~ome.

Keep the addresses and phone numbers of important places.
I
Have a friend from a place other than your place of living as "family contact."
,
0 Discuss what to do in an evacuation.
Always keep emergency contact numbers.
0 Teach children how and when to call 100 or emergency medical service.
Show~eachfamily member how and when to turn off water, gas, and electricity at
the main switches.
0 Have adequate insurance coverage.
,
' 0
I
Have fire extinguishers and demonstrate its use. Z

I
Conduct periodically a home hazard hunt. I
I
*
(accessed in 2003)
Modified from material at www.fema.nov/nte/dis~lan.ht~l - I

i
Disaster Prepareclness: Role and Responsibilities of'lnternational Agencies. Nan-govel.nrnentn1
Organisutions, C'om171tlnity-based Ot-ga~iisnlions,Cornmtrnity and Media
Get trained in first aid.
a Collabot-ate with your neighbours, and share information special skills.
Family Disaster Supplies Kit
1) Water: Store in plastic containers. Keep at least a three-day supply of water for
each person in your household.

2) Food: Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, lhat requires no

refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water. Select foods that are
compact and are of light weight

3) First Aid Kit, including medication

4) Tools and Supplies:.
Battery operated small radio and extra batteries.
Cash
Compass
Screw Driver
Plier
Sanitary items
Tape
Matches in Waterproof Container
Plastic Sheeting
Flash Light.

5) Clothing and Bedding: One co~npletechange of clothing per person.

6) Special Items for
Women and children
Old persons
Physically challenged.

7) Important family documents in a waterproof portable container.

10.7 ROLE .OF MEDIA

Media, which can be print, broadcast or display is an organised means of reaching a
large number of people, quickly, kffective~~
and efficiently. The suggestive, informative and
analytical role of the media must.form a key component of disaster education. It is the
most potent way of educating the comlnunity on disaster prevention, mitigation and
rehabilitation. These tasks can be carried out on the basis of the dual role of media
related with imparting information and analysing 'disasters discerningly. The effects of
disasters need to .be examined not only in technical and scientifibr e terms, but also in
 146 Disaster. Preparedness

humanitarian, social and economic terms.' The media can play an important part in this
direction (Sahni and Dhameja, 2004).
Media can play an important role to highlight the vulnerable conditions of the colnlnunity
that is acutely affected at the time of disaster and can become an active medium for
community awareness. The Press Council of India celebrates the annual Press Day on
November 16 each year. The Press Day on November 16, 2000 was observed with the
theme of ''Role of Media in Disusler Managerncnt - ~ri>urin.g People to Cope wilh
Disasters. " The National Seminar which was organised emphasised that there is need for
disseminating pleparedness aspects of disaster management among all sections of society
and making special provisions for the m&e vulnerable sections of the community viz.,
women and children.
By media, we generally imply the important channels of mass comrni~nication.This
includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, audio and videocassettes as well as
movies. The electronic media have during recent ti~nksemerged as a major compoiient of
disaster management, as amply demonstrated in the aftermath of the Jammu and Kashmir
earthquake in 2005. Special emphasis is laid on the role of electronic media and
information technology as it is felt that this sector needs to be integrated With not only
tlie disaster response but the overall disaster management strategy.
Role of the print media is also important, as this continues to be tlie mediilrn of mass
media in many parts of the Indian society which are still unreachable by the electronic
media. The print media have a lnajor role to play in the pre-disaster prevention, mitigation
and preparedness activities through appropriate community awareness generation.
India is heterogeneous and we have to use a mix of several forms of media including
traditional public address systems, gram choupals, nukkad meetings, announcements by
public address system, Inelas and fairs for disaster preparedness. Media can communicate
the results of surveilIance of the environment and could wan1 people of impending weather
related disasters. If necessary and advised by the authorities, media could spread the
message for evacuation and keep people updated with latest happenings in the event of
disaster. They could also educate people for long-term preparedness.
Media need to be proactive in nature rather than reactive. Tliey have to disseminate tlie
right type of information at the appropriate tirne. For instance in India, the reacli of radio
and television to tlie masses, in providing information is getting organised. But there is a
need to bring in professionals in these channels to enable people comprel~end the
information and accordingly respond and take action. For instance, the involvenient of
professional meteorologists or training of media experts in providing weather-related
information would definitely make an impact.

10.8 CONCLUSION - - -
In sudden and catastrophic disasters, role of international agencies is significant d u e to
their having the expertise in their field of activity as the local government lacks the
necessary expertise. A number of UN organisations are involved in disaster management.
Since 110 government can manage a disaster effectively with the help of NGOs, CBOs,
and tlie local community it is in a better position to tackle disaster management. Many
NGOs are doing a commendable work. Individuals, families and communities need to be
trained for disaster preparedness. Media has an important role to play in inforn~ingand
Disaster Preparedness: Role and Responsibilitie.~of lnrernational Agencies. Non-povertirnenrul
Organisations, Commzlnity- based Organisations, Comrnz~nityand Media
educating people in this regard. Proper reporting during disasters by the media can help
people in coping with disasters.

10.9 KEY CONCEPTS

Hazard Mapping : It is the process of determining geographically. where
and to what extent, a particular disaster or hazard is
likely to pose a threat to people, property, infrastructure
and other activities.
Logistics and Inventory : It involves activities encompassing transportation,
Management inve~itory,warehousing, material handling and packaging.
Inventory includes the amount of raw materials, spare
parts, semi-processed material etc.
Risk Mapping : Here an assess~nentof levels of expected losses likely
to occur in specific areas, during a particular time
period due to specific disaster hazards is done and
results are presented on a map.

10,110 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Abhiyan, GSDMA and UNDP, 2002, Coming Together: A Document on /he Post
Earthquake Rehabilitation efJbrt by Various Organisations working i17 Kutch, 4th
Edition, Bhuj.
Arunachalam, N.V, 2004, ABCD ...qf Natural Disaster and its Effect on Intelligentsia,
Proceedings Volume - I of World Congress on Natural Disaster Mitigation, Institution
of Engineers (India), Kolkata.
Carter, Nick W., 1 99 1 , Disaster Management: A Disuster Manager 's Handbook,
Asian Development Bank, Manila.
Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, 2001, Report of the High Po~jered
Committee 012 Disaster Manugement, d e w Delhi.
Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Natural Disaster Management Division
2003, Project Document of UNDP Disnster Risk Management Prugrarnmme
(2002-07), New Delhi.
Lynch, Simon and P.V. Unnikrishnan, 2000, "A Profile of Agencies Involved in Disaster
Response" i n S. Parasuran~anand P.V. ~nnikrishnan(Eds.) India Disasters I$eport
Towards a Policy Initiative, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
Medury, Uma, 2001, "Coping with Disasters: A Community Based Approach" in Pardeep
Sahni, Al ka Dhameja and Uma Medury (Eds.), Disaster Mitigation: Experiences and
Reflections, Prentice of Hall India, New Delhi.
Misra, P. K, 2004, Transforming Adversity into Opportunity: Experiences from the
Gujarat Earthquake Reconstruction Programme, Pi-oceedings Volume - 2 of World
Congress on Natural Disaster Mitigation, Institution of Engineers (India), Kolkata.
148 Disaster Preparedness

Orissa State Disaster Management Authority, Communily Contingency Plan for Floods
& Cyclones (Community Based Disaster Preparedness), Orissa, OSDM A & United
Nations, Bhubaneswas.
Orissa State Disaster Management Authority, September 2002, Commu~ity-based
Disaster Preparedness Programme, Project Completion Report, OSDMA, U N D P ,
DFID, March 200 1 - September 2002, Bhubaneswar.
Sahni, Pardeep and Alka Dl~ameja,2004, Role of Disaster ~ciucationand Training in
Disaster Management, Background Material for Workshop on Disaster Management in
Agriculture, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, February, New Delhi.
Sanyal, N, 2004, "Challenges of Post-super Cyclone Reconstruction in Osissay',Proceedings
Volume - 2 01World Congress on Natural Disaster Mitigation, Institution of Engineers
(India), Kolkata.
Sharma, V.K. 2000, "NGO-Government Collaboration" in S. Parasuraman and P.V.
Unnikrishnan (Eds.) op.ciit
World Health Organisation, 1989, Coping with Natui.al Disaster: The Role of Local
Health Personnel and the Community, Geneva.
Websites

10.11 ACTMTIES
1) Contact any NGO working in the area of disaster management in your local area
and enquire about its activities.

2) Find out in your area about community- based disaster preparedness programme.
Write a. note about it and suggest ways of involving,the community in a more
effective way in disaster preparedness.