CEE -433

Disaster Management and Earthquake Engineering

Dr. Ahmad Hasan Nury

Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Credit: 3

Text Books:

Coppola P. Damon (2015), Introduction to International Disaster Management. 3rd Ed.

Elsevier ISBN-9780128014776

Carter, W. Nick (1992), Disaster Management: A Disaster Manager’s Handbook. 2nd Ed.,
Asian Development Bank, Manila. ISBN-9715610064

Disaster Management Bureau of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

(2010), National Plan for Disaster Management 2010-2015
Why should I care ?
Floods of Bangladesh in 1998
 2019-2020 Australian Bushfires

As of 9 March 2020, the fires burnt an estimated

18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres; 72,000 square
miles),
destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes)
killed at least 34 people (445 died due to smoke inhalation)
more than a billion animals – including 800,000 in NSW – perished from the
bushfires
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes
Damage CYCLONE
Potential

Poorer than
Society before

Elements at Risk

Disruption of
Huge Losses/ Normal life &
Damages Development
Suffers
 Damage HAZARD
Potential

Awareness- Effect
on Elements

Quicker
Society Recovery

Elements at Risk
Action
Communities
Plans More
Huge Losses/ Resilient
Damages

Reduced More Stable Society

Losses
 Damage HAZARD
Potential

Elements at Risk

Societal Elements
Natural Features People & Live-stock
River/Stream Banks Huts & Semi-permanent Houses
Low-lying Areas Weak Buildings
Sea & Sea-coast Agri. & Horticultural crops
Slopes of hills
Livelihood tools / Equipment
Unsecured personal assets
Public Infrastructure
Scale of Disaster
Is Dependent on :
• Lead Time Available.
• Intensity of Hazard.
• Duration.
• Spatial Extent.
• Density of Population & Assets.
• Time of Occurrence.
• Vulnerabilities existing in the Elements at
Risk.
• Hazard X Vulnerability =
Disaster
ELEMENTS AT RISK
• People
• Livestock
• Rural Housing Stock
• Houses Vulnerable
• Crops, Trees,Telephone, Electric poles
• Boats, Looms, Working Implements
• Personal Property
• Electricity, Water and Food Supplies
• Infrastructure Support
AIMS OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
• Reduce (Avoid, if possible) the
potential losses from hazards.

• Assure prompt and appropriate

assistance to victims when
necessary.

• Achieve rapid and durable

recovery.
 DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
PRE-DISASTER
tion DURING DISASTER

ara
p

Emergency
Phase
Pre
&
e
No
s cu lief
Ph rma
as l Re Re
e

Rehabilitation
Mitigation
Re
co
nst
ruc
tion

Integration
into NDP*
Stages of Disaster
Cyclone

BEFORE DURING AFTER

Jan - Apr MAY June- Oct

Well Before
Weeks-Months

Just Before - Actual Time

Hours Period

Rescue Relief Rehabilitation Reconstruction

 Role Players in Disasters
• People : Individuals, House -Holds,
Volunteers
• Gram Panchayat : Sarpanch, Panchayati
Secretary, Panchayati Members
• Village Elders : Caste/Community/Religious
Leaders, Teachers, Doctors, Engineers,
Retired Army & Police Personnel
• Govt. Deptl. Officers : Agriculture, Medical,
Engineers (Housing, Roads & Buildings,
Irrigation) Revenue Department, Public
Health, Police etc. NGOs
DEFINITIONS OF “VULNERABILITY”

• “The extent to which a community,

structure, service or geographic area is
likely to be damaged or disrupted by
the impact of particular disaster
hazard…”
• “Vulnerability is the propensity of
things to be damaged by a hazard”.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
• Disaster preparedness aims at
minimizing the adverse effects of a hazard -

• Through effective precautionary actions

• Ensure timely, appropriate and efficient

organisation and delivery of emergency
response following the impact of a disaster.
PREPAREDNESS
• Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping to include
Resources.
• Assess strengthening requirements and execute.
• Funding for preparedness must be arranged.
• Peoples’ cooperation through Political leaders,
elders, Volunteers and NGOs
• Create lead time by interpreting Warnings
• Plan to include movement of resources with time
frame.
• Aim to reduce the destructive potential of
cyclones, timely & appropriate relief to victims
and quick & durable recovery
Disaster Preparedness Framework

COMPONENTS OF PREPAREDNESS

Vulnerability Planning Institutional

Assessment Framework
Information Resource Warning
System Base Systems

Response Public Rehearsals

Mechanisms Education
and Training
Disaster Response Activities
• Warning
• Evacuation/Mitigation
• Search and Rescue
• Assessment
• Emergency Relief
• Logistics and Supply
• Communication and information Management
• Survivor Response and coping
• Security
• EOC & coordination
• Expedite rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Floods and Water Hazards
Elements at Risk Main Mitigation
• Everything in the Strategies.
flood plain. • Land use control
• Earthen or soluble • Engineering of
strictures
structures
• Elevation of structures
• Buried services and
utilities • Flood control
structures
• Food stores • Reforestation projects
• Crops and (watershed
livestock management)
 Strong Winds

Elements at Risk Main Mitigation

Strategies.
• Lightweight structures.
• Elevated utilities (Power and • Structural
communication lines) engineering
• Fishing boats and other measures.
maritime industries.
• Planting of
windbreaks.
Common Disaster Management Terminologies
DISASTER

A serious disruption of the

functioning of a community or
a society involving widespread
human, material, economic or
environmental losses and
impacts, which exceeds the
ability of the affected
community or society to cope
using its own resources.
 HAZARD

A dangerous phenomenon, substance,

human activity or condition that may cause
loss of life, injury or other health impacts,
property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption,
or environmental damage.
Vulnerability

The characteristics and

circumstances of a community,
system or asset that make it
susceptible (or suitable) to the
damaging effects of a hazard.
Disaster Population
Capacities

The combination of all the

strengths, attributes and resources
available within a community,
society or organization that can be
used to achieve agreed goals
against a hazard or disaster.
 Risk

The probability that a community’s structure

or geographic area is to be damaged or
disrupted by the impact of a particular hazard,
on account of their nature, construction, and
proximity to a hazardous area.

Risk = Threat x Vulnerability x Cost

Threat
Threat is the frequency of potentially adverse events. Since
threat (by this definition) is always a frequency, it's always
potentially measurable.

Here are some examples. The threat rate of southern

California earthquakes greater than 4 on the Richter Scale is
21 per year. The threat rate of hurricanes hitting Florida is 1.4
per year.
Response

The provision of emergency

services and public assistance
during or immediately after a
disaster in order to save lives,
reduce health impacts, ensure
public safety and meet the basic
subsistence needs of the people
affected.
Relief

Measures that are required

in search and rescue of
survivors, as well to meet
the basic needs for shelter,
water, food and health care.
Recovery

The process
undertaken in a
disaster-affected
community to fully
restore itself to pre-
disaster level of
functioning.
 Rehabilitation
Actions taken in the aftermath
of a disaster to:
• assist victims to repair their
dwellings;
• re-establish essential services;
• revive key economic and social
activities
Retrofitting

Reinforcement or
upgrading of
existing structures
to become more
resistant and
resilient to the
damaging effects of
hazards.
Mitigation
Measures taken prior to the impact
of a disaster to minimize its effects
(sometimes referred to as structural
and non-structural measures).
The adverse impacts of hazards often
cannot be prevented fully, but their
scale or severity can be substantially
lessened by various strategies and
actions. Mitigation measures
encompass engineering techniques
and hazard-resistant construction as
well as improved environmental
policies and public awareness.
 Preparedness
The knowledge and capacities
developed by governments,
professional response and recovery
organizations, communities and
individuals to effectively anticipate,
respond to, and recover from, the
impacts of likely, imminent or
current hazard events or
conditions.
Prevention
The outright avoidance of adverse
impacts of hazards and related
disasters.

It is the measures taken to avert a

disaster from occurring, if possible
(to impede a hazard so that it does
not have any harmful effects).
Early warning system

The set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate

timely and meaningful warning information to enable
individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a
hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient
time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss.
 Elements at Risk

Persons, buildings, crops or other such like

societal components exposed to known hazard,
which are likely to be adversely affected by the
impact of the hazard.
Elements at Risk

Exposed Elements
Adaptation

The adjustment in
natural or human
systems in response
to actual or
expected climatic
change or their
effects, which
moderates harm or
exploits beneficial
opportunities.
Disaster Management
The systematic process of using administrative directives,
organizations, and operational skills and capacities to implement
strategies, policies and improved coping capacities in order to lessen
the adverse impacts of hazards and the possibility of disaster.

Disaster management aims to avoid, lessen or transfer the adverse

effects of hazards through activities and measures for prevention,
mitigation and preparedness.

A broad range of activities designed to:

▪ Prevent the loss of lives

▪ Minimize human suffering
▪ Inform the public and authorities of risk
▪ Minimize property damage and economic loss
▪ Speed up the recovery process
Disaster Management can be achieved by--
Culture of
Culture of Preparedness
Prevention &
Mitigation

Culture of Culture of

Strategic Thinking Quick Response