Natural and Man-made Disaster Class 8 ICSE Notes
•Type of Disaster
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses. Though most of disasters are often caused by nature but some disasters can have human origin.
TYPES OF DISASTERS :
(i) Natural disasters : Natural disasters are the disasters which are caused by the forces of nature and are beyond the control of human beings. It is the nature which provides us essential resources like soil, water, air, etc. but sometimes nature can be cruel. Earthquakes, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, etc. are natural disasters.
(ii) Man-made disasters : Man-made disasters are those for which human beings themselves are responsible. Wars, riots, nuclear explosions, industrial accidents, etc. are some of the man-made disasters. Though it is impossible to stop the disasters occurring yet some amount of precautions can be taken to save lives and properties and environment.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT :
Disaster management is a planned steps taken to minimize the effects of a disaster. It is a discipline that involves preparing, supporting, and rebuilding society when natural or human-made disasters occur. In general, it is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or minimise the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards.
NEED FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT :
Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and achieve rapid and effective recovery.
Disaster Management is an important component of all the communities. History has shown us that where communities have been prepared to face disasters, lesser lives have been lost, less significant damage to the environment has occurred, and property has been better conserved.
PHASES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Mitigation : Basic aim of mitigation is to minimising the effects of disaster through building codes and zoning; vulnerability analyses; public education.
Preparedness : Preparedness focuses on understanding how a disaster might impact the community and how education, outreach and training can build capacity to respond to and recover from a disaster.
Response : The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population. Search and rescue; emergency relief are important components of response.
Recovery : It is fourth phase of disaster management. It includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation
following an emergency. Getting financial assistance, temporary housing , medical care are important components of recovery phase.
•Flood
A flood is an abnormal rise of river or any water body due to heavy rainfall, tsunami, cyclone etc.
Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. India is one of the highly flood prone countries in the world. Around 40 million hectares of land in India is prone to floods as per National Flood Commission report. Floods cause damage to houses, industries, public utilities and property resulting in huge economic losses, apart from loss of lives. Though it is not possible to control the flood disaster totally, by adopting suitable structural and non-structural measures the flood damages can be minimised.
Before a Flood :
- Avoid building in a floodplain.
- Construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering your home.
- If a flood is likely in your area, listen to the radio or television for information.
- Know the difference between a flood watch and a flood warning. A watch means flooding is possible. A warning means flooding is occurring or will occur soon.
When a Flood is Imminent :
- Be prepared ! Pack a bag with important items in case you need to evacuate. Don't forget to include needed medications.
- If advised to evacuate your home, do so immediately.
- If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground.
- If possible, bring in outdoor furniture and move essential items to an upper floor.
- Turn off utilities at the main switches.
- Disconnect electrical appliances.
During a Flood :
- Do not walk through moving water. As little as 6 inches (15 centimetres) of moving water can make you fall.
- If you have to walk in water, wherever possible, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
- Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.
- Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
After a Flood :
- Listen for news reports to learn whether the community and water supply is safe to drink.
- Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage.
- Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car.
- Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe.
- Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters.
It is the trembling or sudden shaking of the ground that happens when rock masses on the Earth's surface are abruptly displaced. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth's crust, and their intensity and magnitude can vary greatly.
Indoors
- Do not rush outside, get your family into doorways, under tables, or, if they are bedridden, under their beds; keep away from windows and chimneys.
Outdoors
- Stay away from buildings, high walls or dangling electric wires.
- Do not re-enter damaged buildings.
Driving
- If you feel the earthquake when riding in a car or bus, ask the driver to pullover and stop. Stay inside the vehicle.
As soon as you can
- Put out all domestic fires and turn off heaters.
- Turn off electricity, gas and water, if the house is damaged.
- Leave the house if a fire starts that cannot be put out at once.
- Move to the nearest shelter or evacuate the area if this is ordered by the appropriate government agency.
•Fire
Fire is a very good servant, but, a very bad master. As long as fire is under our control, it serves a lot of useful purposes for us, but, once it goes out of our control, it can create a lot of destruction. However, despite the presence of fire safety measures, the occurrence of accidents is oftentimes inevitable.
About 60% fires are of electric origin on account of electric short circuit, overheating, overloading, use of non-standard appliances, illegal tapping of electrical wires, improper electrical wiring, carelessness and ignorance etc.
What to Do in Case of a Fire :
- Immediately pull the nearest fire alarm pull station as you exit the building.
- When evacuating the building, be sure to feel doors for heat before opening them to be sure there is no fire danger on the other side.
- If there is smoke in the air, stay low to the ground, especially your head, to reduce inhalation exposure.
Do's :
- Use I.S.I. Certified appliances.
- Use good quality fuses of correct rating, miniature circuit breakers and earth leakage circuit breakers.
- Switch off the electric supply of the fire affected areas. - Replace broken plugs and switches.
- Switch off the 'Main' switch when leaving home for a long duration.
- Elder's supervision is a must when children play with firecrackers.
- It is safe to play firecrackers in open grounds and open places.
Don'ts :
- Don't use substandard fixtures, appliances.
- Never have temporary or naked joints on wiring.
- Don't lay wires under carpets, mats or doorways. They get crushed, resulting in short circuiting.
•Role of Government in Disaster Management
The country has an integrated administrative machinery for management of disasters at the National, State, District and Sub- District levels. The basic responsibility of undertaking rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures in the event of natural disasters is with the concerned State Governments. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Government by providing financial and logistic support.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is the Nodal Ministry at the Centre for coordinating disaster management activities for all natural hazards. National Disaster Management Authority is the apex body which lays down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disaster.
The district administration is the focal point for implementation of all governmental plans and activities. The actual day-to-day function of administering relief is the responsibility of the District Magistrate/ District Collector/ Deputy Commissioner who exercises coordinating and supervising powers over all the departments at the district level. District Disaster Management Committee involves people from various blocks and villages.
It is accepted that the Government alone cannot take on the entire responsibility of Disaster Management. Apart from national, state, district and local levels there are various institutions who are involved in disaster management at various levels in the country. This includes the police and Para-military forces, Civil Defence and Home Guards, fire services, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Youth Organizations, UN agencies, International and National voluntary groups, public and private sector enterprises, media etc. play a major role in managing disasters.
•Important Terms
Disaster : A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses.
Natural disasters : These are the disasters which are caused by the forces of nature and are beyond the control of human beings.
Man-made disasters : These are those for which human beings themselves are responsible
Disaster management: It is a planned steps taken to minimize the effects of a disaster.
Flood : A flood is an abnormal rise of river or any water body due to heavy rainfall, tsunami, cyclone etc.
Earthquake : It is the trembling or sudden shaking of the ground that happens when rock masses on the Earth's surface are abruptly displaced. Earthquakes.
Oil Spill : An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity.
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