EMN
Dimapur, April 12
A team of 30 members from the 12th battalion of the National Disaster Response Force from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, is imparting training on disaster management, and preparedness to the people of Wokha town during a five-day long event.
• The team will also be demonstrating the use of various tools and equipments used in situations of disasters. Topics about medical first responder, collapsed structure search and rescue, school safety training, urban search and rescue, earthquake, flood, land slide and community response will be the topics that would be covered during the training programme. There will be an interaction session with team as well.
• The team had a short meeting with the deputy commissioner of Wokha, A Robin Lotha, at his official chamber. Welcoming the team, the deputy commissioner expressed gratitude to them ‘for taking out time to impart trainings’ to various nongovernmental organizations. He expressed hope that ‘whatever knowledge’ that the team imparts would benefit the people of the district.
• The team leader Assistant Commandant of the battalion, Ajay Bahadur Singh, apprised the deputy commissioner about the various topics to be covered during the programme.
• On the first day, the team will be imparting training to members of the State Disaster Response Force. The second day will be at the Don Bosco Higher secondary school while the third day will be training members of nongovernmental organizations and community responders. On the final day of the event, the trainees will be debriefing.
Disaster management
• Disaster management (or emergency management) is the creation of plans through which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Disaster management does not avert or eliminate the threats; instead, it focuses on creating plans to decrease the effect of disasters.
• Failure to create a plan could lead to damage to assets, human mortality, and lost revenue. For instance, even in developed countries like the United States, 60 percent of its businesses do not have emergency management plans. Events covered by disaster management include acts of terrorism, industrial sabotage, fire, natural disasters (such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.), public disorder, industrial accidents, and communication failures.
Disaster response
• Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of a number of elements, for example, warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immediate restoration of infrastructure.
• The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population. Such assistance may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as assisting refugees with transport, temporary shelter, and food, to establishing semi-permanent settlement in camps and other locations. It also may involve initial repairs to damaged infrastructure.
• The focus in the response phase is on meeting the basic needs of the people until more permanent and sustainable solutions can be found. The main responsibility to address these needs and respond to a disaster lies with the government or governments in whose territory the disaster has occurred. In addition, Humanitarian organizations are often strongly present in this phase of the disaster management cycle, particularly in countries where the government lacks the resources to respond adequately to the needs.
• The National Disaster Management Authority is the primary government agency responsible for planning and capacity-building for disaster relief. Its emphasis is primarily on strategic risk management and mitigation, as well as developing policies and planning. The National Institute of Disaster Management is a policy think-tank and training institution for developing guidelines and training programs for mitigating disasters and managing crisis response.
• The National Disaster Response Force is the government agency primarily responsible for emergency management during natural and man-made disasters, with specialized skills in search, rescue and rehabilitation.
• The Ministry of Science and Technology also contains an agency that brings the expertise of earth scientists and meteorologists to emergency management. The Indian Armed Forces also plays an important role in the rescue/recovery operations after disasters.
Aniruddha’s Academy of Disaster Management (ACDM) is a non-profit organization in Mumbai, India with ‘disaster management’ as its principal objective.
