Natural Hazards, Disasters and Disaster Management

Natural disasters are an undesirable occurrence that results from forces beyond the control of humans and that humankind has long despised and terrified. It occurs suddenly and without notice, causing or threatening significant disruption of person and property including injury and death to a large number of people and requires mobilization of resources in excess of those provided by the statutory emergency services.

Natural Hazards

• These could be temporary or permanent components of the particular environmental contexts, such as ocean currents, Himalayan high slopes, hazardous structural characteristics, or severe weather conditions in desert areas or glaciated places
• These are situations in the natural universe that possess the power to harm persons, infrastructure, or even both

Natural Disaster

• When the degree of devastation and destruction incurred due to an incident is exceptionally large, you can consider it a disaster
• Natural disasters, compared to natural hazards, are more immediate and result in large-scale, extensive death, damaging property, and disruption of social structures and existence over which individuals have almost no influence
• Every disaster is specific in context to the local socio-environmental conditions that influence it, the social reactions it elicits, and how each social circle deals with it

Disaster-Related Issues

• Natural disasters’ scale, complexity, recurrence, and destruction have all grown throughout time
• Over time, there have been considerable differences in the structure of natural disaster management
• People worldwide seem to become deeply worried about how to handle the situation posed so that human life and properties are not lost

Classification of Natural Disasters

The classification of natural disasters is a valuable and logical step in dealing with disasters quickly and effectively. Natural disasters are divided into four groups in general.

Atmospheric:

Thunderstorms, Blizzards, Lightning, Tropical Cyclones, Tornadoes, Drought, Frosts, Hailstorms, Heatwaves, Loo, Cold Waves, and so on are all examples of atmospheric phenomena.

Terrestrial:

Earthquakes, Landslides, Volcanic Eruptions, Subsidence, Avalanches, and Soil Erosion are all examples of terrestrial hazards.

Biological:

Animals and plants as colonizers (Locusts, etc.), Insect infestations can spread fungus, bacteria, and viruses such as avian flu and dengue fever.

Aquatic:

Floods, ocean currents, tidal waves, storm surges, and tsunamis.

Natural Disasters and Risks in India:

India is huge and diversified regarding physical and socio-cultural characteristics.

Disaster Management

• Building cyclone sheltering, dykes, dams, reservoirs, and afforestation to lower wind direction are among the methods that can minimize destruction
• Except for tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, cyclone-caused tragedies are more foreseeable to the time and location of their incidence

Processes for Disaster Management

• Because catastrophes, especially natural disasters, are difficult to avoid, all risks do not have to become disasters. Mitigation and preparation are the following great choices
• In disaster management and mitigation, there seem to be three main phases

Pre-disaster planning:

• It entails gathering information and data on the classification of natural disasters, creating susceptibility zoning maps, and raising public awareness about them. Other necessary activities to be performed in sensitive locations include disaster planning, preparation, and protective methods

During disasters:

• Evacuation, relief camp construction, shelter construction, food, water, clothes, and medical support distribution, among other things, must be performed on an urgent basis

Post-Disaster Actions:

• It must include victim rehabilitation and healing. It should focus on creating the capacity to deal with future challenges

• The Government of India has made excellent efforts, such as introducing the Disaster Management Bill, 2005 and establishing the National Institute of Disaster Management

Conclusion

In the end, it can be concluded that Natural disasters are of several types i.e atmospheric, terrestrial, biological and aquatic. Natural disasters can not be avoided but their aftereffects can be mitigated by various ways like developing early warning signals especially for the coastal areas so that the evacuation process can be speedily conducted and people can be displaced towards safer places.

To improve the effectiveness of the disaster management, Remote sensing satellites can be used as it provides valuable inputs on disaster management for accurate prediction and assessment of the location and damage as well and to further mitigate the damages of natural hazards more innovation in disaster management should be promoted.