✅ NATURE/CHARACTERISTICS/FEATURE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

🌍 Nature, Characteristics, and Features of Disaster Management

🧐Meaning of Disaster

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a crisis is a decisive moment—a time of great difficulty, a disaster, or a catastrophe. It represents a turning point that can change the destiny of an individual, group, company, or government. Therefore, the terms ‘Crisis’ and ‘Disaster’ are often used synonymously. However, a crisis is typically considered man-made, while a disaster is often viewed as a natural calamity.

The World Book Encyclopedia (2001, Chicago) defines a "disaster as a sudden, extremely unfortunate event that affects many people." This includes natural occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and famines. It also encompasses man-made calamities like bomb blasts, accidents, and looting or rioting during communal conflicts.

📋Key Features of Disaster Management

The following are some of the most important features of disaster management:

👥1. Disaster Management Teams

Worldwide, governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations are establishing disaster or crisis management teams to handle disasters effectively. These teams are broadly divided into three main components:

  • The Policy Team
  • The Management Team
  • The Liaison Team

📊2. Systematic Planning

Disaster management involves systematic planning to prevent a disaster. If one occurs, systematic planning is crucial to overcome the resulting crisis. This planning specifies what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and who is responsible for performing specific activities to manage and overcome the problems.

⚙️3. Organization of Resources

Effective disaster management requires the proper organization of resources, including manpower, materials, and funds, to deal with the calamity. A well-organized resource system helps disaster management personnel overcome the challenges posed by the disaster.

🧑‍💻4. Training of Personnel

To manage a disaster effectively, providing proper training to disaster management personnel is essential. This training helps develop and improve their skills, which can be critical in averting a disaster or responding to one efficiently.

🕰️5. Suitability (Pre- and Post-Disaster)

Disaster Management is required both before and after a disaster. Before a disaster strikes, it is suitable for averting the event, cautioning people, and taking appropriate preventative measures. After a disaster, it is vital for undertaking rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts, such as during floods or earthquakes.

🛡️6. Stability

Typically, disaster management teams may lack stability as they are often formed just before a potential disaster to avert it. However, in advanced countries like the USA, UK, and Japan, some organizations maintain more or less permanent Disaster Management teams to ensure constant readiness.

🏛️7. Organizational Structure

In his paper on ‘Crisis Management,’ Robert F. Littlejohn suggested a matrix organizational structure to deal with a disaster or crisis within an organization, city, or country. According to this model, the disaster management team should be headed by a dedicated crisis manager.