Disaster management is not only what happens after a disaster. It is a continuous cycle: work done before reduces the damage, and lessons from each event improve the next round of preparation.
Before a disaster
Prevention
Avoiding the hazard or its impact altogether, for example not building on floodplains or unstable slopes.
Mitigation
Reducing the damage when a hazard cannot be avoided.
- Earthquake-resistant construction and retrofitting
- Embankments, drainage and green cover
- Fire-safe wiring, exits and fire-fighting equipment
Preparedness
Being ready to act: plans, early warning, trained people and practice.
- Family and organisation emergency plans
- Emergency kits and agreed meeting points
- Training, mock drills and working alarms
After a disaster strikes
Response
The first hours and days: saving lives and meeting urgent needs.
- Warning, evacuation, search and rescue
- First aid, medical care and shelter
- Food, water, sanitation and communication
Recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
Restoring homes, services and livelihoods. The aim is to build back better, making the community safer than before.
- Restore water, power, roads and schools
- Repair or rebuild with safer standards
- Support livelihoods and mental well-being
The cycle in India
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 set up the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as the apex body, headed by the Prime Minister, with State and District authorities below it. The national approach is a continuum that includes prevention, mitigation and preparedness before a disaster, and response, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery after it.
See how each hazard works in practice on our Earthquake, Floods and Cyclones pages.
Sources: Disaster Management Act, 2005; National Policy on Disaster Management 2009