Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance

Disaster management involves plans for preparation, response and recovery efforts.

Disasters can occur in many forms and affect populations on a national, state or city level. Disaster management incorporates governments, businesses and communities within an overall plan designed to prevent disasters and reduce the potential for damage and injury. Provisions for humanitarian assistance address the needs of disaster victims in areas of medical care, housing and emergency relief.

Disaster Management

Disaster management involves an ongoing process of planning and implementing procedures used in governments, businesses and communities to prevent and reduce the risk of disasters, according to the Global Development Research Center. The process uses an integrative approach that anticipates the possible effects of disasters, designs emergency preparations and makes provisions for humanitarian assistance needs. Safeguarding life, property and potentially hazardous conditions are the primary objectives for disaster management. To do this, planning activities identify the types of interventions and precautions needed before, during and after a disaster.

Function

Disastrous conditions can arise from tornadoes, earthquakes, floods or terrorist attacks. According to the Global Development Research Center, disaster management protocols assess the potential for damage and injury, and identify what resources need to be in place to restore an area back to normal conditions. To do this, planners develop a disaster management cycle, which provides a list of action steps to take in the event of a disaster. As a result, disaster plans can have an influence on public policies and planning activities on national, state and city levels of government.

Disaster Cycle

According to the Global Development Research Center, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery make up the four primary stages within a disaster cycle plan. The disaster management stages include mitigation and preparedness, which incorporate building codes, zoning ordinances, public education and warning systems. The response and recovery stages incorporate humanitarian assistance measures, which include putting together search and rescue teams, emergency shelters, setting up temporary housing and medical care. As disaster situations can take many different forms, stages within the cycle can vary depending on the severity of a disaster event.

Response Efforts

Humanitarian assistance measures require a coordinated effort that involves government and social service agencies and support from transportation and communications service providers. According to the Global Development Research Center, the overall purpose works to provide immediate assistance to disaster victims and reduce the risk of further damage and injury. Emergency responders attempt to meet the basic needs of the people affected until normal conditions can be restored. Assistance may come in the form of setting up settlement camps for refugees, food provisions, infrastructure repairs or transportation to safe locations, depending on the circumstances of the event.

Recovery Efforts

According to the Global Development Research Center, the recovery stage of the disaster management cycle is designed to evolve as a natural transition period that follows the response stage. The circumstances surrounding a disaster event typically indicate what measures to take once basic humanitarian assistance needs are met. Both short and long term recovery measures may be needed depending on the amount of damage and the number of people affected. Recovery efforts may include infrastructure repairs, restoring communication networks, providing counseling services and restoring hospital and emergency services back to normal.

References

• The Global Development Research Center: The Disaster Management Cycle

Resources

• FORCE Health Protection and Readiness: Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief