Category Archives: Disaster Management

Day_185:TImeline for Disaster Management

I wanted to share with you a brief overview of the timeline for disaster management. As someone with extensive experience in this field, I believe integrating this timeline with empirical insights from past disasters could further enhance the effectiveness of disaster management strategies.The timeline consists of four main phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, based on the disaster management cycle. Mitigation focuses on reducing the impact of disasters through long-term measures. Preparedness involves planning and preparing to respond to a disaster. The response phase is activated when a disaster occurs, and the recovery phase focuses on restoring the affected community.Implementing the timeline requires collaboration and coordination, community involvement, and continuous improvement. By understanding and utilizing this timeline, disaster management professionals can effectively plan for and respond to disasters, ultimately reducing their impact on communities.

A timeline for disaster management typically outlines the chronological steps and phases involved in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This timeline can be crucial for organizations, governments, and communities to manage the impacts of disasters efficiently. The timeline usually spans before, during, and after a disaster occurs and is divided into four main phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Here’s a brief overview:

1. Mitigation
Mitigation involves efforts to reduce the impact of disasters. This phase includes long-term measures aimed at minimizing or altogether avoiding the effects of disasters. Examples include building dams or levees to prevent flooding, enforcing building codes to withstand earthquakes, and implementing fire management strategies in wildfire-prone areas.

How to use:
Implement building and infrastructure standards that can withstand natural disasters.
Conduct environmental assessments and hazard analyses to identify risks and vulnerabilities.
Develop and enforce land-use policies that consider hazard-prone areas.

2. Preparedness
Preparedness focuses on planning and preparing to respond to a disaster. This phase involves training, exercises, establishing emergency plans, stocking supplies, and ensuring communication systems are in place.

How to use:
Conduct drills and exercises for emergency services and the public.
Develop and disseminate emergency plans, including evacuation routes and shelter locations.
Educate the community about disaster risks and how to prepare for them.

3. Response
The response phase is activated when a disaster occurs. It includes immediate actions taken to ensure safety, such as search and rescue operations, providing emergency services, and offering immediate relief to affected individuals.

How to use:
Activate emergency operations centers and disaster response plans.
Deploy emergency services and first responders to the affected areas.
provide emergency communications and information to the public.

4. Recovery
Recovery involves restoring the affected community to normal or better conditions. This phase can be short-term, focusing on immediate needs, or long-term, focusing on rebuilding and rehabilitation.

How to use:
Assess the damage and prioritize recovery efforts.
Support affected individuals and communities through rebuilding and financial assistance programs.
Review and revise disaster management plans based on lessons learned.

Implementing the Timeline
Collaboration and Coordination: Work with local, national, and international bodies to share information and resources.
Community Involvement: Engage the community in all phases to ensure that disaster management efforts are inclusive and meet the needs of all affected populations.
Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and update disaster management plans based on new information, technologies, and lessons learned from past events.

By understanding and utilizing this timeline, disaster management professionals can effectively plan for and respond to disasters, ultimately reducing their impact on communities.

A timeline can be derived from the disaster management cycle. The precise timetable for community disaster management is more specific, with intervals of two days, one day, three hours, during the disaster, and so forth.

In reference to:

What is the disaster management cycle?

What Is a Disaster Management Cycle?

 

Day_201 : Ground conditions are a fundamental factor in determining the amplification of seismic motions at the ground surface and the magnitude of earthquake damage

The condition of the ground is an important factor in determining how strongly an earthquake will be felt. For example, in the 1891 Nobi earthquake (Japan), the 1923 Kanto earthquake (Japan), and the 1985 Mexico earthquake (Mexico), the softer the ground, the stronger the earthquake shaking. Especially in softer strata, seismic waves are slower, so the shaking is greater. This shaking is further intensified when the period of the strata coincides with the period of the earthquake or building. This is called resonance and is the cause of many building failures.

For example, in the 1891 Nobi Earthquake in Japan, most houses near the epicenter were destroyed, but the number of houses destroyed decreased as one moved farther away from the epicenter. At a distance of 50 km from the epicenter, few houses were broken in areas with hard ground, while many were broken in areas with soft ground; in the 1923 Kanto earthquake in Japan, few houses were broken on the Yamanote plateau in Tokyo, while many were broken in the Arakawa lowlands; in the 1985 Mexico earthquake, the collapse of tall buildings in particular was observed, but this was also caused by soft ground.

The destruction of homes by earthquakes has a major impact on human casualties, fires, and even society as a whole. Therefore, when considering earthquake countermeasures, it is very important to carefully examine the condition of the ground.

Source URL:https://dil.bosai.go.jp/workshop/2006workshop/gakusyukai19.html

Day_189: Understanding Heat Waves and Their Big Impact

When it gets boiling for several days, it’s often because of heat waves. These are a big deal and not just a minor inconvenience because they result from numerous intricate factors. Let’s explore what causes heat waves, how they affect us and the environment, and what we can do about them. As climate change makes heat waves more intense, it’s essential to learn about them and consider how to adapt.

What Causes Heat Waves?

Heat waves happen when the weather stays scorching for a long time. This is usually because high-pressure systems trap warm air in one place. No clouds mean lots of sunshine, making it even hotter. Other things like jet streams, hotter cities than surrounding areas, dry soil, and lack of plants can worsen heat waves. Significant weather patterns over the ocean, like El Niño, can also change how often and how severe heat waves are. Understanding all this helps us prepare for and try to lessen the harmful effects of heat waves.

How Do Heat Waves Affect Us and Nature?

Heat waves can cause many problems. They can lead to more wildfires, harm wildlife, and reduce the amount of food farmers can grow. They also use up a lot of water. People’s health can suffer, too, especially from heat-related illnesses. Heat waves can make some health conditions worse, lower air quality, and increase diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks.

Dealing with Heat Waves

To deal with heat waves, we can plant more trees in cities, build buildings that don’t get as hot, and ensure everyone knows how to stay cool. With more heat waves expected because of climate change, building stronger buildings and improving weather warning systems is essential to keep everyone safe.

Getting Ready for More Heat Waves

As heat waves become more common, we all need to prepare. This means knowing how to keep cool, strengthening our communities against heat, and supporting laws that help deal with heat waves. By working together, we can be better prepared for hot weather and ensure everyone stays safe.

Day_67 : Disaster Terminology

The disaster terminology is very important to have a common picture to discuss among the related people. The UNISDR provides a very useful website to confirm the term. For example, the adaptation is defined as “The adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities”. The following is the website.

Disaster Risk Reduction Terminology

Day_27: University roles for disaster risk reduction (2)

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Disasters happen in the local areas, and the local community’s preparedness will be one of the keys to disaster risk reduction. Therefore, universities should play an essential role in raising their preparedness level. There are so many different field experts at the University. They can contribute to localities in various ways. However, they tend not to understand how. On the other hand, local government disaster managers lack the resources to search for experts and research findings to utilize such precious local knowledge in their work.

I have been doing this topic for a long time. I will continue……