Multi-hazard Disaster Management
Adapted Source Materials
 Hughey, Erin (2005) Fundamentals of Disaster Management. The Commonwealth of The
Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
 United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (1998). The Disaster
Manager. FEMA Emergency Management Training Institute
Contributing Authors
Erin Hughey, PhD
Editing and Design
Joseph W. Bean
Margaret S. Roth
Water Resources University
University of Hawaii
Office of Research Services
2530 Dole Street, Sakamaki D-200
Honolulu, HI, 96822
Pacific Disaster Center
1305 N. Holopono Street,
Suite 2
Kihei, HI 96753
www.pdc.org info@pdc.org
Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) develops and applies information and technology solutions to foster disaster-resilient communities. PDC
was established by the U.S. Government, and is managed by the University of Hawaii. The content of this document does not reflect
the position or policy of the U.S. Government.
M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT
FOREWORD
Introduction
The Natural Disaster Risk Management Project (NDRMP) Education and Training Program
(E&TP) was developed in 2009–2010 for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by the Pacific Disaster
Center (PDC) working under the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development’s (MARD) Department of Dyke Management and Flood and Storm Control
(DDMFSC) and Central Project Office (CPO).
The main objective of the NDRMP, and therefore of the E&TP is to develop the capacity of
central and provincial disaster management organizations to (i) strategically plan investments
based on full technical, social, environmental and economic analyses of subprojects, (ii)
mainstream integrated disaster risk management (IDRM) into provincial development
planning,1 and (iii) implement the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Prevention, Response
and Mitigation to 2020.
Purpose and Curriculum
The NDRMP E&TP is designed to strengthen the capacity of central and provincial disaster
management organizations in Vietnam to effectively provide service through all four phases of
the disaster management cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The selected
training topics in this initial series are the critical components of any successful disaster
management program, and they provide the foundation for the potential expansion of
Vietnam’s national disaster management education and training program in the future.
Furthermore, these selected courses provide participants with the necessary skills and
knowledge to ensure that all agencies and organizations can seamlessly work together to
achieve Vietnam’s national strategy for natural disaster prevention, response and mitigation.
The E&TP curriculum provides an organized approach to disaster management training that is
consistent with the training philosophy of ACDM2, United States FEMA3, and UNOCHA4, and
supports international best practices, as well as the specific goals of Vietnam. It comprises six
core training courses. They are, in order of recommended delivery:
1. Multi-hazard Disaster Management
2. Natural Hazards of Vietnam
3. Decision Making and Problem Solving
4. Disaster Communications
5. Mapping for Disaster Management
6. Disaster Risk and Vulnerability
1
See, for example, McGrath and Dang (2005) Improving Socio-Economic Development Planning
in TT Hue Province.
2
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM)
3
United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
4
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
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Approach and Presentation
This training is designed for hands-on participation, to reflect the wide variety of settings in
which disaster managers work and the range of demands they must satisfy. It is intended to
bring together participants from a variety of agencies and organizations active in disaster
management, and to facilitate a comfortable and stress-free environment for the exchange of
information and knowledge.
Each course will engage a diverse population of participants. The rapidly changing field of
disaster management requires that practitioners and managers participate in continuous
training and education to ensure effective response and recovery. As a result, the training has
been designed to accommodate both disaster managers and practitioners in the same
classroom setting. This training style more accurately represents the everyday setting that is
experienced during disaster conditions. It also empowers all participants to actively engage in
the full range of training activities. Additionally, a diverse training population enriches the
participants’ experience by allowing for the exchange of ideas while facilitating critical
discussions of challenges, demands, and requirements.
Each course is designed to be presented through lectures that incorporate group discussions
and activities, demonstrations, case studies, and simulated exercises. Participants are provided
with a Participant Manual and with a compact disk (CD) containing resource materials, including
the PowerPoint slides used for instruction. Instructional resources that will be provided to
presenters along with the basic curriculum include materials that allow for customization of
participant activities by region.
The basic prerequisite for participation in the training program is simple: Each participant will
be someone who is active in disaster management in Vietnam. Within the program, all other
courses have as their prerequisite the Multi-hazard Disaster Management course.
Training participants have the advantage of applying the course material to their own personal
situations at frequent, pre-selected intervals during the course, and group activities are
designed to advance the inter-provincial cooperation and multi-sectoral planning that is
fundamental to the objectives of the E&TP.
Participants are encouraged and expected to keep the course materials provided to them, and
it is intended that these materials will be taken back to the participants’ places of employment
where the information can be shared with co-workers. With that aim in view, in addition to soft
copies of all course materials, the CD provided to each participant includes additional resources
that might be useful to the development and application of international best practices in
disaster management.
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ABOUT THE PARTICIPANT MATERIALS
Please note the following typographical conventions and iconography are
used throughout the materials.
SECTION HEADING
Main Topics
Sub Topics
SUB TOPICS
PERSONAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
LEARNING CHECK
GROUP ACTIVITY (30 MINUTES)
CASE STUDY
DISCUSSION
EXERCISE
DEMONSTRATION
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................................... I
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANT MATERIALS .................................................................................................... III
INSTRUCTOR OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 1
GOAL ............................................................................................................................................................ 1
WHO SHOULD ATTEND .................................................................................................................................... 1
PREREQUISITES ............................................................................................................................................... 1
INSTRUCTOR GUIDELINES .................................................................................................................................. 1
TRAINING CONTENT......................................................................................................................................... 2
TRAINING AGENDA .......................................................................................................................................... 2
COURSE MATERIALS ........................................................................................................................................ 3
COURSE EQUIPMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 3
COURSE DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................................. 5
MODULE 1 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................... 7
SCOPE........................................................................................................................................................... 7
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................... 7
METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................. 7
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION............................................................................................................................ 7
COURSE OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................................ 7
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................... 9
MODULE 1 INTRODUCTION TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 10
YOUR ROLE IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................... 10
TYPES OF DISASTER MANAGERS ....................................................................................................................... 10
WHAT IS DISASTER MANAGEMENT? ................................................................................................................. 10
COMPREHENSIVE DISASTER MANAGEMENT........................................................................................................ 12
BASIC TERMS ............................................................................................................................................... 12
THE FOUR PHASES OF CDM............................................................................................................................ 13
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 15
MODULE 2 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 17
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 17
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 17
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 17
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 18
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 18
MODULE 2 UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE DISASTER MANAGER ................................................... 19
THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL..................................................................................................... 19
KEYS TO SUCCESS .......................................................................................................................................... 19
10 CRITICAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS .............................................................................................. 22
A BIG CHALLENGE ......................................................................................................................................... 25
MODULE 3 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 28
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 28
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 28
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 28
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 29
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 29
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MODULE 3 MITIGATION ......................................................................................................................... 30
WHAT IS MITIGATION? .................................................................................................................................. 30
MITIGATE BEFORE THE DISASTER ..................................................................................................................... 30
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION ................................................................................................................................ 31
NEW HAZARDS ............................................................................................................................................. 32
VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................... 32
YOUR ROLE IN MITIGATION............................................................................................................................. 34
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 37
MODULE 4 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 40
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 40
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 41
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 41
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 41
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 42
MODULE 4 PREPAREDNESS .................................................................................................................... 43
WHAT IS PREPAREDNESS? .............................................................................................................................. 43
THE DISASTER OPERATIONS PLAN .................................................................................................................... 44
WHAT THE PLAN IS NOT ................................................................................................................................ 44
DISASTER PLAN COMPONENTS......................................................................................................................... 45
THE BASIC PLAN ........................................................................................................................................... 45
FUNCTIONAL ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................... 47
HAZARD SPECIFIC APPENDICES......................................................................................................................... 49
PLAN REVIEW ............................................................................................................................................... 49
EXERCISING THE PLAN .................................................................................................................................... 49
PUBLICIZING THE PLAN ................................................................................................................................... 52
LINING UP YOUR RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................... 52
INVENTORYING YOUR RESOURCES .................................................................................................................... 54
CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 56
MODULE 5 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 59
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 59
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 59
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 60
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 60
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 60
MODULE 5 RESPONSE ............................................................................................................................ 61
STAGES OF RESPONSE .................................................................................................................................... 61
ACTIVATING THE EOC .................................................................................................................................... 67
MAKING THE EOC OPERATIONAL ..................................................................................................................... 68
CONTROLLING ACCESS TO THE EOC .................................................................................................................. 72
INFORMATION IN THE EOC ............................................................................................................................. 72
IMPROVING PUBLIC RESPONSE......................................................................................................................... 77
ASSESSING DAMAGE ...................................................................................................................................... 78
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 79
MODULE 6 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 81
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 81
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 81
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 81
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 81
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 82
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MODULE 6 RECOVERY ............................................................................................................................ 83
RECOVERY: THE FINAL PHASE .......................................................................................................................... 83
RECOVERY ASSISTANCE .................................................................................................................................. 84
DOCUMENTATION ......................................................................................................................................... 84
HOW TO RECOVER ........................................................................................................................................ 84
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 88
MODULE 7 INSTRUCTOR NOTES ............................................................................................................. 90
SCOPE......................................................................................................................................................... 90
OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 90
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 90
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.......................................................................................................................... 90
TIME PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 91
MODULE 7 MANAGING THE PROGRAM ................................................................................................. 92
DAILY OPERATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 92
STAFFING ISSUES ........................................................................................................................................... 94
FINANCIAL PLANNING .................................................................................................................................... 97
TRAINING .................................................................................................................................................... 98
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 99
APPENDIX A: RESOURCE INVENTORY ................................................................................................... 101
APPENDIX B: WARNING ....................................................................................................................... 112
UNISDR TERMINOLOGY ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (2009) ........................................................... 114
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INSTRUCTOR OVERVIEW
Goal
Multi-hazard Disaster Management is designed to help agencies and organizations develop the
disaster management foundation necessary to protect communities. The goal of this course is
to help participants gain knowledge and skills to ensure that they are adequately prepared to
meet response and recovery challenges. The concepts of Comprehensive Disaster Management
(CDM) and Disaster Risk Reduction are covered in this course.
Who Should Attend
Multi-hazard Disaster Management provides training on the principles and practices of the
discipline. The course is designed for all disaster management practitioners and management
personnel.
Prerequisites
There is no prerequisite for the Multi-hazard Disaster Management course. This course should
be the first course that disaster management professionals take and is currently a prerequisite
for the following courses:
 Natural Hazards of Vietnam
 Mapping for Disaster Management
 Disaster Risk and Vulnerability
 Disaster Communications
 Decision Making and Problem Solving
Instructor Guidelines
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) recommends the following general instructor guidelines:
Instructor Levels
 Lead instructors must have sufficient experience in presenting all modules of the
course to be capable of substituting at the last-minute for module instructors.
 Unit instructors must be experienced in the lesson content they are presenting.
 Adjunct instructors may provide limited instruction in specialized knowledge and
skill areas at the discretion of the lead instructor. Adjunct instructors must be
experienced, proficient, and knowledgeable of current issues in their field of
expertise.
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) recommends that this training be team taught by instructors
with the following minimum qualifications:
Instructor Qualifications
 Two instructors recommended to teach Multi-hazard Disaster Management
 Lead Instructor should have successfully completed the following courses: Multihazard Disaster Management; Natural Hazards of Vietnam; Mapping for Disaster
Management; Disaster Risk and Vulnerability; Disaster Communication; Decision
Making and Problem Solving.
 Module Instructors should have successfully completed Multi-hazard Disaster
Management; and
 Lead Instructor should have training and experience in adult education and have
disaster management field experience.
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Training Content
This training course is comprised of the following lessons:







Module 1–Introduction to Disaster Management
Module 2 –Understanding the Role of the Disaster Manager
Module 3–Mitigation
Module 4–Preparedness
Module 5 –Response
Module 6–Recovery
Module 7–Managing the Program
Training Agenda
DAY ONE
Morning Session
Afternoon Session
Welcome and Administrative Messages
20 Minutes
Course Introduction
20 Minutes
Module 1—Introduction to Disaster Management
1.5 Hours
Module 1 Learning Check
45 Minutes
Module 2—Understanding the Role of the Disaster
Manager
1.5 Hours
Module 2 Individual Questions
30 Minutes
Module 2 Group Activity
30 Minutes
Module 2 Learning Check
45 Minutes
Question and Answer Session
20 Minutes
DAY TWO
Morning Session
Afternoon Session
Welcome and Administrative Messages
20 Minutes
Module 3—Mitigation
1 Hour
Individual Questions
25 Minutes
Case Study
45 Minutes
Module 3 Learning Check
30 Minutes
Module 4 Preparedness
2 Hours 15 Min.
Individual Questions
25 Minutes
Module 4 Learning Check
30 Minutes
DAY THREE
Morning Session
Afternoon Session
Welcome and Administrative Messages
20 Minutes
Module 5—Response
3 Hours 20 min.
Discussion Activity 1
25 Minutes
Discussion Activity 2
25 Minutes
Module 5 Learning Check
30 Minutes
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Module 6—Recovery
1Hour
Individual Questions
20 Minutes
Module 6 Learning Check
20 Minutes
Module 7—Managing the Program
45 Minutes
Module 7 Learning Check
15 Minutes
Course Materials
Listed below are the materials that you will need in order to conduct this course:
 Instructor Manual and Resource CD: Obtain one copy of the Instructor Guide and
Resource CD for each trainer.
 Student Manual: Secure one copy of the Student Manual for each person attending the
session. This will include a Resource CD for the participant.
 PowerPoint Files: The course visuals are stored on the Resource CD. Transfer the
course visuals from the CD to the hard drive of the computer to be used for
presentation. The visuals will operate more effectively if they are accessed from the
computer’s hard drive instead of the CD. Complete the following steps for copying the
folders and files from the CD:
1. Insert the Resource CD in your CD drive.
2. Using Windows Explorer, access the list of folders and files on your CD drive.
3. Highlight the folder on the CD titled “Visuals.”
4. With the Visuals folder highlighted, click on the Edit pull-down menu and then
select Copy.
5. Select a location on your computer’s hard drive. When you are in that drive (and
folder), click on the Edit pull-down menu and then select Paste.
6. All of the visuals should now be copied onto your hard drive. Test the visuals to
make sure that everything transferred correctly.
 Course Evaluation Forms: Make sure that you have one copy of the course evaluation
form for each person attending the training.
Course Equipment
The following equipment is required for conducting this course:
 Computer and Projection Device: Make arrangements to have two computers and two
LCD projectors. Be sure to try out the projector in advance of the training, in case you
need help getting it to work properly. Make sure all equipment is functioning properly.
Test the LCD projector and the lights. If you do not have equipment for projection, plan
to refer participants to their Student Manuals. The course material is effectively outlined
in the Student Manual, but the training is more effective with the projection of the
visuals. Arrange for technical assistance to be available during training in the event of
equipment malfunction.
 Flip Charts and Markers: Make arrangements to have flip charts and markers available.
(minimum 5)
 Paper and Pencils/Pens: Make arrangements to have paper as well as pencils and/or
pens for each member of the class.
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT
Multi-hazard Disaster Management is designed to help agencies and organizations develop the disaster
management foundation necessary to protect communities. The goal of this course is to help
participants gain knowledge and skills to ensure they are adequately prepared to meet response and
recovery challenges. The concepts of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) and Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) are covered in this course.
Course Duration
3 days / 24 classroom contact hours
Course Delivery
Method
 Lecture
 Discussion
Demonstration

Field Trip
 Case Studies
Simulated Exercise

Group Activities
Course Goal
Course Objectives
To introduce the principles of disaster management and teach the skills and
knowledge needed to adapt the course information to particular situations and
community needs.
 Explain the term “disaster management,” and describe how it functions at
the provincial and central government levels.
 Describe the key characteristics of the professional disaster manager, and
develop strategies for adopting these characteristics.
 Identify the four phases of disaster management, and understand what is
required of disaster managers in each of these phases.
 Determine the necessary resource requirements for your community, and
develop the documents needed to obtain and maintain these resources.
 Develop a strategy for integrating and applying training knowledge in your
community.
Course Certificate
Upon successful course completion students will receive a Certificate of
Completion.
Prerequisite
None
T RAINING M ODULES AND O BJECTIVES
Module 1
Introduction to
Disaster
Management
 Define the role of the disaster manager.
 Define “Comprehensive Disaster Management” and list its three primary
concepts.
 Identify the four phases of disaster management and what is included in each
of these phases.
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Module 2
 Describe the characteristics of a successful disaster manager.
Understanding the
Role of the Disaster
Manager
 Apply the skills and techniques necessary for effective management of a
disaster operation.
Module 3
Mitigation
 Identify critical functions of a disaster manager and his or her staff.
 State the crucial role mitigation plays in saving lives and property.
 Identify hazards that would potentially affect your community.
 Describe vulnerability in your community in relation to identified hazards.
 Describe the disaster manager’s role in mitigation.
 Apply the skills and tools of mitigation to your community.
Module 4
Preparedness
 State what is involved in the preparedness phase of disaster management.
 Distinguish between what a disaster operations plan is and what it is not.
 Define the guiding principles when developing a disaster operations plan.
 Define the eight sections of the disaster operations plan.
 Define five different types of exercises to test a disaster operations plan.
 State ways in which to establish and manage an Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) in your community.
Module 5
Response
 Identify the five stages of disaster response and the disaster manager’s role.
 State how to activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and list the
ways in which to make it operational.
 State how to handle the media and rumors in a disaster or emergency.
 Define ways to improve the public response through education and
partnership efforts.
 Develop a response strategy for your community.
Module 6
Recovery
 List recovery-related activities that occur after a disaster.
 Identify the types of assistance that will be needed following a disaster and
how to access this assistance.
 Identify considerations for recovery planning.
 State how to assess and report damage and losses.
 Understand short- and long-term recovery needs (e.g. housing, economic).
 State ways to gain support for disaster management while visibility is high.
 Develop a recovery strategy for your community.
Module 7
 State ways to address staffing issues.
Managing the
Program
 Identify what is involved in accounting for resource expenditures.
 State ways to plan for and prepare a budget.
 Identify training and other opportunities to improve skills and knowledge of
disaster management personnel.
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MODULE 1
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope







Module Introduction
Course Objectives
Student Introductions
Expectations: Student and Instructor
Course Structure
Course Logistics
Successful Course Completion
Provide the participants
with a quick overview of
Module 1 by highlighting
a few key items
identified to the left
under the heading
Scope.
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

Define the role of the disaster manager.

Define “Comprehensive Disaster Management” and list its
three primary concepts.

Identify the four phases of disaster management and what
is included in each of these phases.
Methodology
The instructors will welcome the students to the course and
introduce themselves. They will also review the course objectives.
Following instructor introductions, each participant will introduce
himself or herself to the rest of the group. After introductions, the
instructors will facilitate a discussion about what the group expects
to gain from the course.
The instructors will then provide an overview of the course
structure and logistics. Finally, they will explain what is required for
successful course completion. The instructors will then transition
into Module 1 course content.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_01 Total Number of Slides: 20
Emphasize that Module
2 discusses their role in
the disaster
management process.
Encourage participants
to take notes and think
about how the material
applies to their job
responsibilities and
requirements.
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
Course Outline
1. Welcome the participants to the course.
2. Tell the participants that this course will provide them with
a stronger understanding of disaster management.
3. Introduce yourself by providing:

Your name and organization.

A brief statement of your experience in the field of
disaster management.
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4. Tell participants that the objectives for this course are to:

Explain the term “disaster management,” and
describe how it functions at the provincial and
central government levels.

Describe the key characteristics of the professional
disaster manager, and develop strategies for
adopting these characteristics.

Identify the four phases of disaster management,
and understand what is required of disaster
managers in each of these phases.

Determine the necessary resource requirements for
your community, and develop the documents
needed to obtain and maintain these resources.

Develop a strategy for integrating and applying
training knowledge in your community.
5. Ask the students to introduce themselves by providing:

Their names, job titles, and organizations.

A brief account of their overall experience with
disaster management.
6. Ask the participants the following question: What do you
expect to gain from this course?

Allow the group time to respond.

Record their responses on flip-chart paper.

If possible, hang the list of their responses in the
training room. Revisit the list at the end of the
course to ensure that participants have met their
learning objectives.
The Introduction to the
course is very
important. Make sure
you are .welcoming greet the students as
they enter the
classroom.
The Module 1 Outline
provides both
instructions for the
welcome / introduction
as well as guiding you
through the first module
materials.
7. Explain that you also have expectations for the course. You
expect that everyone will:

Cooperate with the group.

Be open minded to new ideas.

Participate actively in all of the training activities
and exercises.

Return to class at the stated time.

Use what they learn in the course to perform
effectively within a disaster management
environment.
8. Tell participants that the course is divided into the following
seven modules:

Module 1—Introduction to Disaster Management
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
Module 2—Understanding the Role of the Disaster
Manager

Module 3— Mitigation

Module 4—Preparedness

Module 5—Response

Module 6—Recovery

Module 7— Managing the Program
9. Review the following information with the group:

Course agenda

Sign-in sheet
10. Review the following housekeeping issues:

Breaks

Cell phone policy

Facilities

Other concerns
11. Tell participants that in order to successfully complete this
course, they must:
 Participate in all three days of training.
 Actively engage in activities/exercises.
 Complete the end-of-course evaluation.
After completing Step
11, transition to the
Module 1 PowerPoint
Slides.
Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
Introduction
5 Minutes
Your Role in Disaster
Management
10 Minutes
Types of Disaster Managers
10 Minutes
What is Disaster Management
15 Minutes
Comprehensive Disaster
Management (CDM)
30 Minutes
Basic Terms
10 Minutes
Four Phases of CDM
10 Minutes
Learning Check
45 Minutes
Total Time
2 hours 15 Minutes
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MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

Define the role of the disaster manager.

Define “Comprehensive Disaster Management” and
list its three primary concepts.

Identify the four phases of disaster management and
what is included in each phase.
Your Role in Disaster Management
Your Role in Disaster
Management: 10
Minutes
The focus of disaster management is on the protection of the
population and property from the destructive forces of natural
and man-made hazards through a comprehensive program of
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
The disaster manager is responsible for building the community’s
disaster management system to allow for effective response to
and recovery from local events. As a disaster manager, you may
think that local natural and man-made disasters are the most
pressing concern.
The disaster manager will work closely with agencies and
organizations in the community. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations will engage in coordinated efforts to
build capabilities and capacity. Partnership and coordination are
essential components of a successful disaster management
program.
Types of Disaster Managers
Types of Disaster
Managers: 10 Minutes
A large city or province may have a full-time disaster manager
with a paid supporting staff. There also may be a full-time fire and
police department. A small community may have only a part-time
or volunteer disaster manager with no staff support.
You may be in one of these two categories or somewhere in
between. Perhaps you are a shared employee, spending part of
your time as the disaster manager and another part as a member
of some other office, such as planning or public works. Whatever
your situation, this course can help you perform your job.
What is Disaster Management?
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
Disaster management is defined by the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as “The
organization and management of resources and responsibilities
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for addressing all aspects of emergencies, in particular
preparedness, response and initial recovery steps.”
Disaster management involves plans, structures and
arrangements established to engage the normal endeavors of
government, as well as voluntary and private agencies, in a
comprehensive and coordinated way to respond to the whole
spectrum of disaster needs. This is also known as “emergency
management.”
In the most basic terms, disaster management may be as
simple as a homeowner responding to a broken water pipe and a
flooded basement. Depending on the homeowner’s abilities and
resources, he or she may handle the emergency and restore
services to normal without anyone else’s help. In so doing, the
homeowner has managed the emergency.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes (Continued)
Routine Emergencies
Routine emergencies are daily situations faced by people and
local disaster services personnel. For example, a single structure
fire or traffic accident would be a routine emergency that is
managed by a response organization on a regular basis.
Non-routine Emergencies
Disaster management programs at the local level are responsible
for providing overall pre-disaster planning and other programs
such as training and exercises for natural disasters and man-made
disasters that can affect a community. These local efforts are the
first line of defense in coordinating activities related to a largescale event, such as a typhoon or flood, to ensure an effective
response and recovery from such events.
The responsibility for responding to disasters begins at the district
level, but the next level of response is activated when resources
and capabilities are exhausted. If a community is overwhelmed
and cannot respond to a disaster, the province can provide
assistance.
Similarly, when the provincial resources are
exhausted it can turn to the regional or central government for
assistance.
Common Perception of Disaster Management
The average person probably thinks of disaster management in
terms of a natural disaster such as a typhoon, flood, or landslide.
However, disaster management also embraces man-made
disasters such as hazardous materials spills and major
transportation accidents.
Regardless of the type of hazard, mitigation, preparedness,
response, and recovery programs to deal with all hazards are the
responsibility of disaster managers.
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Comprehensive Disaster Management
In this course, the concept used for handling all types of disasters
and their consequences is called Comprehensive Disaster
Management (CDM). CDM is the integrated approach of
managing all-hazards through all four phases of the disaster
management cycle. CDM is a change—from preparing for a single
hazard or narrowly defined categories of hazards—towards an allhazards approach (natural and man-made) to potential threats to
life and property. Three closely related concepts must be
reviewed in order to fully understand the CDM approach.
Comprehensive Disaster
Management: 30
Minutes
Concept 1: All Types of Hazards
The commonalities among all types of man-made and natural
disasters suggest strongly that many of the same management
strategies will apply to all events. Understanding this concept
reveals that planning for one hazard means planning for all
hazards.
Concept 2: Disaster Management Partnership
The burden of disaster management and the resources to deal
with it require a close working partnership among all levels of
government (district, province, region, and central government)
and private sectors (business and industry, non-governmental
organizations (NGO’s), and the general public). This makes sense,
because disasters affect all aspects of society and do not abide by
boundaries.
Concept 3: Disaster Lifecycle
Disasters do not just appear one day and go away the next.
Rather, they have what we might call an “occurrence cycle.” This
cycle corresponds to a series of management phases that include
strategies to mitigate hazards and prepare for, respond to, and
recover from disasters and their effects.
Basic Terms: 10 Minutes
Basic Terms
Before going any further, let’s define each word in the expression
“comprehensive disaster management.” Let’s first look at the
definition of disaster.
Disaster
As defined by UNISDR, a disaster is “a serious disruption of the
functioning of a community or a society involving widespread
human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts,
which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to
cope using its own resources.”
Disaster results when a community or society is exposed to a
hazard, is vulnerable to the effects of that hazard (or perhaps
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any hazard), and is not able to reduce or cope with the
negative consequences of impact.
Management
Management simply means a coordinated, organized effort to
reach specific goals or objectives. In disaster management, it
means a coordinated and organized effort to mitigate against,
prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster.
Comprehensive
Comprehensive is the word that brings the CDM concept
together. It clarifies “disaster” by including all kinds of natural
and man-made events that adversely affect lives and property.
“Comprehensive” also broadens the definition of management by
suggesting the best mix of resources from governmental and nongovernmental organizations and from business, industry,
volunteers, and the public.
The word “comprehensive” also introduces a new dimension into
the meaning of disaster management. Earlier we alluded to the
fact that disasters have occurrence cycles. In that context we
mentioned the terms mitigation, preparedness, response, and
recovery. In fact, these are really four phases of disaster
management.
As we discussed earlier, disasters do not just suddenly appear.
One of the basic principles of comprehensive disaster
management is that we can do something to reduce disaster
impacts both before and after the disaster-triggering event
occurs. This is why, in comprehensive disaster management, the
four phases of disaster management work together to form an
effective protection program.
The Four Phases of CDM
Four Phases of CDM:
10 Minutes
The four phases of CDM appear in a circular relationship to each
other. Each phase links to the other. Activities in one phase may
overlap those in the previous. Preparedness moves swiftly into
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response when disaster strikes. Response yields to recovery at
different times, depending on the extent and kind of damage.
Similarly, recovery should help trigger mitigation, motivating
attempts to prevent or reduce the potential for a future disaster.
The disaster management phases have no beginning or end, so
recognition of a threat can motivate mitigation efforts as well as
an actual disaster can.
Mitigation
“The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and
related disasters.” (UNISDR 2009)
The Four Phases of
Disaster Management:
10 Minutes (Continued)
Mitigation includes activities that eliminate or reduce either the
chance of disaster occurring or the effects of a disaster that has
occurred. If communities cannot prevent disasters, they can at
least reduce the negative impacts. For example, requiring roof
reinforcements will reduce damage from typhoon winds. In
Module 3 we will discuss other mitigation strategies.
Preparedness
“The knowledge and capacities developed by governments,
professional response and recovery organizations, communities
and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover
from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or
conditions.” (UNISDR 2009)
Preparedness includes planning how to respond when a disaster
occurs and working to ensure resources are available to respond
effectively. These activities help save lives and minimize damage
by preparing people to respond appropriately when disasters
happen. To respond properly, a community must have a
functioning monitoring and warning system in place, a plan for
response, trained personnel to respond, and necessary resources
with which to respond. In Module 4 you will learn how to develop
a preparedness plan for your community and strategies for
coordinating human and equipment resources.
Response
“The provision of emergency services and public assistance during
or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives, reduce
health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the basic
subsistence needs of the people affected.” (UNISDR 2009)
Response covers the period of time during and immediately
following a disaster. During this phase, public officials provide for
the short term needs of disaster victims and try to reduce the
likelihood of further damage. In Module 5 you will learn more
about response activities, and identify the emergency responders
in your community.
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Recovery
“The restoration, and improvement, where appropriate, of
facilities, livelihoods and living conditions of disaster-affected
communities, including efforts to reduce disaster risk factors.”
(UNISDR 2009)
Recovery is a process that continues until all systems return to
normal or better than normal. Short-term recovery restores
vital life-support systems to minimum operating condition.
Long-term recovery may go on for months, even years, until
the entire disaster area returns to its previous condition or
undergoes improvement with new systems and features that
are less disaster-prone. In Module 6 you will learn more about
recovery, and identify effective recovery strategies.
The Four Phases of
Disaster Management:
10 Minutes (Continued)
Disaster Risk Reduction
You may be familiar with the term “Disaster Risk Reduction
(DRR)” and may be involved in DRR initiatives in your community.
UNISDR defines DRR as “the concept and practice of reducing
disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and manage
the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced
exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and
property, wise management of land and the environment, and
improved preparedness for adverse events.” While most often
associated with mitigation and preparedness, activities
undertaken during all phases of CDM can contribute to DRR.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
1. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know
what is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if
you feel unsure, write something in the space provided. You can
work as a team, use your notes, and record your team answers on
the flip-charts provided.
1. What are the three concepts of comprehensive disaster
management?
(1) All types of Hazards, (2) Disaster Management Partnership,
and (3) Disaster Lifecycle
2. Define “disaster.”
“a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a
society involving widespread human, material, economic or
environmental losses and impacts, which exceed the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using its own resources”
3. List the four phases of comprehensive disaster
management.
A total of 45 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 30 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 15
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
(1) Mitigation, (2) Preparedness, (3) Response, and (4) Recovery
4. List at least one action that should be taken in each of the
four phases of disaster management for a typhoon
hazard.
Various actions could be used as examples for mitigation,
preparedness, response and recovery.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 2
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope







Module Introduction
Module Objectives
The Disaster Management Professional
Characteristics of Successful Disaster Management
o Within Your Department
o Coordinating with Multiple Agencies and
Organizations
o Interacting with the Community
Ten Critical Disaster Management Functions
o Function 1: Mobilizing Emergency Personnel and
Resources
o Function 2 and 3: Warning the Public and Taking
Protective Action
o Function 4: Caring for Victims
o Function 5: Assessing the Damage
o Function 6: Restoring Essential Public Service
o Function 7: Informing the Public
o Function 8: Record Keeping
o Function 9: Planning for Recovery
o Function 10: Coordinating Disaster management
Activities
A Big Challenge
Group Activity (30 minutes)
o Developing Partnerships
Provide the participants
with a quick overview of
Module 2 by highlighting
a few key items
identified to the left
under the heading
Scope.
Emphasize that Module
2 discusses their role in
the disaster
management process.
Encourage participants
to take notes and think
about how the material
applies to their job
responsibilities and
requirements.
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
 Describe the characteristics of a successful disaster
manager.
 Identify some of the critical functions of a disaster manager
and his or her staff.
 Apply the skills and techniques necessary for effective
management of a disaster operation.
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
Methodology
The instructors will introduce the module by displaying a visual
which outlines the objectives. After reviewing the module
objectives, the instructors will begin the PowerPoint slideshow.
After the slideshow, the instructors will allow student an
opportunity to complete the individual questions listed throughout
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the module. Students should be provided with approximately 30
minutes to complete the questions.
The instructors will then facilitate the group activity. Students
should be given approximately 30 minutes to complete the group
exercise. Once each group has completed the exercise the
instructor will facilitate information sharing between the groups.
The final component of this module is the learning check. Provide
approximately 45 minutes for the students to complete the
questions. Remind students that they can use their notes as well as
work in groups to complete the task.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_02 Total Number of Slides: 18
Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
The Disaster Management Professional
15 Minutes
Keys to Success
30 Minutes
10 Critical Disaster Management Functions
30 Minutes
A Big Challenge
15 Minutes
Individual Questions
30 Minutes
Group Activity
30Minutes
Learning Check
45Minutes
Total Time
3 hours 15
Minutes
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MODULE 2
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE DISASTER MANAGER
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

Describe the characteristics of a successful disaster manager.

Identify some of the critical functions of a disaster manager
and his or her staff.

Apply the skills and techniques necessary for effective
management of a disaster operation.
The Disaster Management Professional
This module will answer questions like, “What is disaster
management and what exactly does someone in the profession
do, especially when there is no disaster?” The primary
responsibility of a disaster manager is to have a disaster
operations plan for their community, and to keep it current by
exercising the plan and modifying it when needed. This sounds
pretty simple, but in times of response, plans are useless unless
everyone knows their part. Disaster management is the process
of bringing all the stakeholders together when building a plan,
and then involving as many people as possible in testing the plan.
This is the key to a successful disaster management program.
In conjunction with a plan, the disaster manager is responsible for
activation and management of the local Emergency Operations
Center (EOC). This is the center of all disaster management
activities—it might be a conference room, police department, or
school facility. The role of the EOC is to provide a central location
from which government at any level can work together to
coordinate activities.
WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL EOC?
The Disaster
Management
Professional: 15
Minutes
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
30 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
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.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Keys to Success: 30
Minutes
Keys to Success
There are a variety of professional and individual qualities that
are the hallmark of a successful disaster manager. Successful
disaster managers must be: organized and professional; able to
apply specialized job knowledge; able to communicate effectively
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with superiors, subordinates, partners, and the public; able to
balance competing requirements while looking out for the good
of the community; and able to maintain self-control in stressful
situations. Let’s look at how these qualities relate to your job.
Professionalism in the Workplace
Professionalism can be displayed in various ways. Typically,
disaster managers have few, if any, staff resources. Often,
disaster managers have to work as mediators or facilitators,
helping others make things happen. They integrate and
coordinate the activities of a lot of other people and organizations
in the community.
Keys to Success: 30
Minutes (Continued)
Disaster managers know how to reconcile differences and
compromise for the greater good of the community. The ability of
a disaster manager to balance all of the requirements in an
effective and systematic way requires a level of professionalism
and commitment. This ability is a key characteristic of a disaster
manager.
Local and national laws and regulations will specify a chain of
command during a disaster. It will tell you to whom you report. In
many cases you will report to a decision or policy maker. One of
the first things you should do is to find out what this person
expects of you and your office.
From one community to another, leaders differ in their
expectations of what the disaster manager should do. They also
have different methods of operation. One official may be
authoritative, and direct the disaster manager. Other officials
think of themselves as being there to support you, and they may
be content to leave most of the disaster management functions
up to you. Trust is essential to achieve the ideal working
relationship. As in any profession, competence breeds trust.
One way professional disaster managers show competence is
through specialized job knowledge: awareness of current or
pending legislation, familiarity with regulations, and a working
knowledge of the agencies associated with disaster management.
Effective Coordination
Another area where you will need solid communication and
human resource skills as well as specialized knowledge is in
coordinating with other agencies. As a disaster manager, you will
be working closely with other departments such as fire, planning,
and public works. During a disaster, you may be coordinating
operations among these and other departments. A good working
relationship with other department leaders is essential. As you
become more comfortable with your role, strive to have these
individuals and organizations view you as the expert in disaster
management.
On a day-to-day basis, the planning department, nongovernmental organizations, and fire departments tend to
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function somewhat independently. They have their own
mandates, their own responsibilities, and their own structures.
During a disaster however, all of these agencies and organizations
must work together. Agency differences, competitiveness, and
territoriality can cause problems, and may result in a slower
response, or even prevent the delivery of critical services. As
disaster manager you must always remember what is best for the
public. Your responsibility is to facilitate the effective
coordination of all agencies active in disaster.
Keys to Success: 30
Minutes (Continued)
Your Role as Coordinator: Your role as coordinator comes into
play when more than one emergency organization is involved. For
example, think of the need to ensure security and crowd control
at a major fire. In this case, police and fire personnel will need to
work together closely. Your role as coordinator is to make sure
the operation goes smoothly. Long before this event, you and
other organizations should agree on mutual responsibilities and
document these in a comprehensive disaster operations plan.
This will ensure that each department knows its responsibilities
during an event. Your role is not to tell the police how to control
security, or the fire department how to put out the fire, but
rather to ensure a coordinated effort.
Coordination is always required in major disasters, but may also
be necessary in minor emergencies. Even in a home fire, you may
be called upon to coordinate the temporary housing of victims
with a local service agency. Your job includes planning and
negotiating the overall smooth performance of community
disaster services.
If you are new to your job, your supervisor can help you establish
a good working relationship with other department heads by
putting out an official notice about your position. Even if you have
been in your position for some time, an official announcement
should be made.
Community Interaction
One potential problem with disaster management programs is the
lack of community support. If you live in a community with few
disasters, community support for disaster management may be
minimal. Even in large disaster-prone cities, there may be
competing demands and limited support of disaster management
programs. Incorporating people in disaster management actions
at every opportunity is a way to build public awareness, increase
buy-in, and make the disaster management program more
effective.
The following activities can help build community awareness and
support for disaster management and can help reduce disaster
impacts:

Develop creative ways to inform and involve local people in
all phases of the disaster management program.
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
Keep the community in a state of readiness in case a disaster
occurs.

Use volunteers.

Work with elected officials to cultivate a greater interest in
disaster management.
IN WHAT SPECIFIC WAYS CAN YOU BUILD SUPPORT
FOR
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
IN
YOUR
COMMUNITY?
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.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 30
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
10 Critical Disaster Management Functions
The success of disaster management is based on the extent to
which critical functions (such as the ten listed on the following
pages) have been implemented. Many other functions could have
been included, but creation of an exhaustive list is
counterproductive. Some improvisation is likely during an
emergency and, in fact, is inevitable during a major disaster.
10 Critical Disaster
Management Functions:
30 Minutes
While the emergency functions listed here may generally be
considered part of the preparedness, response and recovery
phases, successful execution of these functions depends on
actions taken during all four phases, including mitigation.
Function 1: Mobilizing Emergency Personnel and
Resources
The ability to mobilize personnel and resources on short notice in
the face of a threat is essential. To be successful, two things must
occur.
First, there must be an around-the-clock means of monitoring
threats and potential disasters so that officials can remain
informed. Depending on the size of your community, this could be
as simple as a telephone tree or as complex as a communications
center.
Second, key officials, once alerted, must be able to mobilize their
personnel and resources in a timely way.
The effective disaster manager will make sure that 24-hour
monitoring and notification processes are in place, and that each
manager of personnel and resources potentially involved in
disaster response has workable mobilization procedures in place.
Testing these procedures in advance is crucial.
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Functions 2 and 3: Warning the Public and Taking
Protective Action
These are two related activities. It is important to be able to
provide the public with timely messages that are accurate,
precise, and authoritative, so that when the public hears a
warning, people know that they can safely rely on the message,
and take the protective action recommended. This will obviously
depend on the nature of the threat.
The effective disaster manager will ensure that public notification
systems are ready and that specific personnel are designated to
transmit messages to the public that are both accurate and
timely. In addition, you and other officials will have already
performed a hazard and vulnerability analysis of the community
to determine the most suitable protective actions in response to
each hazard that is likely to occur in your community.
10 Critical Disaster
Management Functions:
30 Minutes (Continued)
Function 4: Caring for Victims
This encompasses a range of activities addressing the well-being
of the public. The community normally has existing services that
do this on a regular basis; basic and standard processes are
already in place.
Often the problem is not the scarcity of resources and facilities,
but a lack of coordination between the providers, the overlapping
responsibilities of various providers, and an uneven allocation of
resources.
The effective disaster manager will help all the agencies that
provide day-to-day care services to better coordinate their
response. This is another place where the manager can organize
disaster exercises that can be very valuable in building greater
coordination.
Function 5: Assessing the Damage
This becomes a critical function once the disaster strikes. Damage
assessment continues long after the immediate danger passes.
The information gathered through assessment is important to
help officials allocate resources not only immediately, during
response; but also long-range, during recovery.
The effective manager will rely on and coordinate the skills of
various experts and specialists in the community to do damage
assessments. Sometimes, a quick, superficial survey is all that’s
possible at the beginning of a disaster. Later, this work can be
technical, involving engineers, architects, construction personnel,
hazardous materials experts, and the like. The disaster manager
will ensure that the data gathered through the assessments
reaches the right officials in a timely way to allow them to make
appropriate response decisions.
The effective disaster manager will ensure that staff are
appropriately trained in damage and needs assessment
techniques. It is also important to work with a variety of agencies
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to determine and practice protocols for collecting and sharing
information. Streamlining and testing the damage assessment
process prior to a disaster can help ensure more efficient
collection of accurate data and more effective use of available
resources.
Function 6: Restoring Essential Public Services
Restoring public services is always a high priority after a disaster.
The utility companies usually are ready to go into action because
they have their own disaster plans and are experienced at
implementing them. The effective disaster manager, as the
coordinating agent of the community’s emergency planning,
needs to be sure that there is ongoing communication and
coordination with the utilities.
10 Critical Disaster
Management Functions:
30 Minutes (Continued)
Other public services, such as hospitals and public works
departments must also be prepared to respond effectively. When
your community conducts a disaster exercise, be sure to invite
representatives of all these organizations.
Function 7: Informing the Public
This is a critical function during an emergency. Failure to properly
inform the public often compounds problems. It is important that
the disaster plans be clear about who is authorized to release
information, what can be released, and how it is to be released.
The role of the effective disaster manager is to make sure these
plans are up-to-date, and that the personnel designated to handle
the public information function receive the training they need.
Furthermore, close coordination with the media to better
understand and meet their needs is essential. In many communities,
members of the media participate in drills and exercises.
Vulnerability analyses can also help identify populations that might
require specialized communication strategies.
Function 8: Record Keeping
Record keeping during a disaster is essential for two reasons.
First, officials should be able to document what is occurring so the
community can learn from its experiences and not repeat mistakes.
The records kept by all departments will be very useful in helping
the community form an accurate picture of a range of disaster
effects on the community. These records will be helpful in reviewing
and possibly revising plans and mitigation strategies.
Second, good records are essential if the community hopes to
receive financial assistance from the central government or the
international community. While Vietnamese and foreign offices are
willing to assist, the “price tag” may be increased documentation.
The effective disaster manager will ensure that all of the partners
involved in disaster response have their own procedures for record
keeping and use them. To the degree that it is feasible, the manager
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could suggest standardized record-keeping processes using state-ofthe-art technologies.
Function 9: Planning for Recovery
Planning for recovery should occur before the disaster hits. One
good reason for this is that obtaining central government and
international assistance is often not a simple process, and involves
knowing the requirements and procedures for getting the aid.
When the disaster hits, it is too late to do the research.
The effective manager maintains constant contact with the
personnel of the agencies who can provide this assistance. This
action will allow the manager to be up-to-date about changing
requirements and procedures. Being known by the agency staff, and
being up-to-date on the agency’s information can save a lot of time
when time is critical.
Function 10: Coordinating Disaster Management
Activities
This is the keystone function, because someone needs to pull the
whole effort together, and to coordinate all of the activities. The
individuals who make up the disaster management team may be
individually well trained to assume their responsibilities, but
someone needs to be sure the team functions well as a whole.
The effective disaster manager plays an important role in helping
the disaster management team work well together. This means
helping the individuals involved in disaster management keep their
plans current. Organizing various disaster drills, table-top exercises
and full-scale exercises to test the plans will add realism to the
planning. Coordinating all these activities is the essence of the
disaster manager’s job. It is not a small task.
Successful execution of these key emergency functions will not only
improve response and recovery efforts, but can also help inform
mitigation strategies and help reduce future losses.
A Big Challenge
At this point you may feel a bit overwhelmed. We have covered a
lot of ground, starting with key traits of a successful disaster
manager and ending with a brief summary of the major emergency
responsibilities associated with the job. It is a big job, but there are
a lot of people you can turn to for help—just look around the room.
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GROUP ACTIVITY (30 MINUTES)
D EVELOPING P ARTNERSHIPS
This group activity is intended to help you identify potential
partnerships in the region. When you look around your table, do
you know everyone’s name, agency, and job responsibilities? Do
you know what their role is in the disaster management process,
and how they can help you do your job? Take the next twenty
minutes to identify your group members. Utilizing the flip-charts
that are provided answer the following questions:
1. How can we work together to support disaster management
activities in our region?
Students have 30
minutes to complete
the group exercise
Instructors should
facilitate the group work
and aid participants.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Ask participants to think
about the questions in
the context of their job
responsibilities:
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
2. What are three things we can begin doing together to
improve inter-agency coordination and support disaster
management in our community?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
EXAMPLE: Ask
participants to provide
an example of how they
currently work with
other agencies and
organizations to
complete tasks.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
3. When disaster strikes, what can you provide to other
members of your group to help ensure effective response?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
2. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. Describe the characteristics and skills of a successful
disaster manager. How might you go about developing
these?
Professionalism in the
Community Interaction.
workplace;
Effective
Coordination;
2. Define your role as disaster manager.
Answers may vary and should reflect the participant’s experiences.
3. What role should the disaster manager have during an
event?
A total of 45 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 30 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 15
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
Coordinator. Making certain that responsibilities during a disaster
are assigned and action taken without conflict or controversy
4. What are 10 critical emergency functions of a
comprehensive disaster manager and his/her staff?
Mobilizing emergency personnel and resources, warning the public,
taking protective action, caring for victims, assessing the damage,
restoring essential public services, informing the public, record
keeping, planning for recovery, coordinating emergency
management activities
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 3
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope










Module Introduction
Module Objectives
What is Mitigation?
Mitigation Before the Disaster
Hazard Identification
New Hazards
o Relevant Questions
Vulnerability Analysis
o Recognize Differences in Vulnerability to Threats
o Potential Economic Loss
o Potential Human Loss
o Special Needs Populations
o Review Existing Capabilities
Your Role in Mitigation
o Mitigation Tools: Codes and Ordinances
o Mitigation Tools: Structural Measures
o Mitigation Tools: Information
Case Study
o You, the coordinator
Conclusion
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
 State the crucial role mitigation plays in saving lives and
property.
 Identify hazards that would potentially affect your
community.
 Describe vulnerability in your community in relation to
identified hazards.
 Describe the disaster manager’s role in mitigation.

Apply the skills and tools of mitigation to your community.
Methodology
Provide the participants
with a quick overview of
Module 3 by highlighting
a few key items
identified to the left
under the heading
Scope.
Emphasize that Module
3 focuses on Mitigation.
Ask participants by a
show of hands how
many participate in
mitigation activities as
part of their daily job.
Follow-up Question: Ask
a few (1 or 2) select
participants to provide
an example of
mitigation activities in
which they have
participated.
Encourage participants
to take notes and think
about how the material
applies to their job
responsibilities and
requirements.
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
The instructors will begin this module by reminding participants
about the four phases of disaster management as described in
Module 1. “As you will remember from Module 1, the four phases
of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery. This module focuses on mitigation.” The instructor will
then display a visual that outlines the module objectives.
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After reviewing the module objectives the instructor will begin the
PowerPoint Presentation.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_03 Total Number of Slides: 21
Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
What is Mitigation?
5 Minutes
Mitigation Before the Disaster
10 Minutes
Hazard Identification
10 Minutes
New Hazards
5 Minutes
Vulnerability Analysis
20 Minutes
Your role in Mitigation
10 Minutes
Individual Questions
25 Minutes
Case Study
45 Minutes
Learning Check
30 Minutes
Total Time
2 hours 40 Minutes
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MODULE 3
MITIGATION
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

State the crucial role mitigation plays in saving lives and
property.

Identify hazards that would potentially affect your community.

Describe vulnerability related to identified hazards.

Define the disaster manager’s role in mitigation.

Apply the skills and tools of mitigation to your community.
As you learned in Module 1, the four phases of disaster
management are mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
This module focuses on mitigation.
What is Mitigation?
UNISDR defines mitigation as “the lessening or limitation of the
adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.”
What is Mitigation: 5
Minutes
Mitigation can be structural or non-structural and can often involve
permanent actions that attempt to reduce exposure to hazards.
Traditionally, mitigation has focused primarily on changes to the
built environment. (Example: Zoning or building code
requirements.) Over time, the definition of mitigation has expanded
to include improved environmental and development policies, as
well as activities that involve educating businesses, schools and the
public about simple measures they can take to reduce loss, injury or
damage.
Mitigate Before the Disaster
It is apparent that mitigation involves a range of activities. Ideally,
these will occur before the disaster. Many of these mitigation
activities are not within the direct control of disaster management
professionals. This does not mean that you have no role in the
mitigation process. As you will see, disaster managers can do a lot
to make sure the community engages in mitigation efforts.
Mitigation Before the
Disaster: 5 Minutes
In this module we will look at three aspects of mitigation:

Hazard identification and vulnerability analysis

The role of the disaster manager in mitigation

Various mitigation strategies
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Hazard Identification
Let’s begin by defining what we mean by a hazard. According to
UNISDR, hazard is defined as “A dangerous phenomenon,
substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods
and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental
damage.” Hazards can include latent conditions that may represent
future threats, and they can have different origins: natural
(geological, hydro-meteorological and biological) or induced by
human processes (environmental degradation and technological
hazards). Hazards can be single, sequential or combined in their
origin and effects. Each hazard is characterized by its location,
intensity, frequency and probability.
Hazard Identification: 10
Minutes
It would be ideal if your community were prepared for all types of
hazards. However, in most cases it is not practical to be prepared
for all types of hazards, since some may never occur in your
community. For example, should your community prepare for a
snow storm or blizzard?
What about the hazards associated with our 21st century lifestyle:
chemical spills, ecological disasters, explosions, major
transportation accidents?
Mitigation means addressing both sets of hazards, as different as
they are in many respects.
The first step in mitigation activities is deciding which hazards have
the potential to affect your community.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS LIKELY TO OCCUR IN YOUR
COMMUNITY.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Think about it, in your community some hazards are likely, others
are possible, and still others less probable. To understand this
properly, you should have more than just your own opinion or any
other person’s. One common way to anticipate what may happen in
the future is to look at the past, your community’s history of
disasters and major emergencies. Which of them resulted from
hazards still present in your community? Which of them recur and
with what frequency?
Past disasters will give you an indication of what to expect from
these same hazards in the future. Review your files to determine
what types of disasters your community has faced over the years. If
you cannot find extensive files, talk to people who are long-time
residents and know the local history. Local newspapers are also an
excellent source of information. These sources will help you find
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out if any major emergencies or disasters occurred prior to
establishment of a disaster management unit.
New Hazards
To identify the new hazards that may threaten your community,
your task is to constantly observe the changes taking place. For
example:

Have high-rise buildings or apartments been constructed
recently?

Is there a possibility of a major high-rise fire that did not exist a
year or two ago?

Are there new industries with a potential for chemical
incidents?

Is there a new major highway, meaning your area may
experience increased transportation of hazardous materials?

Has recent development increased storm water runoff?
New Hazards: 5
Minutes
In other words, it is essential to identify the hazards that did not
exist a few years ago, but do today.
Relevant Questions
Remember, when researching the hazards that impact your
community, you need to ask four questions about each hazard:

Could this hazard affect your community?

If so, is it a significant threat to your community?

How often has this hazard occurred in your community?

What is the total population that could be seriously affected by
this hazard?

This leads us to our discussion of vulnerability.
Vulnerability Analysis
Another key activity is the vulnerability analysis. Simply put, if a
disaster strikes, who or what will it affect, and how badly? UNISDR
defines vulnerability as “the characteristics and circumstances of a
community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the
damaging effects of a hazard.” Understanding what is vulnerable
and why can improve the effectiveness of mitigation, preparedness,
response and recovery activities.
Vulnerability Analysis:
20 Minutes
To assess vulnerability, you need to review each hazard identified in
the hazard analysis and determine the effect it could have on your
community. For example, two rivers in different parts of the country
flood simultaneously and on a fairly regular basis, according to
historical analyses. The likelihood of occurrence of a flood of similar
size is equal. However, one river flows through the business center,
while the other flows through a farming region. Do both parts of the
community have the same vulnerability?
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Recognize Differences in Vulnerability to Threats
While many social, economic, and environmental factors contribute
to vulnerability, it is likely that a flood in the business district would
cause considerable economic loss any time it occurred. The flooded
farm lands may or may not experience significant crop loss,
depending on the season of the year. In the farming-region flood,
fewer lives are likely to be in jeopardy. The city flood might require
evacuation and relocation of many people.
WHAT OTHER FACTORS MIGHT MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL
OR COMMUNITY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE
IMPACTS OF A DISASTER?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Vulnerability
Analysis: 20 Minutes
(continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
Potential Economic Loss
To evaluate economic loss, you should keep several things in mind.
As stated above, potential human loss and economic loss are key
considerations in vulnerability analysis. As you examine potential
economic loss, buildings and their contents are obviously primary
concerns. Crop or range land damage in agricultural areas is another
form of potential economic loss.
Potential Human Loss
Looking at the vulnerability of people requires an assessment of
where people live and work. Your vulnerability analysis should
identify the locations of these people and the hazards to which they
are vulnerable.
WHAT OTHER TYPES OF LOSSES
IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER? WHY?
MIGHT
BE
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Special Needs Populations
Here you will want to concentrate not only on the general
population but also on special populations. These are the people
who, in the event of an emergency, will require special provisions
and attention, such as the elderly, those with disabilities, and those
speaking languages other than Vietnamese. Your vulnerability
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analysis will help you in preparing the emergency plan and
identifying the special tasks necessary to provide for their safety.
WHAT SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATIONS CAN YOU
IDENTIFY THAT NEED TO BE INCORPORATED INTO
YOUR DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Vulnerability Analysis:
20 Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
Review Existing Capabilities
Another consideration in estimating your vulnerability is existing
mitigation capabilities. For example, if there is a dam that was
constructed as a flood control measure, then your vulnerability to
flood damage is probably reduced. However, if the dam is earthen
or old, and has the potential to fail, it may create or increase
vulnerability to a catastrophic dam failure. In a similar way, fire drills
can reduce the vulnerability of people to loss of life, but if the drill
plan no longer matches the family or the property, it may not be
effective at all in a time of need.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the individual
questions after the
module is completed.
Your Role in Mitigation
So far we have explained that mitigation efforts seek to eliminate or
reduce the threat to life and property from the hazards potentially
affecting the community. In that context, we touched on two other
important points that are worthy of repetition.
Your Role in Mitigation:
10 Minutes
First, we said that most mitigation efforts are the primary
responsibility of other departments of local government, not often
the direct responsibility of the disaster manager.
Second, that does not mean the disaster manager lacks a role in
mitigation. On the contrary, the disaster manager has crucial roles
in mitigation—that of motivator, coordinator, and monitor. We will
examine these in more detail.
One of your roles in mitigation is to be the conscience of the
community in matters related to emergencies. This translates into
two major tasks.

You must be alert to the various types of hazards that threaten
your community.

You must constantly monitor opportunities to reduce and
eliminate the risks associated with these hazards.
You are the person with the broad scope of responsibility to help
the community to do all it can to reduce potential harm to people
and property. Remember, your job is to translate comprehensive
disaster management into meaningful programs for your
community.
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How do you do this? One way you can do this is by motivating
others to take mitigation actions, and helping coordinate the
available government and private-sector resources that can assist in
mitigation.
We need to look at some of the resources that will help you do this.

Codes and ordinances

Structural measures

Financial measures

Environmental policies

Socio-economic development plans

Information

Land use planning and mapping

Inspections
Your Role in
Mitigation: 10 Minutes
(continued)
Mitigation Tools: Codes and Ordinances
Laws are a primary tool of mitigation. All the power to mitigate is
not going to reside in your local disaster management ordinance.
Many other local ordinances authorize others to share the
responsibility for mitigation.
Codes and regulations are the mechanism for carrying out the
intent of these laws. Examples of these include:

Building and zoning codes

Plumbing and electrical codes

Public health ordinances

Fire and life safety codes

Hazardous materials regulations

Dam inspection regulations

Traffic codes
These examples show that many people in the community have
responsibility for mitigating hazards. The fire department is
responsible for enforcing the fire codes, and the building inspector
is responsible for enforcing the local building codes.
As the disaster manager, it is your job to work with the various
agencies or departments who have direct responsibility for
developing and enforcing codes and regulations.
Mitigation Tools: Structural Measures
In addition to codes and ordinances, there are other tools available
to mitigate emergencies. For example, there are several ways that
engineering measures affect hazards. Wind-resistant shutters help
protect against windows breaking in a severe storm. Stronger
transportation containers, built to withstand accidental punctures,
help railroad cars and trucks carry hazardous materials more safely.
NDRMP Education and Training Program
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Your Role in
Mitigation: 10 Minutes
(continued)
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M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT
Buildings have sprinkler systems and fire retardant substances to
lessen the damage from fire.
Mitigation Tools: Information
Information is another tool. For example, when looking to relocate,
identifying studies or reports on local hazard conditions can help
inform your decision. If a property is in a floodplain, the potential
resident should know that risk.
Another example is labeling of hazardous materials. This has gone a
long way toward improving their safe storage and handling.
You can serve as a mitigation advocate before policy-making boards
both in government and in the private sector. Presentations to
lawmakers, civic groups, professional societies, and corporate
management are excellent ways to get the mitigation message
understood and accepted.
How your organization handles public information will affect your
overall mitigation strategy. As noted earlier, an important group to
which you need to relate well is the media. People in the media can
be invaluable allies in promoting your mitigation efforts. They can
help inform the public about the possible alternatives available
when dealing with hazards.
CASE STUDY
Your instructor will provide you with a case study. Please review the
document and respond to the discussion question. Your instructor
will facilitate discussion and help you to link the case study to the
concepts you have learned in this module and to activities in your
community.
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You, the Coordinator
All these mitigation tools are ways you and others in the community
can promote mitigation. Your role is to inform, to question, to
negotiate, to motivate, and to challenge. You need to know where
technical expertise exists in your community, and in central and
provincial government, and you need to know how and when to use
this expertise. You need to be aware of the agencies and groups
that carry out day-to-day mitigation so that you can work
cooperatively in pursuit of public safety.
IDENTIFY STRUCTURAL AND NON-STRUCTURAL
MITIGATION MEASURES IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Your Role in
Mitigation: 10
Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Conclusion
Your role in mitigation will vary depending on the hazards faced by
your community, your specific responsibilities, and those of other
government departments and agencies.
Regardless of how active you are in actual mitigation efforts in your
community, it is your responsibility as the disaster manager to
monitor how other governmental departments are carrying out the
mitigation functions assigned to them, which affect the safety of the
community. Your role is to motivate others to practice mitigation
through hazard awareness, to coordinate efforts of agencies that
have the responsibilities for mitigation, and to help ensure
continuing enforcement of risk reduction measures.
Your challenge is to help these community groups to understand
the importance of mitigation. Let’s hope it will not take a disaster to
do this. But, if a disaster does happen in your community, any
mitigation activities the community has undertaken will help reduce
the impact, and make your efforts worthwhile.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
3. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. What is the purpose of a hazard analysis?
The purpose of a hazard analysis is to show what hazards can strike.
2. What is the purpose of a vulnerability analysis?
The purpose of a vulnerability analysis is to show who or what will
be affected by a disaster and how badly it will be affected.
3. What are some sources of information you should use while
preparing a hazard analysis?
Information sources include: reports on past disasters, local citizens,
schools or teachers, government agencies, neighboring disaster
managers, officials in your own community.
4. Why should you identify special populations in the
vulnerability analysis?
A total of 30 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 20 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 10
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
Because these are the people who, in the event of a disaster, will
require special provisions and attention, such as the elderly, those
with disabilities, college students on a campus, and those speaking
languages other than Vietnamese. Your vulnerability analysis will
help you in preparing the disaster plan and identifying the special
tasks necessary to provide for their safety.
5. What are the tasks of the disaster manager in mitigation?
The disaster manager’s role in mitigation is to be the conscience of
the community in matters related to disasters. This translates into
two major tasks: He/she must be alert to the various types of
hazards that threaten the community, and he/she must constantly
monitor opportunities to reduce and eliminate the risks from these
hazards.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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6. List three forms of mitigation that can be accomplished by
local laws or ordinances.
Any of the following: building and zoning codes, plumbing and
electrical codes, public health ordinances, fire and life safety codes,
hazardous materials regulations, dam inspection regulations, traffic
codes
A total of 30 minutes
7. List four tools other than laws that can be used for has been allotted to
complete the Learning
mitigation.
Check.
Financial incentives and disincentives, public information, risk
mapping, monitoring and inspecting, professional training, and
structural measures.
Provide participants
with 20 Minutes to
complete the questions.
8. Which of the following is a structural measure for Encourage students to
mitigation?
work together and use
Storage containers and Fire sprinkler system
their notes.
9. How can public information be used as a tool for mitigation? The remaining 10
Minutes should be used
Public information for mitigation is useful for sharing with citizens
the possible alternatives for dealing with hazardous conditions and to guide the groups
through each question
then applying pressure for implementing mitigation.
providing the correct
answer.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 4
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope












Module Introduction
Module Objectives
What is Preparedness?
The Disaster Operations Plan
What the plan is NOT
o Administrative Plan
o Mitigation Plan
o Long-Term Recovery Plan
o Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Disaster Plan Components
The Basic Plan
o Statement of Purpose
o Situation and Assumptions
o Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
o Concept of Operations
o Administration and Logistics
o Plan Development and Maintenance
o Authorities and References
o Definitions of Terms
Functional Annexes
o Core Functions
o Other Functions
o Eight Sections
Hazard Specific Appendices
Plan Review
Exercising the Plan
o Orientation
o Table-top Exercise
o Functional Exercise
o Field Drill
o Full-scale Exercise
Publicizing the Plan
o Potential methods
NDRMP Education and Training Program
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Provide the
participants with a
quick overview of
Module 4 by
highlighting a few key
items identified to the
left under the heading
Scope.
Emphasize that
Module 4 discusses
disaster preparedness.
Encourage participants
to take notes and think
about how the
material applies to
their job
responsibilities and
requirements.
40
M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT



Lining up Your Resources
o From Government
o From the Community
o From a Neighbor
o From the Private Sector
Inventorying Your Resources
o Identifying Sources
o Resource Tracking
o Specialized Government Resources: The Emergency
Operation Center (EOC)
Conclusions
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

State what is involved in the preparedness phase of disaster
management.

Distinguish between what a disaster operations plan is and
what it is not.

Define the guiding principles that are necessary when
developing a disaster operations plan.

Define the eight sections of the disaster operations plan.

Define the five different types of exercises for testing a
disaster operations plan.
State ways in which to establish and manage an Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) in your community.

Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
Methodology
The instructors will begin this module by reminding the participants
about the four phases of disaster management as described in
Module 1. “As you will remember from Module 1, the four phases
of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery. This module focuses on Preparedness.” The instructor will
then display a visual that outlines the module objectives.
After reviewing the module objectives the instructor will begin the
PowerPoint Presentation.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_04 Total Number of Slides: 28
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Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
What is Preparedness?
5 Minutes
The Disaster Operations Plan
25 Minutes
The Basic Plan
20 Minutes
Functional Annexes
10 Minutes
Hazard Specific Appendices
10 Minutes
Plan Review
10 Minutes
Exercising the Plan
20 Minutes
Publicizing the Plan
10 Minutes
Lining up Your Resources
15 Minutes
Inventorying Your Resources
10 Minutes
Individual Questions
25 Minutes
Learning Check
30 Minutes
Total Time
3 hours 10 Minutes
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Instructors must be
mindful of the time
while teaching Module
4. Refer to your
‘Notes’ section to keep
track of the allotted
time for each topic
area.
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MODULE 4
PREPAREDNESS
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

State what is involved in the preparedness phase of disaster
management.

Distinguish between what a disaster operations plan is and
what it is not.

Define the guiding principles that are necessary when
developing a disaster operations plan.

Define the eight sections of the disaster operations plan.

Define the five different types of exercises for testing a
disaster operations plan.

State ways in which to establish and manage an Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) in your community.
What is Preparedness?
While mitigation can make communities safer, it does not eliminate
risk and vulnerability for all hazards. Therefore, communities must
be ready to face emergency threats that have not been fully
mitigated. Since emergencies often develop rapidly, and become
too complex for effective improvisation, a government can
successfully implement its disaster management responsibilities
only by taking certain actions in advance. This is preparedness.
What is
Preparedness: 5
Minutes
Preparedness involves establishing authorities and responsibilities
for emergency actions and obtaining the resources to support them.
A community must assign or recruit staff for disaster management
duties; and designate or procure facilities, equipment and other
resources for performing assigned duties. This investment in
disaster management requires maintenance. The staff must receive
training, and the facilities and equipment must be kept in working
order. To ensure that the community’s investment in disaster
management personnel and resources can be relied upon when
needed, there must be a program of tests, drills, and exercises.
An essential element of preparedness is the development of plans
that link the many aspects of community commitment to disaster
management.
In this module, we will examine essential elements of a disaster
operations plan, and then take a look at the equipment, supplies,
and personnel requirements to put the plan into action.
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The Disaster Operations Plan
The disaster operations plan is at the center of comprehensive
disaster planning. This plan spells out the scope of activities
required for community response. It must be more than just a dustcollecting document you and others have spent an hour writing. It
must be a “living” document that accurately describes what the
community can realistically do. Because response activities are
time-sensitive, planning is critical, and will help promote a more
effective response.
Your plan needs to be flexible enough that it will be of value in any
emergency, even those you cannot foresee fully. In a sense, the allhazards plan gives your community a disaster-management
“bottom line” that provides confidence in the community’s ability to
handle an event.
The Disaster
Operations Plan: 25
Minutes
What the plan is NOT
Before moving quickly into what the disaster operations plan is, it is
helpful to understand what the plan is not.
It would be wrong to oversimplify and give the impression that
effective disaster management hinges on only the disaster
operations plan. Just as there are several different kinds of action in
disaster response, there are different kinds of plans in disaster
management.
Administrative Plan
The first of these are the administrative plans. They describe the
basic policies and steps your community takes in managing its
internal processes. Some typical administrative plans are those
addressing financial management, personnel management, records
management, and labor relations activities.
Mitigation Plan
These plans reflect the strategy for mitigating the hazards faced.
Module 3 dealt with considerations of how to formulate these
strategies.
Long-Term Recovery Plan
Typically, a disaster operations plan does not address recovery
actions beyond rapid damage assessment and the actions necessary
to satisfy the immediate life-support needs of disaster victims. The
disaster operations plan should provide for a transition to a longterm recovery plan and a stand-down of response forces.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Your disaster operations plan does not contain the detailed “howto” instructions that must be known only by an individual or group
with responsibility to perform the function. The standard operating
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procedures may be annexed to the disaster operations plan or
referenced as deemed appropriate.
Disaster Plan Components
In a real sense, the plan is the result of a planning process; the more
successful the planning process, the better the plan.
There are three basic components to the plan.
The Basic Plan serves as the overview of the community’s approach
to disaster management, including broad policies, plans, and
procedures.
Functional Annexes address specific activities critical to emergency
response and short-term recovery efforts that support the basic
plan.
The Disaster Operations
Plan: 25 Minutes
(continued)
Hazard-Specific Appendices support each functional annex and
contain technical information, details, and methods for use in
emergency operations.
The plan should be written using clear, simple language to avoid
possible misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Do not use
unnecessary big words, but keep in mind that technical terminology
will be required.
The Basic Plan
The Basic Plan: 20
Minutes
The basic plan is the foundation document that provides the
background and basis for the other parts of the plan. It begins with
a series of introductory parts. These include:

A foreword describing the planning process, abstracting the
contents in an executive summary, and stating the purpose of
the plan.

A table of contents.

Instructions on using the plan, on its intended audiences, on the
purpose of its various sections, and on plan distribution.
A “change record” page, a place for noting the dates of revisions
and the section revised.
There are eight other sections to the basic plan.
1. Statement of Purpose
This states the reason the plan exists: To give the community an
effective and efficient disaster management program that will
protect life and property and help the community recover from
disasters in a manner acceptable to the people.
2. Situation and Assumptions
This is a description of the types of disasters or emergency
situations that may occur. It discusses warning time, the degree of
damage expected, or another specific situation that may be peculiar
to the community. For example, if you are located in the vicinity of
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an airport, this section would describe the various emergency
situations that may occur because of that particular facility.
Be realistic. Make only valid assumptions, because they will
influence the details that follow later in the plan for responding to
the event. The description of potential disasters should reference
your “hazard identification and vulnerability analysis.”
3.
Organization
Responsibilities
and
Assignment
of
The Basic Plan: 20
Minutes (continued)
This is the heart of the plan, because it deals specifically with how
the community will assign the disaster functions to carry out the
plan. However, this section does not yet say how the plan will
function. Its sole purpose is to specify who will be responsible for
the key functions.
This section also defines the roles of local officials in the disaster
management structure. It specifies the lines of authority between
the various government officials, the disaster manager, and the
heads of the various agencies or departments.
Your emergency organizational structure should be as similar as
possible to that used for day-to-day operations. However, it should
allow for the expansion and extension of duties to include such
items as damage assessment, liaison with community groups,
emergency shelter management and similar functions that do not
normally occur on a daily basis.
Disaster management is a community-wide responsibility, not just a
local government responsibility. Therefore, the organizational
structure should also clearly identify those private-sector individuals
or organizations that have accepted the responsibility to coordinate
resources outside the direct control of the local government.
4. Concept of Operations
This section describes the roles and relationships of government
agencies and how they interact with each other and the private
sector. Here are some of the points covered:

Relationships among levels of government

Curtailment of nonessential functions during emergency
conditions

General need for time-phase of operations (pre-disaster,
disaster, and post-disaster)

Supporting plans and procedures as a basis for operations

Expectations for training, exercises, and critiquing

Efforts directed toward mitigation and recovery

General discussion of the decision-making processes that affect
disaster management operations
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5. Administration and Logistics
This is the place to address management of resources, general
support requirements, and availability of services and support for all
phases of comprehensive disaster management. The plan will
establish policy for obtaining and using facilities, materials, services,
and other resources required for any aspect of disaster
management.
The Basic Plan: 20
Minutes (continued)
6. Plan Development and Maintenance
This presents details about the creation, review, revision, approval,
acceptance, and distribution of the plan. Especially important: the
continuous review required to keep the plan current and reflect
changes that result from actual experiences in disaster
management, changing emergency situations and assumptions, and
modifications in the community’s profile.
7. Authorities and References
This part cites the authorities that provide the basis for a
comprehensive disaster management program. It refers to the
statutes, executive orders, regulations, and formal agreements that
pertain to any type of emergency. It also references other
documents relating to disaster planning, such as general planning
guidance, plans of other agencies, and the plans of other levels of
government.
8. Definitions of Terms
This is the plan’s explanation of words and phrases that are not
commonly known or might be misinterpreted. For example, you
may wish to define “mutual aid,” “hazardous materials,” or
“radiological emergency” as you are using the terms in your plan.
These definitions will depend upon their application to your
community and the particular interpretation you intend to give
them.
It should be fairly evident by now that the basic plan is mostly
preliminary, background information. It establishes the structure for
the functional annexes and the hazard-specific appendices that
follow.
Functional Annexes
Annexes are the parts of the disaster operations plan where you
begin to provide specific information and direction. Annexes should
focus on operations—what the function is and who is responsible
for carrying it out. While the basic plan provides information
relevant to the disaster operations plan as a whole, annexes should
emphasize responsibilities, tasks, and operational actions that
pertain to the function being covered. Annexes should cover, in
general terms, the activities to be performed by anyone with
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assigned responsibility under that function. An annex should
identify actions that not only ensure effective response, but also aid
in preparing for emergencies and disasters
Core Functions
The core functions that should be addressed are:
Direction and control – Who is in charge?

Communications – How will people and organizations
communicate?

Warning – What warning systems will be used?

Emergency public information – How will the public be kept
informed?

Evacuation – What steps will be taken to tell people to leave a
particular area, and how will they do it?

Mass care – Who will shelter and feed populations that have
been evacuated or displaced as a result of a disaster?

Health and medical services – Who will provide these services
after a disaster?
Functional Annexes:
10 Minutes
(continued)
Resource management – How will resources be allocated?
Other Functions
Other functions to consider:

Damage assessment

Search and rescue

Emergency services

Aviation operations

Engineering services

Agriculture services

Transportation
Eight Sections
As with the basic plan, and as described on the previous pages, an
annex has eight parts:
1. Purpose
2. Situation and Assumptions
3. Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
4. Concept of Operations
5. Administration and Logistics
6. Plan Development and Maintenance
7. Authorities and References
8. Definition of Terms
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Hazard Specific Appendices
Hazard-specific appendices are a way of building on what was
contained in the functional annexes in order to address special and
unique response procedures, notifications, protective actions,
emergency public information, and other needs generated by a
particular hazard.
A hazard-specific appendix should be prepared for any functional
annex that does not, by itself, give complete information on
performing required functions in the event of a particular highpriority hazard, such as a typhoon.
Hazard Specific
Appendices: 10
Minutes
The appendices are attachments to the functional annexes, and
their sections correspond to those in the annex for which they
provide supplementary hazard-specific information. This assures
consistency in the plan, since all major parts—the basic plan, the
functional annex, and the hazard-specific appendix—will look alike.
The level of detail, however, will vary from one to the other.
Plan Review
When you have the plan completed, review each aspect with your
local officials and others who have responsibility for
implementation of various functions. Be prepared to make
revisions, as necessary.
DOES YOUR COMMUNITY
OPERATIONS PLAN?
HAVE
A
Plan Review: 10
Minutes
DISASTER
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE PLAN?
.........................................................................................................................
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Exercising the Plan
The most effective way to test the plan is by exercising it. There are
five different types of exercises. They are progressively more
realistic, more stressful, more complex, and more difficult to
conduct. Communities should plan to perform exercises in
successive steps, each step building on the experience of the
previous exercise. Exercises must be an integral and ongoing part of
an effective disaster management program
Exercise the Plan: 20
Minutes
1. Orientation
The first type of exercise is a preparatory training exercise that
helps orient staff to plans or procedures. It is very low-key and
serves as a building block to other, more difficult exercises.
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2. Table-top Exercise
Second is the table-top exercise. The focus of this exercise is to
familiarize participants with their roles, procedures, and
responsibilities in the disaster management system. As the name
implies, it occurs when the participants sit around a table and talk
their way through the exercise. It is normally not a stressful activity,
and it is easily scheduled since it does not require elaborate
preparation.
A table-top exercise does involve an initial attempt to simulate what
happens during an emergency, because it uses pre-scripted
messages designed to trigger a response. But, unlike more complex
exercises, there is no pressure of urgency and timeliness since it is
basically an exercise in talking about the plan. This shared
conversation about the plan is valuable in that it emphasizes the
need to coordinate and to identify the interaction problems
agencies face.
Exercise the Plan: 20
Minutes (continued)
3. Functional Exercise
The functional exercise takes place in a classroom setting arranged
to look like an emergency operations center or in an actual
Emergency Operations Center (EOC). It involves complex simulation
using written, telephone, and radio messaging. The messages
describe realistic events and occurrences to which the participants
respond as if there were a real emergency.
The training benefit comes from the evaluation of personnel and
procedures under complex conditions and relatively high stress.
The functional exercise should involve all key disaster management
personnel to allow them to practice using the procedures they
helped write or, at a minimum, the plan that they approved. This
tests the organization of the plan, its task assignments, and the
interaction necessary among government officials.
Conflicts in authority or responsibility emerge in a functional
exercise as do gaps in planned task assignments. Because this
occurs, the functional exercise often leads to plan revision.
4. Field Drill
An exercise in which the personnel of only one emergency service
organization actively participate is a field drill. Also, a field drill
might be one that is limited to the personnel involved in only one
specific function.
Field drills serve a valuable purpose in support of a full-scale
exercise. For example, before you conduct a full-scale exercise, you
should verify that alerting and notification procedures are correct
by conducting a notification field drill. This is done by sending out a
message simulating that a disaster has occurred and observing
whether the correct people and agencies find out about it within a
predetermined period of time.
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Drills also let you verify that your specialized facilities, such as the
EOC and the communications center, are in working order.
Too often, communities feel confident that they have tested their
plan after running such a drill. However, unless the EOC activates,
and full interagency coordination takes place, there is no completesystem or end-to-end test. Therefore, the ultimate goal of the
exercise program should be to conduct a full-scale exercise with
EOC activation. Drills alone cannot substitute for simulation of total
emergency coordination.
Exercise the Plan: 20
Minutes (continued)
5. Full-scale Exercise
The full-scale exercise combines a functional exercise with a field
drill. During a full-scale exercise, all personnel respond to a disaster
by moving equipment and personnel as in a real situation. There
may even be civilian participants who simulate injuries.
While there is not the urgency and stress of a real-life situation,
there is enough pressure to test the disaster management plan and
the ability of the personnel to follow it.
One final word of advice: Do not move too fast to advanced
exercises until all participants and agencies have participated in the
more basic exercises and drills. The surest way to “fail” the full-scale
exercise is to attempt to launch one with insufficient practice.
WHEN WAS YOUR LAST DISASTER PLAN EXERCISE (OF
ANY KIND) CONDUCTED?
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the individual
questions after the
module is completed.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISE WAS CONDUCTED?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN BY DOING THIS
EXERCISE?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
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Publicizing the Plan
Once you have completed the disaster operations plan, you need to
let everyone in the community know about it. If you have not done
so already, it is an excellent time to start a full-scale public
information campaign about disaster preparedness. It is also an
excellent time to do a little promotion within your own government.
Use the completion of the plan as an opportunity to renew contact
with other agency officials and with volunteer groups and the
public.
Publicizing the Plan: 10
Minutes
Your approach to each of these groups and the information you
present will be different. The intent, however, is the same: to have a
well-informed and fully prepared community.
Potential Methods
Local Media: There are several ways you can inform the public
about the plan. The most obvious is to use the local news media.
The media might broadcast informational “spots” on radio and
television as a public service.
Your local newspaper could run a series of small articles about the
disaster operations plan and what the public is to do when alerted.
Speak to Community Groups: Another way of getting the word out
is to speak to local community groups, such as schools and women’s
unions. Do not pass up the opportunity to speak to any community
group. The more informed people are, the better the plan will work
in the event of an emergency.
Handouts: If possible, arrange to have some type of brochure
printed as a handout.
E-mail & Social Networking: As technology advances and
communication methods continue to develop, make sure that your
local disaster management community is taking advantage of the
tools. E-mail lists as well as social networking sites such as Facebook
and Twitter can be used to share information and inform the public.
Lining up Your Resources
As you work on a disaster operations plan, you will find that the
plan requires considerable resources—people, equipment, and
supplies. Without them the job of emergency response would be
impossible.
Lining up Your
Resources: 15 Minutes
Potential sources of resources are:

Those available from the government in your community or
maintained by higher levels of government

Those in the community

Those in a neighboring community

Those available from the private sector
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From Government
The first available resources are those of the various departments
and agencies of your community. They constitute your first line of
response and the core resources for your disaster management
plan.
WHAT GOVERNMENT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE IN
YOUR COMMUNITY?
Lining up Your
Resources: 15 Minutes
(continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
From the Community
Groups from the community can provide valuable resources. These
groups include:

Red Cross of Vietnam

Schools

Women’s Unions
IDENTIFY THE GROUPS IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT
CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE RESOURCES?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
From a Neighbor
It would not be fiscally responsible for a community to purchase
some specialized piece of disaster equipment used only occasionally
if a neighboring community owns one and is willing to share. It
makes sense to partner and share resources through mutual aid
agreements
A mutual aid agreement is a legal document that sets forth what
help will be provided in case of a disaster. The heads of the
governments involved sign the document. Typically, the agreement
covers access across boundaries, the provision of resources and
services, and the extent to which the resources and services will be
provided.
WHAT MUTUAL AID AGREMENTS ARE YOU AWARE OF
IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
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.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT MUTUAL AID AGREMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO
HAVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Lining up Your
Resources: 15 Minutes
(continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
From the Private Sector
A major part of your private-sector resource inventory will be
personnel and equipment that will supplement government
resources in a disaster. Often, the private sector has different and
more up-to-date resources than the government. Private sector
entities may also have specialists that the government cannot
afford to hire.
Inventorying Your Resources
Perhaps you already have a community resource inventory. If you
do, get it out and review it as you read this section. Your inventory
should be updated as often as necessary, but at least once a year.
You may find that your inventory is not as complete as it should be.
If so, this is the time to begin adding information.
Inventorying Your
Resources: 10 Minutes
If you do not have a resource inventory, it is time to start
developing one. The forms in Appendix A at the end of this Student
Manual will help you to begin the process.
Identifying Sources
Begin to identify sources by creating a list of people to contact who
have authority to allocate resources during a disaster.
Organizational charts, telephone directories, and simply asking
others are excellent ways to identify contacts.
Once you have identified these sources, you will need to make
contact with them to find out what resources they can provide. You
should be prepared to take notes and to explain in detail your
requirements.
It is a good idea to follow up any commitment about a resource in
writing. The written document should address specifics about the
resource, such as what is being provided, the quantity, the location,
primary and alternate contact information, and any costs
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Resource Tracking
An inventory of resources, people, and materials must be
established using a manual or automated system to capture the
information.
The fastest way to update a resource inventory is to send a standard
form letter to everyone identified in the inventory. Reproduce the
information you have on the inventory, and ask your contacts to
confirm the facts and continued availability of the resource. When
they return the letter, you can change information on the inventory
and/or make note of the last date of confirmation.
Specialized
Government
Resource:
Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Inventorying Your
Resources: 10 Minutes
(continued)
The
A designated EOC is a key component to effective disaster
management. You and other officials must be able to coordinate the
direction of disaster operations, and this is the place where you do
it. The EOC has several functions.
First, it serves as the command center. As such, it must contain the
necessary communications equipment for officials operating there
to communicate with 1) their personnel in the field or at other
locations, 2) other government agencies, 3) the higher levels of
government that may be involved in the response, and 4) other
groups that agreed to be part of the response.
Second, as its name implies, it is the operations center for the
emergency personnel: chief elected or appointed government
officials, your emergency operations staff, and other essential
representatives.
It is the nerve center for government officials away from the
disaster scene. This distancing from the scene is critical for proper
coordination with the emergency responders at the scene and
continuous support of their efforts. Thus, your EOC must be large
enough to house all the key personnel, and adequately equipped to
allow them to exercise proper direction and control.
Third, the EOC is the information hub. As such, it must be able to
receive incoming communication from the field, process it, and
transmit outgoing communication to the units at the disaster site.
This takes a lot of training to be sure the information flow is smooth
and efficient. Furthermore, there can be no confusion over the use
of channels.
As a disaster manager, one of your tasks will be to see that all
communications equipment is compatible. This is no easy task, since
there are often different systems in use.
The EOC should also provide the staff with adequate shelter and
life-support services to make extended occupation possible. It
should have an emergency power generator, auxiliary water
supplies, heat, and ventilation.
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The facility should not be located in a basement in a flood zone, and
it should be in a building strong enough to withstand the most
severe hazards anticipated in your area. The continuity of your local
government and its ability to continue serving its people during a
disaster depend upon the survivability of your EOC.
The ideal place for such a center is in a local government building
having the necessary communications equipment and providing
adequate structural protection. Don’t assume that the community’s
communication center or that of your local police or fire
department is the ideal location just because it is there and already
in operation. It may not have the needed space or provide the
necessary structural protection.
Inventorying Your
Resources: 10 Minutes
(continued)
In brief, the EOC is a critical element in the functioning of the plan
when a disaster strikes. Getting the EOC ready takes a lot of time,
and knowing how to use it well takes training and exercising.
Conclusions
If you had any doubts earlier about the scope of the job of the
disaster manager, they are probably gone. This module has outlined
the tasks associated with preparedness. The full spectrum of
activities associated with preparedness is very extensive and this
module is designed to only highlight key areas. If you are interested
in acquiring additional information, talk to your instructor about
additional courses that may be available.
There is a lot you can do every day to prepare your community for a
disaster, long before one occurs. Working with all agencies active in
disasters, a coordinated preparedness effort can make the critical
difference when a disaster strikes.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
4. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. What is a disaster operations plan?
The disaster operations plan spells out the scope of the
preparedness activities required for community response.
2. What are three concepts that should form the basis for a
disaster operations plan?
The Basic Plan, Functional Annexes, and Hazard-specific Appendices.
3. Describe at least three of the five types of exercises you will
use to test your disaster operations plan.
Orientation, Table-top Exercise, Functional Exercise, Field Drill, and
Full-scale Exercise
A total of 30 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 20 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 10
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
4. What are Standard Operating Procedures?
The how-to instructions for disaster response.
5. List characteristics of a good disaster operations plan.
Living document that describes what the community will do and
offers confidence in community’s ability to handle crisis.
6. What is the purpose of a resource inventory and how often
should it be updated?
The purpose of a resource inventory is to help you develop contacts
with your own government officials, volunteer groups (who are a
source of help with the resource inventory), and business and
industry officials throughout the community. It can be a path to
visibility in your area and a way to build bridges to groups that will
be important in disasters. Your inventory should be updated as
often as necessary, but at a minimum once a year.
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What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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7. What are the four major functions of an Emergency
Operations Center?
First, it serves as the command center. Second, as its name implies,
it is the operations center for the emergency personnel:
government officials, disaster operations staff, and other essential
representatives. Third, it is the information hub. Lastly, the EOC
should also provide the staff with adequate shelter and life-support
services to make possible extended occupation.
A total of 30 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 20 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 10
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 5
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope










Module Introduction
Module Objectives
Stages of Response
o Alerting & Notification
o Warning
o Protecting People & Property
o Providing for Public Welfare
o Restoration
Discussion Activity
Activating the EOC
o Routine Emergencies
o Limited Emergencies
o A Potential Disaster
o Full-scale Disaster
Making the EOC Operational
o Alert the EOC Personnel
o Activating the Communication Equipment and
Support Facilities
o Starting the Message Flow System
o Using Logs, Maps, and Status Boards
o Preparing a Shift Schedule
o Announcing the Briefing Schedules
o Providing Staff Necessities
Controlling Access to the EOC
Information in the EOC
Improving Public Response
Assessing Damage
o Preliminary Damage Assessment
o Detailed Damage Assessment
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

Identify the five stages of disaster response and the
disaster manager’s role in each of these stages.

State how to activate the Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) and list the ways in which to make it operational.

State how to handle the media and rumors in a disaster or
emergency.
NDRMP Education and Training Program
Rev. March 2010
Provide the participants
with a quick overview of
Module 5 by highlighting
a few key items
identified to the left
under the heading
scope.
Emphasize that Module
5 focuses on Response.
Ask participants by a
show of hands: “How
many participants have
responded to a disaster
in the last Year?”
“How many participants
have responded to a
disaster in the last 6
months?”
“How many participants
have responded to a
disaster in the last
month?”
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
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M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT

Define ways to improve the public response through
education and partnership efforts.

Develop a response strategy for your community.
Methodology
The instructors will begin this module by reminding the participants
about the four phases of disaster management as described in
Module 1. “As you will remember from Module 1, the four phases
of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery. This module focuses on response.” The instructor will
then display a visual that outlines the module objectives.
After reviewing the module objectives the instructor will begin the
PowerPoint Presentation.
PowerPoint Presentation
Instructors must be
mindful of the time
while teaching Module
5. Refer to your ‘Notes’
section to keep track of
the allotted time for
each topic area.
MHDM_05 Total Number of Slides: 31
Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
Stages of Response
20 Minutes
Discussion Activity 1
25 Minutes
Activating the EOC
15 Minutes
Making the EOC Operational
20 Minutes
Controlling Access to the EOC
15 Minutes
Information in the EOC
15 Minutes
Improving Public Response
15 Minutes
Assessing Damage
20 Minutes
Individual Questions
25 Minutes
Discussion Activity 2
25 Minutes
Learning Check
30 Minutes
Total Time
3 hours 45 Minutes
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MODULE 5
RESPONSE
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

Identify the five stages of disaster response and the disaster
manager’s role in each of these stages.

State how to activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
and list the ways in which to make it operational.

State how to handle the media and rumors in a disaster or
emergency.

Define ways to improve the public response through
education and partnership efforts.

Develop a response strategy for your community.
In Module 4, you learned how to plan for a disaster. The true test of
the plan is how the community actually responds in time of
emergency. In this module, you will learn the basic stages of
response. You will also learn the steps in activating the Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) and in processing the information that
passes in and out of the EOC. Finally, you will learn about damage
assessment to help you determine the situation and allocate the
required resources.
Stages of Response
There are five stages of response to an emergency or disaster.
1. Alerting and notification
Stages of Response: 20
Minutes
2. Warning
3. Protecting people and property
4. Providing for the public welfare
5. Restoration
The length of each stage depends on the disaster situation. For
example, the alerting or notification stage for a typhoon may be
several days, but it may be only hours or minutes in advance of a
flash flood or landslide.
1. Alert and Notification
Some disasters, such as a typhoon or a large-scale flood may be
slow in developing. With the almost instantaneous communications
we have in most places today, it is unlikely that anyone would
remain completely unaware of these slowly developing events. The
continuous updates provided by the media can be considered part
of the alert and notification process.
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Public officials need to notify two groups: the general public and the
emergency personnel who will respond.
During this period, emergency responders are primarily on a standby basis. There are three actions the public needs to take at this
time:
1. Keep themselves informed of the progress of the threat;
2. Take preparatory actions such as getting ready for an
evacuation or stockpiling essential resources; and
3. Be ready to take more specific steps if public officials order
them.
In most situations like this, radio and television will be a primary
way to alert the general public. But this notification should occur
according to the disaster plan. While you will not have complete
control over what the media will say in general about the potential
event, you do have control over the specific disaster preparedness
information you want them to convey to the public. Your plan
should state the kinds of emergency information the public needs at
different times. Your previous contacts with the media will help you
work together during this time.
HOW IS ALERT AND NOTIFICATION HANDLED IN YOUR
COMMUNITY?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Stages of Response: 20
Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
2. Warning
The second phase is warning. Some events occur with little or no
time for alert and notification. In these instances, things happen so
fast that the best public officials can do is to warn the public of
impending danger. This would be the case if there were a hazardous
chemical spill at a local facility with an immediate threat to all or
part of the community.
A worksheet with several questions to help you analyze the warning
systems in your community is provided as Appendix B of this
student manual. The worksheet will guide you through the analysis
and help you to identify areas that need improvement.
There are several ways to warn the public. A discussion of a couple
of options follows.
One way is to ask the media to interrupt regular broadcasting with
an emergency warning about the impending or current emergency.
Be prepared to give the media specific information on who in the
community is affected and what protective actions they should
take.
Another option is to use public vehicles equipped with loudspeakers
to cover the affected areas of the community telling the people
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what to do. Your message might say to listen to a specific radio or
television station for further information on response steps, or it
might call on people to take certain protective actions at once.
Your planning should include options for warning the public.
Regardless of the medium, it is critical that there be one consistent
set of information and instructions given to the public.
WHO IN YOUR COMMUNITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
ISSUING WARNINGS DURING TIMES OF DISASTER?
.........................................................................................................................
Stages of Response: 20
Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
3. Protecting the Public and Property
The third stage in response is taking immediate actions to protect
the public and property. Primarily, this means providing such
services as security, fire protection, emergency medical care, search
and rescue, evacuation from the disaster area and possibly
sheltering. The primary concern is for the life-safety of the
community and immediate treatment of those who may be injured.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
Closely associated with this are measures to secure property and
prevent further damage. Local disaster management agencies,
working with the police, normally perform these actions. The police
see to it that property is secure and that looting does not occur. The
fire department puts out fires, and the military assists in search and
rescue. Also, the local department of public works may be
important in providing personnel and equipment to board up
windows, remove debris, or provide street barricades.
WHO IN YOUR
SERVICES?
COMMUNITY
PROVIDES
THESE
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
4. Providing for the Public Welfare
Providing for the public welfare is the next phase, and it consists of
two main operations: a) caring for the people during and
immediately after the disaster; and b) assessing damage.
Service agencies such as the Vietnam Red Cross, U.N. Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), U.N. United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the other community agencies identified
in your plan are skilled in feeding, clothing, and sheltering the
public.
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WHAT LOCAL AGENCIES WILL HELP PROVIDE FOR
PUBLIC WELFARE?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
The community must assess damage to allow the officials in charge
to decide what is required and in what quantity, and to determine
priorities for restoration of essential services. Also, getting
estimates of the associated costs may be necessary in order to
request outside help if local resources are exhausted.
WHO IN YOUR COMMUNITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
CONDUCTING DAMAGE AND NEEDS ASSESSMENTS?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Stages of Response: 20
Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
5. Restoration
Restoration, the final phase, involves actions to repair essential
services. Among many other tasks, this means restoring utility
service, clearing or repairing roads, removing debris from the
disaster scene, and possibly stabilizing weakened structures.
To the extent possible, the community resumes its normal routine.
Businesses not severely damaged in the disaster will reopen.
Schools may also reopen, and public transportation may resume.
This short-range recovery is the first step toward long-term
recovery. The next module will cover recovery in greater detail.
WHO IN YOUR COMMUNITY WILL PARTICIPATE IN
RESTORATION ACTIVITIES?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
We have already said that certain disasters or emergencies are
more likely than others to occur in your community. You also
learned that you may need certain resources identified in your
community resources list for certain emergencies, but not for
others. The following worksheet will show you how preparedness
planning links to response. Take a few minutes to complete it.
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DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Complete a copy of this worksheet for one of the high priority
hazards in your community. The worksheet will help you start the
development of an Emergency Contact List keyed to the five stages
of response.
First, select an emergency and note it in the space provided. Then,
list the kinds of resources you may need to call on in each of the
stages. Finally, turn to your resource inventory and identify who or
what agency will provide those resources.
If you do not have an up-to-date resource inventory, write the
names of people or agencies where you think you might be able to
obtain the resources. In the future, you will have to check with
them and work out an agreement for the emergency use of the
resources.
Completing a chart for each major threat will give you a good idea
where you need to focus on obtaining resources for that
emergency.
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Students have 25
minutes to complete
the discussion activity
Instructors should
facilitate the working
groups and aid
participants as
necessary.
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Emergency Resource Contact List for
(type of emergency)
Stage of
Readiness
Source
Telephone
Alert and Notification
Warning
Safeguarding the Public and Property
Providing for the Public Welfare
Restoration
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Activating the EOC
In Module 4 we talked briefly about the EOC. We now need to
return to this important topic. The EOC is where the officials
responsible for responding to major emergencies and disasters
assemble to direct and control the community’s response. Its
operation must function smoothly and efficiently.
It is important to have a well-equipped EOC capable of providing for
continued operations throughout major disasters and emergencies.
The EOC goes into operation when the disaster manager decides
that the situation is serious enough to require a coordinated and
other-than-routine response. Obviously, the EOC does not become
operational for all emergencies. The plan will specify the conditions
under which it is activated and who is authorized to activate it.
Activating the EOC: 15
Minutes
One of the first tasks in any emergency is to quickly assess the
situation to determine if its size or severity warrants activating the
EOC. The EOC may be staffed on a regular basis, or only as-needed.
Staffing the EOC may be as simple as people leaving their offices
and walking down the hall to the operations center. Or it may be
more elaborate, such as calling in people from various locations.
When activating your EOC, you will want to gauge your staffing level
by the scale of the emergency. Four classifications are useful in
determining the EOC’s operational status.
Routine Emergencies
Routine emergencies are those that local emergency services
personnel handle on a day-to-day basis, such as fires and traffic
accidents. Under certain conditions, such an emergency may
require additional departments to respond. Public officials, agencies
or organizations are not likely to activate the EOC for this level of
emergency.
IDENTIFY THE ROUTINE EMERGENCIES IN YOUR
COMMUNITY.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
Limited Emergencies
A limited emergency is more serious than a routine emergency, and
involves a limited staff in the EOC. Only the functions of the EOC
that are essential for coping with the limited emergency are
operational for such emergencies. This is also known as a partial
activation.
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Limited emergency situations fall into two categories. The first is an
advance readiness for what may become a full-scale disaster later.
For example, during a watch or warning associated with typhoon or
flood, your plan may call for the activation of a limited staff at the
EOC to monitor conditions.
The second category of limited emergency is when a routine
emergency goes beyond the capability of the community’s day-today operations. For example, suppose a small fire in a housing
complex or a wildland fire suddenly gets out of control and becomes
a major problem. Your plan may call for the activation of the EOC on
a limited basis to help with evacuation, mass care, and sheltering.
Activating the EOC: 15
Minutes (continued)
A Potential Disaster
A potential disaster is one step beyond a limited emergency. In this
situation, authorities would supplement the limited staff to more
closely monitor the situation, and to be ready to go into action if
conditions deteriorate. During this waiting time, it is wise to verify
that all communication links of the EOC are operational and all
essential EOC staff are ready to report.
For example, when a typhoon is a few days away but its projected
path is likely to hit your area, the EOC should be in the limited
emergency stage. As the storm nears and the trajectory remains
constant, more and more staff would report to the EOC, and you
would reach the potential disaster stage.
Full-scale Disaster
A full-scale disaster requires total mobilization of the entire EOC
staff. Referring to the typhoon example again. By the time the
leading edge of the wind and rain is beginning to be felt in your
community, the EOC should be on full emergency status with all
staff present and all systems ready to function.
WHAT IS THE MOST RECENT DISASTER THAT YOUR
COMMUNITY HAS RESPONDED TO?
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Making the EOC Operational
But how does the EOC go from a non-active status to a fully
activated one? As we stated above, the plan should spell out a
sequence of steps for activating the EOC, depending on the threat.
Note that many steps will apply whenever you decide to activate
the EOC, regardless of the nature of the threat. What will vary from
situation to situation will be the number of persons involved and
the functions activated.
Making the EOC
Operational: 20 Minutes
The following are seven suggestions for preparing that sequence.
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1. Alert the EOC Personnel
Once public officials have decided to activate the EOC, the first step
is alerting the personnel needed to deal with the situation at hand.
The operations plan should contain a standard operating procedure
detailing how this happens. Usually, this is via telephone contact,
personal pagers, or email.
Your alerting roster should contain the names and telephone or
pager numbers of a primary and secondary (alternate) contact for
each position in the EOC. The alternate would receive the call if the
primary contact is unavailable. To keep your alert roster current, it
is wise to update it regularly, at least semiannually.
Making the EOC
Operational: 20
Minutes (continued)
2. Activating the Communications Equipment
and Support Facilities
While the personnel alerted are reporting to the EOC, activate the
communications equipment and other support facilities. Unless
your EOC is in operation on a day-to-day basis, you will need to
activate and test your communications equipment. Activating the
support facilities may mean anything from plugging in the teapot
and turning on the computers to starting up an emergency power
generator.
You want to be ready to go into action when the essential personnel
arrive.
3. Starting the Message Flow System
It is important to have an effective message system that allows for a
disciplined flow of incoming and outgoing messages. This system
will ensure the following, at a minimum:

Exacting and detailed recording of an incoming message

Directing each message to the EOC staff person best suited to
respond

Coordinating the decision to allocate resources

Allocating the resources or requesting additional ones

Recording the action(s) taken

Notifying the sender of the message of what action has been
taken
Ideally, an operations officer routes the completed incoming
messages to the appropriate staff person and makes sure each
incoming message gets the attention it needs.
One effective way to manage this process is to use pre-printed,
pressure-sensitive, color-coded forms that minimize the amount of
writing needed. This process also guarantees a chronological record
of activities.
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WHAT MESSAGE FLOW SYSTEM DOES YOUR LOCAL
EOC HAVE?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Making the EOC
Operational: 20
Minutes (continued)
4. Using Logs, maps, and Status Boards
During a typical disaster, the volume of information and kinds of
information generated can be much more than expected. You need
systems to manage this accumulation of information. Here are some
useful tools.
You need to maintain a chronology of events on a log board to keep
track of what is occurring. Today there are “white boards” that
electronically capture what one writes on the board. Once the
chronology is printed, a special file can keep the hard copy of the
chronology, thus freeing the board for another batch of data. This
minimizes the need to have multiple log boards. Maybe you can use
this technology.
You need maps of your local community, of your province, and of
Vietnam. The ideal map is a large, wall-size blow-up with an acetate
overlay allowing you to use erasable markers when making
appropriate notations. Don’t wait until an emergency occurs to find
a useful map and accessories; make this part of your preparedness
effort.
Finally, you will need status boards to record such things as the
names and locations of the operational shelters, the number of
occupants in each and their needs; the roads that are impassible or
in need of immediate repair; and the sections of town without
utilities. You may be able to capture this information on a computer
and project the data on large monitors and wall displays.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the
individual questions
after the module is
completed.
DOES YOUR LOCAL EOC HAVE LOGS, MAPS AND
STATUS BOARDS?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
5. Preparing a Shift Schedule
If the EOC is to operate for any length of time, make sure the
personnel in the EOC have the needed breaks and that their period
of duty does not exceed a reasonable span of time (usually 12
hours). While it is impossible to set a schedule of breaks, it is critical
that staff working under intense pressure take regular breaks to
maintain their mental clarity. You may have to encourage some
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over-zealous staff members, caught up in the excitement, to take a
break. Do not hesitate to do so if it looks the person is becoming
fatigued.
If it seems that the operation will extend beyond one day, you will
need a second shift to relieve the first shift. Your plan should specify
the length of the shift and the names of everyone who is to serve
and on which shift.
DOES YOUR EOC HAVE A SHIFT SCHEDULE?
Making the EOC
Operational: 20 Minutes
(continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
6. Announcing the Briefing Schedules
It is important to announce and post the briefing schedule as soon
as the EOC activates. Briefings should occur on a regular basis such
as when shifts change, when there is a sudden change in events, or
before making a major decision or releasing potentially disturbing
information to the public or the media.
The local news media also needs a briefing schedule so that they
know when to expect a report from the EOC. A media schedule will
provide them with important information, and it help prevent the
media from interfering with EOC operations.
DOES YOUR EOC HAVE A BRIEFING SCHEDULE?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
7. Providing Staff Necessities
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
If you know the EOC will be in operation for some time, make sure
you have appropriate food, beverages, housekeeping provisions,
and basic medical supplies. Your plan should anticipate all needs.
Depending on your situation, you should have made arrangements
with caterers or other community food sources to preparing meals
for the EOC staff. While you can stockpile drinks and housekeeping
and medical supplies, fresh food poses a different challenge.
IS YOUR EOC EQUIPPED WITH THESE NECESSITIES?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Summary
These seven steps cover the most important actions you need to
take when the EOC is activated. There are many smaller tasks that
fall under these seven steps that are not addressed in the
introductory course. Time on the job and further training will
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familiarize you with them. These seven steps provide a reliable
starting point for you.
It is one thing to make the EOC operational, but it is something else
to keep it in operational status. One of the chief obstacles to
smooth operations in the EOC is the possible interruptions from
persons who have no business in the EOC. So, we need to briefly
address the question of maintaining the security of the EOC.
Controlling Access to the EOC
In order to provide an effective response to an emergency or
disaster, the EOC must function without interference from those
who are not part of the disaster management team. The best way to
do this is to control access to the EOC. As soon as the EOC goes into
emergency status, implement your planned check-in procedure. The
EOC should have a receptionist or security person on duty. Each
member of the EOC staff should have identification so that the
receptionist knows whom to admit. You may wish to have different
identification methods for those who have direct access at any time
(for example, if the EOC operates on a daily basis) and for those
who have only limited access during emergencies. Different color
badges are an easy way to establish categories of identification and
access, and ensure security.
Controlling Access to
the EOC: 15 Minutes
Your plan should require a sign-in procedure, so you can tell at any
time who is in the EOC.
It is best to keep the media and the EOC staff separate, to ensure
that members of the media do not interfere with operations.
Designate a separate facility for briefing the media. If you have no
separate facility, designate a restricted area or room within the
building housing the EOC, but preferably not close to the
operations.
Information in the EOC
Earlier we referred to the need for a smooth flow of information
into and out of the EOC. This information processing is critical to the
successful operations of the EOC. How well you perform will depend
upon how well you can handle the information you receive, process
and transmit.
Information in the
EOC: 15 Minutes
Even before the staff arrives at the EOC, there should be no
question as to what each person will do. Each staff member should
have received a personal copy of the EOC standard operating
procedures as part of your training and exercise program.
As soon as possible after the activation of the EOC, someone must
brief personnel on the situation. This can be a quickly prepared
summary given to them as they sign in, or it may be done in an
initial situation briefing.
Even as this briefing is occurring, the EOC is likely to be receiving
messages from the field. There are ways to manage this message
process and not let it get out of control.
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All incoming messages should be written or entered into a
computer and then funneled through an operations officer to those
in the EOC who are responsible for taking action. The operations
officer should be aware of the actions taken, not just the
information coming in. One way to do this is to use a preprinted
form for incoming and outgoing messages. A typical form appears
on the following page.
HOW DOES YOUR EOC HANDLE BRIEFINGS?
.........................................................................................................................
Information in the EOC:
15 Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Written information is absolutely essential, because it documents
the time of the request and the actions taken during the response
phase. You may have to refer to this documentation later for
verification of events.
The use of a standard form (or computer program) will ensure that
the information is complete. The form should be an easily
recognizable document and contain space for the members of the
staff to make notes. Nothing is more frustrating to the EOC staff,
and more potentially damaging to an effective response, than to
have to deal with slips of paper of various sizes with no specific
format. Making important decisions affecting public safety on the
basis of these snippets of information is not an effective way to
operate.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
As a disaster manager, it is your job to see that the EOC functions
smoothly. Message flow is a critical process supporting the EOC
operation. Some training and exercises will be needed for the staff
to become proficient at this, especially if you do not use your EOC
on a regular basis.
HOW IS INFORMATION DOCUMENTED IN YOUR EOC?
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SAMPLE MESSAGE / ACTION LOG
Event No.
Message No.
Sample Form
Date: ______/______/______
Mo
Day
Yr
Time:
Routine
Urgent
(24 Hr.)
To:
From:
Organization:
Organization:
Method:
Method:
(Tel., Fax, Radio, Ecomm, Amateur)
(Tel., Fax, Radio, Ecomm, Amateur)
MESSAGE / ACTION: (Names, Titles, Dept., Tel. No., Dates)
R O U T E T O:
Signature
____ Central Government
____ Support Agencies/
____ EOC Incident Command
____ Message Center Data Information Systems
____ Public Information Officer
____ Rumor Control
OPERATIONS
OFFICER
(Field Actions)
PLANNING
OFFICER
(Plan/Evaluate)
LOGISTICS OFFICER
FIRE/RESCUE
AGRICULTURE
COMMUNICATIONS
POLICE
PUBLIC WORKS
MASS CARE
MEDICAL
DAMAGE ASSMT.
SHELTER SYSTEMS
EMA
RADIOLOGICAL
SCHOOLS
EVACUATION
HAZMAT
RESOURCES
FLOOD OBSERVERS
FLOOD COORD.
TRANSPORTATION
SEARCH & RESCUE
DOCUMENTATION
MILITARY AFFAIRS
(Resource Mgmt.)
FINANCE OFFICER
(Cost/Contract)
ACTION TAKEN BY RECIPIENT:
WHITE = To Designated Staff
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PINK = Keep
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M ULTI - HAZARD D ISASTER M ANAGEMENT
Computers as EOC Tools
Probably no tool of disaster operations since the introduction of
radio communications has had such an impact as the computer. It
enables the storage, retrieval, and rapid display of huge quantities
of information. As a result, it has greatly altered the way an EOC can
function.
Let’s consider a couple of areas where a computer can improve EOC
operations. As messages flow into the EOC, the communications
operators enter messages into the computer, tagging them for
action by specific agencies or individuals. The action tag might be a
blinking red marker turned off only when the assigned individual
responds to that message. A glance at a large projection screen
showing the EOC Event Log makes it clear to everyone what actions
are still outstanding, and what unmet needs exist.
For example, when a message arrives asking for pumps to support
the response operation, the resource manager can type the word
pump and get a list of all available pumps displayed in seconds.
With proper programming, the computer system can display the
locations of the pumps on a computer-generated map. When the
resource manager allocates a pump, the program can record its
use—and instantly note that the pump is no longer available to fill
another request—on the computer screen.
Similarly, you can answer questions about shelters quickly. The
computer allows the shelter officer to display all shelters and the
exact status of all open shelters. Each time more occupants arrive in
a shelter, the shelter officer can adjust the number of remaining
shelter spaces. A computerized program can easily keep count of
shelters and display a list of their occupancy levels.
Information in the EOC:
15 Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
25 minutes to
complete the individual
questions after the
module is completed.
These are just two examples. Computer-aided EOC operations are
state-of-the-art. Commercially available emergency information
software or database management programs that you develop
yourself can improve the way your EOC functions.
DOES YOUR EOC HAVE A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM TO
HELP IT FUNCTION?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT PLANS HAVE YOU PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE YOUR
EOC CAN STILL FUNCTION IF YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM
FAILS?
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Working with the Media
During an emergency, the media crave information. You, as the
disaster manager, or your public information officer or your chief
executive will have to face the media. Do not ignore the media,
because they may gather information for their public reports from
other, less-reliable sources if you do not provide it.
The information needed by the news media answers basic questions
like who, what, when, where, why, and what next. Whenever
possible, use prepared press releases to cover these essential facts.
In addition, the reporters will probably want briefings with officials
of the government. This approach can be very useful in getting the
public’s attention, but you must ensure that officials are well
informed about the situation.
When you, your public information officer, or an official goes before
the reporters, be as factual as possible. Do not speculate on what
could happen or what is going to happen. Present them with the
basic facts, and answer their questions to the best of your ability. If
you do not know the answer to a particular question, be honest. Tell
them you don’t know at this time but you will let them know as
soon as you get and verify the information requested. Do not give
out any information you have not been able to confirm.
HOW DO YOU CURRENTLY WORK WITH THE MEDIA?
Information in the EOC:
15 Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
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You must work with the news people throughout the year, not only
during emergencies. Remember, you will need assistance in
informing the public about your preparedness plan.
The more you work with them on a regular basis, the better grasp of
their operations and deadlines you will have. A good working
relationship will facilitate positive exchanges during a disaster.
Also, the more the members of the media respect you, and the
more they are aware of your daily operations, the less they will
doubt your credibility during a disaster.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
As a group, identify three (3) effective strategies to work with the
media in an effort to educate the public about disasters and disaster
preparedness.
Students have 25
minutes to complete
the discussion activity
Instructors should
facilitate the working
groups and aid
participants as
necessary.
What strategies are you currently using in your community?
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Rumor Control
Rumors are sometimes as dangerous as the emergency itself. The
control of rumors is essential if the public is to remain accurately
informed and as cooperative as possible with the emergency
recommendations issued by public officials. As a disaster manager,
there are several things you can do to control rumors.
Get the Facts Out: First, try to control rumors quickly by gathering
the facts, and then releasing the exact information. As soon as you
are aware of a possible rumor, check it out and release to the news
media the facts that dispel the rumor. If it is true, confirm its
veracity.
Create a Rumor Control Center: Another useful technique is
creating a rumor control center. The public should have a number
to call for confirmation or refutation of information. It helps to use
well-known community leaders to aid in rumor control. Certain
individuals may have more credibility with a particular group in the
community. It may be necessary for such leaders to go on radio or
television to inform their constituents of the facts involved, and to
deal with the particular needs of those constituents.
Improving Public Response
Responding to the media and the general public during and after a
disaster is, of course, only part of your public affairs responsibilities.
You can do a lot before the emergency hits.
Information in the EOC:
15 Minutes (continued)
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 25
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
Your job involves other public information responsibilities such as
pre-disaster public safety education. Awareness campaigns
sponsored by community groups, local government officials, and
area business and industry, are perhaps the best way to spread the
word on preparedness actions that people can take to help save
their lives and their property when an event occurs.
In addition to helping the people of the community, a well-planned
and well-executed public awareness campaign has other benefits. It
expands your working relationship with the community and helps
develop stronger alliances between you and the local media. It will
also result in people knowing more about your organization and the
services it offers. In addition, it will disseminate necessary
emergency public information throughout the community, ready for
use when a disaster strikes.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO
IMPROVE PUBLIC RESPONSE?
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Assessing Damage
The last point we need to examine in reference to response is
damage and needs assessments.
There are two types of assessment—preliminary damage
assessments (PDA) and detailed damage assessment (DDA).
1. Preliminary Damage Assessments take place within hours
after an incident, and focus on lifesaving needs, imminent
hazards, and critical lifelines.
2. Detailed Damage Assessments take place days and weeks
after a disaster, and record details about the types of
damage, affixing a monetary value to damages. DDA focuses
on sector-specific damages and identifies recovery needs.
Assessing Damage: 20
Minutes
The ability of local governments to perform a PDA accurately and
within the first few hours after an incident is critical to providing an
adequate local government response for life-threatening situations
and imminent hazards. Coordinated and timely assessment permits
local government to prioritize response activities, allocate scarce
resources, and request assistance quickly and accurately.
Damage assessments involve developing plans and procedures that
address:

What information should be collected,

Who will be responsible for collecting the information,

What supplies and equipment will be needed by those
collecting the information,

How will the assessment data be consolidated, summarized,
and communicated, and

What follow-up actions will be needed?
Preliminary Damage Assessment
Preliminary damage assessment is a key step in attending to the
long-term needs of the community.
We cannot overemphasize that you should take pictures of the
damage. Written documentation is important, but the damage is
recorded more graphically and more dramatically when a
photograph is added. Today, with the availability of digital cameras
and camcorders, it has become easier to document the damage
with photos.
Make sure the people who are responsible for PDA know what to
do. It is important to do damage assessments quickly in order to
ensure effective service delivery and coordinate outside assistance
as necessary.
Damage assessment information can be collected in many different
ways. You will have the greatest success if you develop a system
that fits your needs and stick to it. It should be as simple as possible,
but it must help you collect all the vital information.
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The determining factor is how you are going to use the damage
information. The basic purpose of an assessment is to obtain
needed assistance. You may also use the damage assessment
information to report to the media. Your damage assessment may
even be the basis for receiving international assistance.
Detailed Damage Assessment
The detailed damage assessment is an in-depth assessment of both
the situation and the needs. The DDA usually starts after the
preliminary damage assessment has been completed and covers
assessments of critical sectors (e.g. transportation, power,
communications, banking, agriculture, health…) that have to be
addressed for medium- and long-term response and recovery. The
DDA should be carried out by specialists in each impacted sector.
Assessing Damage: 20
Minutes (continued)
As with the PDA, clear documentation (both written and in pictures)
is very important. The DDA may be used to seek national and
international assistance as well as to apply for development funds.
It is important that DDA data collection is carried out in a consistent
and systematic manner.
For more information and instructions on how to conduct a DDA
see: ASEAN Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA)
Quick Reference Guide 2008 or UNOCHA Disaster Assessment and
Coordination Field Handbook 2006.
Conclusion
In brief, these are some of the major duties your disaster
management team will be responsible for during response. As you
can see, there will be a lot to do. The more of this you can anticipate
and plan for, the better off you and your community will be when
something happens.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
5. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. List the five basic stages of response to a disaster and
identify your level of preparedness for each stage.
(1) Alerting and notification. (2) Warning. (3) Protecting the citizens
and property. (4) Providing for the public welfare. (5) Restoration.
2. List the steps in making an EOC operational.
Alerting the EOC Personnel, Activating the Communications Equipment
and Support Facilities, Starting the Message Flow System, Using Logs,
Maps, and Status Boards, Preparing a Shift Schedule, Announcing the
Briefing Schedules, Providing Staff Necessities.
3. What are some possible ways to handle rumors?
Try to control rumors quickly by getting the facts and then getting
the exact information out. As soon as you are aware of a possible
rumor, check it out and release to the news media the facts that
dispel the rumor. If it is true, confirm its veracity. It is also
important to have a good working relationship with the media.
Your good rapport will contribute to making them willing to hold
certain information until you verify it before releasing it to the
public. Another useful technique is creating a rumor control center.
The public should have a number to call for confirmation or
refutation of information. It helps to use well-known community
leaders to aid in rumor control. Certain individuals may have more
credibility with a particular group in the community.
A total of 30 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 20 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 10
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
4. Why conduct a damage assessment?
Provide adequate response for life-threatening situations, prioritize
response activities, allocate resources, report to press, helps to
match needs with available resources, basis for requesting
international aid.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 6
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope






Module Introduction
Module Objectives
Recovery: The Final Phase
Recovery Assistance
Documentation
How to Recover
o Recovery Partnerships
o Recovery Planning
o Capitalizing on Event
Provide the participants
with a quick overview of
Module 6 by highlighting
a few key items
identified to the left
under the heading
scope.
Emphasize that Module
6 focuses on Recovery.
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

List recovery-related activities that occur after a disaster.

Identify the types of assistance that will be needed following a
disaster, and state how to access this assistance.

Identify considerations for recovery planning.

State how to assess and report damage and losses.

Understand short- and long-term recovery needs (e.g.
housing, economic recovery).

State ways to gain support for disaster management while
visibility is high.

Develop a recovery strategy for your community.
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_06 Total Number of Slides: 14
Methodology
The instructors will begin this module by reminding the participants
about the four phases of disaster management as described in
Module 1. “As you will remember from Module 1, the four phases
of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery. This module focuses on recovery.” The instructor will
then display a visual that outlines the module objectives.
After reviewing the module objectives the instructor will begin the
PowerPoint Presentation.
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Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
Recovery: The Final Phase
20 Minutes
Recovery Assistance
15 Minutes
Documentation
10 Minutes
How to Recover
15 Minutes
Individual Questions
20 Minutes
Learning Check
20 Minutes
Total Time
1 hour 40 Minutes
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MODULE 6
RECOVERY
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

List recovery-related activities that occur after a disaster.

Identify the types of assistance that will be needed following a
disaster, and state how to access this assistance.

Identify considerations for recovery planning.

State how to assess and report damage and losses.

Understand short- and long-term recovery needs (e.g.
housing, economic recovery).

State ways to gain support for disaster management while
visibility is high.

Develop a recovery strategy for your community.
Recovery: The Final Phase
Recovery: The Final
Phase: 20 Minutes
Recovery includes activities necessary to restore the community to
normal. Recovery activities are classified as short-term and longterm.
During response, the community takes emergency action to restore
vital functions while instituting protective measures against further
damage or injury. Short-term recovery is immediate and tends to
overlap with response. The community restores interrupted utility
services, re-establishes transportation routes, and stabilizes or
demolishes severely damaged buildings. Additionally, there may be
a need to provide food and shelter for those displaced by the
disaster. Although called short-term, some of these activities may
last for weeks.
Long-term recovery may involve some of the same activities, but it
may continue for a number of months, sometimes years, depending
on the severity and extent of the damage sustained. For example,
long-term recovery may include the complete redevelopment of
damaged areas. The goal is for the community to return not only to
its pre-emergency condition but to an improved state.
This is an ideal time to implement new mitigation measures so that
the community is better prepared to deal with future threats, and is
less vulnerable to the hazards it has now experienced.
Helping the community to take new mitigation steps is one of your
most important roles during the recovery phase. You will also be
your community’s liaison with representatives of government
assistance programs. In addition, you will have to keep track of the
myriad of other tasks associated with your daily position as the
disaster management coordinator.
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Recovery Assistance
For the majority of disasters, local communities are able to provide
the assistance needed for recovery.
However, for a major disaster, it may be necessary to obtain
assistance from the central government or international
community. Therefore, you must be prepared to request outside aid
if a major disaster occurs.
Recovery Assistance:
15 Minutes
Documentation
The most common reason for outside assistance not being provided
when requested is lack of adequate documentation. Documenting a
disaster simply means providing evidence of what happened.
Photographs of the damage provide irrefutable evidence. Take
pictures of the damage, the repair work, and completed
restorations. You cannot take too many pictures.
Documentation: 10
Minutes
You will have good documentation if you follow these five simple
steps:
1. Take pictures of damage and repairs. More is better than
too few.
Private individuals may have excellent
photographs to supplement your own.
2. Take notes on damages and repairs. Again, more is better
than too little note-taking. If there is too much to write at
one time, dictate your notes into a tape recorder to be
written later.
3. Clip and file newspaper reports and stories. If you can, get
video footage from the television stations.
4. Record all expenditures carefully, and keep all receipts and
invoices.
5. Make sure anyone acting on behalf of the community does
the same.
How to Recover
How to Recover: 15
Minutes
In Module 4: Preparedness, one of the suggested Things to Do was
to develop an inventory listing individuals in your community with
special skills or resources. These individuals are your partners in the
response effort. However, during recovery, in addition to working
with many of these same persons, you will be developing
relationships and working with a new set of partners.
Recovery Partnerships
You may already know some of your new partners, such as the
officials from your province or regional DMC office. In addition, you
will continue to work with the people who helped you to conduct
damage and needs assessments.
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However, you will also need to work with new community resources
or partners. You will probably develop working relationships with
agencies and organizations in the area to work with you.
As you begin the long-term recovery effort, you will also develop
new relationships with people on various local government
commissions and departments. For example, you may find yourself
working with the local government planning and development
offices.
How to Recover: 15
Minutes (continued)
IDENTIFY CURRENT RECOVERY PARTNERSHIPS IN YOUR
COMMUNITY.
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.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT AGENCIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO DEVELOP
RELATIONSHIPS WITH IN ORDER TO HAVE THEIR HELP
DURING RECOVERY ACTIVITIES?
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
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Recovery Planning
You and your partners in recovery will work together much better if
you understand the recovery process and have a general plan for
recovery. You should append such a plan to your disaster operation
plans.
The primary purpose of a recovery plan is to spell out the major
steps for managing successful recovery. For each step you will also
designate key partners and their roles, and procedures for
mobilizing them. The plan should have at least the following seven
steps:
1. Gathering basic information
2. Organizing recovery
3. Mobilizing resources for recovery
4. Administering recovery
5. Regulating recovery
6. Coordinating recovery activities
7. Evaluating recovery
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The following table shows the steps that are typically performed
during recovery, and compares long-term with short-term activities.
You will note the transition from action objectives (restoration of
utilities, for example) to planning and coordination objectives.
How to Recover: 15
Minutes (continued)
SAMPLE
Actions Typical to the Recovery Period
Short Term
Long Term
Gathering
basic
information
Documentation –
Photographic press
clippings, written
estimates
Documentation – Records of
expenditures. More detailed
damage assessment.
Organizing
recovery
Identification of aid
programs.
Submit requests for aid to
include: applications for
loans, grants, and technical
assistance.
Mobilizing
resources for
recovery
Restore utilities.
Temporary housing and
transportation. Secure
hazardous property.
Temporary food and
clothing.
Implementation of
assistance programs.
Reconstruction and
rehabilitation of damaged
areas.
Administering
recovery
Short-term planning to
return community
services.
Long-term master plan for
community development.
Regulating
recovery
Assess needs for special
laws or permits.
Get approval for proposed
new laws or permits.
Coordinating
recovery
activities
Coordinate transition
from response to
recovery.
Coordinate among programs,
service organizations, and
local resources.
Evaluating
recovery
Monitor recovery effort
Monitor recovery effort;
evaluate if additional aid is
needed.
Review with the
participants the SAMPLE
‘Actions Typical to the
Recovery Period’.
This suggests again the importance of recognizing that disaster
management is a partnership with a wide variety of individuals and
organizations and requires quite a range of management skills, from
command and control, to coordination, to planning. Effective
disaster managers strive for a proper balance among these skills so
that they can fulfill their role during all four phases of the disaster
management cycle.
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DOES YOUR COMMUNITY HAVE A DISASTER RECOVERY
PLAN?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHEN WAS THE DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN LAST
REVIEWED AND TESTED?
How to Recover: 15
Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Capitalizing on Events
One of the most effective ways to get needed support for disaster
management programs is to make them highly visible in the
aftermath of a disaster. Why? Because right after a disaster, local
officials are most familiar with your efforts, and the public is willing
to listen.
Funding for disaster management is usually one of the items of
lower priority in a community’s budget. Because of the economic
and financial constraints put on most governments, officials are
often reluctant to institute new programs. As a result, funding for
many disaster management programs is minimal.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
20 minutes to
complete the individual
questions after the
module is completed.
There are several methods you can use to capitalize on a recent
emergency. First, review what happened. Ask:

Were you prepared?

What weaknesses were there in your disaster operations plan?

Did the recovery effort go smoothly?

Did your EOC function as planned?

Were communications adequate?
The next step is to determine what the community can do to correct
the problems you identified in your review of the situation. Ask:

Do you need more communications equipment?

Do you need more help on a day-to-day basis to perform such
tasks as keeping your resource inventory up to date?

Do you need additional help in your EOC during a disaster?
Recall that in Module 3 we urged you to do a needs assessment.
Another good time to do a detailed needs assessment is after a
major disaster.
Once you have a good idea of what the community needs, you can
begin the process of planning and mitigating.
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DESCRIBE A RECOVERY STRATEGY THAT HAS BEEN
EMPLOYED IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
How to Recover: 15
Minutes (continued)
WAS IT EFFECTIVE? WHY OR WHY NOT?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Conclusion
It should be clear to you that your job as a disaster manager does
not end when a disaster is over. In some cases, such as after a
typhoon or flood, the recovery stage may go on for months or years.
Even after minor emergencies, there may be battles over zoning
changes or construction techniques in council meetings or
commission hearings for a long time. Don’t get discouraged; it is a
continuous process.
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Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
6. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. In addition to time, what are the differences between shortterm and long-term recovery efforts?
Short-term recovery is immediate and tends to overlap with
response. The community restores interrupted utility services, reestablishes transportation routes, and shores up or demolishes
severely damaged buildings. Additionally, there may be a need to
provide food and shelter for those displaced by the disaster.
Although called short-term, some of these activities may last for
weeks. Long-term recovery may involved some of the same
activities, but it may continue for a number of months, sometimes
years, depending on the severity and extent of the damage
sustained.
For example, it may include the complete
redevelopment of damaged areas. The goal is for the community to
return not only to its pre-disaster conditions but to an improved
state. This is an ideal time to implement new mitigation measures
so that the community is better prepared to deal with future threats
and does not leave itself vulnerable to the same setbacks as before.
A total of 20 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 15 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 5
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
2. What activities should your community take in order to be
prepared for the recovery phase?
Develop a recovery plan to include: gathering basic information,
organizing recovery, mobilizing resources for recovery, recovery
regulations.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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MODULE 7
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Scope






Module Introduction
Module Objectives
Daily Operations
o Typical Nonemergency Duties
Staffing Issues
o Administrative Staff
o Emergency Staff
o Basic Question
Financial Planning
o Budgeting
o Accounting
o Reporting
Training
Provide the participants
with a quick overview
of Module 7 by
highlighting a few key
items identified to the
left under the heading
Scope.
Emphasize that Module
7 focuses on Managing
the Program.
Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

State ways to address staffing issues.

State ways to plan for and prepare a budget.

Identify what is involved in accounting for resources and the
expenditure of these resources.

Identify training and other opportunities to improve skills and
knowledge of disaster management personnel.
Present the module
objectives to the
students.
Remember to review
the objectives at the
conclusion of the
module.
Methodology
The instructors will begin this module by reminding the participants
about the four phases of disaster management as described in
Module 1. “As you will remember from Module 1, the four phases
of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery. This module focuses on recovery.” The instructor will
then display a visual that outlines the module objectives.
After reviewing the module objectives the instructor will begin the
PowerPoint Presentation.
PowerPoint Presentation
MHDM_07 Total Number of Slides: 16
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Time Plan
A suggested time plan for this unit is shown below. More or less
time may be required based on the experience level of the group.
Topic
Time
Daily Operations
15 Minutes
Staffing Issues
10 Minutes
Financial Planning
10 Minutes
Training
10 Minutes
Individual Questions
20 Minutes
Learning Check
15 Minutes
Total Time
1 hour 20 Minutes
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MODULE 7
MANAGING THE PROGRAM
Objectives
At the end of this module you will be able to:

State ways to address staffing issues.

State ways to plan for and prepare a budget.

Identify what is involved in accounting for resources and the
expenditure of these resources.

Identify training and other opportunities to improve skills and
knowledge of disaster management personnel.
Daily Operations
Throughout this course we have examined your various roles and
what they entail. Given that disaster management is the
coordination of an organized or systematic effort to mitigate,
prepare for, respond to, and recover from an emergency, how is
that expressed in your daily tasks?
Daily Operations: 15
Minutes
You spend the majority of your time preparing for and mitigating
possible disasters. How well you manage the tasks associated with
these activities will significantly affect how well the community will
respond to and recover from an event.
In this module we will look at some of the management functions of
daily operations. While these tasks are not as glamorous or thrilling
as the high-adrenaline responses during a disaster, your
community’s ability to respond is affected by your careful
management of these functions:

Staffing your office—with full-time paid, part-time paid, or
volunteer staff

Financial planning—the processes of developing a budget,
accounting for expenses, and reporting your budget and
expenses for the community

Training—for yourself, your staff, others performing disaster
management activities, and for the public
Ask yourself:

How much of my time will this take? Do I have staff to assist
with these?

How much money will it take to accomplish these tasks? How
will I account for the funds? What is the most effective way to
report accomplishments?

Does anyone, including myself, need training? Can I mentor
others to help me with these tasks?
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HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU RECEIVED DISASTER
MANAGEMENT TRAINING?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT TYPE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING DO YOU
AND YOUR COMMUNITY NEED MOST?
Daily Operations: 15
Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Typical Nonemergency Duties
Obviously, what you do on a day-to-day basis will depend on various
circumstances and factors. But such factors as your geographical
location, the size of your community, its disaster history, and the
official support you have, as reflected in your budget and staff size,
will largely define your job.
In the previous modules, we have addressed the tasks and functions
that are part of the disaster manager’s job. Let’s summarize some
typical duties. As you read through this module, think about the
impact of staffing, financial planning, and training on each of these
tasks. The following is checklist of typical duties:
Typical Duties

Conduct a hazard and vulnerability analysis of the community.

Cooperate with local officials and organizations to develop a
mitigation program

Assist local government departments and community
organizations in developing disaster plans and capabilities.

Help industry develop disaster plans and capabilities that
support local government plans and guidelines.

Identify resource shortfalls and work with appropriate officials
on ways to correct them.

Inventory personnel and material resources from agencies
active in disaster management.

Establish mutual aid agreements to obtain necessary services,
equipment, and other resources during a disaster.

Establish an EOC.

Develop and maintain disaster communication systems.

Establish a shelter and mass care program.

Develop a training program for personnel, including a program
of tests and exercises.

Develop a public education program.

Establish a disaster public information system.

Ensure officials are fully informed of disaster management
activities.
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Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
Review the ‘typical
duties’ table with
participants.
Ask participants if they
can think of any other
‘typical duties’ that
could be added to the
list.
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There may be others. We will first talk briefly about staffing.
Staffing Issues
As a disaster manager, you may or may not have a paid staff. Even if
you serve the community as a volunteer disaster manager, it is
possible to have a paid staff to assist you. You might have a person
serving as receptionist, secretary, or office assistant. That person
may be working part-time for some other department. There are all
kinds of possibilities.
Staffing Issues: 10
Minutes
Let’s look at the types of staff—administrative and emergency—and
their typical roles.
Administrative Staff
Members of the administrative staff handle the routine office work.
You may not be able to run a disaster management office without
some type of administrative help. A good administrative assistant
handles paperwork effectively and efficiently. Among other
important duties, someone needs to answer the phone, check the
e-mail, log and track mail, and process reports and data coming in
from the other offices. Every disaster management office should
have administrative support staff, if only on a part-time basis.
If you are the disaster manager in a large municipality, you may
have your own administrative assistant. If you are only a part-time
emergency program manager, you may have only part-time
administrative help. In many cases, the disaster manager can share
a paid employee with other departments.
Even if you are a volunteer, you should have some type of
administrative help on a regular basis. Perhaps someone from a
government office can serve on a limited basis to make sure that
some of the basic administrative duties are covered.
If funds are extremely limited, do not overlook the possibility of
using volunteers to help in the disaster management office. Local
service organizations and youth groups make excellent helpers.
Perhaps you can arrange some type of duty roster so volunteers can
staff the disaster management office for a few hours every day
helping with the paperwork, especially keeping your resource list
up-to-date.
If you use volunteers, you will need to prepare a job description
with clear descriptions of their responsibilities. It need not be as
elaborate as for a regular staff person, but it should be precise. This
will help guide the volunteers and give them a sense of
accomplishment.
Your disaster management office may consist of limited facilities
and equipment: an office, a desk, a computer, a phone, a mail drop,
and a file cabinet. Don’t get discouraged if your resources are
extremely limited. If you are in a small community with little history
of major emergencies or disasters, these may be all you need.
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However, limited administrative resources should not keep you
from doing a good job. With a little resourcefulness and careful
planning, and by using the available resources, you can run your
disaster management office effectively.
DO YOU HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Staffing Issues: 10
Minutes (continued)
Emergency Staff
The emergency personnel staff the EOC on an as-needed basis.
Depending on the local community, paid personnel or volunteers will
be used. Either way, it is absolutely essential that your disaster plan
spell out the staffing of your EOC and the responsibilities of each
person. This is especially critical if the staff does not function in the
EOC on a day-to-day basis. When your EOC is activated the staff
members will need a reminder about their responsibilities. Standard
operating procedures (SOPs) can be helpful to remind people about
what to do during an emergency.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE EOC STANDARD
OPERATING PROCEDURES?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Plan for at least two shifts a day for 24-hour operations. Check the
EOC roster on a regular basis to make sure you have a fully staffed
EOC when a disaster occurs.
How well are you able to manage your office, whether it is on a dayto-day basis or during a disaster, depends in part on whether you
are adequately staffed. Part of your job as the disaster manager is
to estimate what your staffing needs are or will be, and then plan to
attain that level of staffing.
Basic Questions
The ability to staff your program will depend on financial planning,
which is connected to your goals. To manage your disaster program,
you need to answer some basic questions:
You may not be able to answer all of the following questions today
but you should take this information back to your community and
find the answers.
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WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF MY CURRENT DISASTER
PROGRAM?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
HOW CAN I SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVE THEM?
Staffing Issues: 10
Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT GOALS SHOULD MY PROGRAM HAVE FOR THE
NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
WHAT ARE
PROGRAM?
OTHER
LONG-TERM
GOALS
OF
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
THE
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
The first two are critical questions for preparing your budget. Goals
and objectives determine the funding you will need. So, before you
can prepare a budget, you need to decide what you will do to try
to accomplish your goals and objectives. This requires a
considerable amount of detail but it is essential.
As you attempt each year to identify where your program has
come to and where it is going, you can focus on several main
program areas, such as:

Hazard and vulnerability analyses

Mitigation efforts

Emergency organization

Plan development

Evacuation planning

Contamination monitoring and control

Public education and disaster information

Emergency support services

Training and exercises
Your plans for each of the areas selected should include an annual
review in narrative and/or statistical form. By looking at each
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program area in the light of the stated goals and objectives and by
itemizing your accomplishments and remaining needs, you will
develop an accurate picture of disaster management in your
community. This will prepare you to plan your program in a
realistic way so that you know how to achieve your next set of
goals and objectives using the resources your budget provides.
Financial Planning
Financial planning is a vital part of disaster management. Every
disaster management office, no matter how small, must have a
budget. Even the disaster manager serving on a volunteer basis
needs funds for basic administrative expenses and for attending
meetings, seminars, and training.
Financial Planning: 10
Minutes
For discussion purposes, we will divide financial planning into
budgeting, accounting, and reporting.
Budgeting
A budget is an itemized summary of probable expenditures for a
given period of time, usually a year. The size of your budget will
depend on the history of disasters in your area, the past
performance of disasters managers in your job, the size of the
community, and the willingness of government officials to commit
funds.
Developing a disasters management budget is a simple,
straightforward process. You need to look at the community’s past
appropriations for disasters management. A look at the past will
provide a baseline on which to build your request. You need to ask
yourself questions like: How much is it going to cost to maintain
the community in a state of readiness and to operate the disasters
management office?
DO YOU HAVE A BUDGET FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Individual Questions:
Participants will have 20
minutes to complete
the individual questions
after the module is
completed.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUDGET?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Accounting
Accounting is another financial process aimed at keeping accurate
financial records. Just as the budget is a list of anticipated expenses
for a given period, the accounts are the record of the actual
expenditures.
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More than likely you will base your accounting on monthly records.
By looking at these monthly records of the amount of your budget
actually spent, you can tell the financial status of your program.
Accounting procedures are likely to be well established in your
community. The office of financial management usually will be able
to provide you with the proper forms and procedures.
DO YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNTING PROCESS IN PLACE?
Financial Planning: 10
Minutes (continued)
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Reporting
Reporting is just showing your budgeting and accounting
information with the officials who have oversight responsibility for
your program. One way to look at the financial report is to see it as
a way to summarize your year.
In keeping your financial records, you can also note the activity
associated with the expense. This will give you an accurate record of
your activities as they relate to program expenditures for items like
the training courses you or your staff attended, the speeches you
made, the supplies you bought and other program activities.
Reporting, then, is not only part of your financial management
responsibility, but also potentially a way to keep track of the
development of your disaster management program.
Finally, the reporting requirement gives you one more opportunity
to make the case for improved disaster management. Seize the
opportunity to make new friends for your program through
personal presentations emphasizing your accomplishments and the
benefits to the community. Cite examples of where disaster
management has made a positive difference in the community.
Individual Questions:
Participants will have
20 minutes to
complete the individual
questions after the
module is completed.
Like the accounting procedures in your community, your reporting
procedures are likely to be standardized. Check with your
community’s administrative officer for those details. Remember,
turn the reporting burden into an opportunity to promote your
disaster management program.
WHAT DISASTER MANAGEMENT REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS EXIST FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Training
Training: 10 Minutes
It is important for communities to have training opportunities.
Training programs, for disaster management personnel should
include the testing and exercising for all plans.
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As a disaster manager, you need a wide range of knowledge and
skills. You can acquire these through training available from
communities close to you or international opportunities, as well as
from organizations in the private sector. Moreover, you should plan
to share your knowledge and skills by helping others to learn about
their jobs.
Conclusion
You began this course as a trainee in disaster management. You
have ended it by finding out that one of your important roles as a
disaster manager is to help train others. You have come full circle as
a disaster manager. With every bit of knowledge and experience
you gain, you can enrich others.
Training: 10 Minutes
(continued)
This course has taken you from a definition of your job through the
broad understanding of the four phases of disaster management.
You have learned the importance of working with agencies and
organizations to keep them alert to ways to mitigate future
disasters. You’ve learned about hazard identification and analysis,
preparedness planning, and resource inventorying. You have
focused on the EOC as the center of response, and on damage
assessment as the beginning of recovery. You have learned that the
disaster manager’s job doesn’t end when the crisis is over. It is a
continuing job, looking for mitigation opportunities even as the
community makes its redevelopment decisions.
In long-term recovery after disaster, your role again comes full
circle. You have been trained, and now you become the trainer. You
have prepared for disaster, and now you respond to it. You
supported recovery, and now you are ready to work on mitigation.
Throughout it all—different disasters, different phases, different
partners—you are there, helping to reduce disaster risk and
preparing your community to effectively respond to and recover
from disaster impacts.
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LEARNING CHECK ANSWERS
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Module
7. Read each question carefully. When you are sure you know what
is being asked by a question, give your best answer. Even if you feel
unsure, write something in the space provided. You can work as a
team, use your notes, and record your team answers on the flipcharts provided.
1. What are sources for obtaining staff for your program if
your community is unable to pay a salary?
Perhaps someone from the police department or a member of your staff
can serve on a limited basis to make sure that some of the basic
administrative duties just mentioned are covered. If funds are extremely
limited, do not overlook the possibility of using volunteers to help in the
disaster management office. Perhaps you can arrange some type of duty
roster so volunteers can staff the office for a few hours every day helping
with paperwork, especially keeping your resource list up-to-date.
2. Where can you and your staff obtain disaster management
training?
You can find disaster management training programs through
government agencies (such as this course) with non-governmental
organizations such as the Red Cross, or online courses through
accredited universities.
Students may also provide specific
examples of training that is available in there community.
A total of 15 minutes
has been allotted to
complete the Learning
Check.
Provide participants
with 10 Minutes to
complete the questions.
Encourage students to
work together and use
their notes.
The remaining 5
Minutes should be used
to guide the groups
through each question
providing the correct
answer.
What is Disaster
Management: 15
Minutes
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCE INVENTORY
IDENTIFYING RESOURCES
Instructions: Make assumptions about resources in your community then complete the
worksheet.
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT RESOURCES IN OUR COMMUNITY
Examples of Assumptions are:
 A resource inventory will be maintained at the Emergency Operations Center.
 Response organizations will be responsible for sustaining themselves for the first 24
hours.
 Households and businesses will be responsible for sustaining themselves during the
first 72 hours.
 Evacuees who are located in a shelter will receive necessary life-sustaining services
from the shelter.
 Performance of the Resource Management function depends on volunteers
Our Assumptions:
RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THECOMMUNITY
Resource
Location
Communications Equipment
Transportation/Vehicles (passenger, cargo, debris removal)
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RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THECOMMUNITY
Resource
Location
Heavy Equipment (Public Works) (e.g., cranes, road graders)
Useful Materials and Tools (fuel, sandbags, chain saws, plastic sheeting, shovels, picks, and
hatchets)
Mass Care Supplies (medical/first aid, potable water, food, sanitation, lighting)
PERSONNEL
Response Personnel (e.g., emergency management staff, fire, police, public works)
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PERSONNEL
Voluntary Personnel & NGO’s
Specialized Groups (e.g., amateur radio operators, morticians, engineers.)
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Resource Management Plan Checklist
Instructions: This checklist includes planning considerations for the Resource Management
function. Use it as a guide for preparing your community’s Resource Management plan.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN CHECKLIST
Purpose: To describe the means, organization, and process by which the community will find,
obtain, allocate, and distribute resources to satisfy needs that are generated by a disaster.
Situation and Assumptions










Potential for disasters that could deplete critical resources.
Possible effects of hazards on the transportation and distribution network.
Complete listing of resources and planned requirements including:
 Personnel
 Communications equipment
 Transportation/vehicles (passenger, cargo, debris removal)
 Heavy equipment (public works, materials handling, pumps)
 Useful materials and tools (fuel, sand, sandbags, plastic sheeting, shovels, and other
tools)
 Mass care supplies (medical/first aid, potable water, food, sanitation, and lighting).
 Portable generators
Mutual aid agreements related to resource acquisition
Assumptions related to the Resource Management function. Examples of these
assumptions are:
 The Disaster Manager (DM) or Resource Manager (RM) will maintain a resource
inventory or database.
 Response agencies will sustain themselves during the first 24 hours.
 Households and businesses will sustain themselves during the first 72 hours.
 Evacuees who are located in a shelter will receive necessary life-sustaining services
from the facility.
 Performance of this function depends on a large pool of volunteers.
Concept of Operations
General Resource Management policies
Sequence of Resource Management activities
Provisions for:
 Notifying the Resource Manager and suppliers of impending disasters
 Activating the Resource Management function
 Needs assessment, prioritization, and follow-up
 Obtaining supplies (notifying suppliers, evaluating requests against supplies,
procurement and hiring, soliciting donations)
 Maintaining financial and legal accountability
 Distributing goods and services (operating key facilities, traffic control, hauling,
reporting and coordination)
Recovery activity, including:
 Disposal of excess stocks
 Stand down
 Financial settlement
 Thank-you notes
Coordination with voluntary agencies
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Organization and Assignment of Responsibility

Responsibilities related to the Resource Management function that are assigned to
ministries, organization chiefs, and individuals.
Administration and Logistics













Records to be kept (for how long, in what format)
Reports to be made (from whom to whom, in what format)
Provisions for the protection of vital records
Financial policies related to Resource Management
The community’s policies on emergency procurement
Special hiring and personnel issues (e.g., waivers of normal procedure)
Staffing requirements:
 Core cadre
 Estimated maximum complement
 Procedures for augmenting staff
Facility requirements:
 Minimum requirements
 Requirements with significant influx of aid
 Requirements with extensive donations expected
 Lodging requirements for volunteers and government workers
Communications requirements
Computer and software requirements
Office equipment and supplies requirements
Transportation requirements
Forms required
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Obtaining Additional Resources
Instructions: Identify current assignments and potential strategies for obtaining additional
resources.
OBTAINING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Resources that should be targeted for pre-disaster purchase and storage
Existing Standby Agreements or organizations and business that could be approached for
Standby Agreements
Mutual Aid Agreements in place or potential.
Potential solicited donations.
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Distributing Resources
Instructions: Answer the following questions.
DISTRIBUTING RESOURCES
1.
Where in the community can you warehouse disaster resources, both prior to and
following a disaster?
2.
What transportation options could you use following a disaster to distribute resources?
3.
How can you track the movement of resources in your community following a disaster?
4.
How can your community document the use of resources during the response process?
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Disaster Resource Management Checklist
DISASTER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST
Initial Activities

Assemble a team for creating the Resource Management Plan.

Work with government disaster management staffs to coordinate the Resource
Management function.

Set assumptions.

Analyze resource requirements.

Prepare list of resources.

Establish inventory, tracking, and delivery systems.

Identify warehouse and distribution centers.

Develop agreements for the use of resources.

Set priorities on available resources.

Coordinate the Resource Management function.

Train personnel.

Develop mutual aid agreements.
Preparedness Activities (Prior to a Disaster)

Review potential needs for disaster resources and identify their sources.

Coordinate resources with other organizations and volunteers in order to maintain
adequate reserves.

Notify mutual aid parties and private-sector organizations about possible need for
assistance.
Response

Assess resource needs.

Establish priorities and allocate resources.

Coordinate delivery of resources to response teams and disaster victims.

Set up warehouse and distribution centers.

Coordinate efforts with government organizations.

Make lists available to response organizations that identify sources of materials,
equipment, personnel, and other resources.

Record services and resources used during disasters.
Recovery

Assess recovery needs.

Estimate costs of providing resources.

Assess impact of disaster on available resources and identify repair, maintenance, and
replenishment needs.

Assess damage to Resource Management facilities.

Maintain appropriate records.

Disseminate and communicate public information about resources available.
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Transportation Planning Checklist
Instructions: Use the following checklist for transportation planning
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING CHECKLIST
Check () When Done
Be prepared for requests to relax such motor carrier requirements
as operating authorizations and size/weight restrictions.

Coordinate with the appropriate transportation authorities.


Do not delay urgently needed donated goods.


Allow less urgently needed donated goods (if designated or
belonging to a volunteer agency) to proceed to their
destinations.

Ensure that shipment sponsors indicate that:

The goods are needed.


They (not a third party) are the recipients in the disaster
area.


The drivers know how to find their destinations.

Ensure that sponsors of designated goods are responsible for
recruiting labor to unload their shipments.

Ensure that shipments of designated goods are marked with the
name of the voluntary agency.

Ensure that vehicles shipping relief supplies are aware of your
community’s policy regarding travel in the disaster area.

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Donations Coordinator Checklist
This checklist will help you understand roles and responsibilities for coordinating the
donations function. You will delegate to others many of the specific responsibilities on this
list, but you must be aware of the need to address each item.
Note that this is not a complete list. Your responsibilities may vary depending on the nature
and scope of the disaster and according to the laws and regulations in your community.
DONATIONS COORDINATOR CHECKLIST
Initial Responsibilities

Identify key players:

Identify key government and voluntary agencies.

Make initial contacts.

Conduct an initial team meeting.

Assign members to committees/subcommittees: Executive, Planning, Logistics,
Transportation, and Communications.
Executive Responsibilities








Determine when the Donations Management function will be activated.
Determine under what authority goods will be accepted.
Determine procedures for handling unsolicited cash donations.
Identify “trigger points” for community involvement in donations management.
Identify “trigger points” for requesting national assistance.
Coordinate where necessary among the Planning, Logistics, Transportation, and
Communication committees.
Establish feedback procedures from committees.
Communicate with government organizations about operational resource shortfalls.
Planning Responsibilities






Ensure that full use of voluntary agencies’ capacity for handling donations is used.
Coordinate with the government organizations regarding the level of national support
required.
Establish procedures for accepting cash donations.
Establish procedures for determining needed and unneeded donations.
Establish procedures for accepting medical donations.
Plan demobilization once the entire operation is up and running.
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DONATIONS COORDINATOR CHECKLIST (CONTINUED)
Logistics Responsibilities




Assess warehouse capacities and the need for contingency warehouse facilities.
Develop receiving, sorting, and distribution procedures for donated goods.
Identify logistics support requirements (i.e., personnel, equipment).
Establish procedures for dealing with spontaneous volunteers.
Transportation Responsibilities



Identify potential transportation sources (e.g., trucking companies) for use if needed to
transport critical donations.
Coordinate transportation needs for distribution with the Logistics Committee.
Begin planning demobilization when the entire operation is fully running.
Communications Responsibilities


Identify and develop public awareness campaigns that suit the needs of the community
and emphasize benefits of cash donations.
Involve the local media in public information efforts.
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APPENDIX B: WARNING
Strengthening Your Warning Systems
Instructions: Use your answers to these questions to develop your warning system disaster
management plans.
TYPES OF DISASTERS THAT REQUIRE WARNINGS
For what disasters are warnings issued:
Are there disasters for which the community is at moderate or high risk, but for which no
warning may be issued? (Why?)
Where are the warning systems located?
Are the warning systems at risk? (If yes, are backup systems or sites available?)
 Yes
 No
ASSUMPTIONS
What conditions can you assume will exist during a disaster?
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HOW WARNINGS WILL BE GIVEN
Who has authority to make the decision to issue a warning?
When is this decision made?
Are there areas of the community that are not covered by the warning systems? (If yes,
please identify those areas and how those populations will be warned.)
 Yes
 No
Is extra warning time planned for facilities and/or populations that require extra time to
prepare or respond?
 Yes
 No
WARNING RESPONSIBILITIES
Who is assigned key responsibilities for warning?
What do they do?
SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS
Do “call-down” lists for notifying key personnel exist and are they up-to-date?
 Yes
 No
Who is responsible for ensuring that call-down lists, SOPs, maps, etc. are accurate and current
at all times?
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT
Does your plan include provisions for testing, maintaining, repairing and/or replacing warning
equipment?
 Yes
 No
Are procedures in place for augmenting the warning system, where necessary? (If yes, when
were these procedures last tested?)
 Yes
 No
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UNISDR TERMINOLOGY ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (2009)
Introduction
The UNISDR Terminology aims to promote common understanding and common usage of
disaster risk reduction concepts and to assist the disaster risk reduction efforts of authorities,
practitioners and the public. The previous version “Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk
reduction” was published in “Living with risk: a global review of disaster risk reduction
initiatives” in 2004. The following year, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015
requested the UNISDR secretariat to “update and widely disseminate international standard
terminology related to disaster risk reduction, at least in all official United Nations languages,
for use in programme and institutions development, operations, research, training curricula
and public information programmes.”
The 2009 version is the result of a process of ongoing review by the UNISDR and consultations
with a broad range of experts and practitioners in various international venues, regional
discussions and national settings. The terms are now defined by a single sentence. The
comments paragraph associated with each term is not part of the definition, but is provided
to give additional context, qualification and explanation. It should be noted that the terms are
not necessarily mutually exclusive, and in some cases may have overlapping meanings.
The Terminology has been revised to include words that are central to the contemporary
understanding and evolving practice of disaster risk reduction but exclude words that have a
common dictionary usage. Also included are a number of emerging new concepts that are not
in widespread use but are of growing professional relevance; these terms are marked with a
star (*) and their definition may evolve in future. The English version of the 2009 Terminology
provides the basis for the preparation of other language versions. Comments and suggestions
for future revisions are welcome and should be directed to the ISDR Secretariat (see
www.unisdr.org).
ACCEPTABLE RISK
The level of potential losses that a society or community considers acceptable given existing
social, economic, political, cultural, technical and environmental conditions.
Comment: In engineering terms, acceptable risk is also used to assess and define the structural
and non-structural measures that are needed in order to reduce possible harm to people,
property, services and systems to a chosen tolerated level, according to codes or “accepted
practice” which are based on known probabilities of hazards and other factors.
ADAPTATION
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.
Comment: This definition addresses the concerns of climate change and is sourced from the
secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The
broader concept of adaptation also applies to non-climatic factors such as soil erosion or
surface subsidence. Adaptation can occur in autonomous fashion, for example through market
changes, or as a result of intentional adaptation policies and plans. Many disaster risk
reduction measures can directly contribute to better adaptation.
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BIOLOGICAL HAZARD
Process or phenomenon of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors, including
exposure to pathogenic micro-organisms, toxins and bioactive substances that may cause loss
of life, injury, illness or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
Comment: Examples of biological hazards include outbreaks of epidemic diseases, plant or
animal contagion, insect or other animal plagues and infestations.
BUILDING CODE
A set of ordinances or regulations and associated standards intended to control aspects of the
design, construction, materials, alteration and occupancy of structures that are necessary to
ensure human safety and welfare, including resistance to collapse and damage.
Comment: Building codes can include both technical and functional standards. They should
incorporate the lessons of international experience and should be tailored to national and
local circumstances. A systematic regime of enforcement is a critical supporting requirement
for effective implementation of building codes.
CAPACITY
The combination of all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a community,
society or organization that can be used to achieve agreed goals.
Comment: Capacity may include infrastructure and physical means, institutions, societal
coping abilities, as well as human knowledge, skills and collective attributes such as social
relationships, leadership and management. Capacity also may be described as capability.
Capacity assessment is a term for the process by which the capacity of a group is reviewed
against desired goals, and the capacity gaps are identified for further action.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
The process by which people, organizations and society systematically stimulate and develop
their capacities over time to achieve social and economic goals, including through
improvement of knowledge, skills, systems, and institutions.
Comment: Capacity development is a concept that extends the term of capacity building to
encompass all aspects of creating and sustaining capacity growth over time. It involves
learning and various types of training, but also continuous efforts to develop institutions,
political awareness, financial resources, technology systems, and the wider social and cultural
enabling environment.
CLIMATE CHANGE
(a) The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as: “a
change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., by using statistical tests) by
changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended
period, typically decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural internal processes
or external forcings, or to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the
atmosphere or in land use”.
(b) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate
change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that
alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate
variability observed over comparable time periods”.
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Comment: For disaster risk reduction purposes, either of these definitions may be suitable,
depending on the particular context. The UNFCCC definition is the more restricted one as it
excludes climate changes attributable to natural causes. The IPCC definition can be
paraphrased for popular communications as “A change in the climate that persists for decades
or longer, arising from either natural causes or human activity.”
CONTINGENCY PLANNING
A management process that analyses specific potential events or emerging situations that
might threaten society or the environment and establishes arrangements in advance to
enable timely, effective and appropriate responses to such events and situations.
Comment: Contingency planning results in organized and coordinated courses of action with
clearly-identified institutional roles and resources, information processes, and operational
arrangements for specific actors at times of need. Based on scenarios of possible emergency
conditions or disaster events, it allows key actors to envision, anticipate and solve problems
that can arise during crises. Contingency planning is an important part of overall
preparedness. Contingency plans need to be regularly updated and exercised.
COPING CAPACITY
The ability of people, organizations and systems, using available skills and resources, to face
and manage adverse conditions, emergencies or disasters.
Comment: The capacity to cope requires continuing awareness, resources and good
management, both in normal times as well as during crises or adverse conditions. Coping
capacities contribute to the reduction of disaster risks.
CORRECTIVE DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT *
Management activities that address and seek to correct or reduce disaster risks which are
already present.
Comment: This concept aims to distinguish between the risks that are already present, and
which need to be managed and reduced now, and the prospective risks that may develop in
future if risk reduction policies are not put in place. See also Prospective risk management.
CRITICAL FACILITIES
The primary physical structures, technical facilities and systems which are socially,
economically or operationally essential to the functioning of a society or community, both in
routine circumstances and in the extreme circumstances of an emergency.
Comment: Critical facilities are elements of the infrastructure that support essential services in
a society. They include such things as transport systems, air and sea ports, electricity, water
and communications systems, hospitals and health clinics, and centres for fire, police and
public administration services.
DISASTER
A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread
human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of
the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.
Comment: Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: the exposure to a
hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures
to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences. Disaster impacts may include loss
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being, together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and
economic disruption and environmental degradation.
DISASTER RISK
The potential disaster losses, in lives, health status, livelihoods, assets and services, which
could occur to a particular community or a society over some specified future time period.
Comment: The definition of disaster risk reflects the concept of disasters as the outcome of
continuously present conditions of risk. Disaster risk comprises different types of potential
losses which are often difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, with knowledge of the prevailing
hazards and the patterns of population and socio-economic development, disaster risks can be
assessed and mapped, in broad terms at least.
DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT
The systematic process of using administrative directives, organizations, and operational skills
and capacities to implement strategies, policies and improved coping capacities in order to
lessen the adverse impacts of hazards and the possibility of disaster.
Comment: This term is an extension of the more general term “risk management” to address
the specific issue of disaster risks. Disaster risk management aims to avoid, lessen or transfer
the adverse effects of hazards through activities and measures for prevention, mitigation and
preparedness.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and
manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced exposure to hazards,
lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the
environment, and improved preparedness for adverse events.
Comment: A comprehensive approach to reduce disaster risks is set out in the United Nationsendorsed Hyogo Framework for Action, adopted in 2005, whose expected outcome is “The
substantial reduction of disaster losses, in lives and the social, economic and environmental
assets of communities and countries.” The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
system provides a vehicle for cooperation among Governments, organisations and civil society
actors to assist in the implementation of the Framework. Note that while the term “disaster
reduction” is sometimes used, the term “disaster risk reduction” provides a better recognition
of the ongoing nature of disaster risks and the ongoing potential to reduce these risks.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PLAN *
A document prepared by an authority, sector, organization or enterprise that sets out goals
and specific objectives for reducing disaster risks together with related actions to accomplish
these objectives.
Comment: Disaster risk reduction plans should be guided by the Hyogo Framework and
considered and coordinated within relevant development plans, resource allocations and
programme activities. National level plans needs to be specific to each level of administrative
responsibility and adapted to the different social and geographical circumstances that are
present. The time frame and responsibilities for implementation and the sources of funding
should be specified in the plan. Linkages to climate change adaptation plans should be made
where possible.
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EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
The set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning
information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to
prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or
loss.
Comment: This definition encompasses the range of factors necessary to achieve effective
responses to warnings. A people-centred early warning system necessarily comprises four key
elements: knowledge of the risks; monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the hazards;
communication or dissemination of alerts and warnings; and local capabilities to respond to
the warnings received. The expression “end-to-end warning system” is also used to emphasize
that warning systems need to span all steps from hazard detection through to community
response.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
The benefits that people and communities obtain from ecosystems.
Comment: This definition is drawn from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The benefits
that ecosystems can provide include “regulating services” such as regulation of floods,
drought, land degradation and disease, along with “provisioning services” such as food and
water, “supporting services” such as soil formation and nutrient cycling, and “cultural
services” such as recreational, spiritual, religious and other non-material benefits. Integrated
management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable
use provide the basis for maintaining ecosystem services, including those that contribute to
reduced disaster risks.
EL NIÑO-SOUTHERN OSCILLATION PHENOMENON
A complex interaction of the tropical Pacific Ocean and the global atmosphere that results in
irregularly occurring episodes of changed ocean and weather patterns in many parts of the
world, often with significant impacts over many months, such as altered marine habitats,
rainfall changes, floods, droughts, and changes in storm patterns.
Comment: The El Niño part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon refers to
the well-above-average ocean temperatures that occur along the coasts of Ecuador, Peru and
northern Chile and across the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, while La Niña part refers to
the opposite circumstances when well-below-average ocean temperatures occur. The
Southern Oscillation refers to the accompanying changes in the global air pressure patterns
that are associated with the changed weather patterns experienced in different parts of the
world.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The organization and management of resources and responsibilities for addressing all aspects
of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and initial recovery steps.
Comment: A crisis or emergency is a threatening condition that requires urgent action.
Effective emergency action can avoid the escalation of an event into a disaster. Emergency
management involves plans and institutional arrangements to engage and guide the efforts of
government, non-government, voluntary and private agencies in comprehensive and
coordinated ways to respond to the entire spectrum of emergency needs. The expression
“disaster management” is sometimes used instead of emergency management.
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EMERGENCY SERVICES
The set of specialized agencies that have specific responsibilities and objectives in serving and
protecting people and property in emergency situations.
Comment: Emergency services include agencies such as civil protection authorities, police, fire,
ambulance, paramedic and emergency medicine services, Red Cross and Red Crescent
societies, and specialized emergency units of electricity, transportation, communications and
other related services organizations.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
The reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives and
needs.
Comment: Degradation of the environment can alter the frequency and intensity of natural
hazards and increase the vulnerability of communities. The types of human-induced
degradation are varied and include land misuse, soil erosion and loss, desertification, wildland
fires, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, mangrove destruction, land, water and air pollution,
climate change, sea level rise and ozone depletion.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Process by which the environmental consequences of a proposed project or programme are
evaluated, undertaken as an integral part of planning and decision-making processes with a
view to limiting or reducing the adverse impacts of the project or programme.
Comment: Environmental impact assessment is a policy tool that provides evidence and
analysis of environmental impacts of activities from conception to decision-making. It is
utilized extensively in national programming and project approval processes and for
international development assistance projects. Environmental impact assessments should
include detailed risk assessments and provide alternatives, solutions or options to deal with
identified problems.
EXPOSURE
People, property, systems, or other elements present in hazard zones that are thereby
subject to potential losses.
Comment: Measures of exposure can include the number of people or types of assets in an
area. These can be combined with the specific vulnerability of the exposed elements to any
particular hazard to estimate the quantitative risks associated with that hazard in the area of
interest.
EXTENSIVE RISK *
The widespread risk associated with the exposure of dispersed populations to repeated or
persistent hazard conditions of low or moderate intensity, often of a highly localized nature,
which can lead to debilitating cumulative disaster impacts.
Comment: Extensive risk is mainly a characteristic of rural areas and urban margins where
communities are exposed to, and vulnerable to, recurring localised floods, landslides storms or
drought. Extensive risk is often associated with poverty, urbanization and environmental
degradation. See also “Intensive risk”.
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FORECAST
Definite statement or statistical estimate of the likely occurrence of a future event or
conditions for a specific area.
Comment: In meteorology a forecast refers to a future condition, whereas a warning refers to
a potentially dangerous future condition.
GEOLOGICAL HAZARD
Geological process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts,
property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage.
Comment: Geological hazards include internal earth processes, such as earthquakes, volcanic
activity and emissions, and related geophysical processes such as mass movements,
landslides, rockslides, surface collapses, and debris or mud flows. Hydrometeorological factors
are important contributors to some of these processes. Tsunamis are difficult to categorize;
although they are triggered by undersea earthquakes and other geological events, they are
essentially an oceanic process that is manifested as a coastal water-related hazard.
GREENHOUSE GASES
Gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and
emit radiation of thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere
itself, and by clouds.
Comment: This is the definition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The
main greenhouse gases (GHG) are water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and
ozone.
HAZARD
A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and
economic disruption, or environmental damage.
Comment: The hazards of concern to disaster risk reduction as stated in footnote 3 of the
Hyogo Framework are “… hazards of natural origin and related environmental and
technological hazards and risks.” Such hazards arise from a variety of geological,
meteorological, hydrological, oceanic, biological, and technological sources, sometimes acting
in combination. In technical settings, hazards are described quantitatively by the likely
frequency of occurrence of different intensities for different areas, as determined from
historical data or scientific analysis.
See other hazard-related terms in the Terminology: Biological hazard; Geological hazard;
Hydrometeorological hazard; Natural hazard; Socio-natural hazard; Technological hazard.
HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL HAZARD
Process or phenomenon of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature that may
cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
Comment: Hydrometeorological hazards include tropical cyclones (also known as typhoons
and hurricanes), thunderstorms, hailstorms, tornados, blizzards, heavy snowfall, avalanches,
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coastal storm surges, floods including flash floods, drought, heatwaves and cold spells.
Hydrometeorological conditions also can be a factor in other hazards such as landslides,
wildland fires, locust plagues, epidemics, and in the transport and dispersal of toxic substances
and volcanic eruption material.
INTENSIVE RISK *
The risk associated with the exposure of large concentrations of people and economic
activities to intense hazard events, which can lead to potentially catastrophic disaster impacts
involving high mortality and asset loss.
Comment: Intensive risk is mainly a characteristic of large cities or densely populated areas
that are not only exposed to intense hazards such as strong earthquakes, active volcanoes,
heavy floods, tsunamis, or major storms but also have high levels of vulnerability to these
hazards. See also “Extensive risk.”
LAND-USE PLANNING
The process undertaken by public authorities to identify, evaluate and decide on different
options for the use of land, including consideration of long term economic, social and
environmental objectives and the implications for different communities and interest groups,
and the subsequent formulation and promulgation of plans that describe the permitted or
acceptable uses.
Comment: Land-use planning is an important contributor to sustainable development. It
involves studies and mapping; analysis of economic, environmental and hazard data;
formulation of alternative land-use decisions; and design of long-range plans for different
geographical and administrative scales. Land-use planning can help to mitigate disasters and
reduce risks by discouraging settlements and construction of key installations in hazard-prone
areas, including consideration of service routes for transport, power, water, sewage and other
critical facilities.
MITIGATION
The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.
Comment: The adverse impacts of hazards often cannot be prevented fully, but their scale or
severity can be substantially lessened by various strategies and actions. Mitigation measures
encompass engineering techniques and hazard-resistant construction as well as improved
environmental policies and public awareness. It should be noted that in climate change policy,
“mitigation” is defined differently, being the term used for the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions that are the source of climate change.
NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
A generic term for national mechanisms for coordination and policy guidance on disaster risk
reduction that are multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary in nature, with public, private and civil
society participation involving all concerned entities within a country.
Comment: This definition is derived from footnote 10 of the Hyogo Framework. Disaster risk
reduction requires the knowledge, capacities and inputs of a wide range of sectors and
organisations, including United Nations agencies present at the national level, as appropriate.
Most sectors are affected directly or indirectly by disasters and many have specific
responsibilities that impinge upon disaster risks. National platforms provide a means to
enhance national action to reduce disaster risks, and they represent the national mechanism
for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
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NATURAL HAZARD
Natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts,
property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage.
Comment: Natural hazards are a sub-set of all hazards. The term is used to describe actual
hazard events as well as the latent hazard conditions that may give rise to future events.
Natural hazard events can be characterized by their magnitude or intensity, speed of onset,
duration, and area of extent. For example, earthquakes have short durations and usually
affect a relatively small region, whereas droughts are slow to develop and fade away and
often affect large regions. In some cases hazards may be coupled, as in the flood caused by a
hurricane or the tsunami that is created by an earthquake.
PREPAREDNESS
The knowledge and capacities developed by governments, professional response and
recovery organizations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and
recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions.
Comment: Preparedness action is carried out within the context of disaster risk management
and aims to build the capacities needed to efficiently manage all types of emergencies and
achieve orderly transitions from response through to sustained recovery. Preparedness is
based on a sound analysis of disaster risks and good linkages with early warning systems, and
includes such activities as contingency planning, stockpiling of equipment and supplies, the
development of arrangements for coordination, evacuation and public information, and
associated training and field exercises. These must be supported by formal institutional, legal
and budgetary capacities. The related term “readiness” describes the ability to quickly and
appropriately respond when required.
PREVENTION
The outright avoidance of adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.
Comment: Prevention (i.e. disaster prevention) expresses the concept and intention to
completely avoid potential adverse impacts through action taken in advance. Examples
include dams or embankments that eliminate flood risks, land-use regulations that do not
permit any settlement in high risk zones, and seismic engineering designs that ensure the
survival and function of a critical building in any likely earthquake. Very often the complete
avoidance of losses is not feasible and the task transforms to that of mitigation. Partly for this
reason, the terms prevention and mitigation are sometimes used interchangeably in casual
use.
PROSPECTIVE DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT *
Management activities that address and seek to avoid the development of new or increased
disaster risks.
Comment: This concept focuses on addressing risks that may develop in future if risk reduction
policies are not put in place, rather than on the risks that are already present and which can
be managed and reduced now. See also Corrective disaster risk management.
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PUBLIC AWARENESS
The extent of common knowledge about disaster risks, the factors that lead to disasters and
the actions that can be taken individually and collectively to reduce exposure and
vulnerability to hazards.
Comment: Public awareness is a key factor in effective disaster risk reduction. Its development
is pursued, for example, through the development and dissemination of information through
media andeducational channels, the establishment of information centres, networks, and
community or participation actions, and advocacy by senior public officials and community
leaders.
RECOVERY
The restoration, and improvement where appropriate, of facilities, livelihoods and living
conditions of disaster-affected communities, including efforts to reduce disaster risk factors.
Comment: The recovery task of rehabilitation and reconstruction begins soon after the
emergency phase has ended, and should be based on pre-existing strategies and policies that
facilitate clear institutional responsibilities for recovery action and enable public participation.
Recovery programmes, coupled with the heightened public awareness and engagement after
a disaster, afford a valuable opportunity to develop and implement disaster risk reduction
measures and to apply the “build back better” principle.
RESIDUAL RISK
The risk that remains in unmanaged form, even when effective disaster risk reduction
measures are in place, and for which emergency response and recovery capacities must be
maintained.
Comment: The presence of residual risk implies a continuing need to develop and support
effective capacities for emergency services, preparedness, response and recovery together
with socio-economic policies such as safety nets and risk transfer mechanisms.
RESILIENCE
The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb,
accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner,
including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and
functions.
Comment: Resilience means the ability to “resile from” or “spring back from” a shock. The
resilience of a community in respect to potential hazard events is determined by the degree to
which the community has the necessary resources and is capable of organizing itself both prior
to and during times of need.
RESPONSE
The provision of emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a
disaster in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the basic
subsistence needs of the people affected.
Comment: Disaster response is predominantly focused on immediate and short-term needs
and is sometimes called “disaster relief”. The division between this response stage and the
subsequent recovery stage is not clear-cut. Some response actions, such as the supply of
temporary housing and water supplies, may extend well into the recovery stage.
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RETROFITTING
Reinforcement or upgrading of existing structures to become more resistant and resilient to
the damaging effects of hazards.
Comment: Retrofitting requires consideration of the design and function of the structure, the
stresses that the structure may be subject to from particular hazards or hazard scenarios, and
the practicality and costs of different retrofitting options. Examples of retrofitting include
adding bracing to stiffen walls, reinforcing pillars, adding steel ties between walls and roofs,
installing shutters on windows, and improving the protection of important facilities and
equipment.
RISK
The combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences.
Comment: This definition closely follows the definition of the ISO/IEC Guide 73. The word “risk”
has two distinctive connotations: in popular usage the emphasis is usually placed on the
concept of chance or possibility, such as in “the risk of an accident”; whereas in technical
settings the emphasis is usually placed on the consequences, in terms of “potential losses” for
some particular cause, place and period. It can be noted that people do not necessarily share
the same perceptions of the significance and underlying causes of different risks.
See other risk-related terms in the Terminology: Acceptable risk; Corrective disaster risk
management; Disaster risk; Disaster risk management; Disaster risk reduction; Disaster risk
reduction plans; Extensive risk; Intensive risk; Prospective disaster risk management; Residual
risk; Risk assessment; Risk management; Risk transfer.
RISK ASSESSMENT
A methodology to determine the nature and extent of risk by analysing potential hazards and
evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that together could potentially harm exposed
people, property, services, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend.
Comment: Risk assessments (and associated risk mapping) include: a review of the technical
characteristics of hazards such as their location, intensity, frequency and probability; the
analysis of exposure and vulnerability including the physical social, health, economic and
environmental dimensions; and the evaluation of the effectiveness of prevailing and
alternative coping capacities in respect to likely risk scenarios. This series of activities is
sometimes known as a risk analysis process.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The systematic approach and practice of managing uncertainty to minimize potential harm
and loss.
Comment: Risk management comprises risk assessment and analysis, and the implementation
of strategies and specific actions to control, reduce and transfer risks. It is widely practiced by
organizations to minimise risk in investment decisions and to address operational risks such as
those of business disruption, production failure, environmental damage, social impacts and
damage from fire and natural hazards. Risk management is a core issue for sectors such as
water supply, energy and agriculture whose production is directly affected by extremes of
weather and climate.
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RISK TRANSFER
The process of formally or informally shifting the financial consequences of particular risks
from one party to another whereby a household, community, enterprise or state authority
will obtain resources from the other party after a disaster occurs, in exchange for ongoing or
compensatory social or financial benefits provided to that other party.
Comment: Insurance is a well-known form of risk transfer, where coverage of a risk is obtained
from an insurer in exchange for ongoing premiums paid to the insurer. Risk transfer can occur
informally within family and community networks where there are reciprocal expectations of
mutual aid by means of gifts or credit, as well as formally where governments, insurers, multilateral banks and other large risk-bearing entities establish mechanisms to help cope with
losses in major events. Such mechanisms include insurance and re-insurance contracts,
catastrophe bonds, contingent credit facilities and reserve funds, where the costs are covered
by premiums, investor contributions, interest rates and past savings, respectively.
SOCIO-NATURAL HAZARD *
The phenomenon of increased occurrence of certain geophysical and hydrometeorological
hazard events, such as landslides, flooding, land subsidence and drought, that arise from the
interaction of natural hazards with overexploited or degraded land and environmental
resources.
Comment: This term is used for the circumstances where human activity is increasing the
occurrence of certain hazards beyond their natural probabilities. Evidence points to a growing
disaster burden from such hazards. Socio-natural hazards can be reduced and avoided
through wise management of land and environmental resources.
STRUCTURAL AND NON-STRUCTURAL MEASURES
Structural measures: Any physical construction to reduce or avoid possible impacts of
hazards, or application of engineering techniques to achieve hazard-resistance and resilience
in structures or systems;
Non-structural measures: Any measure not involving physical construction that uses
knowledge, practice or agreement to reduce risks and impacts, in particular through policies
and laws, public awareness raising, training and education.
Comment: Common structural measures for disaster risk reduction include dams, flood levies,
ocean wave barriers, earthquake-resistant construction, and evacuation shelters. Common
non-structural measures include building codes, land use planning laws and their
enforcement, research and assessment, information resources, and public awareness
programmes. Note that in civil and structural engineering, the term “structural” is used in a
more restricted sense to mean just the load-bearing structure, with other parts such as wall
cladding and interior fittings being termed non-structural.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
Comment: This definition coined by the 1987 Brundtland Commission is very succinct but it
leaves unanswered many questions regarding the meaning of the word development and the
social, economic and environmental processes involved. Disaster risk is associated with
unsustainable elements of development such as environmental degradation, while conversely
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disaster risk reduction can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, through
reduced losses and improved development practices.
TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARD
A hazard originating from technological or industrial conditions, including accidents,
dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures or specific human activities, that may cause loss
of life, injury, illness or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
Comment: Examples of technological hazards include industrial pollution, nuclear radiation,
toxic wastes, dam failures, transport accidents, factory explosions, fires, and chemical spills.
Technological hazards also may arise directly as a result of the impacts of a natural hazard
event.
VULNERABILITY
The characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it
susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard.
Comment: There are many aspects of vulnerability, arising from various physical, social,
economic, and environmental factors. Examples may include poor design and construction of
buildings, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and awareness, limited
official recognition of risks and preparedness measures, and disregard for wise environmental
management. Vulnerability varies significantly within a community and over time. This
definition identifies vulnerability as a characteristic of the element of interest (community,
system or asset) which is independent of its exposure. However, in common use the word is
often used more broadly to include the element’s exposure.
__________________
* Emerging new concepts that are not in widespread use but are of growing professional
relevance; the definition of these terms remain to be widely consulted upon and may change
in future.
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Course Evaluation: For each statement below, please place a check mark (√) in the space
provided that best reflects your opinion.
Course Elements
Strongly
Disagree
Neither
Disagree Agree Nor
Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Course Design and Content
The course objectives were clear.
The course has relevance to my profession / work.
The course maintained a good balance between
lecture/presentation and activities/discussion.
The course enhanced my knowledge of the topics
presented.
Course Materials
The course materials were understandable and
well organized.
The course materials, presentation, and activities
supported objectives.
The course materials are a valuable resource that I
will use or refer to in the future.
The course materials are technically accurate and
current.
The course materials were appropriate for my skill
and knowledge level.
Instructor(s)
The Instructor was well prepared and organized.
The Instructor clearly and effectively conveyed
course materials.
The Instructor demonstrated knowledge of the
subject matter.
The Instructor provided clear answers to
questions.
The Instructor effectively managed the course
schedule (teaching time, activities, breaks).
Instruction
The group activities provided excellent
opportunities for me to apply new skills and
knowledge.
The group discussions provided an excellent
opportunity for sharing of ideas.
The case studies were useful in illustrating how
course concepts apply to actual events in
Vietnam.
The personal application questions challenged me
to apply course concepts to my job.
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Course Evaluation: For each statement below, please place a check mark (√) in the space
provided that best reflects your opinion.
General Questions
Poor
Fair
Average
Good
Excellent
What overall rating would you give the course?
What overall rating would you give the course
materials?
How would you rate the overall performance of
the instructor(s)?
How would you rate the overall helpfulness of the
support staff?
Place check marks next to the Modules you expect to find most applicable to your job?
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Module 1:
Module 2:
Module 3:
Module 4:
Module 5:
Module 6:
Module 7:
Introduction to Disaster Management
Understanding the Role of the Disaster Manager
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Managing the Program
Place check marks next to the Modules you expect to find least applicable to your job?







Module 1:
Module 2:
Module 3:
Module 4:
Module 5:
Module 6:
Module 7:
Introduction to Disaster Management
Understanding the Role of the Disaster Manager
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Managing the Program
Would you recommend this course to others? (Please circle your answer)
Yes
No
Please provide any additional comments/recommendations in the space below.
Your comments are important to us! Thank you for taking the time to help improve this course!
Name of Instructor(s):
Course Location:
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Date Taught:
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