Disaster Management Framework: Hazard, vulnerability, risk and resilience

Hazard, vulnerability, risk and resilience

A hazard is a natural or human-made event that can cause harm, such as a cyclone or a chemical leak. It becomes a disaster only when it strikes people and assets that cannot cope with it. Disaster management experts sum this up as: Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability, reduced by Capacity.

Mains 2019 stated: Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. It asked how vulnerability can be characterised and what types exist.

Vulnerability can be physical (weak buildings, location in flood plains), social (age, gender, caste, disability, literacy), economic (poverty, single livelihood, no insurance), environmental (degraded mangroves, deforested slopes) and institutional (weak plans, poor enforcement of building codes). It is characterised through vulnerability atlases, census and household data, and risk indices.

Mains 2013 asked: How important are vulnerability and risk assessment for pre-disaster management? As an administrator, what are key areas that you would focus on in a Disaster Management System? Assessment tells planners where to spend scarce money before a disaster strikes. Key areas: hazard and vulnerability mapping, enforcement of building codes, early warning and last-mile alerts, a district disaster management plan with clear roles, stockpiles and shelters, trained volunteers and mock drills, and insurance for the poor.

Mains 2024 asked: What is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Resilience is the ability of a system or community to resist, absorb, adapt to and recover from a hazard quickly. It is determined by robust infrastructure, diverse livelihoods, social networks, strong institutions and access to finance. A resilience framework links risk knowledge, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery that builds back better.