Emergency being an overarching phenomenon has the ability to impact the lives and livelihoods of the greater population. It involves disruption in the normal functioning of an economy which can be caused as a result of improper Emergency management policies and neglect of Emergency risk reduction strategies. It can, though having a region-specific occurrence, sometimes affect a particular section of the group, thus making it sector-specific.
This article deals with such specifications where the sector and its impacts can be clearly visible.
What is an Emergency?
According to UNDRR (UN Office for Emergency Risk Reduction), Emergency can be defined as a serious disruption in the community or society due to hazardous events causing widespread economic, social, or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected society to cope.
An Emergency has the ability to disrupt the normal functioning of the society. It is the hazard that converts to Emergency based on its level of exposure along with the degree of vulnerability it causes to the populace.
Some important points needs to be kept in mind.
The impact of hazard decreases,
- with greater capacity of the individual or community to face this Emergency,
- with lower levels of vulnerability, and
- with the capacity developed to cope with the effect of hazards.
Types of Emergency
The types of Emergency are as follows:
Natural Emergency
Natural Emergency are the one whose occurrence can be attached to the natural stratification and further leading to the long lasting impact on the human kind. Examples of such Emergency can be earthquakes, volcanicity, etc. Further, it is the human aspect of Emergency which sometimes forms the basis for natural Emergency.
Man-made Emergency
Emergency occurring as a result of human intervention to the functioning of the environment and ecosystem leads to man-made Emergency. These amplify the other forms of Emergency thus making it the prime concern in the field of Emergency management. Examples include construction of large dams leading to increased pressure on the tectonic plates, thus leading to earthquakes.
Complex Emergency
As the name suggests, Emergency involving the severity of both the natural and man-made Emergency which can increase the complexity of the vulnerability thus causing a chain of events is considered as complex Emergency. Usually this is a slow process as the main event further aggravates the situation thus leading to the domino effect. Examples include food scarcity and displaced population.
Pandemic Emergency
Negative impacts which occurs as a result of pandemic, both naturally and human induced, which mostly connotes to biologically active pathogens are pandemic Emergency. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic can be considered an example of this classification.
What is Emergency Management?
It is an attempt to enquire into the process of hazard turning into the Emergency, to identify the causes of the same, analyze the impact of it and reducing the said impact through people-centric policies and programs.
Administrative factors such as poor land use planning in flood prone areas, poor implementation of laws that lead to Emergency such as Bhopal Gas leak, general low risk perception, etc. create conditions that lead to inherent hazards turning into Emergency. Hence, sustainable development is closely interlinked with Emergency management as most Emergency are caused by human factors.
Usually, Emergency Management is interpreted as eliminating Emergency but it is always important to remember that it may or may not completely eliminate the threats. However, to Build Back Better the world and its population, it focuses on the preparedness and mitigation strategy so that the impacts can be greatly reduced.
Concept of Emergency Management
The concept of Emergency management can be understood in the following terms:
Prevention
This refers to the events and policies preceding to a Emergency which has the capacity to the reduce the impact of Emergency are called prevention. The construction of sponge-based infrastructures which can absorb the shocking effect of an earthquake can be considered a prevention strategy.
Preparedness
This deals with the level of severity and provides its effective management such that the impact can be reduced to a certain level. Building a family Emergency plan and keeping an Emergency kit are the measures which can help in mitigating the impact aftermath an Emergency.
Response/Relief
During an Emergency, the measures taken to the effect of reducing the vulnerability of the populace, such as mitigating to a safer place, providing food supply, etc. are the relief measures. A proper management and citizen-centric approach has the ability to reduce the impact of an Emergency to a greater extent.
Recovery
Post-Emergency, the strategy to build back better the economy and the society which involves government support and people participation completes the cycle of Emergency management.
What is Emergency Risk?
Emergency risk is expressed as the likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and damage from a Emergency in a given period of time.
It is considered as a combination of:
- Severity and frequency of a hazard
- The number of people and assets exposed
- Their vulnerability to the damage
Emergency Risk = Hazard + Exposure + Vulnerabilities
Relationship between Emergency Risk and Development
Emergency are an indicator to the failures in the developmental planning which leads the vulnerable society exposed to the hazard. This leads to the negative impact on the economy which makes the developmental strategy to take a backseat. In short, Emergency threaten development just as development creates Emergency risks.
Relationship between Emergency Risk and Poverty
Poverty is both a driver and consequence of Emergency risk as it is this specific criteria, which determines the most vulnerable populace in this decade. Poverty enhances the exposure of such groups to the hazardous impact of Emergency.
Hazards
A hazard is a potentially damaging physical event or human activity that may cause social and economic disruption, environmental degradation, loss of life or property damage. In simple words, a hazard is a threat while Emergency is an event, i.e., a consequence of a hazard. The location of natural hazards primarily depends on natural processes such as movement of tectonic plates and influence of weather systems, but anthropogenic processes such as urbanization, environmental degradation and climate change can also influence the location, frequency and intensity of natural hazards.
Exposure
Exposure is a situation of people, infrastructure, housing and other tangible human assets located in a hazard prone area. It is one of the defining component of Emergency risk. If a hazard occurs in an area of no exposure, then there is no risk. Exposure increases when people and economic assets become concentrated in the area exposed to hazards through the processes such as population growth, migration, urbanization and economic development. For instance many hazard prone areas such as coastlines and flood plains attract economic and urban development which increases the Emergency risk of storm surge and riverine flooding which increases the Emergency risk as more people and assets are exposed to the Emergency.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability can be defined as the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. Vulnerability is the human dimension of Emergency and is the result of various factors ranging from social, political, economic, cultural and environmental.
Conclusion
Emergency are an unstoppable phenomenon and so are the risks associated with it. Hence, Emergency management had became the buzz word in today’s policies formulation. Being active in the social sphere, the impacts are enhanced with the exposure of vulnerable groups to the hazards.
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FAQ’s – Emergency Management
1. Describe the socio-economic impact of Emergency?
Emergency causes the depletion of economic resources and thus leading to the negative impact in the entire society. The most vulnerable are the groups exposed to it. Thus it creates a stratification in the society which further deepens their economic differences. Thus, it enters a never-ending loop which lasts as long until the government doesn’t comes in support of the vulnerable populace.
2. What is mainstreaming of Emergency risk reduction?
Development is the very basic building block of an economy and any mismanagement to such an aspect can cause a huge loss to the society. To counter such measure, development should be incorporated with Emergency risk reduction strategies such that the losses can be minimized. Such an aspect of integrating development with Emergency risk reduction is mainstreaming of DRR.
3. How can mainstreaming of Emergency risk reduction can be achieved?
Mainstreaming development activities with Emergency risk reduction requires the active involvement of government and the citizens in the formulation of people-centric policies. Making DRR a normal practice in planning which should be institutionalised with each ministry’s regular programs and its implementation.
4. What are the challenges to mitigate Emergency?
Emergency are increasing at a faster pace from past few decades and so is increasing its frequency and intensity. The growing population and its quest for resources is also making it prone to Emergency. Such an interlinking shall involve the active participation of people in Emergency mitigation but this can’t be proceeded without the government’s helping hand. This is further aggravated due to the weak economy of many countries which found it difficult to enhance its mitigation efforts.
5. What should Emergency mitigation plans aim for?
The initiatives involved in Emergency mitigation aims for effective management of policies for Emergency reduction and its mitigation. It should cover various policies demonstrating the capabilities of grass-root organizations to deal with the Emergency mitigation.
6. What is Emergency Management?
Emergency Management refers to the coordinated efforts of various organizations, agencies, and individuals to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from disasters and emergencies. It involves planning, organizing, and coordinating resources to protect lives, property, and the environment during crises.
7. What are the Four Phases of Emergency Management?
The four phases of disaster management include:
- Mitigation: Long-term efforts to reduce disaster risks by identifying hazards and enhancing public safety.
- Preparedness: Activities like developing Emergency Operations Plans, training personnel, and identifying resources to minimize disaster impact.
- Response: Immediate actions to decrease life-threatening conditions, provide aid, and limit further damage using real-time data and analytics.
- Recovery: Assessing damages, rebuilding, educating communities, and improving disaster prevention practices post-emergency.
8. What is Capacity for Emergency Management?
Emergency management and response capacity encompass physical, social, economic, and attitudinal aspects.
- Physical: Includes equipment, communication modes, infrastructure, water sources, engineers, and construction workers.
- Social: Involves community links and willingness to respond, including volunteer organizations.
- Economic: Encompasses income, savings, business activities, and job availability in the community.
- Attitudinal: Refers to the community’s ability to work together despite differences for mutual benefit.
9. What are emergency management principles?
The emergency management process consists of four phases: prevention and mitigation, preparedness and resilience building, response and relief, and recovery and redevelopment.
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