Disaster: Encyclopedia II - Disaster - Surviving a disaster

Disaster - Surviving a disaster

Chances of survival after a disaster are greatly improved when people, local governments and emergency services, businesses and national governments prepare survival plans and assemble survival gear beforehand. What constitutes sufficient preparation is highly dependent on the location and the disasters that are likely to occur in the area.

Disaster - Personal and family disaster preparation

People and families should make an assessment the likely threats in their location and prepare emergency supply kits, learn basic first aid and decide on 'safe' meeting places.

Young children should be trained to:

• recognize the warning signs for dangerous situations
• respond safely to different threats
• evacuate to a safe place
• know their full name
• know their parent's full name
• know their telephone number
• know their address
• know the names of their relatives

Emergency supply kits should include the basic items recommended in the links provided below in addition to any special needs like diapers for babies, prescribed medicines or glasses for those who need them.

Disaster - Local government and emergency services disaster preparation and management

Local governments and emergency service organizations maintain disaster response plans to minimize further death and property loss with quick and efficient action. A predetermined command structure containing the functions, names, telephone numbers, and addresses needed for a disaster are used to mobilize local police, fire and medical forces (occasionally supported by military forces). A disaster command structure attempts to quickly establish control over a disaster scene to rescue victims, clear casualties and where possible, subdue the threat. Governments may also provide basic humanitarian assistance.

Disaster - Business disaster preparation and management

To minimize losses and the death or injury of staff, businesses can create a business continuity plan and restore key business functions quickly. Like local government, business should maintain a predetermined command structure in addition to the steps required to restore data and resume business operations.

Businesses also must consider non-traditional threats like liquidity shortages, public relations, power outage and telecommunication outage as a part of their plans.

Disaster - National disaster preparation

National governments maintain disaster response plans to support local governments and to isolate an event's effects to a localized area. Naturally occurring diseases, biological terrorism, and crop blights are examples of events that may be containable to a small area. A predetermined command structure which may include specialized agencies like the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency aids disaster relief and support of the local governments and emergency services.

Since nations have direct command control over military forces, they may choose to deploy personnel as requested or needed to assist in rescue, treatment of victims, humanitarian aid, and the maintaining of civil order. Generally speaking, national governments can coordinate the deployment of emergency services personnel from unaffected areas to reduce the administrative burden on local command structures. Also, national governments generally have more resources and funds to assist local governments with relief efforts.

Disaster - Humanitarian disaster preparation

For larger disasters that overwhelm the affected governments, international non-governmental humanitarian agencies may mobilize to offer water, food, housing and medical and psychological treatment of disaster victims. Humanitarian aid may also include long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Disaster - Information security disaster preparation

Adherence to accepted information security principals require disaster recovery plans. A disaster is the start of a 'crisis' where predefined crisis management plans activate. During the development of the crisis management plan, minimum thresholds are established against which a disaster's effect can be compared. Once a disaster sufficiently interrupts key functions and processes, recovery activities can be initiated to control expectancy loss.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Surviving a disaster", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki