Phases of Disaster Management

Disasters are crises that cause widespread damage and are beyond our ability to prevent or control. The three primary goals of disaster management are to minimize losses from the disaster, provide help to the victims and facilitate a rapid recovery. Two phases of disaster management, mitigation and preparedness, are implemented in anticipation of a disaster. Two additional phases, response and recovery, are implemented after a disaster occurs.

Mitigation

• On their disaster management website, the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, describes the mitigation phase as taking action to reduce damages to a community before a disaster happens. Part of the mitigation phase may include educating the public on the kinds and probabilities of potential disasters, as well as their effects. Thoughtful zoning, land use management, building codes and public safety regulations are also steps in the mitigation phase.

Preparedness

• The Global Development Research Center’s Urban Environmental Management describes the preparedness phase as a set of steps that enhance the ability of communities and governments to respond to a disaster. Preparedness steps may include such things as developing plans of action in response to disasters, practice drills and exercises for emergency personnel, putting warning systems in place, developing evacuation plans and installing emergency communications systems.

Response

• The response phase includes emergency support to the community.

  The response phase occurs during and after the disaster occurs. Its purpose is to provide emergency support to the community in order to maintain its health, safety and morale until permanent solutions can be put in place. This phase includes providing emergency first aid, food, shelter and transportation to disaster victims. An additional response might be initial repairs to critical parts of the community’s damaged infrastructure.

Recovery

• The recovery phase is both short-term and long-term and begins after the disaster has struck. Its goal is to restore the community to a normal state. The demarcation between this phase and the response phase can be nebulous, and the shifting from a recovery phase into ongoing community development should be seamless. Steps of the recovery phase may include construction of temporary housing, reconstruction of damaged roads and buildings, increased medical treatment capabilities, counseling and an enhanced public information capability.