cbdp manual

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European Union

HelpAgeInternationalLeading global action on ageing

Communit y Based Disaster Preparedness ManualPost Earthquake ReconstructionProject EU Gujarat (PERPEUG)

January 200 6

HAIL THE BLACK HILLS OF OUR LAND,

TO THE WHITE MILK OF OUR LAND,

SWEET IS OUR WATER AND AIR,

LOYAL IN HEART AND IN HAND,

WE THE KUTCHIS HOLD,

TRUE TO OUR LAND.

FROM A KUTCHI FOLKSONG

[email protected]

C-14, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-16Tel.: 41688955-56, 42030400 Fax: 26852916Email: [email protected]

Website:www.helpageindia.org


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Communi ty Based DisasterPreparedness ManualPost Earthquake ReconstructionProject EU Gujarat (PERPEUG)

January 2006

HelpAgeInternationalLeading global action on ageingEuropean Union

Edited by:

Anupama Datta

The idea of the manual for disaster preparedness was envisioned by

Mr. Anant Bir Singh, former Deputy Director PERPUEG Project; his

contribution to enrich the contents of the manual by including relevant

details is deeply appreciated. Mr. Godfred Paul of HelpAge International

provided valuable guidance throughout to make this manual more

meaningful.

Special thanks are due to the older persons and relief agency workers who

participated in this project despite their personal misery and anguish.

Special mention must be made for the dedicated and sincere efforts of the

following HelpAge India staff members, without which this work would not

have been completed. Col. (Retd.) Akhilesh Sharma, Country Head

Programmes, Ms. Hina Sharma Senior Manager PERPEUG Project and herteam members.

The financial support of European Union and HelpAge International and her

team members.

Copies of the Manual can be obtained from

Research and Strategic Development Department

HelpAge IndiaC-14, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-16Tel.: 91-11-41688955-56, 420430400Fax: 91-11-26852916Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements


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Chapter Page No.

Introduction 5

General Profile : Survey Results 7

Management of Needs of Older Persons 8

General Steps 10

Role of Older Persons in Disasters 12

Planning for Disaster Preparedness 15

Safety Tips During Disasters 18

First Aid for Older Persons During Disasters 21

Search and Rescue 27

Relief Distribution 30

Annexure-1: Disasters in Gujarat: An Overview 32

Annexure-2: Sphere Guidelines 42

Annexure-3: Definitions 50

Contents

NGO Non Government Organisation

OP(s) Older Person(s)

ORS Oral Re-hydration Salts

SHG Self Help Group

Abbrev ia t ions


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Background

In the past couple of years, our country had to face

additional challenges of natural disasters in almostall parts: East (Orissa Super-cyclone), West(Gujarat Earthquake), South (Tsunami) and nowNorth (Kashmir Earthquake). The magnitude of thedisasters was colossal and consequent humanmisery and material loss massive and the cost ofreconstruction of life and property gigantic. We allknow that we cannot stop these natural calamities;but, the million dollar question that all of us mustask ourselves is can we do something to lessenthe damage to human and material resources? Ifyes, then is it not worthwhile to invest time andmoney in it? Prevention is better than cure, theysay and also that preparedness is half battle won! Ifwe know that this is the correct path to tread thenwe all must make our contribution to spread

awareness on the subject and convince people,communities and governments at all levels tomake sincere efforts to train communities to beprepared for disasters; more so in the high risk andmulti-hazard zones. In India, many areas havebeen identified as hazard zones and governmentat central and state level is tackling the issue bypassing legislation, forming committees forcoordination, capacity building, installing earlywarning systems, maintaining databases ofrelevant agencies and other such steps.

These are no doubt important efforts to raise thegeneral preparedness of the society to deal withdisasters. Helpage India tries to sensitise theimportant stakeholders to include the concerns ofolder persons in these programmes; but, we have

to go a step further and ensure that the benefit ofthis awareness and these initiatives reach thecommon older persons. The current manual is onesuch effort. It is designed to deal with the issue ofbuilding the capacity of older persons to deal withchallenges of any emergency situation and thepossible roles that they can play for the befit of their

community. This manual is based on ourexperience in post-quake Gujarat state of India.

Brief History

India has a history of earthquakes and many ofthem devastated life and property in the entire areathat it affected, the recent memory being that ofTehri. In most places the questions pertaining topost-quake management were more or less thesame; another element that did not change wasperhaps our preparedness to deal with the issuesof rescue, relief and rehabilitation. However, afterthe frequent recurrence of major natural disasterswe have probably woken up to the importance ofpreparedness. We know that we cannot stopnatural disasters but we can act sagaciously tominimise the damage to human life and property.

This preparedness is not a uni-level activity to be

undertaken by the government but a multi levelactivity that should begin at individual, family,community, district, state and national level. Thenational government can plan at the macro levelfor installation of early detection and warningsigns, evacuation facilities, training or capacitybuilding of the concerned actors and/orstakeholders. The state governments along withdistrict administration can gear up these facilitieskeeping in mind the specificities of the state andthe district. But, the crucial elements that can makeall the difference are the actors at the micro level:individual, family and the community; for thesimple reason that these are the first point ofassistance in any dire situation. Therefore, it is oureffort to train them for facing any eventuality.

Helpage India provided relief and rehabilitationassistance to the affected people in all the recentnatural disasters particularly the older persons. Ithas been our experience that in the chaoticatmosphere during or after any disaster, the weakand the vulnerable suffer the most and are leastbenefited out of the relief and rehabilitation

HelpAge India

Introduct ion

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programmes. The older persons suffer the mostbecause of subconscious ageism that most of thepeople including their family members believe in.Older persons are most often considered a spentforce on whom scare resources should not bespent! If this is the basic assumption thenautomatically nobody pays attention, neither to

special needs of older persons nor to the role thatthey can play in any such situation.

Fact Sheet on Natural Disasters in

Gujarat

India suffered a devastating earthquake onJanuary 26, 2001. The loss of life and nearly all ofthe destruction of physical assets took place inwestern and central Gujarat, where around 20million people lived and worked. The death tollstood at over 20,000, and about 167,000 peoplewere injured. Nearly one million homes weredamaged or destroyed. Small enterprisesespecially single family artisans, shopkeepers andrural industries were also affected. Health andeducation infrastructure was severely damaged,

with two district hospitals destroyed, and over1,200 health clinics (mostly in rural areas), andover 11,600 schools destroyed or damaged. Therewas similar destruction of both rural and urbanwater supply schemes. Over 240 earthen dams forsmall reservoirs providing water for irrigation, ruraland urban domestic needs, and industry were alsodamaged. Other infrastructure services likeelectricity and telecommunications wereextensively damaged.

Although Gujarat is relatively richer and has grownfaster than other Indian states, but, the area mostseverely affected by the earthquake is poor. Itincludes the district of Kutch (where over 90percent of the deaths and 85 percent of assetlosses occurred) and the districts of Jamnagar,

Rajkot, and Surendranagar. It is a sparselypopulated, resource poor, arid region, vulnerablenot only to earthquakes but also to cyclones anddrought.

The earthquake struck in the wake of twoconsecutive years of drought in 1999 and 2000.The main sources of employment are agriculture,animal husbandry, salt mining and refining,handicrafts, and trade. Agriculture is largely rain-fed and there are few perennial crops. Theagriculture and dairy sectors are extensive, with

little mechanization and thus low levels of capitalintensity. Although, some households benefit fromtransfers from relatives working in Mumbai andabroad, poverty is higher and social indicatorsworse in the earthquake-affected areas than in therest of the state.

The implications of these facts are very clear;Gujarat is prone to multiple disasters, those areasworst affects by recurrent droughts, cyclone andworsened by earthquake are the relatively poorareas economically and in some areas young ablebodied people immigrate in search of employment.In such dire circumstances, it is unavoidable forcommunity to develop a bias towards olderpersons. In some cases, they may be just left alonein the village when the disaster strikes. Therefore,it is crucial that older persons along with thecommunity be trained to be prepared for naturaldisasters particularly with respect to the needs androles of older persons.

Basis of the Manual

A survey was conducted in 150 villages of twoaffected districts of Gujarat: Bhuj andSurendranagar wherein information on availabilityof basic facilities (in pre/post disaster situations)like drinking water, sanitation health care,occupation, perception of the community on olderpersons, their role, special needs before duringand after the disaster, vulnerability was collected.To enrich the data collected, the experience of thepartner agencies that worked with HelpAge India

to provide rescue, relief and rehabilitation alongwith the views of staff members of HelpAge Indiawere also recorded.

Community Based Disaster Preparedness Manual HelpAge India

Geographical Coverage

Two most affected districts of Gujarat were

selected for focus group discussion to find outabout older persons and disasters. In the selecteddistricts i.e. Kutch and Surendranagar 6 out of 9blocks were covered in the former while 2 out of 9blocks were covered in the latter; 113 villages werecovered in Kutch and 37 in Surendranagar.

Most Feared Disasters

28 villages in Kutch identified cyclone as thebiggest potential threat as compared to 2 inSurendranagar. 11 villages in Kutch and 18 inSurendranagar considered drought as a majordisaster in the near future. 70 villages in Kutch and11 in Surendranagar considered earthquake as amajor threat. 6 villages in Surendranagarconsidered flood as a major challenge.

Occupation

Dry agriculture, agricultural labour, casual labour,charcoal making, animal husbandry, dairy andweaving and embroidery work are the majoroccupations of the people in the area. Most of theable bodied young persons immigrate to the otherparts of the country in search of employmentleaving behind, women and children and in somecases only the old and disabled in the villages.Most of them immigrate as seasonal labourers.

Immigration Details

In Kutch district, 24% respondents migrated totake up a job or start a business outside the district

or state; 41% immigrated due to drought and 28%were seasonal immigrants to saltpans or other

seasonal work and 7% immigrated due totraditions. In Surendranagar district, 40% of thosewho immigrated were seasonal workers or saltpanworkers as compared to 33% in search of job orbusiness and only 27% moved out because ofdrought. In this district there were no communitieswho moved as part of their tradition.

Vulnerability of Older Persons

In almost all the blocks, majority of older personssuffered from poverty. The proportion varied from71% in Limbdi (Surendranagar) to 92% in Lakhpat(Kutch). The proportion of older persons leftbehind in the villages by the family varied from alow of 4% in Lakhpat (Kutch) to a high of 31% inRapar (Kutch). Those living alone constituted aminority of the vulnerable older persons in thearea. The proportion varied from 1% Bhachau(Kutch) to 6% in Limbdi (Surendranagar).

Social Security Provisions: Old AgePension

In Kutch district, 9%(906) of the total older personswere eligible for getting benefits of old agepension, but out of these only 23%(207) weregetting this benefit and 16% (145) were getting itonly intermittently. In Surendranagar district, 4%(315) of the older persons were eligible for thisbenefit and out of that 60% (192) were gettingsome support and only 17% (56) were getting itintermittently.

General Prof i l e of the Area Surveyed

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category. 13% identified irregular income in thiscategory; whereas 26% villages identified this asthird major difficulty faced by older persons duringrehabilitation phase. About 9% villages identifiedlack of mobility, corruption and inability to providerequisite documents as third major difficulty.

The partner agencies that worked with HelpAgeIndia for the Relief and Rehabilitation programmesin Gujarat were of the view that scarcity affects theneed fulfilment of older persons and women.Families tend to pay more attention to the youngand the able bodied than the old and frail.Therefore, there is an urgent need to sensitisecommunities and the government to pay attentionto this aspect in disasters.

While soliciting the opinion of the older persons ina group discussion the volunteers were mindful ofthe following:

1. Facilitate the participation of older persons inthe group discussion to articulate theirpriorities.

2. Body language of the volunteer/s should be

friendly and never miss the focus of thediscussion. Ensure that the self respect of theolder generation is maintained

3. Volunteer/s should be able to identify theirpriorities and take appropriate action duringdisasters.

4. The needs of the old properly should beproperly taken care of in the communitycontingency plan.

5. Evolve a combined effort to change thehitherto negative approach of the society ingeneral to the older people.

6. Encourage participation of the older personsin community planning and implementation.Suggest that the community take their help inpreparing a proper village map; resource anddisaster map and identify the number ofvulnerable older people in the community.

Contingency Plan should be made in such awaythat it ensures effective relief and rehabilitation tothe older persons keeping in mind their disabilitiesand specific needs.


22% people identified lack of clothing facility as asecond worst difficulty faced by older persons.15% put lack of cash doles and 13% peopleidentified unequal distribution and lack of food inthis category, 11% people identified lack ofdrinking water, lack of provision for dealing withspecial needs of older persons as the second

major difficulty faced by older persons during reliefphase.

18% villages identified lack of provision for dealingwith special need of older persons as the thirdmajor difficulty. 13% identified lack of clothingfacility in this category whereas almost 10%villages identified lack of cash doles, lack ofprovision for psycho-social support and unequaldistribution as the third major problem.

Relief Camps

As for the difficulties faced by older persons inrelief camps, 22% identified getting food supply asthe worst difficulty. 12% identified lack of access todrinking water and temporary shelter facility as theworst difficulty. 7% identified lack of sanitationfacility as the worst difficulty for older persons.

Almost 18% villages identified lack of food and lackof access to drinking water as the second majordifficulty faced by older persons. 15% identifiedlack of access to temporary shelter facility as thethird major problem. 11% villages identified lack ofmedical facility. 13% identified lack of sanitationfacilities for older persons as the third majordifficulty faced by older persons in the relief camp.

Rehabilitation

32% identified inability to provide requisitedocuments to claim relief and rehabilitationfacilities as the worst difficulty faced duringrehabilitation phase. 23% identified lack ofnecessary information as a major hindrance. 3%villages identified lack of regular income as a worst

difficulty and 4% identified lack of mobility as theworst difficulty.

23% villages identified lack of information as thesecond most important difficulty faced by olderpersons during rehabilitation phase. 18%identified inability to provide requisite documentsto claim relief and rehabilitation support in this

Mana gement of N eeds ofOlder Persons in Disaster

Disasters have differential impact on the differentstrata of the community. The weak and the

vulnerable are affected more than the able andstrong. Experience suggests that in most cases,the worst affected are (1) Older Persons (2)Diseased (3) Mentally and Physically Challenged(4) Pregnant Women and Young Mothers (5)Children (6) Destitute (7) People living in or nearthe Weak Buildings (8) Poor. Some of thesevulnerable sections face multiple disabilities e.g. apoor destitute older woman will be the worstaffected.

There should be special provisions in the plan fordisaster mitigation for all the categories, especiallyfor the older persons. Their priorities should beintegrated into the community contingency planand these should be based on their needs asidentified by them. A comprehensive check listshould be prepared for taking acre of the needs of

older persons for the pre and post- disaster stages.Volunteers who are sensitive to the needs of olderpersons should be identified from the community,who with proper training will be able to help theOPs effectively.

The first in this direction should be initiating adialogue in the community to identify the needs ofOPs and volunteers willing to take the lead in theprocess.

Helpage India initiated one such process in twoearthquake affected districts in Gujarat whereopinion of community in 150 villages was soughton the subject.

The community identified the following:

30% villages identified access to clean drinking

water as the most important need of the olderpersons in the relief phase in the first pr iority. 26%identified economic support as the most importantneed of older people. Almost 15% villagesidentified safe shelter facility and sanitationfacilities as most important requirements of olderpersons.

18% villages identified sanitation as the secondmost important requirement for the older persons

during the relief phase. A similar proportion ofvillages identified access to drinking water as thesecond most important requirement of olderpersons. 13% villages identified safe, shelterfacility and fulfilling special needs of older personsas an important priority.

17% villages identified safe, shelter facility, accessto drinking water and economic support as priorityNo. 3. 9% villages considered fulfilling specialneed of older persons in the same category.

Difficulties Faced by Older Persons

Rescue

The group discussions with the villagers in theaffected districts of Gujarat revealed that 36 out of150 villages (24%) identified lack of means ofcommunication as a major difficulty during (any)disaster. The other major difficulties identified werelack of early warning system (18%), lack oftechnical equipments to rescue people andproperty (11%), lack of availability of food (9%).

18% villagers identified lack of food as the secondmajor difficulty faced by older persons in rescuephase. This was followed by inadequate medicalfacility (12%) and lack of means of communication(11%). 12% villages identified inadequatemanpower, medical facility and lack of food as thethird major difficulty faced by older persons duringrescue phase.

Relief

43% villages identified an equal distribution ofrelief material as the worst difficulty for older

person. 27% identified lack of food in this categoryand an almost equal percentage identified lack ofdrinking water and loss of household items as amajor difficulty. 21% identified lack of cash dolesas the worst difficulty faced by older personsduring (any) disaster.

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the challenges of survival after the disaster.In most cases, cash transfers are given to theyoung adults and then OPs depend on themfor support.

4. If the older person is a destitute or livingalone, then the community volunteers shouldtake special care of the needs of that person.

5. Their personal comfort, mobility, security areto be ensured.

6. Provide scope for trauma counselling to allthe OPs particularly the destitute and themost affected e.g. those who have lost familymembers, all the assets, severely injured andother most vulnerable.

Detailed List of the needs of OPs and the steps tobe taken by the community and the family in the preand post disaster stages:

General Steps to b e Tak en t o Ensure th atOlder Persons are Looked After

1. Older Persons should be a part of the socialand vulnerability mapping for disasterpreparedness and their needs should be dulycommunicated and included in the plan.

2. Distribution of Relief material should beorganised in such a manner that olderpersons are not left out and they do not haveto struggle to get it. The components of therelief package should have food, clothing andmedicines as per the needs of OPs. Theneeds of OPs should be listed beforehandand communicated by the communityvolunteers/leaders to the concerned actors(government bodies, donors, UN agencies,NGOs and CBOs)

3. Take steps to ensure that older personsreceive immediate cash transfers to deal with

On Receiving Warning

Relief

1. Collect the latest information from time totime. The disaster may strike again. Beprepared to face the challenge and informother people.

2. Collect information on missing and trappedpersons and press volunteers into service.

3. Locate the proper place, food, drinkingwater, medicines, and sanitation facilitiesfor the OPs in the shelter facility.

4. Don't panic and initiate appropriate timelyaction. Always prepare alternative plan.

5. Every one must use sticks and ropes tohelp each other in water filled area. Thespeed of water must be taken intoconsideration while crossing.

6. Proper management of the shelter houseshould be ensured.

7. Take appropriate action for providingprimary health care, supply of medicines,sanitation facility, carcass disposal,cleaning, and loss; assessment andinformation collection.

1. Collect latest information obey instructionand help in implementing decisions.

2. List out the family members missing andhelping the rescue team to takeappropriate measures.

3. Give a helping hand to the OPs in all theseactivities.

4. Share the information with the OPs.

5. All the OPs should have a walking stickand torchlight.

6. Ensure fulfilment of specific needs of theOPs in the shelter facility. Their minimumcomfort should be given first priority.

7. Which returning back home the safely

conditions of the house is to be judgedand after going into the house themselvesthen take the OPs if it is safe.

8. Don't allow the old persons to drift, to beapprehensive and panic. Assure themand look at their specific needs. Traumacounselling is to be planned for them.

Community

1. Prepare who's who and clearly identify thevolunteers for the OPs.

2. They should know who is going to do whatfor them.

3. Decision with a check list of items to betaken to the shelter to be completed.

4. Storage of things most needed by the OPsin a common and approachable place.

5. Plan to collect latest information andcoordinate with Govt/ NGO to takeappropriate action.

6. All volunteers to remain alert and takepositions and complete collection andstorage of material.

7. Take decisions on evacuation. Arrangemode of transport, most needed suppliesetc.

8. Regroup Rescue and First Aid team anddecide on the final plan of action.

Family

1. Identify older people and list out theirspecific needs.

2. Help the vo lunteers organise andcommunicate to the OPs.

3. Decision on evacuation to be taken inemergency.

4. Family should be ready with materialscatering to the specific needs of the OPs.

5. Family to be aware of the community'sefforts for the care of OPs.

6. Prepare the OPs mentally to take on thechallenge and all possible points of

support.

7. Keep in touch with the Rescue and First Aidteam and obey their safety instructions.

8. Give these teams information about yourfamily members' position to facilitate earlyaction.

9. Communicate, help and supervise thedecision to shift to the safer places. Guidethe persons and the way to safely evacuateall vulnerable people including the Ops.

9. Store the valuables in plastic cover in a safeplace. Take all the necessary things withyou while shifting to safe places as percheck list prepared earlier.

Rehabilitation

1. Initiate measure for Rehabilitation.

2. Ensure economic security of the OPsthrough cash transfer or income generationactivities.

3. Plan for a proper loss assessment process.

4. To initiate plan of action for restoringlivelihood of the worst affected.

5. Continue trauma counselling for the worstaffected and mentally disturbed.

6. To help the suffering people get legalsupport and settle their compensations andinsurance problems.

To give adequate importance to the OPs in all thefive spheres identified to be initiated in thecommunity level.

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receptive and show slow reaction, but, they remainprepared to play their role for their family andsociety. As the next generation takes charge of thefamily affairs they sit and play the advisory role.Hence they can play a very crucial and importantrole for disaster preparedness as well. Their rolecan be ensured in the following manner.

1. They can use their experience gainedthroughout life.

2. Their familiarity with the local area,community, resources gives them an edge inplanning for future.

3. Crisis management can be their forte. Theyhave the wit, patience, mental strength tothink of possible approach and solutions toface a crisis, since they have survived somany!

4. There is respect for their opinion in society.Younger adults listen to their advice.

5. As their family commitment reduces withage, they can work for the community.

6. Lack of selfish interest brings credibility to

their action and their judgment is respected.7. In planning, co-ordinating and monitoring

they can play a less physical and moremental role in disaster management.

Their role in different phases of disaster can bemarked in the following way.

1. Role before onslaught of disaster.

a) Preparing the community to combatdisasters.

b) Advice to build disaster resistant lowcost houses.

c) Adopt time tested local systems to facedisasters.

d) Prepare children and women through

disaster mock dril ls, folklores,drawings, paintings, traditional folksongs, dance and drama.

e) Ensure Inter and intra organisationalcoordination among various stakeholders.

f) Develop Contingency Plan for the area

keeping in mind knowledge itsresources, people and possibledifficulties.

g) Help prepare social map, disaster mapand resource map with participation ofthe cross sections of the society.

Role during Disaster1. Using own experience and acquired

knowledge they can guide the society inanticipating problems.

2. Take decision on the role of differentvolunteers identified to different jobs andrelocate when one is not available.

3. Decide on the security and safety of thevillage and appoint watch-and-wardvolunteers for the purpose before leaving forsafety to the shelters.

4. To advise the youths to come together andinspire them to do their bit for their society.

5. Make and maintain a check list of the mostvulnerable and arrange for their safety.

6. Advise to do rescue and give first aid to thesufferers.

Role after the Disaster

1. Try to console the traumatised people bycounselling them

2. Fight traditional belief that talking orpreparing about disaster brings badluck/disaster.

3. Take decisions on procurement, store anddistribution of relief materials.

4. Encourage youths to be active in restorationof normalcy.

5. Play a role model of an ideal volunteer and a

leader.6. Consider the timing of the return of the

people to respective houses after thedisaster is over.

7. Convince people to be vigilant despite somefalse warnings/alarms due to unpredictabilityof weather.


Role of Older Persons in Disaster s

4. Learn skills to safeguard and protect fromfurther injury/ damage.

5. Build on the local coping mechanism to makeit foolproof.

6. Reduce the response time to the minimumand develop the first set of responderslocally.

7. Initiate post-disaster strategy to allow thecommunity to regain normalcy in minimumpossible time.

List of Essential Steps for CommunityBased Disaster Preparedness:

1. Identify the potential danger of disasters tothe community.

2. Find out the volunteers and give themrequired knowledge base through training.

3. Locate the resources needed to address thesituation.

4. Keep ready the infrastructure to cater to theneeds in disaster.

5. Develop communication system and build onthe traditional process of passing oninformation during emergencies.

6. Prepare the social mindset to cope to thedisasters without waiting for outside help.

7. Manage the community through mobilizationof local resources and proper distribution ofrelief materials.

8. Keep continuous efforts going throughpreparing social maps, disaster maps,vulnerability analysis, risk analysis, mockdrills and activities for vulnerable sections of

the society OPs, children, women anddestitute.

In this disaster preparedness process all sectionsof the society are to be involved and ownership orcross sections of the society shall bring betterparticipation which will result in greater success.OPs may be mentally and physically weak, less

Focus group discussions held in 150 villages oftwo quake- affected districts with the communityincluding older persons revealed that olderpersons in 32% villages played the role of caretakers of children, in another 32% providedcounselling to the affected people and 32%villages played an active role in management ofrelief supplies and distribution.

The discussion with the partner agencyrepresentatives of HelpAge India revealed thatexperience and expertise in knowledge of localresources can be harnessed at local level. Theyplay a role in distribution of relief material as theyknow most of the people in the villages and somehelp in running community kitchen. They are moresuitable for playing the roles that require less ofphysical labour as many of them suffer fromvarious diseases.

80% village communities were of the view that theOPs should be provided training to improve theirskills in the areas in which they are already playingan important role in post disaster situations. Therepresentatives of the partner agencies alsoagreed with this.

Experience has shown that the only protectionfrom vagaries of disasters is preparedness.Preparedness will be meaningful if it is practicedacross all levels of community and administration.The best results will be possible if response at thelocal level is prompt and relevant to the community.A disaster management team with a clear cutunderstanding of its role and support structurescan go a long way in minimising the human, socialand economic damage caused by the naturaldisasters. The team should address the followingurgent needs of the affected population:

1. Appropriate measures to protect life andproperty from disaster.

2. Create a knowledge base that will helpindividual, family and community to respondto the situation properly.

3. Develop life saving skills so that responsecan be immediate.

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Steps To Facilitate the Use of OlderPersons Skills

In order to give a practical shape to the aboveconceived activities the following steps are to betaken. (1) Organise the OPs of the village/community. (2) Maintain the physical and mental


Role of Older Persons in Restoring Sources of Livelihood

health of the OPs. (3) Organise regular mock drillsto refresh skills. (4) Decide what training shall begiven to the members to make themselves selfsufficient and facilitate training. (5) Organiseactivities to improve their mental and physicalcapacity and prove to the younger people that whatthey are capable of.

While preparing the community for facingdisasters, the contingency plan should have aspecial component for the OPs. The vulnerable

sub groups (older women, disabled, destitute,poor) in this broader category of OPs should alsobe identified and targeted so that they sufferminimum if disaster strikes.

To make the plan practical and bring moreinvolvement of the OPs, their involvement from thebeginning of preparing the disaster plan is crucial.If they are involved in making the plan they will becareful in implementing it.

In order to ensure their participation the volunteershave to take up their initial role seriously. Theyshould be encouraged and trained to take on thisresponsibility and allowed the flexibility to changetheir plans according to the circumstances to getbest possible results. Various stages can beidentified to associate OPs with disaster

preparedness:

First Step

All young-old people in the community should beorganised in the form of a local formal group. Ifnecessary and possible two sub-groups of oldermen and women can be organised for the purposeof discussion and planning.

Second Step

The OPs can recollect and systematically recordthe history of disasters affecting their area. Thishistory and experience shall be shared with thefuture generations and can help preparing for theproblems faced so far. The record should take intoaccount approximate time of occurrence, itsfrequency and extent of damage. It can show the

extent of damage to the different groups and provethe extent of their vulnerability. It can also try toidentify who did what, who gave the leadership andhow the community faced it.

Third Step

Recording the past experience is the first step. Thecommunity should try and put this knowledge in

the perspective of the current scenario: thegeographical, physical and social conditions of thevillage, available resources, structures, technical

aids etc.

They can draw a rough map of the village whichshould be intelligible even to the illiterate people.These maps should facilitate a process of dialogueamong the commoners of the society. In theprocess of making the social map, resource mapand disaster map, different mediums/coloursshould be used depict the positioning of thedifferent resources of the village/ community. Thismap can be used as a ready reference point forany discussion on contingency planning to facedisaster. All the four maps shall give the followingdetails of the village.

1. Geographical Map - This will show thetopography and geography of the village, thephysical location and demographic details ofthe village and its surroundings. It will showthe number of houses thatched, tiled andpucca RCC houses. It will show clearly thehouses of families with members of OPs,lands and fields, forest, trees, tanks, ponds,tube wells, wells. It will show the commoninfrastructure, burial ground, etc.

2. Hazard Map - The possible areas of thevillage which may be affected by the hazard,including the houses, the infrastructure androads, etc. are shown in this map.

3. Resource Map - Safe houses, buildings,shelters, elevated and uplands, health,medical and sanitation facilities are to beidentified in this map.

4. Risk Map - The presentation of the results ofrisk assessment on a map, shooting thelevels of expected losses which can beanticipated in specific areas, during aparticular time period, as a result of particularhazards.

Planning for Disaster PreparednessFarm Sectorl Initiate steps to restore

agricultural land

l Steps against sand logging

l Assess damage of cropsl Lack of fodder Vegetable/

horticulture crops

l Restore and repairagricultural implements.

Non-farm sector

l Plan for marketing

l Arrange resource/ capital

l Initiate discussion for

facilitating banking support

l Develop/Activate SHG

l Help start small scale co-operatives

l Arrange fishing nets andboats etc.

Natural-resource plan

l Steps to replace loss ofvegetation

l Steps to replace lost fruit

trees.l Restoration of Plantation for

grazing, firewood and fodder

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Fourth Step

Looking at the capacity, age, knowledge base,practical approach and quality of the identifiedvolunteers they can be organised into differentgroups who can be entrusted with the differentactivities during disasters. Some of the important

groups are given below. These groups should workin tandem and scope will be given for rep lacementand skill up gradation training and exposure.

1. Warn ing group

2. Shelter maintenance and managementgroup

3. Group in charge of water and sanitation

4. Search aid rescue team

5. Fi rs t a id team

6. Relief team

7. Carcass Disposal and Debris clearanceteam

8. Counsel ling team

9. Reconstruction team

10. Coordination team

11. Damage Assessment Group

These groups shall look to the specific problems ofthe old persons and fulfil their specific needspertaining to their area of activity. The specialneeds of the particular OPs must be brought out ina list that is to be finalized long before disasterstrikes and updated ,if need be.

On the part of the OPs can be a part of the teamsidentified above and may handle the particularactivities given below.


During the Occurrence of the Disasters

Older Men

1. Warning

2. Advising

3. Identify safety routes and ways

4. Help in search/ rescue/ first aid

5. Supervision and reallocation of manpower

Older Women

1. Caring for pregnant women and children.

2. Supervise Cooking

3. Distribution among Women

4. Trauma Counselling

5. Help in providing first aid.

6. Collection or storage of relief materials.

1. Rehabil itat ion

2. Patiently make others active

3. Try to revive education and health carefacilities

4. Inspect the damaged houses and decideshifting.

1. Help in reunion of family member

2. Trauma counselling

3. Address all issues of women

4. Manage the vulnerable

5. Maintain records etc.

6. Inspect the houses and decide to shift back.

After the Disaster

To prepare themselves for the potential threats from disaster the OPs should dothe following:

1. Self learning on various aspects of disastermanagement and help others

2. Facilitate training and help create interest of

senior citizens in it.3. Advice to repair the vulnerable portions of

the house/ facilities.

4. Take act ive interest in developingcommunity contingency.

5. Take tips on trauma counselling, first aidand rescue/ rehabilitation.

6. Involve in Mock drill at various levels andfinally at community level regularly beforecyclone/ flood seasons.

7. Make a group of old people, organise it andtry to make it useful.

1. Learn/ Develop life saving skills

2. Learn counselling skills to deal with PTSDpatients.

3. Save the young women from social tabooand advise them to learn life savingmethods like swimming, etc.

4. Involve in timely repair in houses.

5. Involve the women in developing disasterplan.

6. Involve in mock dril l.

7. Identify problems of women and think ofcorrective measures.

8. Participate in SHGs and try to make themdynamic and useful.

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might indicate that there is damage inside.

Neck

Loosen clothing around neck. Take the carotidpulse, recording its rate, strength and rhythm. Runyour finger down the spine, checking forirregularity and tenderness. Look for bruising.

TrunkWhen the injured breathe deeply observe whetherthe chest expands evenly, easily and equally onthe two sides. Check both collarbones andshoulders for deformity, irregularity, or,tenderness. See the ribcage and chest for anywound. Gently felt eh soft part of the abdomen todiscover any wound, rigidity or tenderness. Feelboth sides of the pelvic bone and gently 'rock' thepelvis to discover any sign of fracture. Note anyinconsistence or bleeding.

Back and spine

Note impaired movement or sensation in the limbs,you should not move the casualty to examine thespine. Gently pass your hand under the hollow ofthe back and feel along the spine, checking for

swelling and tenderness.

Upper limbs

Check movement and sensation in bo th arms. Askthe casualty to bend and straighten the fingers andelbows. Take his/ her hands see he/ she whethercan feel normally? Note the colour of the finger.Look for bruising, swelling or deformity.

Lower limbs

The injured will be asked to raise each leg in turnand to bend and straighten ankles and knees, thenlook and feel for any wound, swelling or deformity.

Feet

Check movement and feeling in both the toes.Look at colour-blueness of the skin (cyanosis)which may indicate a circulatory disorder or coldinjury.

Handling of Drowning Case

Drowning is a common happening. The old peoplewill die in it because of suffocation. After rescuingfrom water take the following steps.


5. Rise the feet by 6-10 inches.

6. Allow entry of fresh air to the room.

7. Try to stop bleeding.

8. Maintain temperature.

9. Don't do rough and excessive shifting.

Symptoms of Shock1. Pulse rate rapid, pale grey skin, sweating and

cold clammy skin.

2. Weakness, head reeling, thirst, rapid shallowbreathing, fast irregular pulse.

3. Restlessness, anxiety, aggressiveness,yawning or gasping, unconscious, heartbeating stops.

Total Examination

Go for a top-to-toe routine examination of thepatient. Use both hands and don't disturb thepatient much, comparing both sides of the body tofind out where there is swelling.

Skull and Scalp

Running your hand over the scalp of the injured,bleeding, swelling, or any soft area may beidentified. Handle the head of neck carefully.

Nose

Any sign of blood or fluid may indicate damageinside the skull. Note the colour, the temperatureand the state of the skin.

Eyes

Examine the pupils of the eyes about their size.Look for any foreign body wound or bruising in thewhites of the eyes. Unequal or decentred pupilsindicate possible concussion or internal headinjury.

Mouth

Examine the inside of the mouth. Note any odour in

the mouth. See if anything is checking the airway.Examine whether denture is alright or not.Examine lips for burns of discoloration (Bluish).

Ears

Speak to the injured. Know whether both ears areworking. Any blood or fluid coming out of the years

slightly. Do not jerk the neck or back because theremay be closed injuries. Look for chest rise. Listenfor air exchange. Feel for abdominal changes.

Breathing (Artificial Resuscitation) If there is novisible chest movement and heartbeat, startartificial ventilation immediately. Keep thecasualty's head well back. Place your mouth over

the casualty's mouth. Give two full breaths.Continue with one breath every five second till thecasualty breathes or, medical help is available.You may place the heel of one hand on the top ofthe heel of the other hand just above the naval butbelow the breastbone. Press down on upperabdomen with six to ten quick thrusts. Continue tillthe casualty breathes or help arrives.

Circulation If heart stops and there is no pulseCPR can be applied with artificial ventilation (CPRcan be counter productive without proper trainingand practice).

To stop bleeding

There are three types of bleeding as per flow ofblood.

A) Arterial bleeding - Excessive bleedingleading to death (Spurting blood).

b) Bleeding from Vein results in excessivecontinuous flow of blood.

c) Capillary bleeding causes oozing of bloodfrom skin surfaces.

What to do?

1. Give pressure putting a clean cloth atthe wound. Maintain compression bywrapping the wound firmly with a pressurebandage.

2. Elevate the wound above the level of theheart.

3. Put pressure on the nearest pressure point.

4. To save from a critical situation a tourniquetcan be used with support of a doctor.

Treatment of an Open Wound

1. Clean the wound. Don't scrub. Use water andsoap to clean.

2. Apply a dressing and bandage to help keepthe wound clean.

3. You can apply pressure to stop bleeding.

4. If the bleeding is reduced then soften thebandage.

5. If there is no bleeding then remove the

bandage.6. Wound should be flushed and chocked for

signs of infection over six hours. Signs ofpossible infection includes:-

(a) Swelling around the wound site (b)Discoloration (c) disch arge (pus) fromwound (d) Red striations from the woundsite.

If a body part is cut off

(a) Try to control bleeding.

(B) Clean the cut off part properly and pack it in aplastic bog and keep in a cool place.

(c) Look for treatment of shock.

(d) Shift to a hospital for plastic surgery of plants.

Foreign Objects in a Body

Flying debris during disasters may enterhuman body.

1. Immobilise the affected body part.

2. Do not attempt to move or remove the objectunless the object is blocking the airway.

3. Control bleeding without pressing the foreignobject.

4. If it is fallen on the eyes don't rub the eye.Give light pres to the eye by a clean cloth.

5. Clean the wound and give a dressing aroundthe object to keep it from moving.

6. Try to extricate the object in the hospital.

Shock Treatment1. It needs immediate attention.

2. Don't give the patient anything to eat or drink.

3. Casualty should lie down on back.

4. Remove tight dress from the affectedperson's body.

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1. Keep the body little above than the head.

2. Examine whether the respiration and pulserate is on.

3. If necessary administer artificial respiration.

4. Press the chest to bring out water from thelungs.

5. Remove the drenched cloth, give wormdrinks and attend to cold.

6. Remove the patient to the hospital.

7. Don't press the lower abdomen if the air pipeis not blocked.

Treatment of Unconscious Person

Position the patient in a way that the tongue doesnot block the path. By keeping the head little downstop passage of water coming out of the stomachinto the air passage. Head, neck and back shouldbe kept in one line and the rest of the body to bekept little down keep the patient in a RecoveryPosition. Minimise movement of the head andspine.

Burn TreatmentAll burn patients are divided into three typeskeeping in view their condition.

st1. 1 Degree burn Only outside of the skin isaffected. It becomes red in colour and there isswelling.

nd2. 2 Degree burn Raw skin, blisters, becomesfatal if large area affected.

rd3. 3 Stage burn Skin appears pale, waxy or

charred. Damage extends from skin tonerves, muscle and fat. Always treat forshock. Needs specialised medical treatment.

First Aid

1. Remove to a cool place. Apply cold treatmentand cover body proper ly.

2. Remove the burnt dress from body. Coverbody with clean cotton cloth.

3. Dip in cold water for 1 minute. Don't dip the3rd stage burn in water.

4. It is important to check infection.

5. Keep the burnt region in an elevated positionhigher than the heart.

6 . Do not use i ce, which can causehypothermia.

7. Do not apply antiseptics, ointments or other

remedies.8. Do not remove shreds of tissue, break

blisters, particles of clothing.

Use caution when applying cool dressings to theold people. They are susceptible to hypothermia.

Fractures

A fracture is a complete break, a chip, or a crack ina borne. Fractures are (1) closed (2) open. Abroken bone with no associated wound is closedfracture and needs splinting. An open fracture is abroken bone with some kind of wound. They are ahigher priority injury.

1. Try to bring the exposed bone inside the skin.

2. Cover the injury with bandage.

3. The injury should be given a splint withoutdisturbing the wound.

4. Cover exposed wound with moist bandage.

5. Take support of orthopaedic surgeon.

Dislocations (Injury to ligaments & around ajoint.

The bones lock in their new position. The jointsmost commonly dislocated are fingers, shoulders,elbows, hips and ankles. Treat it like a fracture.Don't attempt to relocate the joint. Refer to trainedmedical staff.

Sprains and Strains

A sprain is the stretching or tearing of ligaments ata joint and is usually caused by stretching orextending the joint beyond its normal range of

motion. The joints most easily sprained are theankle, knee, wrist and fingers.

Symptoms

Tenderness of the site of the injury, Swelling and/or bruising, restricted use or loss of use of the joint

Nasal Injuries

Control bleeding by (a) pinching the nostrilstogether (b) put pressure on the upper lip justunder the nose (c) the patient should sit with thehead slightly forward so that blood does not enterthe lungs. Do not put the head back (d) keep theairway clean (e) keep the patient quiet. Anxiety will

increase blood flow.

Diarrhoea and Gastroenteritis

1. Give adequate liquid supplement.

2. Get specialised medical support.

3. Wash hands after toi let wi th soap/disinfectant.

4. Make sure faecal matter can not contaminatewater sources.

Dehydration and Sunstroke

This may occur in very hot weather. This is verydangerous for OPs.

1. It starts with headache.

2. Dehydration occurs.

3. Patient becomes rapidly unconscious.

4. Has high temperature with no sweating.

5. The skin is dry, hot and red. Pulse is strong.

6. Give cooling treatment till temperature isnormal.

Hypothermia Body temperature drops belownormal. Old persons are easy victims to it whenthey are exposed to cold air or water, inadequatefood and clothing.

Symptoms

1. Rapid Decrease in Body temperature (Below950F)

2. Redness or blueness of the skin.

3. Numbness and shivering.4. Slurred speech, unpredictable behaviour,

listlessness.

Treatment

1. Remove wet cloth, wrap with a blanket fromhead and neck.

2. Protect against weather.

3. If conscious, provide warm and sweet drinksand food. Don't give alcohol or massage.

4. If unconscious, place in a recovery position.

5. Give warm bath if possible.

6. Don't allow to walk around even thoughrecovered fully. When moving outside coverhead and face.

Electrical Injuries

1. Breathing and heartbeat may stop.

2. A.C. current causes dysfunction of musclespreventing the affected person to move fromthe electric cable.

3. The current may cause burns at entry andexit point of the body.

4. Maintain a distance of 10 mts from the highvoltage wire.

5. Don't touch the victim's body with your barehands.

6. Use dry stick in case of low voltage wire topush the victim away.

7. Don't pour water on the affected person.

8. If necessary give artificial respiration.

9. Treat burns, associated injuries and shock.

Poisoning

Every household has poisoning substances like,bleach, petroleum products, petrol and pesticides.

1. Don't induce the victim to vomit.

2. Attend to revive respiration.

3. Identify the poison and inform doctor about it.

4. Take immediate help of doctors.


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Home Nursing for the OPs

The treatment of the OPs must be done with lot ofcare and sincerity as per the needs of thecircumstances.

The volunteers must have

a) Adequate knowledge

b) Soft spoken and understanding

c) Patience in dealings

d) Disciplined and compassionate

e) Obey the guidance of the doctor

Their responsibility

1. Proper cleaning of environment. Ensure freemovement of air and light. Avoid soundpollution. Cleaning of bed regularly. Keepingthe things and dustbin in proper place.

2. Cleaning of the old person's skin, hands,legs, hair, teeth, nail, clothes and blanket.Regular cleaning of eyes and nose.

3. Dressing the wound regularly and properly.

4. Bed ridden OPs should be moved from sideto side after regular intervals to allow bloodcirculation to the skin.

5. Older people affected by stroke should becleaned and their limbs should be exercised.

6. Take record of body temperature, respiration,pulse rate, pain in particular limbs anddiscuss with the doctor to decide futuresteps.

7. Keeping in view the physical, mentalcondition and need of the body arrangebalanced diet for the old patients.

Before the disaster affects your locality you should know above th ings and keep exercising on bandages.Arrange a first aid box with the following items.

Stretcher Sterile gauze pads

Adhesive Tape Tincture iodine

Antibiotics Torch light

Tarpaulin Disinfectant SoapSterile cotton White vinegar

Anti-bacterial drugs Rubber tourniquet

Blankets Normal Saline

Triangular Bandages Sodium bicarbonate

Pain relievers Scissors, Blades, Safety pins

Splints Antiseptic lotion and spirit

Roller Bandages of different widths Tetanus Toxoid

Tweezers Plaster

Sterile Adhesive Bandages Hydrogen Peroxide

Burn ointment Gentian Violet

Disposable Gloves Disposable syringes and needles

Oral Re-hydrants Water Purification tablets

Proper planning shall help in minimising loss of

human lives in general and older persons in

particular during disasters. The need of search

and rescue is urgent after any disaster but there is

risk involved in it and the community must be

prepared for this risk. Therefore, the following are

essential:

1. Take proper training for becoming a member

of the rescue team.

2. Proper tools must be kept ready for different

needs.

3. First 24 hours is the period when the injured

and trapped can be saved with 80% chances

of survival.

4. Resource planning will include the personnel

needed with proper training, equipments be

readily available at the site and tools for

lifting, moving and cutting disaster debris.

Procedure

(a) Gather facts (b) Assess situation (c) Identify

resources (d) Establish the rescue priorities (e)

Develop a rescue plan (f) Conduct the rescue (g)

Evaluate progress (h) change personnel from time

to time (i) Mark the completed task.

Safety tips

1. Always work in pairs Third person should act

as a runner.

2. Be alert for sharp objects, dust, hazardous,

materials, power lines, leaking gas, high

water, fire hazards and unstable structures.

If water is present check the depth. Neverenter rising water without proper equipment

and training.

3. Use of safety equipment Helmet, Goggles,

Whistle, torch, cloth protecting from cold,

rain, fire, etc.

4. Have back-up teams so that no one gets tired

and exhausted. Give adequate food and

drink supplements to the rescue team

members.

5. Take adequate safety measures for yourself

and save yourself from fatigue.

Evacuation

Evacuation can be planned in which first priority be

given to the old persons.

1. Determination of need of partial or total

evacuation.

2. Identify a safe area for evacuees.

3. Communicate to all the need and the safe

site for evacuation.

4. Consider and decide on alternate routes for

evacuation.5. Make sure that the process is going on as per

plan.

6. Report to the concerned authority about the

evacuation.

What to do when rescue operation is on?

1. Give a loud call. If you get a response,

proceed in that direction.

2. Search one after the other area where the

victims might have been trapped.

3. If torch light is shown to the debris victim may

respond, to be rescued.

4. Use your belt and rope to stick to each other

and proceed one after the other.

5. Once you finish search operation in one

place give a 'X' mark so that there will be no

duplication of effort.

6. Keep record of the persons saved, killed and

trapped share the information with others.

Search and Rescue

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7. The rescuer should assess his/ her strength

before making the rescue attempt.

8. Give enough attention to one's own safety,

food, drinks, health and rest. The tired

persons themselves become victims.

9. Don't enter dilapidated houses/buildings

without assessing damage.

10. When lifting anybody try to give safety to

yourself.

a) Bend your knees and squat.

b) Keep the load close to your body.

c) Keep your back straight.

d) Push up with your legs.

Lifts and Drags

Decide the best way to lift the person when s/he

can not help him/her self.

1. One-Person Arm Carry: If you are

physically strong, you may be able to lift and

carry a victim by yourself. Reach around thevictim's back and under the knees, and lift.

The victims may be able to assist by placing

an arm around your shoulder.

2. One-Person Pack-Strap Carry: To

accomplish this :

l Stand with your back to the victim.

l Place the victim's arms over your

shoulders and grab the hands in front of

your chest.

l Hoist the victim onto your back by

bending forward slight, so his or her feet

just clear the floor.

3. Two-Person Lift:

l Rescuer-1: Squat at the victim's head

and grasp the victim from behind

around the midsection. Reach under

the arms and grasp the victim's

forearms.

l Rescuer -2: Squat between the victim's

knees, facing either toward or away

from the victim. Grasp the outside of the

victim's legs at the knees.

l Using safe lifting procedures, rise to a

standing position, lifting the victim. The

victim can then be carried to safety.

4. Chair Carry: This technique requires two

rescuers:

l Place the victim in a straight-back chair

(e.g., a wooden kitchen chair).

l Rescuer-1: Facing the back of the chair,

grasp the back uprights.

l Rescuer-2: With your back to the

victim's knees, reach back and grasp

the two front legs of the chair.

l Tilt the chair back, lift, and walk out.

5. Blanket Carry: The blanker carry requires at

least four rescuers to provide stability to the

victim, with one person designated as the

lead person.

l Lay a blanket next to the victim.

l Tuck the blanket under the victim, and

roll the victim into the centre of the

blanket.

l Roll up the blanket edges toward the

victim, to form tube-like handles on

each side of the victim.

l With two rescuers squatting on each

side and grasping the handle, the lead

person checks the team for even weight

distribution and correct lifting position.

l The lead person calls out, Ready to lift

on the count of three: one, two, three,lift.

l The team lifts and stands in unison

keeping the victim level, and carries

away the victim feet first.

l To lower the victim, the lead person

calls out Ready to lower on the count of

three: one, two three, lower.

6. Improvised Stretchers: A variety of

materials can be used as improvised

stretchers, which can be carried by two

rescuers. For example, you can make a

stretcher from 2 poles and a blanket.

7. Drag: Drag the victim out of the confined

area by grasping either under the arms or by

the feet and pulling across the floor.

Remember to use safe lifting procedures.

One rescued down and grasping and edge of the

blanket, and dragging the victim across the floor.

Blanket Drag:

1. Warp victim in a blanket.

2. Squat down and grasp the edge of the

blanket

3. Drag victim across floor.

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Relief distribution is to be planned for the entirearea in a systematic manner with the involvementof the community. Volunteers trained for this

purpose should take the lead in this case. Theirresponsibility will be to (1) Assessment of localcommunity needs including special needs ofvulnerable groups (2) Collection of relief materialfrom the sources (3) Storage and guard againstpilferage (4) Timely and Sagacious Distribution (5)management of other issues like health care,water, hygiene and sanitation etc. (6)Establishment of rapport with all other supportproviders like government departments, NGOsand UN agencies (7) Prepare a list of the worstsufferers and their urgent requirements (8) Ensuretransparency and community involvement in thewhole operation.

Preparation for Relief Operation

1. Assess needs of the local; community interms of drinking water packet, food grains,dry food, medicines, torches, lanterns,kerosene, solar stoves, firewood, bleachingpower, blankets, sheets, clothes and moneyrequired for urgent needs.

2. Identify storage and distribution points for therelief material.

3. Materials for temporary shelters likebamboos, ropes, plastic ropes, tarpaulins,mats, asbestos sheets and other essentialthings should be arranged.

4. Store fodder and medicines.

5. Help in arranging essential things at thefamily level.

6. Every identified shelter house should be keptready with adequate stocks.

7. Identify persons and press them into serviceto transact with govt/non-govt. agencies.

8. Identify prominent helpful people in the

Government and non-government structurewho can be depended upon for furthersupport during need.

9. Receive relief materials on behalf of thecommunity and make and maintain aninventory.

10. Keeping the local needs and availabilityarrange for transportation of relief materialson the basis of priority to the most vulnerablepeople.

11. While collecting the relief materials properattention should be given to the needs of theOPs. They may require medicines, blankets,walking sticks, balanced diet and drinkingwater.

At the time of Disaster

1. Shift the materials from store houses to the

shelter houses.2. Keep a regular watch on stock and store and

replenish the finished items.

3. Ensure safety of persons involved in reliefdistribution.

After the Disaster

1. Proper distribution of relief materials.

2. Decide on time, place and duration ofdistribution and inform the communitybeforehand to avoid confusion. Changevolunteers from time to time avoid monopolyor misdistribution.

3. Choose most credible persons for thepurpose of distribution. OPs are highly

recommended for this job as they know thecommunity very well and have no vestedinterest.

4. Receive, keep stock, mobilise and search foralternatives regarding supply of reliefmaterials.

Rel ie f Dist r ibut ion5. Relief material that cannot be used by the

community ( excess supply or irrelevant)should be disposed off in a befitting mannerso that those who may require that materialcan use it.

6. List of requirements for the next at least threeto five days should be made and material

procured. Try to avoid over supply or undersupply of particular items.

7. Make specific arrangement for balanced dietand drinking water for the OPs and othervulnerable groups. Many a times the fooditems distributed during disasters in relief areneither palatable nor digestible for the OPs.

8. There is every chance for the oldergeneration to suffer from asthma, cough andfever. If not given proper care, they maycollapse. For this special medicines and aftercare should be arranged. They must getaccess to clean potable drinking water whichmay be kept ready using halogen tablets. Inorder to check dehydration O.R.S. packets

and proper liquid supplement must given tothem.

9. Immediate steps must be initiated to assessthe loss and give supplementary materialsfor rebuilding the house. Perfect coordinationmust be kept with the Revenue Inspector andother revenue officials in this matter.

10. A list of all the affected persons and animalsmust be prepared and updated. Arrange forrelief as per their needs.

11. Separate list is to be made for lost essentialhouseholds' items accordingly steps to beinitiated for their immediate supply.

12. A monitoring committee shall be constitutedto supervise all relief activities and suggestcorrective measures to be initiated.

13. Prepare a list of damage of publicinfrastructure to supply and coordinate withgovernment agencies for repair andrebuilding, mobilize community support forthese activities.

14. Take spot decisions on shifting of OPs andother vulnerable groups.

15. The elderly suffering from trauma should beidentified and dealt with separately.

16. Food-for-work activities should be plannedfor the OPs separately. They should not beasked to take up arduous physical activities.

They can be involved in preparing list,managing, guarding, writing letters,counselling, store keeping etc.

17. OPs must be given sustained relief over alonger time period.

18. Plan separately to meet the requirements ofthe OPs.

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soft story type (with slender columns on the

ground floor allowing for car parking). The fast

construction process in recent years, with

relatively little building code enforcement,

combined with poor construction materials, led to

tragic consequences.

HealthThe earthquake has left behind a trail of death and

disintegration of families, thousands seriously

injured and handicapped, both physically and

psychologically, and a severely damaged health

infrastructure. The number of confirmed human

deaths was over 20,000 (of which over 17,000

have been reported from Kutch alone), and the

number of persons injured was close to 167,000.

Injuries included orthopaedic and head injuries,

tissue losses, abdominal and thoracic trauma, and

amputations. A large proportion of these patients

were likely to be left permanently disabled,

requiring rehabilitation and care in the future.

There has been extensive damage to health

infrastructure causing disruption in the provision ofroutine curative and preventative care, while at the

same time the sector had been called upon to

provide emergency curative (particularly surgery

and orthopaedics) and preventative care much

beyond its capacity. District hospitals, community

health centres, primary health centres (PHCs),

subcenters, Anganwadi centres, six integrated

child development services scheme (ICDS) go-

downs, chief district project officer (CDPO) offices,

dispensaries, c dispensaries were badly damaged

or destroyed. In addition, nearly all types of

facilities at different levels of health care suffered

major and minor damages.

Dam Safety and Irrigation

In Kutch, 21 earthen dams were severely affected

requiring complete reconstruction, while 164

earthen dams required major or moderate repairs

and strengthening. More recently constructed

dams, and dams for major schemes have not been

affected. The damaged dams had to be repaired

urgently as they were unsafe for impounding water

and also because these could be used for water

supply to the local population.

Rural Water Supply

Drinking water systems was affected in 1,340

villages in five districts (Banaskatha, Jamnagar,

Kutch, Rajkot, and Surendranagar), of which some1,100 village systems suffered severe damages.

Systems in Banaskatha and Surendranagar

suffered minor damages, while the damage in the

other districts was much more severe.

Water supply in Kutch is largely groundwater

based with only the Tappar and Shivlakha dams

providing surface water sources. Affected areas in

Rajkot and Jamnagar receive water supply mainly

from surface water (the Machhu II dam) and from a

few ground water schemes. Both the surface water

schemes (dams, pumping stations, pipelines,

water treatment plants) and all the ground water

based schemes (121 regional schemes covering

693 villages, and 191 individual schemes) were

affected in varying degrees. Reinforced CementConcrete (RCC) underground tanks and overhead

tanks, which were designed for seismic zone V,

have largely withstood the earthquake's impact

whereas the masonry structures (pump houses,

staff quarters and village-level small tanks) have

nearly all collapsed.

The water supply service to the village

communities and bulk supplies to town residents

as well as a sizable number of industries

substantially deteriorated in terms of quantity,

quality, and reliability. This has a number of effects.

For example, the loss of in-house water receiving

and storage facilities required people to wait for

long periods of time for the delivery and collection

of water by tanker to their homes or relief camps.Since the responsibility for water collection

typically falls on women, this affected them mainly

by reducing the amount of time they could spend

on productive activities. In addition, environmental

sanitation deteriorated and health and hygiene

suffered.


Municipal and Environmental

Infrastructure

Five municipal corporations and 57 municipal

towns were affected by the earthquake.

Consequently, the urban and environmental

infrastructure components like water supply,

sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management,municipal roads, municipal dispensaries, street

lighting, municipal administrative buildings and

other municipally owned buildings suffered.

The damage to the water systems was extensive,

followed by damage caused to the sewerage

systems, municipal roads and buildings, street

lighting, and sanitation.

Power

The power system in the Kutch region comprises

the Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station and the

transmission system at 220kV, 132kV, and 66kV,

with the associated distribution system. Most of the

consumers in the region are from the agricultural

sector. The earthquake caused extensive damageto the power system facilities in Kutch and nearby

districts of Banaskantha, Jamnagar, Rajkot, and

Surendranagar. The diesel generator and building

in Bhuj were also damaged.

Telecommunications

The earthquake inflicted extensive damage to the

telecommunication system. About 80,000 lines

were down due to the collapse of the telephone

exchange bu i ld ings . The co l lapse of

telecommunications capacities seriously affected

the relief measures as no information was

available about the intensity of the earthquake,

precise locations affected, and the extent of

damage.

Agriculture and Livestock

Agriculture contributes only 20 percent to the

overall state economy and of this only a small

share is estimated to be produced in the areas

most affected by the earthquake (CMIE, 2001).

The sector still provides employment to nearly 50

percent of Gujarat's population. Agriculture has

been severely hit by two consecutive years of

severe drought, which have led to a contraction in

output of nearly 13 percent in 1997/98 and 2

percent in 1998/99. The areas most severely

affected by the earthquake were also those worst

affected by the drought.

According to estimates of the state government,

total asset losses were estimated at Rs.544 crore

($117 million). Preliminary losses of assets to the

private sector in agriculture and livestock were

estimated at Rs.512 crore ($110 million), nearly 80

percent of which was in the Kutch district. While not

very large in value, the loss of these agricultural

assets and inputs had drawn down the assets of

already poor groups of the population.

Major asset losses were concentrated in irrigation

assets, such as bore wells, pump houses,

submersible pumps and water storage tanks, as

well as storage bins, farm implements, livestock,

plant protection equipment, and stored outputs

and inputs. Output losses due to the earthquake

were estimated to be about Rs. 228($49 million).

These losses were expected to result from delay in

picking the standing crops of cotton and castor,

lack of irrigation at a critical stage, and lack of farm

storage facilities.

Industry

Industrial damages from the earthquake were

concentrated almost entirely in Bhavnagar,

Jamnagar, Kutch, Rajkot, and Surendranagar

districts which together comprise less than a

quarter of Gujarat's industrial capacity. The impact

on the earnings in Kutch was considerable,

particularly for workers in the salt and handicrafts

sectors, which were badly damaged.Social /Community Dimension

Insecurity stemmed from the repeated tremors in

the region and the continuing drought. In spite of all

their problems, however, the Kutch community

resisted putting orphaned children up for adoption.

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This demonstrated an expression of community

solidarity and mutual support in a time of need, and

was an indication of the will and ability of the

communities to organize and rebuild their lives.

Another serious consequence of the disaster was

an almost complete lack of services in the worst-hit

villages and urban areas, including education,

health, water supply, electricity, solid waste

disposal, and agricultural extension.

Environmental Impacts

Due to previous cyclones, drought, and previous

flooding the earthquake hit the region during a time

of extreme environmental vulnerability. In addition

to damage to dwellings, infrastructure and

facilities, the earthquake resulted in a number of

environmental impacts. The earthquake also had

an indirect environmental impacts associated with

debris disposal, temporary shelter set-up and the

reconstruction efforts. A number of indirect

environmental impacts were also anticipated.

The more significant indirect impacts included: (a)

poorer sanitation and waste managementpractices; (b) increase in industrial pollution due to

reconstruction activities requiring millions of tons

of construction materials, and (c) changes in land

use due to need for rubble disposal sites and

potential relocation of villages.

Section II

Economic and Social Structure of theEarthquake Affected Area

The area most directly affected by the earthquakeis vast. It includes the Kutch district, where over 90percent of the deaths and an estimated 85 percent

of asset losses occurred, and the districts ofAhmedabad, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, andSurendranagar [Centre for Monitoring the IndianEconomy (CMIE), 2001]. Kutch itself is sparselypopulated, with a population in 1991 of 1.2 millionand an area of 45,652 square km, larger thaneither of the states of Haryana or Kerala. Only 31

percent of the population live in urban areas. Majorurban centers of Kutch include Anjar (51,000),Bhuj (121,000), and Gandhidham (104,000).

The area is relatively poor in natural resourcesand, as detailed in the following sections, is highlyvulnerable not only to earthquakes, but also toother hazards including both drought and

cyclones. The main economic activities in the areaare agriculture including livestock and rain-fedcultivation, industries including handicrafts, saltproduction and refining, and services, largelytrade.

As far as industrial production is concerned, theearthquake damage was almost entirely limited toBhavnagar, Jamnagar, Kutch, Rajkot, andSurendranagar. These five districts include almost75 percent of India's salt production, and a range ofsmall-scale manufacturing sub-sectors includingchemicals, textiles, ceramics, diamond cutting andpolishing, and handicrafts. Across the sectors,these districts accounted for 23 percent ofGujarat's overall industrial employment. Kutch,where over half of the industrial damage tookplace, accounted for less than 2 percent. Acrossthe five districts, 45 percent of industry is in ruralareas. Even 42 percent of manufacturing is rural.Kutch has a very strong crafts tradition, with manythousands of women in rural villages engaged inembroidery, patchwork, vegetable dying, batik,and other cottage industries.

Climatically, the areas most severely affected bythe earthquake are arid and semiarid. Agricultureis largely rain-fed (the gross irrigated area in Kutchas a percentage of gross cultivated area is 19percent compared with 34 percent for Gujarat as awhole) and there are few perennial crops. Theagriculture and dairy sectors are extensive (theaverage size of holding in Kutch is 5.1 ha

compared with a Gujarat average of 2.9 ha), withlittle mechanization and thus low levels of capitalintensity. The region has been severely affected bytwo consecutive years of drought, with productionalready depressed at the time of the earthquake.

With more than 20 percent of the country's tradebeing handled through the 40 large and small ports

located in Gujarat, transport and communication isthe third biggest service sector employer in theaffected region. Many of the workers in the portareas, especially in Kandla port, are migrantlabourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Besides earned income, remittances tohouseholds, both from family members working

abroad and in other parts of India, are high. This isreflected in the low credit-deposit ratio: 10.9 inKutch, versus 85.7 in Ahmedabad, for instance(CMIE, 2001). This serves as an important sourceof income and as a safety net for households in theearthquake affected area.

Poverty

The earthquake affected areas are among thepoorest in the state. Reliable consumption-basedmeasures of poverty incidence are available fromthe National Sample Survey. The bulk of theearthquake damage was in the dry areas regionwhich comprises Kutch, Surendranagar, andBanaskantha. In 1993/94, the percentage ofhouseholds below the poverty lines in these dry

areas as a whole was 26 percent; higher than theGujarat average. The earthquake-affected areasare also worse off than the rest of Gujarat in termsof social indicators. Literacy rates in Kutch are 53percent overall, and 41 percent for femalesonlyslightly above the India averages. Kutch has thelargest proportion of scheduled caste people inGujarat, 12 percent of the population of Kutch arescheduled castes, compared with 7 percent inGujarat as a whole.

Gujarat appears to have fewer village-levelorganizations than some other parts of India. Theearthquake affected areas, and Kutch in particular,do not have many of the producer (e.g., dairy)cooperatives for which the state is renowned, andsectoral associations and committees, such as

water users' associations, forest managementcommittees, and village education committeesalso appear to be less developed than in manyother states. In addition, the Panchayati Rajstructure is currently missing its most importantlayer, the village-level Gram Panchayats.

However, there are large numbers of community,religious or secular philanthropic organizations,and service or development oriented NGOs in thestate.

Most urban and rural settlements contain a mix ofcommunities, with the range of socioeconomiclevels and average being determined largely by

the quality of natural resources (pr imarily land) andthe degree of development of infrastructure("access"). Among the earthquake-affected areasin the state, Kutch is more remote, more poorlyendowed, and hence poorer in the aggregate,although it is also home to a sizeable, wealthybusiness community that has social networks inother parts of the state, in Mumbai, and indeed inmany parts of the world. This social capital hasproved invaluable in the aftermath of theearthquake and will continue to be important in thereconstruction period. Even among poorercommunit ies, including some nomadicpastoralists, for example, family and clan ties arereputed to be extensive and strong.

Environment, Natural Hazards andVulnerability

The state of Gujarat can be divided into threebroad regions based on geographical position anddrainage characteristics: south Gujarat, north, andcentral Gujarat (mainland), and Kutch andSaurashtra. Most of the earthquake affected areais classified as seismic zone V (very high risk) orzone IV (high risk) (Table 2). The affected area islocated in arid and semiarid agro-climatic zoneswhere water resources are limited, even scarce.The state is exposed to hydrometeorological andgeophysical hazards.

Given the region's geography and geology,extreme events arising from all four of the hazardsare inevitable. As population, economicdevelopment and environmental stresses grow;annual negative impacts from one or more of thesehazards may be expected due to the vulnerabilityof exposed people, dwellings, infrastructure andeconomic activities. The following overviewdescribes the major hazards in Gujarat, their

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causes, vulnerability and vulnerability-reductionfactors.

Cyclones

In the past 25 years, severe cyclones affectingGujarat killed nearly 3,000 people and over350,000 livestock, and left over a million dwellings

partially damaged or totally collapsed. The 1998cyclone also damaged port facilities, ships, andpower transmission infrastructure. Cyclonefrequency is highest during October andNovember. Cyclone damage is caused by wind,heavy rains and associated flooding. In coastalareas, one of the most destructive aspects ofcyclones are storm surgesocean water that ispushed and dragged onto the coast by lowpressure and winds, generating storm surges withwaves 5 to 10 meters high. Five to six cyclonesform annually in the Bay of Bengal and ArabianSea, not all of which affect Gujarat, but two to threeof which may be severe.

Cyclone damage risks are generally higher closestto the coast. The vulnerability of structures can be

reduced through cyclone resistant designmeasures such as roof straps, storm shutters, andother reinforcements. Loss of life can be reducedwith evacuation planning, cyclone tracking andearly warning alerts.

Drought

Seasonal rainfall amounts vary however,depending on the strength and persistence of theseasonal monsoon. The monsoon normally beginsin June/July and ends in September/October, withlittle if any rainfall occurring during othe r months. Inthe past two years monsoon rainfall was nearaverage for all of India but low in Gujarat (in 1999 itwas 123 mm), contributing to a current droughtemergency.

Drought affects agricultural production, watersupplies, human health, and animal fodder, andcan lead to human migration in search of water,food, and livelihood. Many drought-reductionmeasures are already in place in Gujarat, includingdrought codes that are reviewed annually, pre-

monsoon seasonal long-lead rainfall forecasts,surface water catchment dams, and waterharvesting at the level of individual sub-catchments, farms, and households. Agriculture isa heavy sectoral water user in Gujarat, however,and water is being pumped from the aquifers at arate far in excess of their recharge. Falling water

tables put added stress on crops and watersupplies.

Floods

Since 1953, floods have affected an average ofover 300,000 hectares annually, with the heaviestflooding occurring in 1988, when some two millionha were flooded. Annual average damagesinclude 37,000 houses damaged, 135 lives lost,and nearly two million people affected. Cattlelosses average 13,000 annually. Damages causedby extreme events can be 10 times theseaverages.

Flooding is largely confined to the areas alonglarge rivers such as the Mahi, Narmada, andSabarmati. Flooding occurs seasonally in years

when large quantities of rainfall enter a river basin.Disaster prevention largely depends onappropriate land use and timely warning andevacuation. Appropriate operational and floodmanagement plans for basin management, anduse of water harvesting techniques and waterstorages, including dams, can reduce flood risks.Houses can also be designed to withstandmoderate flooding.

Earthquakes

Gujarat is located in the Himalayan collision zonewhere the Indo-Australian tectonic plate slidesunder the more northern Eurasian plate in apredominantly northern direction at a rate of one totwo centimetres per year. The area worst affected

by the current earthquake (Kutch district) isclassified predominately as zone V in the SeismicZoning Map of India, 1998. This is the highest riskzone and areas so classified are at very highdamage risk. Ahmedabad lies in zone III(moderate damage risk). Zones III, IV, and V

correspond to VII, VIII, and IX (out of XII) on theModified Mercalli (MM) intensity scale.

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