Civil Defence and Disaster Management
Civil defence
Civil defence is the protection of civilians against hostile attack: air-raid warnings, blackout, shelters, evacuation, first aid, rescue, decontamination, fire fighting and warden services. It is a state subject in India, framed by the Civil Defence Act, 1968 (amended 2010).
Disaster management
A disaster is a sudden event that exceeds the community's capacity to cope. Natural disasters include earthquakes, floods, cyclones, drought, landslides and heat waves; man-made ones include fire, industrial and chemical accidents, stampedes and terror attacks.
The cycle is mitigation → preparedness → response → recovery. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 created the NDMA (national), SDMA (state) and DDMA (district), with the NDRF as the specialised response force and NIDM for training.
Do's
- Earthquake: drop, cover, hold; stay away from windows; after the shaking use the stairs, never a lift.
- Flood: move to higher ground, never walk or drive through moving water, drink only safe water.
- Fire: raise the alarm, use the stairs, stop-drop-roll if clothes catch fire.
- Cyclone: heed warnings, secure roofs, keep an emergency kit of torch, radio, water, medicines and documents.
Worked example
Q: "After an earthquake, arrange these in order: distribute water, help in rescue, set up a first-aid post, prepare an evacuation plan for next time." Rescue, first aid and water come first (response); the evacuation plan belongs to preparedness. The reasoning: life-saving action precedes planning for a future event in the cycle.
Traps
Confusing NDMA (policy and coordination) with NDRF (operations). Saying NDMA was created by the Civil Defence Act. Recommending lifts during an earthquake or fire.