Disaster Risk Management (DRM)

In association with the African Centre for Disaster Studies and MetroGis, Sysman has developed a comprehensive Disk Risk Management (DRM) solution in response to legislation introduced by South African Government.

It comprises all the elements such a solution should offer and is not merely a reactive tool to be used once a disaster occurs.

Since there is frequent confusion over what a Disaster Risk Management solution entails, both a summarised and detailed view are provided below.

DRM in Brief

DRM in More Detail
First, let's take a moment and provide more precise definitions of some of the common terms used.

Hazard: A potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon or human activity that may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.

Hazards can include latent conditions that may represent future threats and can have different origins: natural (geological, hydrometeorological and biological) or induced by human processes (environmental degradation and technological hazards).

Hazards can be single, sequential or combined in their origin and effects. Each hazard is characterised by its location, intensity, frequency and probability.

Risk: The probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses (deaths, injuries, property, livelihoods, economic activity disrupted or environment damaged) resulting from interactions between natural or human-induced hazards and vulnerable conditions.

Conventionally risk is expressed by the notation Risk = Hazards x Vulnerability. Some disciplines also include the concept of exposure to refer particularly to the physical aspects of vulnerability.

Beyond expressing a possibility of physical harm, it is crucial to recognize that risks are inherent or can be created or exist within social systems. It is important to consider the social contexts in which risks occur and that people therefore do not necessarily share the same perceptions of risk and their underlying causes.

A Risk Assessment will include Mitigation steps which, if taken,  minimise the risk.

Vulnerability: The conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. Increased vulnerability equates to increased risk.

Mitigation: Structural and non-structural measures undertaken to limit the adverse impact of natural hazards, environmental degradation and technological hazards.

Preparedness: Activities and measures taken in advance to ensure effective response to the impact of hazards, including the issuance of timely and effective early warnings and the temporary evacuation of people and property from threatened locations.

Disaster: A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.

A disaster is a function of the risk process. It results from the combination of hazards, conditions of vulnerability and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce the potential negative consequences of risk.

Emergency (Disaster) Management: The organisation and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of emergencies, in particularly preparedness, response and rehabilitation.
 

Steps In A Comprehensive Solution
1 Hazard Definition
A method for defining the Hazards that exist (or might occur) within a geographic area. By way of example, a volcanic site can be regarded as an existing hazard whereas a hurricane or aircraft crash is a hazard which might occur.

This step is known as a Hazard Assessment and is undertaken on a consultancy basis. Not all Hazards equally affect all communities, the environment or infrastructure within a geographic area. Some Common Hazards are shown here.

2 Vulnerability Assessment
Once Hazards have been defined the next step is to assess how vulnerable communities, the environment or infrastructure are to each hazard. Again this is a consultancy process involving methodologies to quantify vulnerability including the use of data from a variety of sources a Geographic Information System and so forth.

It is not a simple exercise. For example, only a part of a community is generally exposed to a flooding hazard. Age, health status and location within a flood plane are all factors which need to be considered. Some Vulnerability Factors are shown here.

3 Risk Assessment
As defined earlier, risk is expressed by the notation Risk = Hazards x Vulnerability.

But it is not case of 2 x 3 = 6. Complex formulae are used by the consultants on the variety of data previously collected to generate quantified results.

Although the elements of each formula might be similar for different geographic areas, quantitatively they would almost certainly be different. It’s simply not possible to use a standard formula.

Generating formulae that produce accurate risk assessments requires skilled expertise. Sysman offer such expertise through one of its partners - ACDS (the African Centre for Disaster Studies), a department within Potchefstroom University.

By applying formulae to data the GIS system can produce Vulnerability and Hazard Maps as well as a number of data outputs. The GIS component of the solution is provided by another Sysman partner known as MetroGis.

4 Mitigation (Risk Reduction)
Once Risk has been quantified it will be immediately apparent what is High, Medium or Low Risk. Since Risk cannot be practically or economically eliminated it makes sense to concentrate on high risk situations before the rest. Unless, of course, there is special merit in doing otherwise. For example, one might decide to give priority to certain lesser risks because it is economic to do so or they have a special standing in the wider community. These sort of decisions are generally made by politicians.

Whatever risks are addressed, this step involves the preparation of plans, each of which will contain a number of measures which, if taken, will assist in reducing or mitigating the risk. Measures to be taken invariably involve budget and thus political decisions are again required.

For example, if one has a community located within a 50 year flood plane you could move the community, construct flood barriers etc.

The process of mitigation or risk reduction takes place before any disaster occurs and involves:

 

• Pre-emptive actions of many types

• Linking development activities to risk & vulnerability reduction

• Encouraging a culture of safety, prevention and preparedness

• Increasing the capacities, cooperation, coordination and effectiveness of all role players
   

5. Preparedness: Planning for an incident
Despite the best efforts taken to reduce risk, disasters will occur. It is therefore necessary to plan for such eventualities.

DRM manages the process of collecting relevant data that is required when developing plans to handle the different phases of any potential event, incident or disaster.

Such data typically includes:
 

• Contacts, locations and resources

• Physical inspections

• Risks

• Business Continuity Plans

• Emergency Plans

• Environmental Plans

• Evacuation Plans

• Re-establishment Plans and so forth
   

The application database stores such information and the applications software processes it in a logical manner when a disaster plan is initiated.

6. Emergency (Disaster) Management
When an incident or disaster does arise DRM assists in actioning the plan as well as coordinating the response.

It has many inherent capabilities. Some of these include:
 

• Plan actioning

• Automated Tasking and Management thereof

• Integrated Links to Emergency Services providers

• Status Board Displays

• Report and Feedback mechanisms to Disaster Managers etc
   

Conclusion
It can be seen that Disaster Management involves far more than reacting to more or less standard incidents such as routinely handled by the emergency services.

A disaster is just that. A major event involving a significant number of injuries, loss of life or major damage to infrastructure or the environment.

Roughly speaking, two thirds of an overall solution is in the assessments and the planning. The remaining third is in the management of the disaster once it occurs.

It’s simply not good enough to do one without the other. That is why Sysman’s approach differs from almost all of the solutions you might come across. DRM concentrates on the whole nine yards!
 

Information Tables
Common Hazards
Some of the more common hazards with examples are shown below. Clearly the list could be far longer.
 

• Electrical (prolonged failure of electrical supply perhaps exacerbated or caused by another hazard such as flooding)

• Fire (major fires such as Bush Fires fanned by high winds)

• Geological (Earthquakes, major subsidence, volcanic eruptions)

• Health (Epidemics, for example, Foot and Mouth, Avian Flu)

• Sewerage (Contamination of underground water sources or rivers and dams from seepage)

• Storm water, flooding (Hurricane, Tornado, Dam Breach or prolonged heavy rain)

• Water supply (Contamination, prolonged outages)

• Aircraft Crash

• Supporting Event (Riot, collapse of restraint barriers)

• Terrorist Incident

• Age (the residents of an old age home are more vulnerable than those those living in a University residence)

• Economic (New Orleans. The disadvantaged had no vehicles to use for evacuation purposes)

• Education (Poorly educated communities are more vulnerable)

• Energy

• Housing (Shacks built without foundations are unable to withstand high winds)

• Income

• Physical

• Sanitation

• Social

• Unemployment

• Water
   

Importance of Role Player Participation
The involvement of different role players in minimising risk and in planning to handle a disaster is required for several reasons such as:
 

• Data provision

• Information update

• Gap analysis and planning to fill such gaps (minimise assumptions) etc
   

Examples of Role Players a Disaster Management organisation might involve could include:
 

• Community Development

• Council

• Councillors

• Fire and Rescue

• Housing

• Health & Medical

• Public Works

• SANDF

• SAPS

• Social Services

• Town Planning etc

Key Outputs of DRM
 

• Vulnerability & Hazard maps

• Coordinated Response Plan/s

• Development Planning tool

• Information for Role Players and Councillors
  (Results IDP measurable)