Disaster management: Increasing responsiveness through training
- Indian Journal of Training and Development
- 51(1), Jan-Mar, 2021: p.29-38
Disasters have been visiting humanity at nagging frequency since time immemorial challenging the wit, the grit and the resolve of human beings. Cataclysmic events ordained by nature or due to human activities, sometimes follies or over-enthusiasm, bring catastrophes, that throw insurmountable challenges causing extensive damage to life and livelihoods. The intriguing aspect of disasters is that they are highly unpredictable and catch humanity unawares. The current pandemic is a case in point and despite struggling for around one and half years we are still clueless. Naturally, there is need to create readiness to face the disaster when it strikes so that damage to life and livelihoods is minimized. Countries have been facing the challenge with some kind of disaster management machinery in place which can help them cope with the impact. It is highly desirable because when preventing a disaster is not possible, at least mitigating its impact need to be the next best option. The crux lies in the responsiveness of the disaster management machinery. It has been observed that when a disaster strikes, the initial response is rather slow and directionless, leading to an initial chaos that proves costly. But, we also find that where there is preparedness, like in the case of the military organizations, handling disaster is more effective and this is possible because of the readiness that is achieved through continuous training. In the present situation also, the same was the case and in situations where military was involved or where the government machinery was more prompt, may be due to developing a sophistication as a result of experiencing frequent disasters, the situation was handled better. It’s not only about pandemic, but in almost all kinds of disasters, the same holds good. Effective training machinery then is what renders responsiveness to the disaster management system. The present paper attempts to explore and examine the prospects of creating more responsive disaster management machinery through training and more societal involvement. Examples galore can be found that prove that popular participation and well trained disaster machinery have made the difference. – Reproduced
Pandemic, Disaster preparedness, Responsiveness, Training, Japanese model, Odisha model, Community participation, Disaster mitigation, CSR initiatives