What were the contents of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan?
The contents of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan are
(i) Disaster preparedness, which includes
(a) Preparation of village vulnerability map which identified the safe places, low risk areas and the highly vulnerable areas and the estimated number of families residing in each of these zones.
This also identified the number and location of the vulnerable groups/populations such as the aged, handicapped, lactating mothers, pregnant women, seriously ill persons and small children in their village.
(b) Identification of key elements at risk such as life, health, property, livestock and livelihood.
© Listing the key activities that the community would
do before, during and after a disaster like a cyclone or flood.
As an example, the key activities identified before the flood are flood warning, household readiness including documents (books, certificates, marksheets, etc of children) and family survival kit (dry food for 7 to 10 days alongwith other essential items like candles, matches, kerosene oil, etc) and safe keeping of valuables and other important documents.
(d) Formation otdifferent task forces, training on health and first aid, water and sanitation, rescue and relief.
(e) Identification of key local resources such as bamboos, banana plants, etc for use in the preparation of machans (temporary shelters) and the local rafts, hand pumps which could be raised above the flood level to protect their source of water.
(i) Identification of specific places where the affected community would go alongwith their cattle to take shelter in event of a disaster.
(ii) Disaster response, which includes
(a) To rescue and evacuate trapped people.
(b) To provide first aid to the injured.
© To take care of children, women and disabled people.
(d) To transfer the seriously injured and people needing urgent medical attention to hospitals.
(e) To restore communicaton network and essential services.
(f) To clear debris blocking roads and communicaton networks.
(g) To provide shelter and relief to homeless people.
(h) To arrange for food and drinking water to the affected people.
(i) To take immediate measure for disposal of dead bodies and animal carcass to prevent to outbreak of epidemics.
(j) To take urgent measures for maintaining law and order.
(k) To take people to safer places in case of change of course of river due to floods.