Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country of an area of about 1,47,570 sq. km. with population nearing 140 million. Bangladesh becomes the worst victim of natural calamities causing colossal loss of lives and properties. The adverse impacts of all the natural hazards affecting socio-economic condition need to be reduced for sustainable development. On realization of this reality, the Government of Bangladesh has undertaken a lot of plans and programs for disaster reduction through disaster management.

Causes of Disaster

An event, natural or man-made, sudden or progressive, that seriously disrupts the functioning of a society, causing human, material, or environmental losses of such severity that the affected community has to respond by taking exceptional measures. The disruption, (including essential services and means of livelihood) is on a scale that exceeds the ability of the affected society to cope with using only its own resources.

Disaster Management

 1. Disaster management includes all aspects of planning of and responding to disasters. It refers to the management of both the risk and the consequences of disasters, and includes both :
 2. prevention and preparedness measures taken in disaster-prone areas in anticipation of the known hazards – often referred to as “pre-disaster” and long-term rehabilitation (sometimes referred to as “reconstruction”).

Normal Phase (Normal Time)

A period when there is no immediate threat but long-term actions are required in anticipation of the impact, at some unknown time in the future, of known hazards.

Alert and Warning Phase

The period from the issuing of an alert or public warning of an imminent disaster threat to its actual impact, or the passage of the threat and the lifting of the warning. The period during which pre-impact precautionary, or disaster containment measures are taken.

Disaster Phase

The period during which direct impact of a natural calamity is felt. Disaster phase is long in case of slow on-set disasters (droughts, normal monsoon flood) and short in case of rapid on-set disasters (flash flood, cyclone, earthquake, fire, industrial accident, landslide etc.).

Recovery Phase

The period, following the emergency phase, during which actions are to be taken to enable victims to resume normal lives and means of livelihood, and to restore infrastructure, services and the economy in a manner appropriate to long-term needs and defined development objectives.