Disaster Management

1. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
WOMEN IN NATURAL DISASTER
-Case studies at global and National Level
Submitted by
Submitted to
Miss .Anju Joon
Asst .Professor
SPA,Vijayawada

2. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. Case study:National level
-Bhuj Earthquake,2001
3. Case study:Global level
-Myanmar cyclone Nargis,2008
4.Conclusion
Annexures :
1. Fig :1 Temporal Model of Women in Response to Disasters
and Emergencies
2. Fig :2 Psychosocial Consequences of disaster in women
3. Fig:3 Gujarat Earthquake January 26, 2001: Likely Age and
women Profile of the Deceased
4. Fig :4 Overall beneficiary coverage-Myanmar relief
5. Fig :5 Vulnerability groups beneficiary coverage-Myanmar
relief
6. Fig :6 Funding of the UN Revised Appeal per Cluster,
Myanmar relief

3. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
INTRODUCTION:
Disasters have had a great impact on the lives of women all around the world.
Women are looked as victims during disaster, despite the fact that the majority of victims in
disasters are women and children. Role of women in facing the aftermath of disasters is totally
neglected. Especially developing countries are the most vulnerable to natural disasters. These
countries has faced a number of natural disasters in the last decade which have killed thousands
of precious lives and accounted for heavy economic losses. It has been observed that more than
half of the victims in the past disasters were women. During major natural disasters women do
not have technical knowledge about disaster occurrence in general. The participation of women
in the planning, designing, implementing and monitoring emergency programs and
rehabilitation projects is still on a low key profile.
Developed countries have performed well in terms of gender-based disaster
management approach ,but still in times of disaster women are easily prone to be affected .
Women and girls generally tend to be the main victims of natural disasters. A few commonly
recorded reasons for higher death tolls among women and girls include:
1. cultural constraints on female mobility which hinder self-rescue
2. lack of skills such as swimming or tree climbing
3. less physical strength than males, in part due to biological differences but, in some
countries, also due to the effects of prolonged nutritional deficiencies caused by less access
to food than men and boys.
Women in society
Preparedness Mitigation
Vulnerable groups
Disaster and emergency
Displacement Social
losses
Material
losses
Disease Psycho-social
stressors
Assistance priorities Spontaneous action
Integration of women
Protection Food
distribution
Health
assistance
Rehabilitation
Operational and political
consideration
Resources Employment Training Empowerment of
women
Development planning Community mobilisation
Sustainable development
PRE-DISASTER
PHASE
CRISIS PHASE
RELIEF PHASE
RECONSTRUCTION
& DEVELOPMENT
PHASE
FIG :1 Temporal Model of Women in Response to Disasters and Emergencies
Source: The needs of women In disasters and emergencies, by Raymond e. Wiest Jane s.P. Mocellin D. Thandiwe motsisi

4. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
Source: Berren, et al., (1989), after Frederick (1980)
NATURAL DISASTER HUMAN-INDUCED DISASTER
Emotional Phases
Initial impact Initial impact
Heroism Acceptance
Honeymoon Interaction w/perpetrators
Disillusionment Disintegration
Reorganization Acquiescence/surrender
Psychological Symptoms
Anxiety Anxiety
Phobias concerning event Phobias concerning event
Little guilt concerning other victims Guilt concerning others
Paranoia concerning government
officials
Mild annoyance concerning
government officials
Social Processes
Feelings of loss Feelings of loss
Acceptance by others Rejection by others
No humiliation Humiliation
No doubt by others concerning
genuineness of complaints
Doubt by others concerning
genuineness of complaints
Short-term cohesion Long-term cohesion
FIG :2 Psychosocial Consequences of disaster in women
WOMEN IN DIFFERENT LIFE CYCLE
Adolescents Pregnant
women
Lactating
mothers
the disabled the aged
Children of all
ages have been
targets of
systematic
Abduction, and
large numbers of
young people
have been killed,
or have been
raped, tortured,
or Subjected to
forced labour
(booth by, et al.,
1992).
Young mothers are
often unable to
successfully
complete their
pregnancies
,especially when the
mothers are
pregnant with male
infants because the
male foetus requires
more nutritional
intake (Gebriel &
Sevenhuysen,
1988).
Lactating
mothers, when
undernourished,
are unable to
properly breast-
feed their
infants(Rao,
1988).
Lowered
social status in
the
community
due to the fact
that
they can no
longer
perform their
social
responsibilities
(Motsisi,
1994a).
Enormous
degree of social
dislocation that
accompanies
emergencies,
some elderly
experience
great difficulty
in adjusting to
alien social
environments.
(Motsisi,1994a)

5. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
CASE STUDY: NATIONAL LEVEL
BHUJ GUJRAT EARTHQUAKE 2001
Districts Children (0-14 years) Adults (15-59 years) Elderly (60 years and
above)
Female Total Female Total Female Total
Ahmedabad 121 255 212 450 22 44
Banaskantha 6 13 8 17 1 2
Bharuch 1 3 3 6 0 0
Gandhinagar 1 2 2 5 0 0
Jamnagar 21 43 33 68 5 8
Junagadh 1 3 2 5 0 1
Kutch 3135 6516 4531 9274 694 1240
Navasari 3 6 5 10 1 2
Patan 6 12 10 20 1 2
Porbandar 2 4 3 6 0 0
Rajkot 72 150 118 243 15 28
Surat 8 16 13 28 1 2
Surendranagar 20 42 30 62 4 7
Total 3397 7065 4969 10194 745 1336
Source: Report on Earthquake, Government of Gujarat
FIG :3 Gujarat Earthquake January 26, 2001: Likely Age and women Profile of the Deceased
Life loss in the disaster:
Pre-disaster phase of this natural disaster was un-prepared. There were no
woman group capacity building to face the disaster
The earthquake struck at 8:46 am on the Indian Republic Day when most of the
women were within their homes completing their daily household chores hence the casualties
among women were greater than that of men, who were out in the open (Lahiri et al., 2001).
Sex structure of the population in the districts as per the last
population census, the number of dead women works out to as large as 9,110.Bhachau in the
district of Kutch accounted for the largest number of both orphans and widows. (Lahiri et al.,
2001).
During the Crisis phase local women benefited from the help of their peers
from Maharashtra. Women and Child Development, participated in providing immediate relief.
In post-earthquake recovery it was analysed that the women were found to be
vulnerable in the hands of family, especially if she was widowed or separated from her
husband. A number of families in the Kachch were dependent upon cottage industries for
their livelihood, post-earthquake, death of an adult, particularly a male earning member put
added burden on the families and their widows (Lahiri et al., 2001). Some were reported to
have forced themselves into flesh trade when they were not left with earning members in the
family (Priya, 2004). Number of such earthquake victim women,lived in temporary shelters
and worked as wage labourers with very low wages . After a span of few years they were able
to claim widow pension from the government and could also gain better means of earning, as
the amount provided for pension did not fulfil even the basic needs of the families.
Societal changes that happened were, quite a number of families also
supported widow remarriage.Bereaved mothers in some areas have not been able to ovecome

6. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
the grief of losing their children, the trauma of such women was found to be largely
psychological, however the fact that few had means to distract themselves puts a question on
their social role as a wife, as a homemaker and as a mother of the surviving children
(Desai et al.,2002).
Gender based discrimination among paraplegics was one of most despicable
reality faced by health care . Since paraplegia in most cases is known to cause impotence, sexual
inadequacy, immobility, urinary and faecal incontinence, many married women were abandoned
by their husbands for the above stated reasons . Women were incapable of coping with their
physical handicap as well as the psychological trauma due to loss of familial support, acceptance
and assistance (Joshi and Mir, 2002). The percentage of women who were treated and who
recovered was below that of men in the above case.
Post-earthquake reconstruction -the role women played in post–quake
reconstruction was quite eminent. Women were found to be engaged in rubble clearing, in
masonry for reconstruction, as well as in community capacity building. They were taking part in
community meetings about the quake, and were meeting other villagers to address the drought
issues, which were also affecting the earthquake hit areas in Gujarat (Ariyabandu, 2003).Over
time, they gained confidence and skills to begin working as community development
intermediaries by initiating local level development projects and for standing up for women’s
needs and voices (Gokhale, 2008).
Artisan –women During the recovery phase, many NGOs that came to Kachch for
relief and rehabilitation, noticed the wealth of creativity in the region, much of it was scattered
and in dilapidated condition with ruined workshops post earthquake. A number of these NGOs
like Kachch Navnirman Abhiyaan, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, Hunnarshala and Kala Raksha
established their handicraft units in the nearby areas, which led to radical changes in the status
of women in the society.
Relief-phase- The women’s groups underwent training to take on their role to
motivate householders, build technical capacity, demonstrate collective arrangements, provide
feedback, and monitor reconstruction. As a result, 250,000 households were involved in
earthquake-safe construction in Gujarat and Latur. As 4,000 women and families took loans;
1,200 women started businesses, and livelihoods and assets were stabilized. More than 800
women’s groups work on health education, water, and sanitation in their communities. Women
and Child Development (WCD) was funded US$ 9.18 by Asian Development Bank. SEWA,
contributed an amount of US$ 1.7 million.
• A special project for the livelihood restoration of women was introduced and implemented by
the Women and Child Welfare Department.
• Women covered under Women's Livelihood Restoration Project sanctioned 16,127 and
approved 10,663.
• Women's Livelihood Restoration Project , 13 NGO’s worked targeted for 16,127women and
achieved 10,663
• SEWA, collaborated with Disaster Mitigation Institute on rainwater harvesting and other
mitigation projects. They worked with DMI to train women in quake-resistant masonry skills
and with the state government, ILO, UNDP and others to rebuild women artisans livelihoods,
building on pre-existing networks and expertise in the region.
• Through Women's Livelihood Restoration Programme the earning capacity of more than 90
per cent of the women were restored.
Success stories-

7. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
CASE STUDY: GLOBAL LEVEL
MYANMAR CYCLONE NARGIS,2008
The majority of the cyclone’s victims were female: 61 per cent of those who died
were women, with a much higher number in some villages. The disproportionate number of
female victims was especially evident in the key productive and reproductive age group of 18-60.
Life loss in the disaster:
Impacts of this disaster on women:
• Demographic change had a significant impact on the roles of, and relationships between,
men and women, and caused social reverberations, including a spate of remarriages or
early marriages.
• Men resorted to visit other villages or towns in order to find wives, which increased out-
migration from severely affected areas or lead to more inter-village marriages.
• The economic effects of the cyclone caused younger, unmarried women to leave the village
to find work.
• Inexperienced in urban life, these young women were vulnerable to exploitation, forced
labour, forced prostitution and human trafficking.
Source: A practical guide to Gender-sensitive Approaches
for Disaster Management, International federation of red
cross and red crescent societies.
FIG :4 Overall beneficiary coverage-Myanmar relief
Source: A practical guide to Gender-sensitive Approaches for Disaster
Management, International federation of red cross and red crescent societies.
FIG :5 Vulnerability groups beneficiary coverage-Myanmar relief
Needs assessment and vulnerability targeting:
• Multi-sector Village Tract Assessments were carried out by MRCS teams comprised of
volunteers, 30-40 per cent of whom were women.
• Women were encouraged to participate in the focus groups, as this helped the assessment
teams incorporate gender perspectives into their understanding of urgent community needs.
For example, it became clear that landless female labourers had difficulty finding employment
post-disaster and needed work to be able to meet the needs of their families.
• Women’s participation included: the repair of village roads, the restoration of river
embankments , the cleaning of debris from agricultural fields and the repair of canals.
Gender -specific elements that were emphasised in the Myanmar Red cross society guidelines
were:
• selection criteria that includes a target of 50 per cent female beneficiaries
• the inclusion of activities that were not overly technical and therefore encouraged women’s
participation
• equal wage payment of 2000 Myanmar kyats per day per beneficiary for both men and
women
• wages paid to actual beneficiaries at the work site and not family members.

8. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
Outcomes :
A total of 119,621 days of work were created in areas affected by Cyclone Nargis. Of these,
40,095 (34 per cent) were for women.
Lessons learnt:
Ensuring the active participation of women in CFW(cash for work) is a challenge - a target of 50
per cent female participation was set , but in reality achieved only 33 per cent. Conscious efforts
to promote women’s participation through effective community facilitation skills are essential.
Key findings:
Head of Household-The initial assessment showed that 81.2% of the female
heads of households were widows
Education-42.3% for females were school drop outs.
Shelter-60% of female-headed households lived in unsatisfactory shelters, e.g.
bamboo structures and tents.
• 80 per cent of affected children and pregnant/lactating women had access to emergency,
preventive and curative services for maternal, neonatal and child health .
• Up to 60 per cent of eligible children 6-59 months, and pregnant and lactating women were
provided with supplementary food to prevent deterioration in nutrition status and protect
infant feeding.
• Over 15,000 affected children and women receive psychosocial care, support and protection
through child-friendly spaces.
• UNICEF initiated a Protection of Children and Women Cluster (PCWC)
• UNICEF also formed women clusters
• a Women’s Protection Working Group, chaired by UNFPA was instituted
Success stories:
Source: OCHA Financial Tracking Service, status of December 24th, 2008
FIG :6 Funding of the UN Revised Appeal per Cluster, Myanmar relief

9. Michelle Mariadoss Final year M.URP SPA,Vijayawada
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS ASSIGNMENT-3
1. Role of Women in Disaster Management : An Analytical Study with Reference to Indian
Society . Gokhale, Vasudha, 2008
2. Post-earthquake Gujarat, Sharma, Kalindi Joshi, P C Sinha, Anil K,2005
3. Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction for Cities (EVRC-2)
4. The Kutch Earthquake 2001: Recollections, Lessons and Insights, Mishra, Pramod K,2004
5. Rapid assessment survey of earthquake affected Bhuj block of Kachchh District, Gujarat,
India. Pawar, a T,Shelke, S,Kakrani, V a,2005
6. The Needs of Women in Disaster and Emergencies, Wiest, Raymond E.Mocellin, Jane S.P.
Motsisi, Thandiwe, D.,1994
7. Cyclone Nargis : Lessons for Operational Agencies
8. Women ’ s Protection Assesments : Post Cyclone Nargis , Myanmar,2010 Chad: IASC cluster
approach evaluation, 2nd phase country study, April 2010, Binder, a Grünewald, F,2010
9. Best practices and lessons learnt UNICFE Myanmar ’ s response following cyclone
Nargis,2009
10. ‘ Standing On Our Own Feet ’ CARE International in Myanmar ’ s Cyclone Nargis Operation Ex-
Post Evaluation,2014
REFERENCE:
CONCLUSION:
Gender-sensitive and gender-inclusive approaches must be formulated in
disaster management and mitigation guidelines which will address the needs of both men and
women, greater focus is placed on addressing the needs of women, as it is recognised that
women more often carry additional disadvantages due to gender than men. Identifying key
issues to consider, and actions to take when working in all phases of disaster management in
order to develop disaster risk reduction (prevention, mitigation and preparedness), response,
and recovery initiatives that equally involve and benefit men, women, boys and girls. This
includes a specific focus on developing the organisational capacity of National Societies to
achieve gender equality both in disaster management programming and in their general work.
Which should be in turn incorporated by state and other local bodies. Major countries which has
pioneered in gender base disaster preparedness and management are:
• Pakistan: Humanitarian Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons
• Myanmar: Women’s Participation in Recovery
• Bangladesh: Community-Based Flood Management Programme
• China: Community-Based Disaster Preparedness
• Indonesia: Integrated Community-Based Risk Reduction Project
• Solomon Islands: Working Together for Healthy Communities
Taking lessons learnt from various countries on gender equity during disaster time
we should intend to plan our projects to meet any disaster with pre-preparedness strategies,
crisis phase strategies at the time when disaster occurs and post-disaster recovery and
rehabilitation strategies.