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CM13.1-5 | Disaster Management — Graded Quiz
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Disasters are broadly classified into which two major categories?
Correct. Disasters are classified as Natural (geological: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions; hydro-meteorological: floods, cyclones, droughts) and Man-made (CBRN: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear; industrial/technological; conflict-related).
Disaster classification: Natural (geological, hydro-meteorological, biological) vs Man-made (CBRN, industrial, conflict). India is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, experiencing both categories frequently.
The standard classification is Natural and Man-made. Both acute/chronic and national/international are not primary classification systems.
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A hazard that has potential to cause harm in a populated area where people are vulnerable and communities are not adequately prepared defines which concept?
Correct. Risk = Hazard × Vulnerability / Capacity. A hazard alone does not create risk; it requires exposed, vulnerable populations with limited capacity to respond. This formula is foundational to disaster risk reduction.
Key definitions: Hazard = a potentially damaging phenomenon (event or condition). Vulnerability = susceptibility of a community to disaster impact. Risk = Hazard × Vulnerability / Capacity. Resilience = the capacity to bounce back. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) targets all three components: reducing hazard exposure, reducing vulnerability, and increasing community capacity.
Risk is the combination of hazard, vulnerability, and capacity. A hazard is the potential threatening event; risk is the probability and consequence when hazard interacts with vulnerable communities.
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Search and rescue operations, emergency medical triage, and establishment of field hospitals are activities characteristic of which phase of the disaster management cycle?
Correct. The Response phase encompasses all immediate life-saving and damage-limiting activities that occur AFTER a disaster strikes: search and rescue, triage, emergency medical care, shelter provision, and evacuation.
Response phase activities: search and rescue, triage (START/SALT systems), emergency medical care, field hospital establishment, casualty evacuation, emergency shelter, search and body recovery, initial damage assessment. Duration: typically hours to days after impact.
Response is the immediate post-impact phase. Preparedness precedes the disaster; Mitigation reduces risk before impact; Reconstruction/Recovery follows the acute response.
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Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, who serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)?
Correct. Section 25 of the DM Act 2005 specifies that the Chairperson of the DDMA is the District Magistrate / Collector. The elected Chairperson of Zila Parishad serves as co-Chairperson. The District Collector has statutory authority to coordinate all district-level disaster management activities.
Three-tier DM structure: National (NDMA, PM as Chairperson) → State (SDMA, Chief Minister as Chairperson) → District (DDMA, District Collector/Magistrate as Chairperson). The DDMA is the primary operational authority at district level; all first-response coordination flows through it.
The District Collector/Magistrate chairs the DDMA. The Chief Minister chairs the State DMA (SDMA). The SP is a member of the DDMA but does not chair it.
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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is a specialised force constituted under which authority?
Correct. The NDRF was constituted under Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, under the general superintendence of the NDMA. It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs for administrative purposes but is operationally directed by NDMA.
NDRF: Constituted under DM Act 2005, Section 44 (NDMA superintendence). Administrative control: MHA. 16 battalions drawn from CPMFs (BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, AR). Specialised in search and rescue, flood, earthquake, CBRN response. State governments may also raise State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) with NDMA assistance.
NDRF is constituted under the DM Act 2005, under NDMA's superintendence. It is administratively under MHA but not directly constituted by MHA or the Army.
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Under the DM Act 2005, the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is kept under the control of which authority?
Correct. Section 46 of the DM Act 2005 establishes the National Disaster Response Fund, which is available to the NDMA for meeting expenses for emergency response, relief, and rehabilitation. Note: NDRF in this context means the Fund, not the Force.
DM Act 2005 Funds: National Disaster Response Fund (Section 46) — for emergency response and relief, controlled by NDMA. State Disaster Response Fund (Section 48) — for state-level response. National Disaster Mitigation Fund (Section 47) — for mitigation activities. These are distinct from the PM's National Relief Fund (voluntary donations).
The National Disaster Response Fund (Section 46, DM Act 2005) is under NDMA control. The PM's National Relief Fund is a separate voluntary corpus.
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The Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, caused by methyl isocyanate (MIC) leak from Union Carbide plant, is classified as which type of man-made disaster?
Correct. The Bhopal gas tragedy was a chemical industrial disaster — the release of methyl isocyanate (MIC), an extremely toxic chemical, from the Union Carbide pesticide plant. It caused approximately 3,800 immediate deaths and long-term morbidity in over 500,000 survivors.
CBRN disaster classification: C = Chemical (Bhopal 1984-MIC; chemical warfare agents: sarin, VX), B = Biological (anthrax bioterrorism; naturally occurring: plague, cholera outbreaks), R = Radiological (Chernobyl 1986, Goiânia accident 1987), N = Nuclear (Hiroshima 1945, Fukushima 2011). India's most significant CBRN disaster: Bhopal (C).
Bhopal involved MIC (methyl isocyanate), a chemical agent — it is a chemical disaster, not biological or radiological.
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A casualty arrives at a district hospital following a chlorine gas industrial accident. Before any definitive medical treatment, the FIRST priority should be:
Correct. For any chemical casualty, decontamination MUST precede definitive treatment. Removing clothing removes approximately 80% of contamination; copious water irrigation (15-20 minutes) removes most residual chemical. Treating an undecontaminated casualty risks secondary contamination of healthcare workers and the facility.
Chemical casualty management sequence: (1) DECONTAMINATE — remove all clothing (80% decontamination), copious water wash; (2) ABC stabilisation; (3) Antidote if available; (4) Supportive care. For chlorine: there is no specific antidote — supportive (bronchodilators, steroids for pulmonary oedema, oxygen). Sequence: decontaminate → supportive therapy (no antidote for chlorine).
Decontamination precedes all definitive treatment in chemical casualties. Administering medications before decontamination is unsafe for the healthcare team and the hospital environment.
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The Odisha 1999 super cyclone caused approximately 10,000 deaths, while the 2013 cyclone Phailin of similar intensity caused fewer than 50 deaths in the same coastline. The most important factor explaining this dramatic difference in mortality is:
Correct. The Odisha comparison is the benchmark example of how preparedness transforms outcomes. Between 1999 and 2013, Odisha developed: (1) an effective multi-tier early warning system (IMD to village level), (2) a network of multipurpose cyclone shelters, (3) mass pre-emptive evacuation of nearly 1 million people 48 hours before Phailin landfall. The cyclone intensity was comparable; the preparedness was radically different.
The Odisha 1999 vs 2013 comparison demonstrates: effective early warning systems + pre-emptive evacuation + physical shelters = prevention of mass mortality. This is cited as evidence that preparedness investments have a measurable impact on disaster mortality. It also demonstrates the value of post-disaster evaluation (learning from 1999 failures to build 2013 capacity).
Cyclone Phailin (2013) was actually a very severe cyclonic storm comparable in intensity to the 1999 event. The mortality difference is attributed to preparedness infrastructure, not cyclone intensity, medical advances, or international aid.
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As a medical graduate posted at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in a district affected by a sudden flood, which of the following is MOST aligned with your expected role in the immediate response phase, as per the district disaster management plan?
Correct. The PHC medical officer's role in disaster response is to (1) activate the PHC emergency plan, (2) triage casualties arriving at the PHC, (3) provide primary emergency medical care (wound care, oral rehydration, basic trauma), (4) refer critical cases to the District Hospital, and (5) coordinate with the DDMA for resource needs and medical surge. Search and rescue is the role of trained NDRF/SDRF teams.
Medical graduate roles in disaster (PHC level): triage using START, basic emergency care, epidemiological surveillance for disease outbreaks, coordination with DDMA (via District Health Officer), referral to District Hospital. Scope: DO NOT attempt search and rescue (specialised teams), DO maintain PHC operations, DO coordinate with public health chain. Key principle: medical response is activated at the DDMA's initiation, but the PHC medical officer acts immediately without waiting.
Search and rescue requires specialised training and equipment — it is NOT the PHC doctor's role. Awaiting NDRF is inappropriate; the PHC must activate immediately. Closing the PHC is contraindicated — the PHC is a critical community asset during disasters.
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