Disaster Rehabilitation – How Sustainability Helps In Such Situations

By Author: Kalpesh Kumar
Total Articles: 185
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Natural calamities and other disastrous situations lead to the disruption of a society. There have been many such incidents in India, most of them caused by earthquakes, floods, famine and other such natural calamities. India has also faced the ire of the Tsunami, which destroyed thousands of villages and disrupted millions of lives in the country. The harsh truth behind such situations is disaster rehabilitation takes years to restore the life of the society, which gets destroyed within minutes.

Rehabilitation in Disaster

Considering the kind of damage that is done, it is impossible for only the government machinery to work towards the rehabilitation of the society. External help from community service groups, NGO’s, rehabilitation centers etc from different corners of the society are needed to provide help in such situations. Different situations demand for a different kind of focus from the society, depending on the severity of the calamity and the damage it causes. Some of the common areas where help is needed for rehabilitation in disaster management are as follows

• Providing relief aid like ...
... food and clothing, not just on a short term but developing a sustainable source for food like agriculture.
• Providing Health care services on a priority and improving the access of these services
• Introducing clean water supply and providing proper sanitation service.
• Providing Education support after the calamity by building schools and education centers in the area
• Restoring the natural resources in the area
• Vocational training in areas to provide immediate job opportunities, so people can stand back on their feet
• Reaching out in inaccessible areas (landslide, earthquakes) and providing immediate relief in such situations
• Support plans for the differently abled and injured victims, to help them cope with the distress situation and provide them psychiatric help.
• Monetary relief to construct new homes, rebuilding the society or for relocation to another society

Though rehabilitation is extremely important, it is also imperative for the affected population to become independent in the future. Though providing immediate relief and disaster rehabilitation should be of prime concern, it is important to provide them access to a sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainability Management in Disaster Situations

The principle of sustainability can be introduced in every walk of life. Disaster preparedness is one of the important ways of sustainability in a calamity struck society. People who go through such disastrous calamities should be given intensive training for rehabilitation in disaster management. This provides general awareness and responsiveness for such situations in the future. The training helps build response mechanisms if at all such calamities strike again and can help save lives.

Such kind of trainings can provide better coordination in rescue and relief efforts provided by the government or other humanitarian fronts. This will help in avoiding mismanagement among the people, which usually obstructs the relief operation procedures after the natural disaster. A sustainable outlook in such situations may not exactly prevent the calamity but can definitely help in reducing the effects of the calamity on the society.

Get more information on: Rehabilitation in Disaster Management & Disaster Rehabilitation