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There should be a global system in place to manage the different types of disasters because usually the disasters are huge in terms of financial requirements and other issues for developing or small countries to handles. It will help to enhance global and regional advocacy, partnerships and knowledge management for mainstreaming hazard risk management in low and middle-income countries at risk.

It will also help in promoting the standardization and harmonization of hazard risk management tools, methodologies and practices.

Another thing to consider is setting up of the E-library, e-discussion platforms and database for disaster relief institutions and experts informed of and being used by national disaster management institutions in developing national strategies. The Contract registration system can have one more category, i.e. contractors who have the capacity to respond in emergency situations.

During a disaster, and its immediate aftermath, many victims become displaced. Those refugees often times need places to use as a base station. These disaster stations need to be quickly set up for effective supply chain operations. Locally-organized programs like Citizen Emergency Response Teams should be managed through the emergency management agency and coordinated with the local fire, police and medical response units to augment and support initial public sector response. The advantage to the local community is that more citizens will know how to prepare for and what to do during crises.

Getting help from the corporates is another way of setting up a supply chain in short notice. It has been displayed during the last Tsunami, while working with local subsidiaries, Coca-Cola converted its soft-drink production lines to bottle huge quantities of drinking water and used its own distribution network to deliver it to relief sites. Similarly, British Airways, UPS, FedEx, and DHL all worked with their existing aid agency partners to furnish free or subsidized transportation for relief cargo.

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* Contributed by: -
Anshuman Harjai & Ibin Issac Abraham,
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon.