STAGES OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROCESSES *

Even modest natural disturbances can yield disastrous consequences on human scales. The ability of a nation to manage disasters, rather than react to crises, is critically dependent on the availability of a disaster management system.

In our disaster management project for IE 404, we will be trying to build a better and well-defined organizational structure for mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery in case of a national disaster like the big earthquake we have experienced on the 17^th of August, 1999. The 17^th of August earthquake is a wake-up call for Turkey. While the probability of major earthquake may be low, the consequences of such an event are not. In fact, insufficient level of preparedness accompanied by stringent seismic codes and construction practices exacerbates the risk of a disaster. Risk management strategies must be developed at all levels to mitigate potential losses. There we understood those weakness of our governmental, military and private emergency organizations. At this point, disaster management plays a very crucial role. We saw that there was no disaster management-oriented structure. Although there were discrete organizations throughout the country, lack of coordination and collaboration prevented these organizations to perform their functions. In IE 404 project, our project group, will mainly deal with building an organizational structure for a non-existent-proposed organization.

As it is clearly understood; however the mission and objectives can be defined deliberately, at the very beginning of these projects boundary of the system can not be defined.

The structure we will try to build is concerned with mainly following goals:

• Coordination between the related national organizations and teams,
• Information transfer,
• Assistance in planning and decision making,
• Provide organizational response,
• Collaboration and partnership.

PREPAREDNESS

Preparedness mainly includes data collection, forming databases and community preparedness activities. Collected data and database will be the most crucial factors for planning, analysis and real-time response activities.
 
 

1. Risk data group: The aim of these data collection activity is to prepare an earthquake map, gather historical data about earthquake intensity and frequency, collect population and its distribution data and building characteristics data. The crucial new data in this group is building characteristics data. These includes data of regional plans, construction types, age of the buildings, exact location of buildings, number of people living in a specific building and the damages of the buildings due to previous disasters. With no suspect this data collection activity requires a fieldwork by engineers and architects supported by local directorates. For expert opinion on potential earthquake risk, some sources can be stated as follows:

• Governmental agencies
• Local agencies
• Academic researchers
• Industrial researchers
• Public interest group researchers
• Professional associations concerned with the matter

1. Facilities and induced damage sources: Facilities should be identified over the whole country and possible induced damage sources should be indicated.

 

 
 
 
 
 

2. General inventories: It should be indicated what kind of resources should be brought to emergency responses and recovery. The problem is to quantify and list them to be able to compare the resources available with the resources needed for an effective emergency response. Shortfalls may require negotiating agreements with private suppliers or out-source suppliers. General inventories include such resources:

• Food depots and food
• Clothing and textile industry
• Health-care organizations, personnel and equipment
• First-aid organizations, personnel and equipment
• Other volunteer organizations
• Equipment resources

Data about mentioned organizations should be provided with information of their locations, contact information, capabilities and their personnel. Inventory data such as food, clothing, equipment and shelters should be collected on regional basis and all will be converted into a useful database format.
 
 

In addition to these data collection and database collection activities, there are two critical activities in this stage: Risk prioritization and scenario analysis. Both of these activities are supported by mitigation prioritization.
 
 

1. Compare and prioritize risks: This is the activity to determine which damages merit special attention in planning. This activity is mainly based on cumulative risk assessment procedure. During planning activity, frequency of the earthquake and potential severity of its consequences should be combined with cumulative risk assessment procedure to develop a single indicator of the threat. So comparison and setting of priorities due to combined factors are explored.
2. Apply scenarios and analyze: Mainly, scenario activities aim to identify the needed disaster specific resource requirements. While it is important to have a sense of magnitudes involved (estimated number of people affected), these are static. Planning is concerned with actions that take place in time. The most prioritized risk factors that have a significant and distinguished risk effect should be considered before planning. The above mentioned activities can be thought as brainstorming. Through this initial brainstorming, the experts will decide what actions and resources will turn out to be critically necessary.

Mitigation in disaster management is defined as sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate longer-term risk to people and property from disasters and its consequences. These activities should be distinguished from preparedness activities in the sense that these have a long-term impact. The primary purpose of mitigation is to ensure that fewer people are victims of natural disasters. In this respect, this stage mainly includes planning activities such as communications planning, land use planning, human resources planning, organizational planning. These activities end up mainly with operating procedures that should be implemented during real-time response. During these planning activities, the following functions are tried to be performed:

1. Assigning responsibility to organizations and individuals
2. Sets forth lines of authority and relationships
3. Describe show people and property will be protected
4. Identifies resources available
5. Identifies mitigation concerns during response and recovery activities

• Government action plans (should somehow be possessed by a special organization/center, which is proposed to be independent.)
• Local action plans (mainly under the direction of local directors such as the governor and the governor of the county)

A state action in this stage is to make up necessary laws and regulations for building code that can be performed by analyzing building characteristic data that has been mentioned in Risk Data Group. Regional properties, population properties and economic impacts of regulations should be taken into consideration prior to putting the laws into act.

The intent is to focus on actions that produce repetitive benefits over time, not on those actions that might be considering emergency planning. Another important benefit is that current dollars spent on mitigation will significantly reduce human suffering and the demand for large amounts of future money when the disaster shoots. Current mitigation expenditures will also reduce the economic disaster that often follows the natural event by destroying property, losing jobs and disabling businesses.

Before coming to mitigation expenditures, it should be strictly taken into account that risk reduction alternatives should be evaluated to know how should the money be spent in the mitigation. Risk transfer, meaning that the investment should be made on the factor which is the most risky, crucial and cost contributing one of all, is performed in this stage.

Furthermore, another critical action is the implementation of risk reduction alternatives, such as placing early warning systems to critical facilities and strengthening buildings. Interrelated with the risk reduction becomes the combinatorial course of action between the two stages. This implies that preventive decisions should be clarified at the last level of the mitigation stage.

RESPONSE

The onset of an emergency creates a need for time sensitive actions to save lives and property as well as for action to begin stabilizing the situation. These activities are known as recovery functions. Such response actions include:

• Notifying emergency management personnel
• Warning, evacuating or sheltering the population if possible
• Support telecommunication
• Assessing damage, conduct of ground and aerial surveys to determine the scope of the damage, casualties, and the status of key facilities
• Removal of trapped and injured persons from landslides, building collapses, and other structural collapses, administering first aid and assisting in transporting the seriously injured to medical facilities
• Allocating response resources (food, shelters, blankets, etc.) to demands, requesting help from outside the region
• Keeping population informed
• Maintaining the rule of law
• Control of access to the area until it is safe. Only those people directly involved in emergency response operations should be allowed to enter
• The identification, removal, and disposal of rubble, landslides, wreckage and other material which block the performance of emergency response functions
• Demolition to clear obstructed roads, repair or temporary reinforcement of roads and bridges, construction of emergency access roads
• Inspection of buildings and other structures to determine whether it is safe to inhabit or use them after an earthquake has occurred, inspection of buildings that are critical to emergency services or that may threaten public safety, marking those that are unsafe, inspection of dams.
• Restoration and repair of electrical power, natural gas, water, telephone and other communications systems.
• Addressing mitigation issues that arise from response activities.

1. To the maximum extent possible, local resources should be used as the first line of support in response to a disaster.
2. Once the resources and capabilities of the city are exhausted, assistance may be provided to support operational requirements and priorities.
3. Needed goods can also be supplied from the private sector or from the nonaffected cities.
4. An appropriate level of management oversight, protection and accountability must be assured – from acquisition through final disposition – for all provided property brought to, used at, loaned by, or acquired at a disaster site.
5. Voluntary organizations that provide a wide variety of disaster relief goods and services can be coordinated. Donations often play an important role in supplying disaster victims with essential needs.
6. Local authorities are encouraged to take advantage of current partnership relations with the private sector. Businesses, both inside and outside the disaster area, can supply critical resources during response operations, and assist in restoring essential services and rebuilding the economic base during recovery operations. (as potential disaster victims, private-sector businesses are also urged to identify their risks, develop appropriate contingency plans, and take corrective actions prior to a disaster)

In the recovery stage, activities should start with some feedback questions such as:

• What are the area and population-at-continued risk and their vulnerability?
• What are the short, medium and long-term damages?
• What are the geographic areas of damage?

Before going on to economic impacts of the disaster, the following questions should be answered in advance:

• What lifeline or other critical facilities have been affected?
• What long-term evacuation requirements are there and where?
• What kinds of business losses have occurred due to disaster damages?

CENTRAL PLANNING AND COORDINATION

CENTER OF DISASTERS COORDINATION COMMITTEE

Center of Disasters Coordination Committee consists of permanent undersecretaries of the below ministries, with the chairmanship of Ministry of Public Works and Settlement. The other members are from:

• Ministry of National Defense
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of National Education
• Ministry of Healthcare
• Ministry of Communications
• Ministry of Rural Affairs
• Ministry of Forestry
• Ministry of Labor and Social Security
• Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources

They meet after a great disaster in Turkey.

Responsibilities;

1. They apply the instructions given by the prime ministry.
2. Depending on the information that comes from the governor of the disaster area and some other resources, they take necessary decisions. According to these decisions, they provide coordination between ministries and other organizations. The problems that could not be solved are forwarded to the prime ministry.
3. They coordinate the aids coming from both inside and outside the country.
4. They inform the prime ministry after the evaluation of the collected information and reports.
5. They monitor all levels of operations done by the organizations to support the ongoing works in cities that experience disaster.

1. Gives the necessary instructions to Center of Disasters Coordination Committee,
2. Analyses the topics which could not be solved by Center of Disasters Coordination Committee,
3. Without taking quotas into consideration, gives permission to import required materials in the fastest way, puts principles that organizes these issues before a disaster and informs the related organizations,
4. Takes precautions against the depletion of fuel oil at the disaster area,
5. Takes precautions to provide shelters for disaster survivors, such as dormitories, buildings of social foundations and etc.

1. Applies the defined regulations under disaster laws,
2. Determines the principles of emergent aids that are to be carried out by Turkish Army,
3. Prepares plans of emergent aids in coordination with state organizations.

1. If necessary conditions are satisfied, determines the trustee of the ones whose family are dead,
2. Ensures the transfer of sentenced people and prisoners from the disaster area, in case of a damage in the prisons located there,
3. Enables the renovation of documents that are destroyed.

1. Gives permission to ones in the disaster area who are obligated to join the army and who are still in the army,
2. Takes part in help and healthcare services.

1. Satisfies the safety and security of the disaster area, takes entry to and exit from the area under control in order to prevent plundering,
2. Takes the traffic under control at the disaster area,
3. Follows the changes in population records due to deaths and missing people,
4. Ensures the safety of life and property of the people during the transport to temporary shelters,
5. Helps communication by using all kinds of communication systems,
6. Enables the coordinated work of the organizations of both Civilian Defense and Ministry of Public Works and Settlement in the cities or counties,
7. Arranges programs for the education of the personnel working during the rescue and help activities in the disaster area,
8. Prepares general safety plans including the precautions that should be taken depending on different kind and severity of disasters,

1. If it is decided to take aids from abroad, informs about the kinds and quantities of requirements via using international organizations or informs directly without using any organization,
2. Coordinates enabling the arrival of the urgent aids from abroad,
3. Coordinates people that come from abroad during a disaster,
4. Satisfies communication with the abroad,
5. Gives recommendations about foreign contacts due to the disaster,
6. Helps solving the problems of citizens who work abroad,
7. Takes part in deciding on principles of the determination of required aids from foreign countries and international organizations, coordination of these aids and monitoring them.

1. If there is insufficient money in the Disasters Fund, takes precautions to supply appropriation,
2. Enables the temporary or permanent allocation of land and immovable properties belonging to Treasury,
3. Satisfies easy transition of aids and import materials from the customs during a disaster.
4. Takes precautions and gives highest priority to official organizations that are receiving materials from Devlet Malzeme Ofisi.

1. Provides means of repairing the damaged school in disaster regions urgently,
2. Under necessary conditions, provides temporary places for the schools and the dormitories,
3. Takes precautions to prevent delays during education period,
4. Distributes the aids that come from both inside the country and the foreign countries to schools.

1. After being informed about the disaster, sends urgent aid appropriation to the area,
2. Under necessary conditions, calls the Center of Disasters Coordination Committee for duty,
3. Takes part in the prior damage estimations in the disaster area,
4. In addition to Red Crescent tents, provides temporary settling by constructing prefabricated buildings, renting or allocating official social foundation,
5. Determines the places for temporary settlement, takes necessary precautions and if necessary, helps the victims in terms of money,
6. Enables purchasing of equipment, vehicles and other kinds of materials to be used in construction,
7. Opens bank accounts for the incoming helps and enables the coordination of them,
8. Determines the reasons of the disaster, influenced field, results, borders and precautions that reduces the damages of the disaster and informs the related organizations,
9. Participates in the damage assessment in the disaster area,
10. According to the results of the damage determination reports, prepares reports for the buildings that may cause adverse effects in the future and informs the related organizations,
11. Determines the damages in the municipalities’ electric, water and drainage systems and helps the repair of them,
12. Determines the damaged roads and art buildings in the disaster area and enables the repair of them urgently,
13. Determines the places that can be affected by the overflow of water from dams, rivers and lakes, warns the public via using military and civilian services and takes precautions by cooperating related organizations,
14. Prepares a directive about the discharge of materials that are provided from Disaster Fund or from donations after the disaster,
15. Monitors the ongoing work in the disaster area,
16. Prepares programs to train the public living in the disaster area,
17. Takes preventive precautions,
18. Prepares plans for the realization of these responsibilities on time and in a complete manner.

1. Provides means for carrying out first aid operations and medical treatment quickly, effectively and in an amount that will satisfy the requirements,
2. Enables the operating of protective healthcare services that are related with the environment and the community and takes precautions accordingly,
3. Executes vaccinate services to struggle against infectious disease,
4. Provides personnel, vehicle, medical materials, blood derivatives and monitors them,
5. Takes care of people and children that are homeless and need to be protected.
6. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. The request of using communication devices in order to inform people about the disaster and the aids are accepted without asking any money,
2. Takes precautions to provide communication between the disaster area and the other parts of the country and repairs damaged devices, networks and foundations urgently,
3. Sets up additional networks at the temporary settlement areas and also at the other required places,
4. Enables the transportation of all rescue and help teams, machines, materials, equipment, devices, foodstuff, clothing, tents and all other supplies to disaster area by using the land, sea and air vehicles, and under necessary conditions, takes the payment later,
5. Takes precautions and if necessary, reinforces the transportation means, and gives a higher priority to the transportation of people and the materials throughout the disaster region,
6. Determines the kinds of airplanes that can land to the airports in the disaster area and informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about this subject,
7. Determines the minimum price for the transportation to the disaster area and these prices are paid by the related organizations unless there is a contrary decision taken by Center of Disasters Coordination Committee,
8. Arranges the utilization of all types of vehicles belonging to the private sector during the disaster time, if there are volunteer applications permitting to do so,
9. Repairs or if necessary, constructs transportation means at the transportation area,
10. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. Enables the transportation of animals to be slaughtered at ‘Et ve Bal?k Kurumu’, to prevent animal losses,
2. Takes precautions to meet the requirements of fertilizer and seed at the disaster area,
3. Takes precautions against all epidemic and parasitic illnesses of animals,
4. Helps the transportation of aids to disaster area,
5. Provides disinfected water to the villages and the temporary settlings and repairs the roads of the villages,
6. Provides infrastructure, equipment and short term illumination to temporary settlings,
7. Determines the damages and losses of the farmers in terms of vehicles, animals, crops and facilities,
8. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. Provides wood for heating, timber to repair homes and heavy logs to build houses and barns in the disaster area,
2. Takes precautions against forest fires because of disasters,
3. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. Gives a higher priority for finding jobs to the people who experienced a disaster,
2. Gives a higher priority to those affected people while sending workers to abroad,
3. Initiates all the healthcare foundations around the disaster area to enable medical treatments of victims, by coordinating Ministry of Healthcare and Red Crescent,
4. Deals with the problems of the affected citizens who work abroad,
5. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. Sends urgently the required materials that are produced by its organizations, to the disaster area,
2. Determines the critical industrial foundations and by getting in touch with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Sources, takes precautions in order to utilize them as soon as possible,
3. Supports the damaged public and private industrial foundations in the disaster area by giving credits to them,
4. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

1. By taking winter conditions into consideration, takes precautions to supply the disaster regions with fuel, wood and etc.,
2. Repairs the damaged electric generating institutions,
3. Provides illumination for both the permanent and temporary settlings,
4. Takes precautions to supply energy to the critical industrial foundations that are determined by Ministry of Industry and Trade,
5. Prepares plans to perform these responsibilities on time and in a perfect manner.

The organization of Turkish Red Crescent consists of two parts: the General Headquarters and the branches. The organs of General Headquarters and Branches are formed by elections. The members elected to these authorized organs, render their tasks as honorary members. Turkish Red Crescent has 648 local branches through out the country in cities and sub provinces.

The General Headquarters of Turkish Red Crescent is in Ankara.

The establishment tasks, authorities of the Directorate General of Turkish Red Crescent which had been founded to regulate the services of the General Headquarters within the direction of the purposes and principles of Turkish Red Crescent. Directorate General is composed of experienced and expert paid staff. Directorate General has 18 departments at General Headquarters and various units in provinces working depending on said departments.

Turkish Red Crescent has established 1 Central Warehouse (Etimesgut) and 7 Regional Warehouses and it also has 22 Blood Centers, 7 Blood Stations and 38 dispensaries (one of those is Medical Center), 21 soap kitchens, 6 day nurseries and 4 elderly houses which perform depending on Red Crescent Branches.

Main responsibilities of Turkish Red Crescent are as follows:

¨ Establishes its organization to satisfy urgent needs such as: tent, blanket, foodstuff, clothing of the disaster area,

¨ According to the severity of the disaster, makes contact with related organizations to supply requirements,

¨ Takes aid materials that come from both inside the country and abroad and distributes to depots and places that are assigned by the committee,

¨ Dispatches response resources like tent, blanket, foodstuff and clothing to the disaster area and has the duty of distributing these materials to people according to the regulations,

¨ If necessary, by contacting with the Ministry of Healthcare, helps healthcare services and supplies healthcare personnel, medicine, mobile clinics and blood derivatives,

¨ Getting in touch with Red Cross, organizes abroad aids,

¨ If there is a requirement, organizes blood donations,

¨ Opens mobile kitchens to supply meal,

¨ Prepares plans and organizes its structure to satisfy these above duties on time and in a complete manner.
 
 

REGULATIONS FOR DISASTER-RELATED EMERGENCY SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS AND PLANNING PROCEDURES

Purpose:

Article 1 – The purpose of these regulations is to plan all the state power and resources before the occurrence of a disaster, and in case of a disaster, to provide these regions with the fastest possible government aid, by initiating the emergency organizations and coordinating their operations.

Contents:

Article 2- These regulations include the responsibilities, cooperation, coordination and supporting activities for the governors, head officials of the counties, ministries and other connected or related organizations, public institutions, military unions and Red Crescent. These organizations’ relations and responsibilities for the pre-disaster planing activities for the emergency support service and actions cause the need for such regulations.
 
 

CITY AND COUNTY EMERGENCY SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

City Emergency Support Organizations

City Rescue & Support Committee

Construction: Chairman à Governor or assistant governor charged by the governor.

• Mayor
• City Gendarme Regiment Commander
• Head Officer of Police
• Head Officer of Civilian Defense
• Head Officer of National Education
• Head Officer of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
• Representative of the Red Crescent
• Garrison Commander or the representative of the largest local military unit.

1. Prepares the city emergency support plans and ensures conforming to these plans.
2. Examines the county plans and presents it for the governors approval.
3. Establishes the organization stated in the emergency plans and assigns personnel to the tasks; organizes training activities for the personnel in order to keep them prepared.
4. Alerts the service groups for service; takes the necessary decisions, ensures them to be applied.
5. Defines the principles of emergency support the help and supplies the requirements.
6. Determines the meeting and working essentials of the service groups, prepares instructions, coordinates their activities and supervises their actions’ consequences.
7. Ensures the coordination and cooperation between the related organizations.
8. Takes the permissions from the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement for monetary payments to the disaster victims for emergency support, temporary residence and repair activities.
9. Evaluates the results of the decisions.
10. Coordinates the supply of the necessary personnel, vehicle and equipment for the service groups to fulfill their responsibilities.
11. Gives the following priorities to the jobs that have to be done:

• Enabling communication
• Enabling transportation
• Rescue
• First-aid
• Transfer of injured to hospitals
• Fire fighting
• Supplying food, clothing, heating and lighting.
• Supplying temporary shelters
• Burying the deceased.
• Removal of debris
• Repair of electricity, water, drainage networks
• Precautions for quarantine

1. Transfers the remainder of the budget that is not expended to the central budget
2. Submits the expenditure list to the Head Office of the Public Works and Settlement
3. Eliminating the excess emergency support materials according to the regulations of the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement
4. Offers the postponement of debts of the disaster victims or gives credits

Responsibilities:

1. It provides the approval, duplication, dissemination and filing of the city and county emergency response plans.
2. It monitors the possible changes in the plans and informs the responsible authority.
3. It trains the service staff before the disaster.

1. Communications service group
2. Transportation service group
3. Rescue and removal of debris service group
4. First-aid and health care service group
5. Damage estimation and temporary residence service group
6. Security service group
7. Purchasing, renting, confiscating and distributing service group.
8. Agriculture service group
9. Electricity, water and drainage services group

Responsibilities:

• Constructs communication network in the disaster area
• Repairs the damaged equipment
• Informs the City Disaster Bureau regarding the disaster area.
• Plans of the Communication Service Group should include information regarding:

• Type of the disaster, number of damaged buildings, expected number of injured and deceased people (Primary information)
• Status of transportation facilities, identified number of deceased. (Complementary information)

Responsibilities:

• Arranges the transportation so that it is possible to reach the disaster area in the fastest way, gives priority to service group vehicles on transportation
• Provides transportation to the disaster area
• Supplies the vehicles and work machines that are needed by the other service groups, and makes the assignments
• Supplies fuel for the transportation vehicles in the disaster area
• Takes evacuation precautions in harbors, airports and railways.

Consists of: Head Office of Public Works and Settlement
                     Head Office of Civilian Defense
                     Head Office of Rural Affairs
                     Head Office of TCK
                     Head Office of DS?
                     Head Office of DLH
                     Head Office of TCDD
                     Head Office of THY
                     Municipality
                     Military Units
                     Other related organizations

Responsibilities:

• Rescue people under debris
• Rescue people, animals and valuable goods
• Removes the debris hindering the transportation
• Removes or supports damaged buildings that can be dangerous for rescue activities.
• Takes precautions against fire and puts out fires
• Obeys the priorities in rescuing people under destroyed hospitals, schools, cinemas, barracks, workshops and residences, animals under damaged shelters, valuable goods.

Consists of: Head Office of Health
                     Military Health Care Organizations
                     Health Institutions of the Social Security Organization
                     Municipality
                     Head Office of Mufti
                     Head Office of Census
                     Other related organizations

Responsibilities:

• Takes first-aid precautions for slightly injured people and if necessary, transfers them to the hospitals
• Performs actions to increase bed capacity and performance of the fixed or mobile hospitals
• Takes preventive actions for contagious diseases
• Takes precautions for public health
• Supplies inoculations, medicines and health materials
• Identifies the identities of the deceased.
• Performs actions related with burial such as religious, administrative procedures.

Consists of: Head Office of Public Works and Settlement
                     Head Office of National Education
                     Head Office of Rural Affairs
                     Local Head Office of DS?
                     Local Head Office of TCK
                     Head Office of TEK
                     Municipality
                     Head Office of Private Administration
                     Red Crescent
                     Other related organizations

Responsibilities:

• Assigns damage estimation teams to districts according to the damage information gathered about those districts.
• Determines the highly damaged districts.
• After the disaster, takes the precautions to evaluate the damage in all public and private buildings in the shortest possible time
• Prepares the damage estimation forms.
• Determines the damaged buildings that must be pulled down.
• Determines the possible temporary residence buildings for the disaster victims and prepares these buildings for usage
• Determines the temporary residence places, transports the people to these areas, identifies the requirements of the disaster victims in these temporary residences
• For the temporary residence, firstly allocates tents then safe school buildings and other public or private buildings for short term.
• Determines the required supply materials examining the needs of the temporary inhabiting people
• Supplies water and electricity.

Consists of: Head Office of Police
                     City Gendarme Regiment Commandership
                     Military Units

Responsibilities:

Coordinates security, orderliness, traffic; prevents pillage and negative propaganda.
 
 

7. Purchasing, Renting, Confiscating & Distributing Service Group:

Consists of: The person given responsibility by governors
                     Representative of the Head Office of Civilian Defense
                     Representative of the Head Office of Police
                     Head Officer of the Financial Department of City
                     Fund Accountant of the Head Office of Public Works and Settlement
                     Representative of the Head Office of National Education
                     Representative of the Head Office of Mufti
                     Representative of the Head Office of Private Administration
                     Representative of the Municipality
                     Representative of the Red Crescent

Responsibilities:

• When the emergency support materials supplied from Red Crescent or donated by organizations and private sector are not sufficient, purchases the requirements according to Regulation of Fund Adjudication.
• Temporarily takes over the required land, estates, building, facility and equipment primarily from the public organizations.
• When the requirements can not be met from the above organizations, they are purchased or taken over from individuals in terms of renting or confiscating.
• Takes approval paper from committee for its actions
• According to law number 7269 with 6^th article, the value of the taken over materials is paid with respect to Ministry of Public Works and Settlement instructions.
• Arranges the stocking, preserving, and distribution of the provided materials
• Lists and approves the people who take support materials
• Controls the medicines or food or other things that threaten the public health
• Helps the distribution activities of Red Crescent when required.

Consists of: Rural Offices of Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Forestry
                     Ziraat Bankasi
                     Chamber of Agriculture
                     Municipalities
                     Other related organizations

Responsibilities:

• Identifies the animals without owners or shelters
• Temporary resides these animals and ships animals
• Makes “Et ve Bal?k Kurumu” to buy and slaughter animals
• Supplies food for animals
• Supplies protective inoculation
• Arrange hygienic conditions
• Takes precautions against dead animals to danger health
• Supplies agricultural needs
• Arranges the damaged agricultural areas appropriate for agriculture again
• If necessary postpones the debts of the farmers and provides them to be given necessary agricultural credits

Consists of: Municipalities
                     Iller Bankasi
                     Head Office of Rural Affairs
                     Head Office of DSI
                     Head Office of TEK
                     Other related organizations

Responsibilities:

• Repairs or makes the related organizations repair the damaged electricity, water, drainage facilities urgently
• Supplies water, lighting, drainage to temporary residence areas
• Purifies the water
• Provides plans and tables for the status of the water, electricity and drainage facilities for the city, counties and villages.
• Provides charts for the availability of lighting and equipment of the organizations and their equipment capacities
• Determines the availability of electricity in villages.
• Makes lists for electricity repairing workshops.

County Rescue & Support Committee

Consists of: Chairman à Governor of the county
                     Mayor
                     County Gendarme Squadron Commander
                     Head Officer of Police of the County
                     Head Officer of Civilian Defense of the County
                     Head Officer of Finance of the County
                     Head Officer of National Education of the County
                     Representative of the Head Office of Public Works and Settlement
                     The administrator of health center that is chosen by the governor of the county
                     The administrator of the Red Crescent
                     Garrison Commander or the representative of the largest military unit

Responsibilities:

According to city rescue and support committee’s responsibilities and principles, they set their own responsibilities and principles and state them on their plans.
 
 

Service Groups

When establishing the service groups, county’s public and private organizations and their capabilities and resources must be considered. Governor of the county can establish these service groups in parallel with the city service groups, however they can also unite or ignore some groups considering characteristics and resources of the county.

County emergency support organizations must have the power and capacity to make necessary supports for the small and isolated disasters without waiting any help from the cities.

Planning Activities of the City and County Disaster Committee

For the planning activities, data regarding various areas must be collected. These information types include:

1. Information about major disasters in the region.
2. General information about villages.
3. General information about counties & cities.
4. City and county based maps showing government and city roads and critical facilities on these roads such as bridges, stations, harbors & airports and the related information about these facilities.
5. City and county cultivation plan information.
6. Information regarding water networks.
7. Information regarding drainage, electricity, natural gas networks.
8. Information regarding fire-fighting organizations and their capabilities.
9. Information regarding communication facilities.
10. Information regarding health care facilities.
11. Information regarding Toprak Mahsülleri Ofisi and Orman Ürünleri Tesisleri.
12. Information regarding Kömür ??letmeleri.
13. Information regarding the capacities, stock levels and distribution capabilities of critical organizations such as Tekel, Sümerbank, Et ve Bal?k Kurumu, Tarimsal Isletmeler.
14. Information regarding the facilities that produce clothing, food or other response resources.
15. Information regarding the stock levels and distribution capabilities of Kizilay in the region.
16. Information regarding the gas stations.
17. Information regarding the rescue teams.
18. Information regarding repairing facilities.

• Major data to be used in the planning activities are not collected beforehand.
• Realistic scenarios are not generated.
• Local requirements are not considered.
• In reserve personnel are not assigned in case of leaving personnel
• It is not planned beforehand what kind of resources will be requested from which cities, counties, people or organizations in case of a disaster.
• Service group managers are not assigned appropriately.
• Local "Sivil Savunma Teskilleri" are not assigned duties in disasters; instead, inexperienced people are charged duties.
• Resources and capabilities of public organizations within city/county borders are not considered.
• Authorities responsible for emergency response plans are not capable of preserving coordination and cooperation.
• Emergency bureaus are not established in certain cities/counties, most of the existing ones do not operate at all.
• Spare equipment is not considered in the plans.
• Revisions in the plans are not informed to the related personnel.
• Once a plan is established, it is not controlled or revised until a disaster occurs; therefore, the plan cannot compete with the current requirements.
• Training and practicing is not done.
• No special plans are made for critical facilities.

• Training must be emphasized
• Planning does not have to be seen as a one-time job.
• Existing emergency bureaus must be supported.
• Emergency bureaus must be made permanent.
• The importance of planning and being ready to a disaster must be emphasized.

According to the proposed organization structure, the centerpiece of emergency management is the Emergency Operations Center. EOC assigns responsibility to organizations and individuals for performing specific actions throughout an emergency cycle, describes authority and organizational relationships, and shows how all actions will be coordinated. It is the duty of EOC to identify personnel, equipment, facilities, supplies, and other resources available for use during response and recovery operations and also steps to address planning concerns during these operations.
 
 

EOC is an information-based organization. During a disaster, information should be effectively and correctly deployed to related critical units. Rapid access to the most recent and accurate data is very crucial in real disaster response time. However, such an information system is complex and necessitates the use of a DSS. In an other project conducted by the group the details of the use of DSSs for disaster management can be found.

The Use of Decision Support Systems for Disaster Management
 
 

In order to understand the organization structure better, the description of external data sources and necessary files for this information system should be checked.

External Sources

Files

Main activity groups under the EOC and their branches are described below. Also refer to the following links to view the related organizational charts.

EMERGENCY COORDINATION COMMITTEE

The following people take part in this committee:

• Prime minister or a related minister
• Minister of National Defense
• Minister of Justice
• Minister of Internal Affairs
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Minister of Finance
• Minister of Health
• Minister of Public Works and Settlement
• Minister of Communications
• Minister of Rural Affairs
• Minister of Labor and Social Security
• Minister of Industry and Trade
• Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
• Minister of Forestry
• Minister of Environment
• MGK General Secretary

DISASTER ASSESSMENT AND TRACKING COMMITTEE

This committee consists of the corresponding undersecretaries of the above ministries. Also, the general manager of Turkish Red Crescent participates in the committee. Currently, it performs major disaster activities that are now proposed to be performed by the EOC activity groups. In the proposed organization structure, its position changes so as to become a bridge between the EOC and the government in order to meet legal requirements

RISK ASSESSMENT GROUP

Risk Assessment Branch:

Receives risk data from documentation specialists in Information Support Group. Using these data, risk prioritization and scenario analysis activities are performed. By the results of these activities, prioritize the mitigation issues. Staff of this branch can be made up of earthquake researchers, seismologists, civil engineers, planning specialists, and statisticians.

Damage Assessment Branch:

Estimates the impact of possible and real-time disasters. This information is needed to determine the severity and extent of the hazard. Both economic and non-economic impacts are evaluated.

INFORMATION SUPPORT GROUP

The collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of information about disaster operations to support planning and decision making at both the field operations and headquarters levels; and the coordination of short- and long-term planning at the field operations level.

Technical Information Branch:

Field observers in this branch are responsible for collecting all the technical information before or after a disaster, such as, building characteristics, population distributions, earthquake intensity, weather forecasts etc. Technical specialists filter these information to be used by the information system (IS) specialists who will integrate them into IS. Is specialist are MIS, DSS, GIS specialists.

Documentation Branch:

This branch is responsible for receiving data from other departments and disseminates data to them. Activities in this branch include documentation, reporting and briefing.

Media Affairs and Community Relations Branch:

Provides survival tips for people on what to do before, during and immediately after an earthquake and warnings and advice on the continuing threat of fire, unsafe areas, building collapse, aftershocks, and other hazards, and explains the appropriate protective steps for the need for individual and family preparedness.

Situation Tracking and Assessment Branch:

This branch consists of information analysts who monitor countrywide disaster related information. They facilitate technical information branch to modify, collect and restructure regional required data.

LOGISTICS GROUP

This group plans, organizes, and leads logistics operations that include control and accountability for supplies – food, clothing, shelters, equipment, etc. ; resource tracking and ordering, that is resource management. This group performs coordination of existing organizations of all kind with the awareness of their capabilities, personnel characteristics and resource availability. Field offices are the extensions of Logistics and Operations Group on regional basis, such as county or city. They also carry out infrastructure, communication, transportation analysis and planning, facilitating the related governmental institutions. Information Services Branch in this group is responsible for providing all kind of information ( collected by other branches) to Information Support Group to be integrated into IS system.

Critical Note : Here, it should be noted that an assumption is made according to the difference between Logistics and Operations Group considering their scopes of work. Logistics Group plans, organizes and directs the disaster specific activities related to resource management, personnel and organizational evaluation, and support service provision before the occurrence of a disaster.

OPERATIONS GROUP

This group coordinates the delivery of governmental and organizational assistance and manages the activities of various emergency teams. Mission Assignment Branch coordinates organizations and performs contingency planning in case of unexpected subincidents during a disaster. Mobile Emergency Response Support Branch goes to field locations in need and works with field officers at the time of a disaster. Action Tracking and Reporting is the critical branch that provides information to managers and outside by monitoring the performed action. Field Office Tracking Branch is responsible for coordinating and controlling the field offices. Other branches in this group applies the prescribed procedures about:

¨ how the organization will use the communications systems during response and recovery,

¨ evacuating people and critical supplies from the affected area,

¨ mobilizing medical resources for life saving, health surveillance, treatment of the injured, disposition of death, mental health services, and disease control,

¨ food and clothing dissemination to victims, controlling outsource response resources,

¨ emergency removals of debris, temporary construction of emergency access routes, emergency restoration of critical public services and facilities,

¨ coordinating the repairs of damaged emergency systems, providing alternate sources of fuel and power,

¨ controlling damaged infrastructure networks such as drainage, water, natural gas, and coordinating the necessary repairs of these systems.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP

Finance Branch:

The first duty of this branch is to control and manage the own budget of EOC. It also keeps records of transactions realized throughout the disaster cycle, controls inflow and outflow of funds and money donations,

Administration and Personnel Branch:

This branch is responsible for personnel functions and employee services. These services include hiring training, payroll and security of EOC personnel.

PLANNING GROUP

Incident Planning Branch:

This branch describes the policies, roles, responsibilities and procedures for :

¨ primary and back-up communications system,

¨ warning systems and using these systems,

¨ providing emergency public information,

¨ evacuating people and critical supplies from the risk area,

¨ destinations, travel routes and methods of travel from the areas likely to be evacuated

¨ providing shelter, housing, food, clothing and first aid,

¨ mobilizing medical resources for life saving, treatment, disposition of the dead, disease control activities and preventing the contamination of water and food supplies,

¨ allocation of resources to include personnel, equipment and supplies,

¨ facilitating coordination and control of the organizations.

Strategic Planning Branch:

This branch is used to identify long-term issues such as impact of forecasts and problems such as permanent housing for displaced disaster victims. These activities involve lasting, often permanent, reduction of explosion to, probability of, potential loss from disaster events. Using scenario analysis and mitigation prioritization results explored by the Risk Assessment Group, risk reduction and transfer plans are made by the strategic planners. Risk reduction alternatives should be evaluated in order to know how the money should be spent.

Cost-effective mitigation measures are the key to reducing disaster losses in the long-term. Where there is a need to mitigate, opportunities can be found. There is also a need for planning to take advantages of mitigation opportunities following the disasters, when public awareness is high, funds may become available. Recovery planning and actions should also be taken into consideration. Recovery is the effort to restore infrastructure and the social and economic life of a community to normal, but it should incorporate mitigation as a goal.

Even though nature's fury cannot be controlled, we know how to reduce the potential for tragic losses from natural hazards and the disruption of families and communities. As new knowledge emerges and technologies evolve, the system will continue to do it better.

Protection of lives and property, reduction of human suffering, help for communities to recover, and fast, high-quality service are some of the expectations from the disaster management system. In order to meet these expectations, we think that EOC -the organization structure we propose- must play a central role in promoting the general welfare.

REFERENCES:

• Afetler Kanunu Kanun No: 7269-1051 Kabul Tarihi: 15.5.1959 – 2.7.1968

• Basbakanlik Kriz Yonetim Merkezi Yonergesi

• Afet Planlama Toplatisi Konusma Metinleri   16-20 Eylul 1991  (Davutlar/AYDIN)

• Afetlere Iliskin Acil Yardim Teskilati ve Planlama Esaslarina Dair Yonetmelik – ANKARA – 1991

• Kizilay – www.kizilay.org.tr
• RMS ( Risk Management Solutions) Government Services (Science, Technology and Application) Innovative Solutions for Global Risk Management – www.riscinc.com
• Documents mailed from RMS
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) – www.fema.gov
• Wallace, William A. and Frank De Balough, “Decision Support for Disaster Management”, Public Administration Review, Vol.45, January 1985, pp. 134-146.
•  Risk Management Solutions Inc. & Failure Analysis Associates Inc., Event Report: Japan – The Great Hanshin Earthquake (January 17, 1995)