Disaster Management and Human Adaptation - Case Study

ABSTRACT

Disasters are a complex phenomenon that calls for a steady and multi-disciplinary approach to help create a multi-layered picture of the vulnerability of hazards and risks for the community. India is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, losing about 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product annually (World Bank 2003). Almost every part of the country falls in at least one hazard zone or other. The socioeconomic vulnerability makes it difficult for people to cope with the impact of these hazards. Humans adapt in a variety of ways that may often remain unnoticed and unorganized. Further, in order to manage the effects of climate-change- induced disasters, autonomous adaptation is frequently overlooked - both at national and international levels. This chapter looks at various disasters across Indian subcontinent, in which the community has been affected badly and how human resilience and adaptation have revived the society and led to sustainable development. The case studies in this chapter would cover the reasons for the disaster and corrective actions taken for some repeated disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.