Bijan Yavar

• Research Fellow and PHD Student at UKM

• MEPCO CEO & Founder

• Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa

Cooperate Member Since 2008 (License Number: 1834)

• Researcher ID: (A-3544-2010)

Definitions (World of Certainty & Uncertainty)

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Disaster

Definitions (World of Uncertainty)

Disaster

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

IntroductionTo better Understand What is an Incident is of high importance to better plan

and to implement the exact precautionary actions and also to plan for the

preparedness Phase and of course the response phase .

Can you Notice , Identify and recognize The Difference Between a Disaster

(Natural Caused) and Crisis (Human Caused)?

There are many terms which need more attention such as: Uncertainty,

Ignorance, Ignoring the Ignorance, Reliability, Flexibility, perception,

vulnerability, risk (soft, Semi Soft and Hard), DRM Theories (Chaos, SCCT, Black

Swan Effect, etc), etc.

We would hereby explain in brief the Definitions of Risk, Emergency, Crisis and

Disaster to prepare a platform for a better understanding, to better decide and act.

Definitions (World of Certainty & Uncertainty)

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Disaster

Definitions

Disaster

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Risk

Risk is the probability of occurrence and to better say the

probability of occurrence of an Incident, Crisis, Disaster or

whatsoever it may be.

Disaster Risk

The potential disaster losses, in lives, health

status, livelihoods, assets and services, which could occur to a

particular community or a society over some specified future time

period.

The definition of disaster risk reflects the concept of disasters as the

outcome of continuously present conditions of risk. Disaster risk

comprises different types of potential losses which are often

difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, with knowledge of the prevailing

hazards and the patterns of population and socio-economic

development, disaster risks can be assessed and mapped, in broad

terms at least.

Risk

Risk = × Vulnerability Hazard

Capacity

Definitions

Disaster

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Risk Perspective (Terms and Terms)

1- Risk Planning

2- Risk Deletion

3- Disaster Risk Reduction

4- Risk Management

5- Risk Transfer

6- Risk Accepted

7- Residual Risk

8- Risk Portfolio

9- Risk Matrix

10- Risk Analysis

11- Risk Assessment

12- Risk Society

13- Risk Treatment

14- etc

Risk

Definitions

Disaster

Crisis

Risk

Emergency

The oxford English dictionary defines an emergency as:

“a serious, unexpected , and potentially dangerous

situation requiring immediate action.” in the field of

crisis management , emergencies are events that need

a professional response from people who are specially

trained and equipped to cope with them.

Most emergencies are relatively minor events that can

be dealt with in a routine way using resources that are

normally available.

It is evident that not all emergencies are disasters, but

all disasters are emergencies, as the latter is much

broader and less restrictive term. (Encyclopedia of

Crisis Management, 2013)

Emergencies can occur either as a result of cumulative

processes or as materialization of a sudden threat. (Ibid)

Emergency

Definitions

Disaster

Emergency

Risk

Crisis

As we may know the topic has a

multidisciplinary theme. For this the author

has suggested to focus on the definition of

crisis.

There have been many definitions for crisis

especially by the new kind and set of crisis

generated in today’s changing world from

different aspects, viewpoints and different

factors internally and externally causing it.

Based on the literature reviewed the

definition for crisis shows to be problematic

and there are some debates on the crisis

exact definition (Smith, 2005).

Victor L. Heller and his colleague John R.

Darling (2012) by referring to (Shelton et al.,

2003) have mentioned that crisis definition is

related to different variables. Which is means

a world of variable verities and

diversification.

Crisis

Definitions

Disaster

Emergency

Risk

Crisis

Heller and his colleague (2012) has a definition for crisis

where it states that: A “crisis” can be determined as senses of

fear, panic and peril or danger, and the proportionate intra-

organizational impacts that these senses and feelings may

have.

As stated by Lee (1999) crisis is how and the way to see,

which can be a changing and turning point that can be named

Sight. From the other hand based on (Darling, et al., 2002)

and in the same path, Heller and his colleague (2012) propose

that: a Crisis is a time of criticalness and a point for change

and turn which can prepare a wrong or better status. The

crisis is a condition where it has approached to the crucial

stage. crisis has also been defined as a point of change or

turn, either in the mindset or whatsoever it may be causing

and generating positive and better or negative and worse

conditions (Heller, et al., 2012) they also add that a crisis

although having large negative effects, even though Big names

such as Toyota car manufacturing company as an example can

also have positive effects in the firms future life only when it

will take its chance and opportunity to make good and correct

operations rearrangements (and changes) to help constancy

of positive development and growth.

Crisis

Definitions

Disaster

Emergency

Risk

Crisis

From a view, crisis is a complex of situations that produces

task demand to an organization that is out of the range of

an organization’s capability to adapt without the use of the

extra significant or frequently external sources (Smith,

2005).

Based on another definition mention by (Zhong, 2009) in

line with (Parsons ., 1996) crisis is a probability of low

occurrence, great impact phenomenon that endangers the

livability (and continuity) of organizations and is determined

by uncertainty of reason, impact, and means of intent,

besides by a faith that as soon as possible the decisions

should be made.

Crisis is something unexpected and quick by their origin

which the majority mainly concentrates on the effects and

how to mitigate instead of the causes which generated it

(Kippenberger, 1999).

It is important to point out that the crisis shows up to

twinkle in the most safe assumptions of all cooperations.

(Nurmi and darling, 1997 as cited in Heller, et al., 2012)

which is been specified as “Black Swan”

Crisis in another definition is a horror which cannot be

easily seen and is invisible and awaiting us (Parsons, 1996).

Crisis

Definitions

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Disaster

Disaster Is referred to a critical disorder in a community functioning or vast

material, economic, environmental and human (indirect) disorders, effects and

destructions involving the community which is beyond the capability to

respond and to cope self-sufficiently (UNISDR, 2009).

Sometimes Crisis and Disaster are used interchangeably which may cause a

misunderstanding and ambiguity. To make it clear, at first the causes of the

occurrence of an incident should be analyzed in depth and after the analysis it

will help to better understand and distinguish whether the incident occurred

has changed into a crisis or a disaster which by this means will help to make

better decisions and to act much more accurately.

Disaster

SourcesB. Penuel, K. Statler, Matt, Hagen, Ryan (Eds.), 2013. The Encyclopedia of

Crisis Management, Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Heller, L. & Darling, J., 2012. Anatomy of crisis management: Lessons from the

infamous Toyota Case, European Business Review Journal, Vol. 24 No. 2, 151-

168.

Kippenberger, T, 2013. Reducing the Impact of the Unexpected, Management

Research, MCB UP ltd, 1999 [accessed 23 May 2013]

Lee, Young-Jai & Harrald, John R, 1999. Critical issue for business area impact

analysis in business crisis management: Analytical capability. Disaster

Prevention and Management Journal, 3: 184-189.

Parsons, Will, 1996. Crisis Management, Career development International.

U.S.A. Senior Partner, and Sterling Management Consultants, 26–28.

Perrow, C. 1999. Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies (2nd

edn). Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Smith, Denis, 2005. Business (not) as Usual: Crisis Management, Service

Recovery and the Vulnerability of Organizations, Journal of Services Marketing,

19: 309–320.

UNISDR, Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction, (2009). United Nations

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), Geneva, Switzerland.

Yavar, Bijan, 2012. SoTech Risks an important context to be taken into

consideration, International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC), page: 233,

Davos, GRF Press.

Zhong, Ying, and Sui Pheng Low .2009. Managing Crisis Response

Communication in Construction Projects – from a Complexity Perspective,

Disaster Prevention and Management, 18: 270–282.

Definitions (World of Certainty & Uncertainty)

Crisis

Emergency

Risk

Disaster