Glossary

A short glossary of key words and acronyms used in the disaster management. Sources: UNHCR, UNDRR, EPA, FEMA.

After-Action Report (AAR): A report that evaluates the response to an emergency, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and provides recommendations for improvement.
Autonomous Systems (AS): The integrated system consisting of sensory and computational infrastructure that automatically analyses sensor data and performs tasks autonomously, with no or minimal human supervision....

Civil Protection: A set of measures and actions governments, organizations, and individuals take to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters or emergencies. Civil protection...
Civil Protection Corps (CPC): A public organization responsible for managing civil protection activities in a country or region. The CPC is typically made up of trained professionals and volunteers...
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP): A plan that ensures that essential functions of an organization can continue during and after an emergency.
Crisis Communication: The process of communicating important information during a disaster, including updates on the situation, evacuation orders, and instructions on how to access help.
Critical Infrastructure: The essential systems and services that support the functioning of a society, such as electricity, water, transportation, and communications.

Disaster: A severe disruption of the functioning of a community or society, which causes widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses.
Disaster preparedness: The measures taken before a disaster occurs, including developing emergency response plans, stockpiling essential supplies, and conducting training and exercises to ensure that...
Disaster recovery: The process of restoring normal operations and infrastructure after a disaster, including repairing or rebuilding damaged buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, and...
Disaster/Emergency Management: The process of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters, including natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, and earthquakes, as well as human-made...

Early Warning: The timely provision of information and alerts about an impending disaster or emergency situation. The purpose of early warning is to enable individuals, communities, and...
Emergency: A situation or event that requires immediate action to prevent or mitigate harm to people, property, or the environment.
Emergency Alert System (EAS): A national public warning system that broadcasts emergency alerts to the public via radio, television, and other media.
Emergency Management System (EMS): The coordinated and integrated approach for responding to and managing all aspects of an emergency or disaster, including preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation....
Emergency Operations Centre (EOC): A centralized location where emergency management personnel coordinate and manage response and recovery efforts.
Emergency Response: The immediate actions taken to address the immediate needs of people and the environment and save lives and protect property in the event of a disaster, including search and...
Evacuation: The process of moving people from a dangerous area to a safer location during a disaster, typically through emergency shelters or transportation.

First Responders: The individuals or groups who are the first to arrive at a disaster or emergency scene. They are responsible for providing immediate assistance to those affected by the disaster...

Hazard: A potential source of harm or danger, such as a fire, earthquake, or terrorist attack.
Hazardous Materials (Hazmat): The substances that are potentially harmful or dangerous, such as chemicals, radioactive materials, and biological agents.

Incident Action Plan (IAP): A written document that outlines the objectives, strategies, and tactics for managing the emergency response.
Incident Command System (ICS): A standardized approach to incident management that provides a structure for command, control, and coordination of emergency response.

Mitigation: The actions taken to reduce or eliminate the likelihood or severity of a disaster, before it occurs, including building codes and regulations, hazard mitigation plans, and...
Mutual Aid: The sharing of resources, personnel, and equipment between different jurisdictions or organizations during an emergency.

National Incident Management System (NIMS): A comprehensive approach to incident management that provides a common language and framework for emergency response.
Natural disaster: the ‘negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community’ [FEMA, ‘Natural Hazards’ (Federal Emergency Management Agency,...
Natural Disaster Management: The proactive and/or reactive intervention made by public actors, in the course of performing a public function, or by other entities acting on behalf of such actors; and aimed at...
Natural hazards: Environmental phenomena that can affect human environments [FEMA, ‘Natural Hazards’ (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2022)

Resilience: The ability of a community or system to withstand and recover from a disaster, including the ability to adapt and learn from the experience to improve future disaster...
Risk: The likelihood or probability of a hazard causing harm to people, property, or the environment.
Risk Assessment: The process of evaluating the potential hazards posed by a disaster and assessing the vulnerability of people, infrastructure, and other assets to those hazards.

Shelter-in-Place: A protective action where people stay indoors or in a safe location during an emergency, usually to avoid exposure to hazardous materials.

Glossary about TEMA project and emergency management