Section 2: Definition

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-- (a) Disaster means a catastrophe, calamity or mishap, a grave occurrence being, natural or otherwise, which causes, human sufferings, destruction or annihilation of human/animal and plant life, damage to and destruction of property, degradation of environment which overwhelms the prudent and protective measures and disrupts and paralyses the normal functioning of Government and society at large, and includes anyone or more of the occurrences mentioned in Schedule; (b) disaster affected area means the area where a disaster as defined under Schedule has occurred; (c) Authority means the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority established under sub-section (1) of section 5; (d) Commissioner Disaster Management means the State Commissioner for Disaster Management to be appointed under sub-section (1) of section 10; (e) disaster management means a continuing and integrated process of planning and implementation of measures with a view to-- (1) mitigate or reducing the risk of disasters, (2) mitigating the severity or consequence of disasters, (3) capacity-building; for prevention of disaster, (4) emergency preparedness, (5) assessing the effects of disasters, (6) providing emergency relief and rescue, and (7) post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction; (f) emergency preparedness means the State of readiness which enables stakeholders to mobilize, organize and provide relief to deal with an impending or actual disaster or the effects of a disaster; (g) Local Authority means a municipal corporation, nagar panchayat, municipal council, district panchayat, gram panchayat, notified area committee or cantonment board constituted under relevant local authority law; (h) member means a member of the Authority; (i) mitigation means measures aimed at reducing the impact or effects of a disaster; (j) prescribed means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (k) prevention means measures the object of which is to avoid the occurrence of a disaster; (l) reconstruction means repair and reconstruction of a property undertaken after a disaster; (m) regulation means any activity the objects of which is to restore normalcy in conditions caused by a disaster; (n) relief means measures taken during or immediately after a declaration of disaster to diminish, or alleviate any suffering, pain, injury distress or hardship caused on account of the disaster; (o) disaster prone area means an area where there have been repeated occurrence of disasters and apprehension of such repetition in future.