American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Instances of natural and anthropogenic disasters are on a steadyrise, all over the world. These instances have accentuated the need for a well-trained, adequately equipped force to ensure that mitigation measures are in place, preparedness for disasters is complete as also to conductrelief and rescue operations when disasters strike. The answer to a simple question - “What is the most appropriate strength of a Disaster Response Force at a State / Union Territory (UT) level?” proved to be the start point for this intriguing academic study. While evaluating the Disaster Score Cards (DSC) for each State / UT, aspects such as the Population, Number of Districts, GDP, Hazards, Vulnerability, Exposure, Capacity were considered. The basic equation of Risk=[Hazard ×Vulnerability ×((Exposure )/Capacity) ] forms the bedrock of the study which draws on existing datasets based on a set of common indicators for deriving the variables for each State and UT in the above-mentioned equation, on a scale of 1 - 10. These values collectively derive a Composite Disaster Risk Index (DRI), and a Disaster Resilience Index (DResI) based on a scale of 1 to 100. These factors together are evaluated to arrive at a cogent, empirically sound quantitative model to estimate the probable strength of a Disaster Response Force, which may be mandated for a particular State / UT.