GLOSSARY

Absorbed dose	The amount of energy imparted by ionizing radiation to unit mass of absorbing material. The unit is the rad (see dose).
Absorption	The process by which the number of particles or quanta in a stream of radiation is reduced as it passes through some medium. The absorbed radiation may be transformed into other radiation, or energy, by interaction with the electrons of nuclei of the atoms upon which it strikes. In this sense, the term is used interchangeably with attenuation. More specifically, absorption refers to processes by which the radiation disappears, or is transformed, and not merely scattered.
Acceleration	A change in velocity; in earthquake engineering, it is expressed as a fraction of gravity.
Accelerograph	Instrument for recording strong ground motion.
Acceptable risk	degree of human and material loss that is perceived by the community or relevant authorities as tolerable in actions to minimize disaster risk.
Acid rain	A washout of an excessive concentration of acidic compounds in the atmosphere, resulting from chemical pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen compounds. When deposited these increase the acidity of the soil and water causing agricultural en ecological damage.
Acute	Sharp and relatively severe, as an illness.
Aerosol	A liquid or solid, not vaporized, but divided into particles small enough to float in the air for extended periods of time.
Aftershock	A smaller earthquake that follows the main shock and originates close to its focus. Aftershocks generally decrease in number and magnitude over time.
Airburst	The explosion of a nuclear weapon at such a height that the expanding ball of fire does not touch the surface of the earth when the fireball is at its maximum brightness. A typical airburst is one for which the height of burst is such that it may be expected to cause maximum blast destruction in an average city.
Alarm	Message notifying of danger.
Alert	Advisory that hazard is approaching but is less imminent than implied by warning message. See also Disaster alert and Warning.
Alliance	A structure resulting from formal agreements between two or more nations for broad, long term objectives (Joint Pub 3-0, 9 Sep 93)
Alpha particle	A particle emitted spontaneously from the nuclei of some radioactive element. It is identical with a helium nucleus, having a mass of four units and an electric charge of two positive units.
Amplitude	The difference between zero level an peak of any wave such as a seismic wave.
Anemometer	Instrument which measures wind speed or wind speed and direction.
Annual flood	Highest peak discharge in a year.
Antecedent precipitation index	Weighted summation of past daily precipitation amounts, used as an index of soil moisture.
Anticyclone	Area of high pressure. A region where barometric pressure is high or relative to that in the surrounding regions at the same level.
Areal precipitation	The average amount of precipitation which has fallen over a specific area.
Arid zone	An area in which the water resources from ground water and rainfall are insufficient to counterbalance the evaporation and loss of water needed for vegetation.
Aseismic	Nonseismic; used to designate an area free from seismic activity.
Ash flow	Pyroclastic flow.
Assessment	The process of determining the impact of a disaster or events on a society, the needs for immediate, emergency measures to save and sustain the lives of survivors, and the possibilities for expediting recovery and development.
Assisting State	The State or organization providing IDRA. (DHA)
Atmospheric pollution	Contamination of the atmosphere by large quantities of gases, solids and radiation produced by the burning of natural and artificial fuels, chemicals and other industrial processes and nuclear explosions.
Atom	The smallest particle of an element that still retains the characteristics of that element. Every atom consists of a positively charged central nucleus, which carries nearly all of the mass of the atom, surrounded by a number of negatively charged electrons so that the whole system is electrically neutral.
Atomic cloud	An all-inclusive term for the mixture of hot gases, smoke, dust, and other particulate matter from the bomb and from the environment, which is carried aloft in conjunction with the rising ball of fire produced by the detonation of a nuclear weapon.
Atomic weight	The relative weight of an atom of a given element. As a basic of reference, the atomic weight of oxygen is taken to be exactly 16; the atomic weight of hydrogen (the lightest element) is then 1.008. Hence, the atomic weight of any element is approximately the weight of an atom of that element relative to the weight of a hydrogen atom.
Attenuation	The reduction and the intensity of radiation upon passage through matter; in general, it is due to a combination of scattering and absorption.
Avalanche	The rapid and sudden sliding and flowage of masses of snow/rock material.
Background Counting Rate	That undesired radiation component detected by instrument due to cosmic rays, to radioactive materials in the vicinity, or to a slight contamination of the materials of which the instruments are made.
Background Radiation	Ionizing radiation's arising from within the body and from the surroundings to which individuals are always exposed. The main sources of natural background radiation are potassium-40 in the body, potassium-40 and thorium, uranium, and their decay products (including radium) present in rocks and cosmic rays.
Backwater	A rise of water level in a stream caused by a natural or artificial obstruction.
Bacteria	One-celled micro-organisms which have no chlorophyll and multiply by dividing in one, two, or three directions of space.
Ball of Fire (or fireball)	The luminous sphere of hot gases which forms a few millionths of a second after a nuclear explosion and immediately starts to expand and cool. The exterior of the ball of fire is defined initially by the luminous shock front (in air) and later by the limits of the hot gases themselves.
Barometer	Instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.
Barometric pressure	The pressure exerted by the atmosphere as a consequence of the force of gravity.
Barrage	Barrier across a stream provided with a series of gates or other control mechanisms to control the water-surface level upstream, to regulate the flow or to divert water supplies into a canal.
Baseline Data	Information gathered before a disaster that can be used to establish points of reference for the evaluation of post-disaster information, i.e., to measure changes in pre-and post-disaster conditions. Baseline data is especially important in health and economic assessments.
Basic Foods	These are commodities which constitute the main bulk of distributed general rations; provide the greatest part of the requirements of the beneficiaries in terms of energy, protein and fat; and can normally be supplied by WFP and the international donor community. This includes cereals, edible oil or fat, protein-rich foods and salt.
Beaufort scale	Scale of wind speed, measured from zero (calm) to twelve (hurricane force wind).
Bet a Particle	A charge particle of a very small mass that is emitted spontaneously from the nuclei of certain radioactive elements. Most (if not all) of the fission fragments emit (negative) beta particles. Physically, the beta particle is identical to an electron moving at a high velocity.
Biological disaster	Disaster caused by the exposure of living organisms to germs and toxic substances.
Bomb	See Ejecta.
Burst	Explosion or detonation.
Calibration	The determination of the accuracy of a measuring instrument; also, the determination of the necessary correction factors to be applied to the instrument readings.
Cell	A small mass of protoplasm, generally including the nucleus, surrounded by a semipermeable membrane or cell wall. It is the structural and functional unit of all living plant and animal organisms, with the possible exception of viruses.
CFR or C&F	Cost and Freight (named port of destination) Means the seller must pay the costs and freight necessary to bring the goods to the named destination, but the risk of loss of or damage to the goods, as well as of any cost increases, is transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods pass the ship's rail in the port of shipment. The buyer must purchase shipping insurance against the risk of loss or damage.
Chain reaction	Any chemical or nuclear process in which some of the products of the process, or energy released by the process, are instrumental in the continuation or magnification of the process. Nuclear fission can be such a process.
Chemical accident	Accidental release occurring during the production, transportation or handling of hazardous chemical substances.
Chemical agent	A solid, liquid, or gas which, through its chemical properties, produces lethal, injurious, or irritant effects or an incendiary action; a screen or signaling smoke. Toxic chemical agents, smokes, and incendiaries are the three main groups of chemical agents.
Chemical accident	Accidental release occurring during the production, transportation or handling of hazardous chemical substances.
Chemical agent casualty	Primarily, a person who has been affected sufficiently by a toxic chemical agent to cause death or evacuation. Secondarily, a person who suffers a measurable loss of effectiveness in performing his duties for a significant period of time.
Chlorofluoro-carbons	A group of chemical compounds used in industry and in the household, of which the excessive and universal use is believed to be one of the causes of ozone depletion, with resulting environmental damage.
CIF	Cost, insurance and freight (named port of destination) This term is basically the same as C&F but with the addition that the seller has to procure shipping insurance against the risk of loss of or damage to the goods during the carriage. The seller contracts with the insurer, pays the insurance premium and provides the buyer with an insurance certificate. Caution: insurance coverage under these terms is limited.
CIP	Freight/Carriage and Insurance Paid to (named point of destination) This term is the same as OCP but with the addition that the seller has to procure transport insurer against the risk of loss of or damage to the goods during the carriage. The seller contracts with the insurer and pays the insurance premium.
Civil Affairs	The activities of a commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military forces and civil authorities, both governmental and non-governmental, ant the civilian population in a friendly, neutral, or hostile area of operations in order to facilitate military operations and consolidate operational objectives. Civil affairs may include performance by military forces of activities and functions normally the responsibility of local government. These activities may occur prior to, during, or subsequent to other military actions. They may also occur, if directed, in the absence of other military operations. (Joint Pub 3-57)
Civil defence	The system of measures, usually run by a governmental agency, to protect the civilian population in wartime, to respond to disasters, and to prevent and mitigate the consequences of major emergencies, in peacetime. The term "civil defence" is now used increasingly.
Civil-military operations	Activities in support of military operations which embrace the relationship between the military forces and civilian authorities and population, and the development of favorable emotions, attitudes, or behavior in neutral, friendly, or hostile groups. (Joint Pub 3-07, Proposed Final Pub, Mar 94)
Coalition	A force composed of military elements of nations that have formed a temporary alliance for some purpose. (Joint Pub 1-02)
Climatic change	Change observed in the climate on a global, regional or subregional scale caused by natural processes and/or human activity.
Combatant command	Exercised only by commanders of unified and specified combatant commands, COCOM is the authority of a combatant commander to perform the functions of command over assigned forces that involve organizing and employing commands and forces, assigning tasks, designating objectives, and giving authoritative direction over all aspects of military operations, joint training, and logistics necessary to accomplish the missions assigned to the command. COCOM should be exercised through the commanders of subordinate organizations; normally this authority is exercised through the Service component commander. COCOM gives full authority to organize and employ commands and forces as the CINC considers necessary to accomplish assigned missions. COCOM includes the authority of OPCON. (Joint Pub 0-2)
Combined Logistics	The pooling of specified logistic functions related to services and/or resources provided by two or more force or more force or agencies of two or more allies for common use under a coordinating authority. (NATO)
Complementary foods	Food items which are required in addition to and in smaller quantities than basic foods, in order to provide additional nutrients and increase palatability, and for cultural reasons.
Complex emergency	A humanitarian crisis in a country, region, or society where there is a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict, and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing UN country program.
Concentration	The amount of a toxic chemical agent or screening smoke present in a unit volume of air. Concentration is usually expressed in milligrams per cubic meter. Concentration is not the amount of vapor actually inhaled or absorbed by an individual.
Contagious	Transmissible from one individual to another.
Contagious disease	An infectious disease capable of being transmitted from one individual to another. Many infectious diseases are not contagious but require some special method of transmission or inoculation.
Contamination	The presence of, or act of applying, a chemical agent or toxic chemical agent in dangerous amounts or concentrations on a person, object, or area.
Contributions in kind	Non-cash assistance in materials or services offered or provided in case of disaster.
Control Center	A station, usually at the perimeter of a radiation or a contamination zone, designed to control excessive exposure to ionizing radiation. This is done through the issue of protective equipment and radiological safety instructions and by controlling the spread of contamination through decontamination. This term is often used synonymously with Decontamination Center.
Covert	Hidden, concealed, insidious.
Critical facilities	Installations that are vitally important to the operation of a government service or a public utility. Usually refers to activities that are housed in buildings.
Crop moisture ratio	The ratio of precipitation to the potential evapotranspiration. An index for assessment of agricultural drought.
Crop failure	Abnormal reduction in crop yield such that it is insufficient to meet the nutritional or economic needs of the community.
Current meter	Instrument for measuring the velocity of water.
Cyclone	A large-scale closed circulation system in the atmosphere with low barometric pressure and strong winds that rotate counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. The system is referred to as a cyclone in the Indian ocean and south Pacific, hurricane in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific an typhoon in the western Pacific.
CW symbol	The code designation of any chemical agent. This is a combination of one or three letters or numerals. It must not be confused with the chemical formula.
DAF	Delivered At Frontier (named place of delivery at frontier) Means that the seller's obligations are fulfilled when the goods have arrived at the frontier - but before "the customs border" of the country named in the sales contract. Used primarily when goods are to be carried by rail or road but it may be used irrespective of the mode of transport.
Dam	Barrier constructed across a valley for impounding water or creating a reservoir.
Damage assessment	The preparation of specific, quantified estimates of physical damage resulting form a disaster, and recommendations concerning the repair, reconstruction or replacement of structures, equipment, and the restoration of economic activities.
Damage classification	Evaluation and recording of damage to structures, facilities, or objects according to three (or more) categories: 1) "severe damage", which precludes further use of the structure, facility, or object for its intended purpose. 2) "moderate damage", or the degree of damage to principal members, which precludes effective use of the structure, facility, or object for its intended purpose, unless major repairs are made short of complete reconstruction. 3) "light damage", such as broken windows, slight damage to roofing and siding, interior partitions blown down, and cracked walls; the damage is not severe enough to preclude use of the installation for the purpose for which was intended.
Damping	Limitation of movement or dissipation of energy.
Data collection platform	Automatic measuring facility with a radio transmitter to provide contact and transmission of data via satellite.
DDP	Delivered Duty Paid (named place of destination in the country of importation). While EXW signifies the seller's minimum obligation, the term "Delivered Duty Paid" when followed by words naming the buyer's premises, denotes the other extreme - the sellers' maximum obligation. The term "Delivered Duty Paid" may be used irrespective of the mode of transport.
Dead	Persons confirmed dead and persons missing and presumed dead. The number of missing is usually not included in the "dead" figure if the source used gives preliminary figures. The figure has accordingly to be updated as missing persons are determined to be dead.
Debris flow	A high density mud flow with abundant coarse-grained materials such as rocks, tree trunks, etc.
Declaration of Disaster	Official insurance of a state of emergency immediately upon the occurrence of a large-scale calamity, in order to activate measures aimed at the reduction of the disaster's impact.
Decontamination	The process of making an object, person, or area safe for unprotected personnel by chemically destroying, physically removing, sealing in, or otherwise making toxic chemical agents harmless. In general, all the areas or materials contaminated by toxic chemical agents of high persistency require decontamination. Low persistency toxic chemical agents are quickly diluted below dangerous concentrations through natural dissipation. The reduction or removal of contaminating radioactive material form a structure, area, object, or person. Decontamination may be accomplished by treating the surface to remove or decrease the contamination, by letting the material stand so that radioactivity is decreased as a result of natural decay, or by covering the contamination to attenuate the radiation emitted.
Deforestation	The clearing or destruction of a previously forested area.
Demand Pull/Supply Push	If the resupply system delivers stores items on request of the user it is said to be "Demand Pull" led. On the other hand, if it delivers items automatically in predetermined quantities, as might be the case for domestic fuel or rations, it is said to be "Supply Push" led.
Depression	Low-pressure area. Region where the barometric pressure is lower relative to that in the surrounding regions at the same level.
Depth of runoff	Runoff volume from a drainage basin, divided by its area.
Desertification	The processes by which an already arid area becomes even more barren, less capable of retaining vegetation, and progressing towards becoming a desert.
Design earthquake	Earthquake selected as maximum probable event for structural analysis and code requirements.
Design flood	Flood hydrograph or peak discharge adopted for the design of a hydraulic structure or river control.
Design storm	Rainfall amount and time distribution adopted over a given drainage area, used in determining the design flood.
Detention reservoir	Flood storage reservoir with uncontrolled outlets.
Disaster	The occurrence of a sudden of major misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric and normal functioning of a society (or community). An event or series of events which gives rise to casualties and/or damage or loss of property, infrastructure, essential services or means of livelihood on a scale which is beyond the normal capacity of the affected communities to cope with unaided.
Disaster alert	The period from the issuing of a public warning of an imminent disaster threat to its actual impact. The period during which pre-impact precautionary or disaster containment measures are taken.
Disaster area survey team	A group that is deployed in an area after a disaster to ascertain the extent of damage to population and property and to recommend appropriate responses.
Disaster epidemiology	The medical discipline that studies the influence of such factors as the life style, biological constitution and other personal, or social determinants on the incidence and distribution of disease as it concerns disasters.
Disaster insurance	Government sponsored or private insurance policies for protection against economic losses resulting from disaster.
Disaster legislation	The body of laws and regulations that govern and designate responsibility for disaster management concerning the various phases of disaster.
Disaster management	A collective term encompassing all aspects of planning for and responding to disasters, including both pre-end post-disaster activities. If refers to the management of both the risks and the consequences of disasters.
Disaster medicine	The study and collaborative application of various health disciplines to the prevention, preparedness, immediate response and rehabilitation of the health problems arising from disaster, in co-operation with other disciplines involved in comprehensive disaster management.
Disaster mitigation	A collective term used to encompass all activities undertaken in anticipation of the occurrence of a potentially disastrous event, including preparedness and long-term risk reduction measures.
Disaster phases	pre- and post-disaster periods subdivided into particular actions.
Disaster preparedness	Measures that ensure the readiness and ability of a society to forecast and take precautionary measures in advance of an imminent threat and respond to and cope with the effects of a disaster by organizing and delivering timely and effective rescue, relief and other appropriate post-disaster assistance.
Disaster prevention	Originally defined as "measures designed to prevent natural phenomena from causing or resulting in disaster or other emergency situations", the term has now been largely replaced by "mitigation" in the recognition that few disasters can be prevented definitively.
Disaster Relief	The provision of external relief supplies and services which assists a state to meet the immediate needs of those affected by a disaster.
Disaster Response	A sum of decisions and actions taken during and after disaster, including immediate relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
Disaster Team	Multidisciplinary, multisectoral group of persons qualified to evaluate a disaster and to bring the necessary relief.
Discharge	Volume of water flowing through a river (or channel) cross-section in unit time.
Disease control	All policies, precautions and measures taken to prevent the outbreak or spread of communicable diseases.
Disinfect	To free from pathogenic organisms or to destroy them.
Dislocated civilian	This is a generic term describing a civilian who for any reason is not at his home and requires some form of help until he can re-establish himself at home or elsewhere. The term includes, but is not limited to: displaced persons, displaced civilians, refugees, evacuees, stateless persons, and internees. (Dislocated Civilians a Handbook on Displaced Persons, Refugees and Evacuees, 354th CA Brigade)
Displaced person	A civilian who is involuntarily outside the boundaries of his or her own country. (Dislocated Civilians a Handbook on Displaced Persons, Refugees and Evacuees, 354 th CA Brigade)
Dome	Lava which is too viscous to flow laterally and therefore forms a dome above the erupting vent.
Dose	A (total or accumulated) quantity of ionizing (or nuclear) radiation. The term "dose" is often used in the sense of the exposure dose, expressed in roentgens, which is a measure of the total amount of ionization that the quantity of radiation could produce in air. This should be distinguished form the absorbed dose, given in reps or rads, which represents the energy absorbed from the radiation per gram of specified body tissue. Further, the biological dose, in rems, is a measure of the biological effectiveness of the radiation exposure.
Dose rate	As a general rule, the amount of ionizing (or nuclear) radiation to which an individual would be exposed or which he would receive per a unit of time. It is usually expressed in roentgens, rads, or rems per hour or in multiples or submultiples of these units, such as milliroentgens per hour. The dose rate is commonly used to indicate the level of radioactivity in a contaminated area.
Dosimeter	An instrument for measuring and registering total accumulated exposure to ionizing radiation's.
Dosimetry	The theory and application of the principles and techniques involved in measuring and recording radiation doses. Its practical aspects is concerned with the use of various types of radiation instruments with which measurements are made.
Drainage basin	Area having a common outlet for its runoff.
Drought	Period of deficiency of moisture in the soil such that there is inadequate water required for plants, animals and human beings.
Drought index	Computed value which is related to some of the cumulative effects of a prolonged and abnormal moisture deficiency.
Dry spell	Period of abnormally dry weather. Use of the term should be confined to conditions less severe than those of a drought.
Duststorm	Dust (sand) energetically lifted to great heights by strong and turbulent winds.
Dynamic testing	Analysis of the response of structures under simulated loads of the type imposed by natural hazards.
Earth flow	A mass movement characterized by slow down slope translation of soil and weathered rock within a landslide.
Earthquake	A sudden break within the upper layers of the earth, sometimes breaking the surface, resulting in the vibration of the ground, which where strong enough will cause the collapse of buildings and destruction of life and property.
Earthquake forecasting	See Forecast.
Earthquake hypocentre	The place inside the earth where the faulting, which is associated with the earthquake, originated.
Earthquake intensity	See Intensity.
Earthquake magnitude	See Magnitude.
Earthquake swarm	A series of minor earth tremors (none of which may be identified as the main shock) that occurs within a limited area and time.
Ecosystem	Basic ecological unit formed by the living environment of the animal and vegetable organisms interacting as a single functional entity.
Ejecta	Material thrown from a volcano, including large fragments (bombs), cindery material (scoria), pebbles (lapilli) and fine particles (ash).
El Nino	An anomalous warming of ocean water off South America, usually accompanied by heavy rainfall in the coastal region of Peru and Chile, and reduction of rainfall in equatorial Africa and Australia.
Element at risk	The population, buildings and civil engineering works, economic activities, public services, utilities and infrastructure, etc., at risk in a given area.
Emergency	An extraordinary situation in which people are unable to meet their basic survival needs, or there are serious and immediate threats to human life and well being. An emergency situation may arise as a result of a disaster, a cumulative process of neglect or environment degradation, or when a disaster threatens and emergency measures have to be taken to prevent or at least limit the effects of the eventual impact.
Emergency medical system	The aggregate of resources and personnel needs to deliver medical care to those with an unpredicted, immediate health need outside established medical facilities.
Emergency medicine	The specialized institutional system and resources required to meet immediate and unexpected medical needs.
Emergency operations centers	Officially designated facility for the direction and co-ordination or all activities during the response phase a disaster.
Emergency response	The action taken in response to a disaster warning or alert to minimize or contain the eventual negative effects, and those taken to save and preserve lives and provide basic services in the immediate aftermath of a disaster impact, and for as long as an emergency situation prevails.
Electron	A particle of very small mass which carries a unit negative or positive charge. Negative electrons, surrounding the nucleus, are present in all atoms; their number is equal to the number of positive charges (or protons) in the particular nucleus. The term "electron", when used alone, commonly refers to a negative electron. A positive electron is usually called a positron, and a negative electron is normally called a negatron.
Element	One of the distinct, basic varieties of matter occurring in nature which, individually or in combination, compose substances of all kinds. Approximately 90 different elements are known to exist in nature and several others, including plutonium, have been obtained as a result of nuclear reactions with these elements.
Energy	This is the capability of doing work. Potential energy is energy due to the position of one body with respect to another or the relative parts of the same body. Kinetic energy is energy due to motion.
Entry Time	The time personnel enter a radiation or contamination hazard area.
Environmental degradation	Unfavourable modification of the ecological state and environment through natural processes and/or human activities.
EOD	The detection, identification, field evaluation, rendering safe, recovery and final disposal of unexploded explosive ordnance. It may also include the rendering safe and/or disposal of explosive ordnance which has become hazardous by damage or deterioration when the disposal of such ordnance is beyond the capabilities of personnel normally assigned the responsibility for routine disposal (NATO).
Epicenter	That point on the earth's surface directly above the place of origin (i.e., focus, or hypocenter) of an earthquake.
Epidemic	An unusual increase in the number of cases of an infectious disease which already exists in the region or population concerned. The appearance of a significant number of cases of an infections disease introduced in a region or population that is usually free from that disease.
Epidemiological surveillance	The process of monitoring public health to identify disease or threats to the public health. Normally surveillance is carried out by the public health authorities of the national government.
Epidemiology	The medical discipline of tracing diseases.
Erosion	Loosing or dissolving and removal of rock or soil a s a result of water, ice or wind action.
Evacuee	A civilian removed from his/her place of residence by military direction for reasons of his own security or the requirements of the military situation. ("Dislocated Civilians a Handbook on Displaced Persons, Refugees and Evacuees" 354th CA Brigade)
Evaluation	Post-disaster appraisal of all aspects of the disaster and its effects.
Evapotranspiration	The combined loss of water form a given area, by evaporation form the soil and by transpiration form plants.
Exceedance probability	That a given magnitude of an event will be equaled or exceeded.
Explosivity index	Scale to quantify the volume of volcanic eruption products and energy with which they are dispersed.
Exposure time	The time period of interest for seismic risk calculations, seismic hazard calculations, or design of structures. For structures, the exposure time is often chosen to be equal to the design lifetime of the structure.
EXQ	Ex Quay Means that the seller makes the goods available to the buyer on the quay at the destination named in the sales contract. The seller has to bear the full cost and risk involved in bringing the goods there. There are two "Ex Quay" contracts in use, namely "Ex Quay (duty paid)", and 'Ex Quay (duties on buyer's account)" in which the liability to clear the goods for import are to be met by the buyer instead of by the seller. Parties are recommended always to use the full descriptions of these terms, or else there may be uncertainty as to who is responsible for clearing the goods for import.
EXS	Ex Ship (named port of destination) Means that the seller shall make the goods available to the buyer on board the ship at the destination named in the sales contract. The seller has to bear the full cost and risk involved in bringing the goods there.
External Exposure	Exposure to ionizing radiation's coming from a source outside the body.
EXW	Ex-Works (ex factory, ex mill, ex plantation, ex warehouse, etc.) Means that the seller's only responsibility is to make the goods available at his premises. In particular he is not responsible for loading the goods in the vehicle provided by the buyer, unless otherwise agreed. The buyer bears the full cost and risk involved in bringing the goods from there to the desired destination. This term thus represents the minimum obligation for the seller.
Eye of the storm	The calm center of a cyclone.
Fall	See Rockfall, Rockslide.
Fallout	The process or phenomenon of the fall back to the earth's surface of particles contaminated with radioactive material from the atomic cloud. The term is also applied in a collective sense to the contaminated particulate itself.
Famine	A catastrophic food shortage affecting large numbers of people due to climatic, environmental and socio-economic reasons.
Fault	A planar or gently curved fracture in the earth's upper layers across which displacement occurs.
FAS	Free Alongside Ship (named port of shipment) Under this term the seller's obligations are fulfilled when the goods have been placed alongside the ship on the quay or in lighters. This means that the buyer has to bear all costs and risks of loss of or damage to the goods from that moment. It should be noted that, unlike FOB, the present term requires the buyer to clear the goods for export.
Firewall	Walls which are intended to be fire barriers.
First aid	The immediate but temporary care given on site to the victims of an accident or sudden illness in order to avert complications, lessen suffering, and sustain life until competent services or a physician can be obtained.
Fission	The process whereby a nucleus of a particularly heavy element splits into (generally) two nuclei of lighter elements, with the release of substantial amounts of energy. The most important fissionable materials are uranium 235 and plutonium 239.
Fission products	A general term for the complex mixture of substances produced as a result of nuclear fission. A distinction should be made between these and the direct fission products or fission fragments which are formed by the actual splitting of the heavy-element nuclei. Something like 80 different fission fragments result from roughly 40 different modes of fission of a given nuclear species, for example, uranium 235 or plutonium 239. The fission fragments, being radioactive, immediately begin to decay, forming additional (daughter) products, with the result that the complex mixture of fission products so formed contains about 200 different isotope; of 36 elements.
Flash flood	A sudden and extreme volume of water that flows rapidly and causes inundation, and because of its nature is difficult to forecast.
Flood	Significant rise of water level in a stream, lake, reservoir or a coastal region.
Flood-bypass channel, also floodway	Channel built to divert flood flows from a point upstream of a region to a point downstream.
Flood control	The management of water resources through construction of dams, reservoirs, embankments, etc. to avoid floods.
Flood forecasting	Procedure for estimation of stage, its discharge values, time of occurrence, and duration of a flood especially of its peak discharge.
Floodplain	An area adjacent to a river, formed by the repeated overflow of the natural channel bed.
Floodplain zoning	A plan that defines the main zones of a potential flood area, usually accompanied by housing restrictions or other recommendations to prevent flood damages.
Flood alarm level	Water level which is considered to be dangerous and at which warnings should commence.
Flood proofing	Techniques for preventing flood damage to the structure and contents of buildings in a flood-hazard area.
Flood routing	Procedure of determining of the flood hydrograph change by the flood movement through the river channel, reservoir or other storage.
Flood wave	Rise in streamflow to a crest to such a magnitude that it causes flooding, and its subsequent recession.
FOA	FOB Airport (named airport of departure) Based on the same main principle as the ordinary FOB term. The seller fulfills his obligations by delivering the goods to the air carrier at the airport of departure. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods is transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods have been so delivered.
FOB	Free On Board (named port of shipment) The seller must place the goods on board a ship or other carrier at the port of shipment named in the sales contract. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods is transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods pass the ship's rail.
Focal depth	Vertical distance from the earth's surface to the place of origin (hypocenter, focus) of an earthquake.
Focus	The point beneath the Earth's surface where an earthquake rupture starts and from which waves radiate.
Food basket	The particular selection of food commodities which are handled by the assistance operation and included in the rations distributed to the target beneficiaries.
FOR or FOT	Free On Rail or Free On Truck (named departure point) These terms are synonymous with each other and with FOB, but are normally used only when the goods are to be carried by rail.
Force Protection	Security program designed to protect soldiers, civilian employees, family members, facilities, and equipment in all locations and situations. (Joint Pub 5-03.2)
Foreign Disaster	An act of nature (such as a flood, drought, fire, hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption, or epidemic), or an act of man (such as riot, violence, civil strife, explosion, fire, or epidemic), which is or threatens to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant United States foreign disaster relief to a foreign country, or foreign persons, or to an international organization. (DOD Dir 5100.46, 4 Dec 75)
Forecast	Statement or statistical estimate of the occurrence of a future event. This term is used in different meanings in different disciplines, as well as "prediction".
Foreign Disaster Relief	Prompt aid which can be used to alleviate the suffering of foreign disaster victims. (Normally it includes humanitarian services and transportation; the provision of food, clothing, medicine, beds and bedding; temporary shelter and housing; the furnishing of medical materiel, medical and technical personnel; and making repairs to essential services.) (DOD Dir 5100.46, 4 Dec 75)
Foreign Internal Defense	Participation by civilian and military agencies of a government in any of the action programs taken by another government to free and protect its society from subversion, lawlessness, and insurgency. (Joint Pub 1-02)
Foreshock	Earthquake which is distinctive in its own right or often part of a sequence which precedes and originates close to the focus of a large earthquake (main shock).
Forest/grassland fire	Fires in forest or brush grasslands that cover extensive areas and usually do extensive damage. They may start by natural causes such as volcanic eruptions or lighting, or they may be caused by arsonists or careless smokers, by those burning wood, or by clearing a forest area.
FRC	Free Carrier (named point) Designed to meet the requirements of modern transport, particularly such "multimodal" transport as container or "roll on-roll off" traffic by trailers and ferries. It is based on the same main principle as FOB except that the seller fulfills his obligations when he delivers the goods into the custody of the carrier at the named point. If no precise point can be mentioned at the time of the contract of sale, the parties should refer to the place or range where the carrier should take the goods into his charge. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods is transferred from seller to buyer at that time and not at the ship's rail. "Carrier" means any person by whom or in whose name a contracts of carriage by road, rail, air, sea, or a combination of modes has been made. When the seller has to furnish a bill of Lading, waybill or carrier's receipt, he duly fulfills this obligation by presenting such a document issued by a person so defined.
Front (atmospheric)	(1) The interface or transition zone between air masses of different physical properties (temperature, humidity). (2) Line of intersection of the surface separating two air masses usually with the ground.
Fujita-Pearson scale	A 3-digit scale for tornadoes devised by Fujita (F scale) and Pearson (PP scale) to indicate tornado intensity (0-5), path width (0-7).
Gale	Wind with a speed between 34 and 40 knots (Beaufort scale wind force 8).
Global Observing System-GOS	The co-ordinated system of methods, techniques and facilities for making observations on a world-wide scale within the framework of the World Weather Watch.
Gamma Rays (or radiation's)	Electromagnetic radiation's of high energy originating in an atomic nuclei and accompanying many nuclear reactions; that is, fission, radioactivity, and neutron capture. Physically, gamma rays are identical to X rays; the only essential difference being that the X rays do not originate from atomic nuclei but are produced in other ways.
General feeding/food distribution	A program in which food is provided to enable households to meet their basic nutritional needs. Such programs may include all families within a specified population, or be "targeted" on selected sub-groups.
Germ	Any micro-organism, especially pathogenic; microbe.
Ground motion	Movement of the ground at a particular point, recorded by accelerograph or seismograph in order to determine the vibrational characteristics and energy of an earthquake or explosion.
Groundwater level	The level at which soil and porous rock begins to be saturated with water.
Gust	Sudden, brief increase of the wind speed over its mean value.
Half-Life	The time required for the activity of a given radioactive species to decrease to half of its initial value due to radioactive decay. The half-life is a characteristic property of each radioactive species and is independent of its amount or condition. The biological half-life is the time required for the amount of a specified element which has entered the body (or a particular organ) to be decreased to half of its initial value as a result of natural, biological elimination processes. The effective half-life of a given isotope is the time in which the quantity in the body will decrease to half as a result of both radioactive decay and biological elimination.
Ham radio	The international amateur radio network, frequently a valuable contribution by the community to disaster response.
Hazard	A rare or extreme event in the natural or man-made environment that adversely affects human life, property or activity to the extent of causing disaster.
Hazard assessment	The process of estimating, for defined areas, the probabilities of the occurrence of potentially-damaging phenomenon of given magnitudes within a specified period of time.
Hazardous material	A substance or material which has been determined by an appropriate authority to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property (see UNEP definition).
Heatwave	A long lasting period with extremely high surface temperature.
Hot Spot	Regions in a contaminated area in which the level of radioactive contamination is greater than in neighboring regions in the area.
Human-made disasters	Disaster or emergency situations of which the principal, direct causes are identifiable human actions, deliberate or otherwise.
Human-made hazard	A condition which may have disastrous consequences for a society. It derives from technological processes, human inter-actions with the environment, or relationships, within and between communities.
HNS	Civil and military assistance rendered in peace and war by a Host Nation to allied forces which are located on or in transit through the Host Nation's territory. The basis for such assistance is commitments arising from bilateral or multilateral agreements between the Host Nation and the State(s) having forces on the Host Nation's territory (NATO).
Hospital	A medical treatment facility capable of providing in patient care. It is appropriately staffed and equipped to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services, as well as the necessary supporting services required to perform its assigned mission and functions. (NATO)
Humanitarian and Civic Assistance	Assistance provided in conjunction with military operations, either authorized by 10 USC 401, funded by operations and maintenance in the case of the minimum HCA, or HCA in conjunction with CJCS exercises as authorized by the Stevens Amendment. Such assistance is limited to (1) medical, dental, and veterinary care provided in rural areas of a country; (2) construction of rudimentary surface transportation systems; (3) well drilling and construction of basic sanitation facilities; and (4) rudimentary construction and repair of public facilities. (Joint Pub 3-07.1, Final Pub, Sep 92)
Humanitarian Assistance	Programs conducted to relieve or reduce the results of natural or manmade disasters or other endemic conditions such as human pain, disease, hunger, or privation that might present a serious threat to life or that can result in great damage to or loss of property. Humanitarian assistance provided by US forces is limited in scope and duration. The assistance provided is designed to supplement or complement the efforts of the HN civil authorities or agencies that have the primary responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance. (Joint Pub 3-57, (Test Pub), October 1991)
Hydrograph	Graph showing the variation in time of some hydrological data such as water stage, discharge, sediment load, etc. Hydrograph is mostly used for stage or discharge.
Hydrological forecast	Statement of expected hydrological conditions for a specified period.
Hydrological warning	Emergency information on an expected hydrological phenomenon which is considered to be dangerous.
Hypocenter	See Focus.
Ice-breakup	Ensemble of the phenomena associated with the disappearance of the icecover due to climatic (temperature, wind) and hydrological (waves, currents, tides) factors.
Ice storm	Intense formation of ice on objects by the freezing, on impact of rain or drizzle.
Incendiary	A chemical agent that is capable of generating enough heat to ignite combustible substances when they come in contact with each other.
Induced seismicity	Earthquake activity resulting from man-made activities such as mining, large explosions, or forcing large values of liquid deep into the ground, e.g. oilfields, waste disposal or reservoir filling.
Infestation	A pervasive influx and development of insects or parasites affecting humans, animals, crops and materials.
Information report	Report with the same content as that of situation report but issued by UN agency in the event that international assistance has not been subject of an official request by the government.
Ingestion	The act of taking food into the body for digestion, as into the stomach.
Initial Nuclear Radiation	This is the nuclear radiation (essentially neutrons and gamma rays) emitted from the ball of fire and the cloud during the first minute after the nuclear explosion. The time limit of 1 minute is set, somewhat arbitrarily, as that required for the source of the radiation to attain such a height that only insignificant amounts reach the earth's surface.
Injured	People with physical injuries/trauma/illness requiring medical treatment as a direct result of a disaster.
Intensity	A number by which the consequences of an earthquake at a particular place are scaled by its effects on persons, structures, and earth materials. Intensity scales in most common use are the modified Mercalli (MM) and Medvedev, Sponheuer and Karnik (MSK), both having twelve degrees.
Instruments of national power	All the means (political/diplomatic, economic, informational, and military) that can be employed in the pursuit of national objectives. (Joint Pub 3-07, Proposed Final Pub, Mar 94)
Integrated Management and Coordination Organization	The IMCO is the focal point for C2 in any disaster relief operation. It serves to facilitate and coordinate all relief functions within the total operation. Ideally each Receiving State should have established an IMCO, at least in cadreform, prior to the onset of the disaster to be augmented by representative from the Assisting States or agencies once the relief operation gets underway. In many respects the IMCO is similar to the DHA OSOCC model which has its origins in SAR. (DHA)
Intensity	The energy (of any radiation) incident upon (or flowing through) a unit area, perpendicular to the radiation beam, in unit time. The intensity of thermal radiation is generally expressed in calories per square centimeter per second falling on a given surface at any specified instant. As applied to nuclear radiation, the term "intensity" is sometimes used, rather loosely, to express the exposure dose rate at a given location; i.e., in roentgens (or milliroentgens) per hour.
Interagency	Coordination between non-military, or military and non-military entities (foreign or domestic) with the purpose of accomplishing an objective. Principle categories of entities may include UN, NGO/PVO, Military, ICRC, donors, and foreign governments. (unofficial, for use in this publication only)
International Disaster Relief Assistance	Material, personnel and services provided to a Receiving State to meet the needs of those affected by a disaster. It includes all actions necessary to grant and facilitate movement over the territory, territorial waters, and airspace of a Transit State. It is exclusively humanitarian and impartial in character. It is based on the respect of the principle of sovereignty of States and is executed without any discrimination based on race, color, sec, language or political or religious convictions. It shall be provided free of charge to the Receiving State, unless otherwise agreed between the Assisting and Receiving States beforehand (DHA). In the context of the present Guidelines, international disaster relief assistance means material, personnel and services provided by the international community to a Receiving State to meet the needs of those affected by a disaster. It includes all actions necessary to grant and facilitate movement over the territory, including the territorial waters and the airspace, of a Transit state. It is exclusively humanitarian and impartial in character. It is based on the respect of the principle of the sovereignty of States and is executed without any discrimination based on race, color, sex, language or political or religious convictions.
Ion	Atomic particle, atom, or chemical radical bearing an electrical charge, either negative or positive, due to an excess or deficit of orbital electrons.
Ionization	The separation of a normally electrically neutron atom or molecule into electrically charged components. The term is also employed to describe the degree or extent to which this separation occurred. In the sense used in this text, ionization refers especially to the removal of an electron (negative charge) from the atom or molecule, either directly or indirectly, leaving a positively charged ion. The separated electron and ion are referred to as an ion pair.
Ionization chamber	An inclosure that contains two or more electrodes, between which an electric field is maintained to collect the charge when the inclosed gas is ionized. The ions formed and registered are a measure of the incident radiation which has caused the ionization.
Ionizing radiation	Electromagnetic radiation (gamma rays or X rays) or particulate radiation (alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, and so on) capable of producing ions (electrically charged particles) directly or indirectly in its passage through matter.
Isobar	A line represented on a map or chart, connecting points on the surface that have equal barometric pressure over a given time or period.
Isohyet	A line drawn on a map or chart connecting points with equal amounts of precipitation.
Isoseismal	A line surrounding geographic points at which the observed macroseismic intensity is or is expected to be the same; thus, an isoseismal separates observations of different intensity degrees.
Isotherm	Line drawn on a map or chart connecting points with equal temperature.
Isotopes	Forms of the same element that have identical chemical properties but different in their atomic masses (due to different number of neutrons in their respective nuclei) and in the nuclear properties; for example, radioactivity and fission. To explain further, hydrogen has three isotopes with masses of 1 (hydrogen), 2 (deuterium), and 3 (tritium) is a radioactive isotope. Both of the common isotopes of uranium, with masses of 235 and 238 units, respectively, are radioactive and they both emit alpha particles, but their half-lives are different. Further, uranium 235 is fissionable by neutrons of all energies, but uranium 238 will undergo fission only with neutrons of high energy.
Joint Logistics	The pooling of specified logistic functions related to services and/or resources provided by more than one service of the same nation for common use under a coordinating authority. (NATO)
Joint task force	A force composed of assigned or attached elements of the Army, the Navy or the Marine Corps, and the Air Force, or two or more of these Services, which is constituted and so designated by the Secretary of Defense or by the commander of a unified command, a specified command, or an existing joint task force. (Joint Pub 1-02)
Lahar	See Debris Flow.
Land degradation	Progressive deterioration of land quality or land forms resulting from natural phenomena or human activity.
Landslide	Downhill sliding or falling movement of dry soil and rock.
Lava flow	Molten rock which flows downslope from a volcanic vent, typically moving at between a few metres to several tens of kilometres per hour.
Landslide stabilization	Measures to prevent the falling or sliding of soil or rock.
Lead Nation	A nation accepting responsibility for procuring and providing a broad spectrum of supply and services support for all or part of the multinational force package or for assuming lead role in a task-organized multinational logistic organization. (NATO)
Lead Time	Period of a particular hazard between its announcement and arrival, also used for the resources needed in relief operations.
Lethal	Deadly; fatal.
Levee	Water-retaining earthwork used to confine streamflow within a specified area along the streamor to prevent flooding due to waves or tides.
Lifelines	The public utilities and systems that provide water, sanitation, energy, communications and transportation. They are called lifelines not only because they provide life-support services, but also because they are linear systems. For example, water systems are composed of waterlines and electrical systems transmit electricity through powerlines. With linear systems, assessment is simplified because breaks or stoppages can easily be detected or traced.
Light rescue	See rescue.
Liquefaction	The transformation, usually by strong earthquake shaking, of a water saturated sandy soil to a soft, muddy state into which heavy objects sink.
Locust control	The use of monitoring techniques and remedial actions to control locust infestations (see infestation).
LOGISTICS	The science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces. In its most comprehensive sense, those aspects of military operations that deal with: - Design and development, acquisition, storage movement, distribution, maintenance evacuation and disposition of materials. - Movement, evacuation and hospitalization of personnel - Acquisition or construction, maintenance, operation and disposition of facilities. - Acquisition or furnishing of services.
Magma	The molten matter including liquid rock and gas under pressure which emerges from a volcanic vent.
Magnitude	An index of the seismic energy released by an earthquake (as contrasted to intensity that describes its effects at a particular place.) Devised by C.F. Richter in 1935. Magnitude is expressed in terms of the motion that would be measured by a specific type of seismograph located 100 km from the epicenter of an earthquake.
Main shock	The biggest of a particular sequence of earthquakes.
Malnutrition	A diseased state resulting from an absence or deficiency in the diet of one or more essential nutrients, either manifest or detectable by tests. Kwashiorkor, marasmus, oedema, wasting are some manifestations of malnutrition. Malnutrition can also be due to an excess of the wrong food.
Mass wasting	A general term for the dislodging and downslope transport of soil and rock material under the direct application of gravitational body stresses.
Maximum Permissible Dose (MPD)	That dose of ionizing radiation which a person may receive in his lifetime without producing any appreciable bodily injury. The presently accepted MPD is (N-18) X 5 rem. N is the individual's age (greater than 18).
Maximum probable flood	Greatest flood that may be expected, taking into account all pertinent factors of location, meteorology, hydrology and terrain.
Mean return period	The average time between occurrences of a particular hazard.
Medical care	A general term for all measures provided by medical personnel to a patient, including treatment and nursing.
Medical Evacuation	The medically controlled process of moving any person who is wounded, injured or ill to and/or between medical treatment facilities (NATO).
Mercalli scale	See Intensity.
Microzonation	Subdivision of a region into areas where similar hazard-related effects can be expected.
Military and civil defense assets	Services provided by foreign military and civil defense organizations that, under the control of a Government, performs the functions enumerated in paragraph 61 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
Military civic Action	The use of preponderantly indigenous military forces on projects useful to the local population at all levels in such fields as education, training, public works, agriculture, transportation, communications, health, sanitation, and others contributing to economic and social development, which would also serve to improve the standing of the military forces with the population. (US forces may at times advise or engage in military civic actions in overseas areas.) (Joint Pub 1-02)
Military operations other than war	The range of military actions required by the National Command Authorities, except those associated with major combat operations conducted pursuant to a declaration of war or authorized by the Ware Powers Limitation Act or a joint resolution of Congress, in support of national security interests and objectives. These military actions can be applied to complement any combination of the other instruments of national power. (Joint Pub 3-07, (Proposed Final Pub) Mar 94)
Mitigation	Measures taken n advance of a disaster aimed at decreasing or eliminating its impact on society and on environment.
MM Scale	See Intensity.
Mobile Satellite Communication System	Used after breakdown of other communication facilities in disaster affected areas by disaster aid teams to perform via Satellite exchange of detailed information by telex, phone, fax with their headquarters concerning detailed requirements ensuring a most effective way for the delivery of appropriated relief supplies.
Monitoring	A procedure or operation of locating (and measuring) radioactive contamination by means of survey instruments which can detect and measure (as dose rates) ionizing radiation's. The individual performing the operation is called a monitor.
Monsoon	Seasonally heavy rains and wind the direction of which varies from one season to another. They occur particularly in the Indian Ocean and South Asian areas.
MSK Scale	See Intensity.
Mudflow	The down-slope transfer of fine earth material mixed with water.
Multinational	Military operations conducted by the armed forces of more two or more nations in pursuit of common objectives. Multinational operations can be either coalition or alliance. (Joint Pub 3-0, 9 Sep 93)
Multinational Joint Logistic Command	The component logistic command within the MJPKF responsible for coordinating and providing, as appropriate, theater level logistic support. (NATO)
Multinational Logistics	The pooling of specified logistic functions related to services and/or resources provided by NATO and non-NATO nations for common use under a coordinating authority. (NATO)
Multinational Logistic Support Command	A nation's logistic command that is directly responsible for providing supplies and services to sustain their deployed forces. (NATO)
Mutual Assistance	That support which nations or units render each other, either based on bilateral arrangements or coordinated by an appropriate superior logistic staff.
National Support Element (NSE)	The national grouping of functional logistic support headquarters and units located within COMMJPKF area of responsibility (AOR). (NATO)
Natural Hazard	Natural phenomena which occur in proximity and pose a threat to people, structures or economic assets and may cause disaster. They are caused by biological, geological, seismic, hydrological or meteorological conditions or processes in the natural environment.
Neutron	A neutron particle which has no electric charge, of approximately unit mass, and is present in all atomic nuclei except those of ordinary hydrogen. Neutrons are required to initiate the fission process, and large number of neutrons are produced by both fission and fusion reactions in nuclear explosions.
Non-Governmental organizations	Predominantly European organizations of private citizens that consult with the Economic and Social Council of the UN. NGOs may be professional associations, foundations, multinational businesses, or simply groups with a common interest in development and relief activities. (Multi-Service Pub on HA, (Draft version 3A) Mar 94)
Non-structural flood mitigation	System for reduction of the effects of floods using non-structural means, e.g. land-use planning (flood plain zoning), advance warning systems, flood insurance.
Non-structural elements	Those parts of a building (e.g. partitions, ceilings, etc.) which do not belong to the loadbearing system.
Nowcast	Short-period prediction of weather phenomena based on current observations from a system (such as radar) capable of detecting mesoscale features.
Nuclear accident	Accidental release of radiation occurring in civil nuclear facilities, exceeding the internationally established safety levels.
Nuclear radiation	Particulate and electromagnetic radiation emitted from atomic nuclei in various nuclear processes. The important nuclear radiation's are alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, and neutrons. All nuclear radiation's are ionizing radiation's, but the reverse is not true; X rays, for example, are included among ionizing radiation's, but they are not nuclear radiation since they do not originate from atomic nuclei.
Nucleus (or Atomic nucleus)	The small, central, positively charged region of an atom which carries essentially all of the mass. Except for the nucleus of ordinary hydrogen, which is a single proton, all atomic nuclei contains both protons and neutrons. The number of protons determines the total positive charge or atomic number; this is the same for all the atomic nuclei of a given chemical element. The total number of neutrons and protons, called the mass number, is closely related to the mass or weight of the atom. The nuclei of isotopes of a given element contain the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. They thus have the same atomic number and so are the same element, but they have different mass numbers and masses. The nuclear properties, for example radioactivity, fission, and neutron capture of an isotope, of a given element are determined by both the number of neutrons and the number of protons.
Nuee ardente	See Pyroclastic flow.
N-year event	Magnitude of an event, the return period of which is N years.
OCP	Freight/carriage Paid to....(named point of destination) Like C&F, this term means that the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the named destination. However, the risk of loss of or damage to the goods, as well as of any cost increases, is transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods have been delivered into the custody of the first carrier and not at the ship's rail. It can be used for all modes of transport including multimodal operations and container or roll on-roll off traffic by trailers and ferries. When the seller has to furnish a Bill of Lading, waybill or carrier's receipt, he duly fulfills this obligation by presenting such a document issued by the person with whom he has contracted for carriage to the named destination.
Oil spill	The contamination of a water or land area by oil.
Operational control	Control exercised by commanders at any echelon at or below the level of combatant command. OPCON is inherent in COCOM and is the authority to perform the functions of command over subordinate forces that involve organizing and employing commands and forces, assigning tasks, designating objectives, and giving authoritative direction necessary to accomplish the mission. OPCON includes authoritative direction over all aspects of military operations and joint training necessary to accomplish missions assigned to the command. OPCON should be exercised through the commanders of subordinate organizations; normally, this authority is exercised through the Service component commanders. OPCON normally gives full authority to organize commands and forces and to employ those forces as the commander in operational control considers necessary to accomplish assigned missions. OPCON does not, in and of itself, include authoritative direction for logistics or matters of administrations, discipline, internal organizations, or unit training. (Joint Pub 0-2)
Palmer index	A mathematical representation of drought conditions.
Peace Building	These are post-conflicts actions, predominately diplomatic, that strengthen and rebuild civil infrastructure and institutions in order to avoid a relapse into conflict.
Peace Operations	This is the umbrella term which encompasses three types of activities; activities with predominately diplomatic lead, (preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace building); and two complementary, predominately military activities (peacekeeping and peace-enforcement).
Peace-enforcement	Peace-enforcement is the application of military force, or the threat of its use, normally pursuant to international authorization, to compel compliance with generally accepted resolutions or sanctions to maintain or restore peace and support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political settlement. The primary purpose of PE is the restorations of peace under conditions broadly defined by the international community.
Peacekeeping	Peacekeeping Operations are neutral military or para-military operations that are undertaken with the consent of all major belligerents, designed to monitor and facilitate implementation of an existing truce and support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political settlement.
Peacemaking	This is a process of diplomacy, mediation, negotiation, or other forms of peaceful settlements that arrange ends to disputes, and resolve issues that led to conflict.
Peak discharge	Maximum discharge for a given hydrograph.
Permafrost	Layer of soil or rock in which the temperature has been continuously below 0 C for at least some years.
Personnel Decontamination	The removal of radioactive materials from human skin by appropriate mechanical and/or chemical means.
Personnel Monitoring	The determination of the degree of radioactive contamination on individuals by the use of standard survey meters and the determination of the dose received by means of dosimeters.
Plate tectonics	The concept that the earth's upper layers are made up of several large rigid plates whose boundaries are fault zones along which slippage takes place.
Polar front	Quasi-permanent atmospheric front of great extent, in middle latitudes, which separates polar air and tropical air.
Polder	A mostly low-lying area artificially protected from surrounding water and within the water table can be controlled.
Pollution	Degradation of one or more elements or aspects in the environment by noxious industrial, chemical or biological wastes, from debris of man-made products and from mismanagement of natural and environmental resources.
Population at risk	A well-defined population whose lives, property, and livelihoods are threatened by given hazards. Used as a denominator.
Potable water	Water that is agreeable to drink, free from health hazards and of which the quality is normally regulated by the responsible authority. In disaster situations measures can be employed to render contaminated water potable.
Precipitation gauge	General term for any device that measures the amount of precipitation; principally a rain gauge or snow gauge.
Precipitation intensity	Amount of precipitation collected in unit time interval.
Precursor	Phenomenon indicating a probable occurrence of an earthquake or a volcanic eruption.
Prediction	A statement of the expected time, place and magnitude of a future event (for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions).
Predictor	Meteorological or hydrological element, or an index compiled from several elements, which is known (often empirically) to be highly correlated with a quantity which is to be forecast and is used to forecast it.
Preparedness	Activities designed to minimize loss of life and damage, to organize the temporary removal for people and property from a threatened location and facilitate timely and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation. See also prevention.
Prevention	Encompasses activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. It includes engineering and other physical protective measures, and also legislative measures controlling land use and urban planning. See also preparedness.
Preventive Diplomacy	These are diplomatic actions taken in advance of a predictable crisis to prevent or limit violence breaks out.
Primary affected population	People requiring immediate assistance during an emergency situation.
Private voluntary organizations	Private voluntary organizations, not registered as NGO's.
Probable maximum precipitation	Amount of precipitation that is the upper limit for a given duration over a particular basin.
Public awareness	The process of informing the community as to the nature of the hazard and actions needed to save lives and property prior to and in the event of disaster.
Pyroclastic flow	High density flow of solid volcanic fragments suspended in gas which flows downslope from a volcanic vent (at speeds up to 200 km/h) which may also develop from partial collapse of a vertical eruption cone, subdivided according to fragment composition and nature of flowage into: ash flow, glowing avalanche, nuee ardente, pumice flow.
Quicksand	Saturated sandy deposits which, under the influence of hydrostatic pressures, are buoyant and are able to flow.
Rad	A unit of absorbed dose of radiation; it represents the absorption of 10 ergs of ionization radiation per gram of the absorbing material or tissue.
Radar	Radio method of determining at a single station the direction and distance of an object.
Radiac	A term referring to radiation-measuring instruments such as dosimeters, dose rate meters, laboratory counters and scalers, alpha survey meters, and so on. The term come from Radioactivity Detection, Identification and Computation. Radiac may be used as a noun or as an adjective.
Radioisotope	An unstable nuclide which emits particulate and/or electromagnetic radiation in the process of transforming to a stable state.
Raingauge	See Precipitation gauge.
Rapid reconnaissance	The immediate post-disaster visual survey(s) taken by the government or operators of public systems to determine the areas most affected ant to establish priorities for action. The surveys are usually quick drive-through, overflights, or a combination of both.
Rating curve	Curve showing the relation between water stage and discharge of a stream at a flow gauging station. If digitized, it is a rating table.
Ration	A ration is the particular amount of food provided by an assistance program for beneficiaries in specified target group to meet defined nutritional objectives.
Readiness	Readiness is considered the time within which a unit can be made ready to perform unit type tasks. It does not include any transit time (NATO).
Receiving State	Receiving State means a State which has requested or concurred with the offer of IDRA.
Reconstruction	The permanent reconstruction or replacement of severely damaged physical structures, the full restoration of all services and local infrastructure, and the revitalization of the economy.
Recovery phase	The period and actions taken following the emergency phase to enable victims to resume normal lives and means of livelihood, and to restore infrastructure, services, and the economy in a manner appropriate to long-term needs and defined development objectives.
Rehabilitation	Actions taken in the aftermath of a disaster to enable basic services to resume functioning, assist victims'self-help efforts to repair dwellings and community facilities, and revive economic activities.
Refugee	A civilian who, by reason of real or imagined danger, has left his home to seek safety elsewhere. (Dislocated Civilians a Handbook on Displaced Persons, Refugees and Evacuees, 354th CA Brigade)
Relief	The provision on a humanitarian basis of material aid and emergency medical care necessary to save and preserve human lives and enable families to meet their basic needs for shelter, clothing, water, and food.
Relief Personnel	Relief personnel comprise those individuals, groups of individuals, teams and constituted units executing IDRA.
Relief Services	Relief services are capabilities, arrangements and systems required to support and facilitate IDRA. They include, inter-alia, logistics, telecommunications and air-traffic control.
Relief Supplies	Relief supplies comprise goods, such as survival items, temporary shelter, foodstuffs, medical supplies, clothing and other materiel for IDRA.
Rem	A unit of biological dose of radiation; the name is derived from the initial letters of the term "rad equivalent man". The radiation dose in rems is equal to rads multiplied by the relative biological effectiveness of the given radiation for a specific affect.
Remote sensing	The observation and/or study of an area, object or phenomenon from an aerial distance, frequently using data collected by satellite.
Rescue	The process of recovering disaster victims and the application of first aid and basic medical assistance as may be required.
Residual Nuclear Radiation	Nuclear radiation, chiefly beta particles and gamma rays, which persists form some time following a nuclear explosion. The radiation is emitted mainly by the fission products, and other bomb residues in the fallout, and to some extent by earth and water constituent and other materials in which radioactivity has been induced by the capture of neutrons.
Respirator	The number one item of protective equipment which protects the face, eyes, and respiratory tract of the wearer from field concentrations of NBC agents. This item was formerly called "gas mask" or "protective mask".
Resettlement	Actions necessary for the permanent settlement of persons dislocated or otherwise affected by a disaster to an area different from their last place of habitation.
Return period	See "Mean return period".
Richter scale	See magnitude.
Risk	For engineering purposes, risk is defined as the expected losses caused by a particular phenomenon. Risk is a function of the probability of particular occurrences and the losses each would cause. Other analysts use the term to mean the probability of a disaster occurring and resulting in a particular level of loss.
Risk assessment	The process of determining the nature and scale of the losses which can be anticipated in particular areas during a specified time period.
Rockfall	Free-falling or precipitous movement of a newly detached segment of bedrock of any size from a cliff or other very steep slope.
Rockslide	A downward, usually sudden and rapid movement of newly detached segments of bedrock over an inclined surface or over pre-existing features.
Roentgen	A unit of exposure dose of gamma (or X) radiation. It is defined precisely as the quantity of gamma (or X) radiation such that the associated corpuscular emission per 0.001293 gram of air produces, in air, ions, carrying one electrostatic unit quantity of electricity of either sign. From the accepted value (34 electron volts) for the energy lost by an electron in producing a positive-negative ion pair in air, it is estimated that 1 roentgen of gamma (or X) radiation would result in the absorption of 87 ergs of energy per gram of air.
Role specialization	A nation accepting responsibility for procuring and providing a particular class of supply or service for all or part of the multinational force package. (NATO)
Routing	See "Flood routing".
Rupture zone	Area of fault breakage corresponding to a particular earthquake sequence.
Sample survey	As survey technique wherein a representative portion of a larger group or community is queried. Sample surveys, if properly designed, can speed the assessment process and provide reliable data for planning emergency responses.
Sanitation	The application of measures and techniques aimed at ensuring and improving general hygiene in the community, including the collection, evacuation and disposal of liquid and solid wastes, as well as measures for creating favorable environmental conditions for health and disease prevention.
Satellite applications	The use of satellite technology for the purpose of communications or data transmission for monitoring, warning and dissemination of information pertinent to emergency response and/or disaster management.
Search and rescue	The process of locating and recovering disaster victims and the application of first aid and basic medical assistance as may be required.
Sea surge	A rise in sea level that results in the inundation of areas along coastlines. These phenomena are caused by the movement of ocean and sea currents, winds and major storms.
Secondary hazards	Those hazards that occur as a result of another hazard of disaster, i.e., fires or landslides following earthquakes, epidemics following famines, food shortages following drought or floods.
Seiche	A free or standing wave oscillation of the surface of water in an enclosed basin that is initiated by local atmospheric changes, tidal currents or earthquakes.
Seismic-activity rate	The mean number per unit time of earthquakes with specific characteristics (e.g., magnitude 6) originating on a selected fault or in a selected area.
Seismic belt	An elongated earthquake zone; usually located along the boundaries of tectonic plates.
Seismic isolation	System used to limit the transfer of strong ground motion to a structure.
Seismic zone	An area within which grand motion and seismic-design requirements for structures are similar.
Seismicity	The distribution of earthquakes in space and time.
Seismograph	An instrument for recording vibratory motion of the ground.
Severe weather threat index	An index used to predict thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Shear wall	A structural element which resists lateral forces.
Shelter	Physical protection requirements of disaster victims who no longer have access to normal habitation facilities. Immediate post-disaster needs are met by the use of tents. Alternatives may include polypropylene houses, plastic sheeting, geodesic domes, and other similar types of temporary housing.
Shielding	Any material or obstruction which absorbs radiation and thus tends to protect personnel or materials form the effects of nuclear explosion. A moderately thick layer of any opaque material will provide satisfactory shielding from thermal radiation, but a considerable thickness of material of high density may be needed for nuclear radiation shielding.
Simulation exercise	Decision making exercise and disaster drills within threatened communities in order to represent disaster situations to promote more effective coordination of response from relevant authorities and the population.
Situation report	A brief report that is published and updated periodically during a relief effort and which outlines the details of the emergency, the needs generated, and the responses undertaken by all donors as they become known. Sitreps are issued by DHA, by UNHCR, ICRC and LRCS.
Slide	See Landslide.
Slow-onset disasters	Situations in which the ability of people to acquire food and other necessities of life slowly declines to a point where survival is ultimately jeopardized. Such situations are typically brought on or precipitated by drought, crop failure, pest diseases or other forms of "ecological" disaster, or neglect.
SMS/GOES	Satellites orbiting over the equator at the same rate as Earth's rotation and providing images of visible and infrared portions of the spectrum for the same area every 30 minutes. The satellites can collect and distribute environmental data from remote unattended data collection platforms on land, in water, or in the atmosphere and quickly transmit these data to ground receiving stations.
Soil conditions	The conditions of earth (moisture content, desegregation, density, etc.) that may mitigate or intensify disaster agents, such as drought, flooding, or seismic movement.
Soil creep	The gradual and steady movement of soil and loose rock material down a slope that may be gentle but is usually steep; it is also called surficial creep.
Soil moisture	Content of water in the portion of the soil which is above the table water including water vapour present in the soil pores. In some cases refers strictly to moisture within the root zone of plants.
Specific risk	The expected degree of loses due to a particular natural phenomenon and as a function of both natural hazard and vulnerability.
Squall	Atmospheric phenomenon characterized by an abrupt and large increase of wind speed with a duration of the order of minutes, and a rather sudden decrease in speed. It is often accompanied by showers or thunderstorms.
Staple food	A food that is regularly consumed in a country or community and from which a substantial proportion of the total calorie supply is obtained.
Starvation	The state resulting from extreme privation of food or of drastic reduction in nutrient intake over a period of time leading to severe physiological, functional, behavioral, and morphological differences.
Stay Time	The period during which personnel are allowed to remain in a radiation and/or contaminated area before accumulating their permissible doses.
Stockpiling	The process of prior identification, availability and storage of supplies likely to be needed for disaster response.
Storm	An atmospheric disturbance involving perturbations of the prevailing pressure and wind fields, on scales ranging from tornadoes (1 km across) to extratropical cyclones (2-3000 km across).
Storm surge	A storm tide accompanied by huge waves propelled by hurricane-force winds. Storm surges have been reported over five meters above seal level and can be driven inland many kilometers over flat coastal areas. A storm surge is the greatest threat to life related to cyclonic storms.
Structural flood mitigation	Structural system for reduction of the effects of floods using physical solutions, including reservoirs, levees, dredging, diversions, and flood-proofing.
Subsidence	Collapse of a considerable area of land surface, due to the removal of liquid or solid underlying or removal of soluble material by means of water.
Surface burst	The explosion of a nuclear weapon at the surface of the land or water, or at a height above the surface less than the radius of the fireball at maximum luminosity in the second thermal pulse. An explosion in which the bomb is detonated actually on the surface is called a contact surface burst or a true surface burst.
Survey Meter	A portable instrument with a detector, such as a Geiger counter or ionization chamber, used to detect nuclear radiation and to measure the dose rate.
Symptoms	Functional evidence of disease or of conditions, or a change in condition, indicative of some abnormal mental or bodily state.
Synoptic chart	Chart on which meteorological data, analyzed or forecasted for a specific time, are presented to describe the atmospheric conditions.
Tasks	Those tasks, functions, services or actions necessary to enable the unit to operate on a day to day basis. E.g. The provision of food for unit personnel consumption. Those tasks, functions, services or actions necessary to support directly or carry out the disaster relief operation. E.g. The provision of food for consumption by famine victims (NATO).
Technology transfer or cooperation	Information and equipment provided by one country or area to another, along with the responsibility of training individuals in the use of that information, technology and/or equipment.
Telemetry	The use of data communications devices from the sensors in situ, to a receiving station.
Temporary housing	See shelter
Tephra	See Ejecta
Terracing	Horizontal cuts, benches or embankments made along hillsides to reduce erosion, improve cropping, hold back runoff, improve infiltration of rain, or carry out some other conservation function.
Thermal Energy	The energy emitted from the ball of fire as thermal radiation. A total amount of thermal energy received per unit area at a specified distance from a nuclear explosion is generally expressed in terms of calories per square centimeter.
Thermal Energy Yield or Thermal Yield	The part of the total energy yield of the nuclear explosion which is radiated as thermal energy. As a general rule, the thermal energy is one-third of the total energy of the explosion. It may be expressed in calories, ergs, or in terms of the TNT equivalent.
Thermal Radiation	Electromagnetic radiation emitted in two pulses from the ball of fire as a consequence of its very high temperature; it consists essentially of ultraviolet, visual, and infrared radiation's. In the early stages, when the temperature of the fireball is extremely high, the ultraviolet radiation predominates; in the second pulse the temperatures are lower, and most of the thermal radiation lies in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. From a high-altitude burst, the thermal radiation is emitted in a single short pulse.
Thermonuclear	An adjective referring to the process or processes in which very high temperatures are used to bring about the fusion of light nuclei, such as those of the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, with the accompanying liberation of energy. A thermonuclear bomb is a weapon in which part of the explosion energy results from the thermonuclear fusion reactions. The high temperatures required are obtained by means of a fission explosion.
Tidal bore	An abrupt rise of tidal water (caused by atmospheric activities) moving rapidly inland from the mouth of an estuary.
TNT Equivalent	A measure of energy, released in the donation of a nuclear weapon or in the explosion of a given quantity of fissionable material, expressed in the terms of the quantity of TNT which would release the same amount of energy when exploded. The TNT equivalent is usually stated in kilotons or megatons. The basis of the TNT equivalence is that the explosion of 1 ton of TNT releases 109 calories of energy.
Tornado	A violently rotating storm of small diameter, the most violent weather phenomenon. It is produced in a very severe thunderstorm and appears as a funnel cloud extending from the base of a Cumulonimbus to the ground.
Torrent control	Structures (rock or other materials) constructed to halt the erosion of stream channels.
Toxicity	A poisonous property possessed by a material which enables it to injure a physiological mechanism of an organism by chemical means. Death is a maximum effect to be obtained.
Toxic chemical agent	A chemical, irrespective of its physical state, having toxic properties which may be effectively exploited in war.
Transit State	Transit State means any State whose territory, including the airspace and/or the territorial waters, are traversed for the delivery of IDRA.
Trauma	Injury of any nature.
Tremor	A shaking movement of the ground associated with an earthquake or explosion.
Tropical cyclone	A storm originating over tropical seas with destructive winds rotating around a low pressure are. Most commonly observed in the Northern Hemisphere from May to November and in the Southern Hemisphere from December to June.
Tropical Storm	See Storm.
Tsunami	A series of large sea waves generated by sudden displacement of seawater (caused by earthquake, volcanic eruption or submarine landslide); capable of propagation over large distance.
Underground Burst	The explosion of a nuclear weapon with its center beneath the surface of the ground.
Underwater Burst	The explosion of a nuclear weapon with its center beneath the surface of the water.
Unit	The term "unit" applies equally to individuals/groups of individuals, assets, capabilities (e.g. airdrop, decontamination) and formed or constituted organizations (NATO).
Vector	A carrier; especially the animal or host that carries the pathogen from one host to another as the malaria-carrying mosquito.
Vector control	Measures taken to decrease the number of disease carrying organisms and to diminish the risk of their spreading infectious diseases.
Virus	A minute infectious agent, smaller than bacteria, which is capable of passing through filters that will retain bacteria. They multiply only within a susceptible host cell.
Volag	See Voluntary agencies.
Volcanic eruption	The discharge (aerially explosive) of fragmentary ejecta, lava and gases, from a volcanic vent.
Volcano	The mountain formed by local accumulation of volcanic materials around an erupting vent.
Voluntary agencies or volags	Nongovernmental agencies or organizations that exist in many countries throughout the world. Some possess personal trained to assist when disaster strikes. Some volags have capabilities that extend from the local to national and international levels.
Vulnerability	The extent to which a community, structure, service or geographic area is likely to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular disaster hazard, on account of their nature, construction, and proximity to hazardous terrain or a disaster-prone area.
Warning	Dissemination of message signaling imminent hazard which may include advise on protective measures; see also Alert.
Warning systems	Arrangements to rapidly disseminate information concerning imminent disaster threats to government officials, institutions and the population at large in the areas at immediate risk. They normally relate to tropical storms and floods.
Water management system	Group of water engineering structures and related water bodies serving one or more purposes and managed as a unified whole.
Water policy	Collection of legislation, legal interpretations, governmental decisions, agency rules and regulations, and cultural responses by which a country's actions concerning the quantity and quality of water are guided.
Watershed divide	Boundary line separating adjacent drainage basins.
Weathering	The break up of mechanical, chemical and biological processes.
Whole-Body Exposure	An exposure of the body to radiation where a major portion of the body, rather than an isolated part, is irradiated. Where a radioisotope is uniformly distributed throughout the body tissues, rather than being concentrated in certain organs, the radiation can be considered as a whole-body exposure.
Windbreak	A barrier used to decrease the wind speed.
Wind force	Number on a Beaufort scale corresponding to the effects produced by winds within a range of speeds.
Wind pressure	The total force exerted upon a structure by wind. For flat surface it is the sum of the dynamic pressure exerted on the windward side and the pressure decrease, or suction, produced on the sheltered side.
Wipe Sample	A sample made for the purpose of determining the presence of removable radioactive contamination on a surface. It is done by wiping, with slight pressure, a piece of soft filter paper over a representative area or surface.
World Weather Watch	The world-wide, coordinated, developing system of meteorological facilities and services provided by WMO Members for the purposes of ensuring that all Members obtain the meteorological information required both for operational work and research.
X Ray	Penetrating electromagnetic radiation which has wavelengths very much shorter than those of visible light. They are usually produced by bombarding a metallic target with fast electrons in a high vacuum. In nuclear reactions it is customary to refer to photons originating in the nucleus as gamma rays and to those originating in the extranuclear part of the atom as X rays. These rays are sometimes called roentgen rays after their discoverer, W. C. Roentgen.
Yield or Energy Yield	The total effective energy release in a nuclear explosion. It is usually expressed in terms of the equivalent tonnage of TNT required to produce the same energy released in an explosion. The total energy yield is manifested as a nuclear radiation, thermal radiation, and shock and blast energy; the actual distribution primarily upon the medium in which the explosion occurs, upon the type of weapon used, and the time after detonation.
Zonation	The division of an area, country, or region into zones according to its disaster incidence rate or intensity.
Zoonosis	Any disease of animals that can be transmitted to man.