Emergency monitoring

Classification of emergencies by causes includes the following types:

1. Natural disasters: related to natural phenomena such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, forest fires, severe weather (strong wind, hail, heavy rain, snowfall, etc.).
2. Technogenic accidents: caused by human activity, such as accidents at hazardous industries (chemical, oil-refining, nuclear, etc.), transport accidents (road, railway, air and water routes) and other accidents related to the use of technologies.
3. Socio-economic crises: arise from social and economic causes such as company bankruptcies, shortage of resources (water, electricity, food, etc.), mass strikes and protests, political conflicts, wars, terrorist acts, etc.
4. Biological crises: related to the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics, epidemics, mass food poisoning and other biological causes.
5. Causes unknown: when the cause of the emergency cannot be established or remains unknown.

Classification of emergencies by scale is determined by the number of people affected and the geographic zone of impact. The following scale categories of emergencies are usually distinguished:

1. Local emergencies. These are events occurring in a limited territory and affecting a limited number of people and facilities. Examples may include fires in residential buildings, accidents on roads or at large industrial enterprises.

2. Regional emergencies. These are events covering several settlements or regions and affecting a significant number of people and facilities. Examples may include floods, droughts or forest fires affecting several districts or regions.

3. National emergencies. These are events affecting a large part of the country's territory and causing serious problems for its population and economy. Examples may include natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes, as well as major technogenic catastrophes.

4. International emergencies. These are events that cover several countries or regions and require joint efforts of the international community to address them. Examples may include pandemics, global environmental disasters or terrorist acts affecting several countries.

Classification of emergencies by duration may be as follows:

1. Short-term emergencies — those lasting no more than 24 hours. For example, emergency road closure, a brief power outage, short-term floods, etc.

2. Medium-term emergencies — those lasting from 24 hours to several days. For example, inundation of a territory, a fire at an industrial facility, a transport accident that delayed traffic for several days, etc.

3. Long-term emergencies — those lasting more than several days or weeks and that may continue for several months or even years. For example, an epidemic, a flood, a drought, a crop disease, etc.

Classification of emergencies by duration makes it possible to determine the measures needed for prevention and response and to assess possible economic and social consequences.

Classification of emergencies by spread rate is determined by how quickly an emergency can spread and lead to negative consequences. This can be an important criterion when developing emergency prevention and response plans.

1. Instantaneous emergencies — those that occur suddenly and can lead to negative consequences within seconds or minutes. Examples include earthquakes, explosions, fires, severe storms, terrorist attacks, etc.

2. Fast-spreading emergencies — those that can spread over several hours or days and lead to negative consequences over a wide radius. Examples may include forest fires, epidemics, droughts, floods, strong winds, etc.

3. Slow-spreading emergencies — those that can spread over days, weeks or even months, but whose consequences may be significant. Examples include vegetation diseases, water or soil pollution, climate change, etc.

Classification of emergencies by suddenness may include the following categories:

1. Predictable emergencies — events that can be forecast in advance and for which prevention or mitigation measures can be taken. Examples may include hurricanes, floods, droughts, forest fires and other natural phenomena.

2. Unpredictable emergencies — events that cannot be forecast in advance and occur suddenly. Examples may include earthquakes, tornadoes, explosions and other technogenic emergencies.

3. Combined emergencies — events that are a combination of predictable and unpredictable emergencies. Examples may include natural disasters such as earthquakes that can cause floods and landslides.

Classification of emergencies by suddenness helps determine what measures should be taken to prevent and respond to emergencies and to mitigate their consequences.

Forecasting of emergencies by specialised services is important because it makes it possible to prepare for a probable hazard, issue a timely warning to the population and EMERCOM bodies, plan competent response actions, minimise losses, avoid accidental casualties and sometimes prevent the emergency itself.

An emergency is an unexpected and extreme event that poses a threat to life, health, the environment, public safety or property. An emergency can arise from various causes such as natural disasters, technogenic accidents, terrorist acts, epidemics, conflicts and others.

Main features of an emergency:

1. Suddenness: Emergencies arise suddenly and unexpectedly, without giving enough time to prepare.

2. Threat: Emergencies pose a danger to people's life, health, the environment or property.

3. Need for response: Emergencies require prompt and adequate response from authorities, specialists and society.

4. Scale: Depending on the nature of the event, emergencies may cover a small territory (for example, an industrial accident) or have a global scale (for example, natural disasters).

5. Consequences: Emergencies can lead to serious consequences such as loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, environmental damage and other negative consequences.

To manage emergencies, special operational headquarters and committees are usually created to coordinate the actions of all relevant services and organisations. Such situations require coordinated efforts for prevention, response and damage minimisation, as well as assistance to those affected.

Emergencies can have different nature and character, and states develop corresponding plans and measures to manage various types of emergencies.