Emergency Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Emergency Management - Essay Example In order to avoid these sorts of risks, there was a necessity to effectively manage these issues. Emergency Management is a resultant of such necessity. Hence, Emergency management can be thought of as the effort to avoid risks within as well as outside the country and help in cases of disasters whether natural or not (Jane, 2004). The Emergency management is very important sector which needs to be given a high priority for the kind of work they do. Emergency Management's work is to deal with risks and to avoid them. This is of great help at times of natural calamities. Emergency management can be done at various levels like country-wide, state-wide or it can also be done at group or individual level. The Emergency management process is considered as a continuous process which has four phases namely mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery (IJEM, 2006). Each phase has concentration on one part of the emergency management. Mitigation is the long term phase which tries to avoid risks or minimize the risks and stop them from turning into disasters. Hence, mitigation has the lead role in reduction of risks or threats to maximum extent possible. The mitigative measures are either structural or non-structural. Structural mitigation measures are taken from technology based measures to ensure safety from disasters where as the non-structural measures are the measures like the usage of shutters at hurricane prone areas or attachi ng water heaters to the building walls at regions where probability of earth quakes is high. Some of the structural mitigative measures are the building of dams, flood levees etc. The mitigation phase is economic and unwasteful. The risks are identified through an assessment calculation. The equation says that the hazard specific risk is the product of hazard and the vulnerability of the people to that hazard (IJEM, 2006). The higher hazard specific risk indicates the need for immediate action to solve it. The next phase in the emergency management is the preparedness phase. In the preparedness phase the concentration is on the planning of actions to be taken after a disaster occurs. This phase of planning is carried out by the Emergency managers. The preparedness phase has a few measures that are common to any kind of rescue. These include better communication plans between the team, division of the rescue team into multiple sub-divisions, training the team and emergency services, gathering required infrastructure and building temporary shelters etc. It is always advisable that individuals have their own preparedness but this may also cause confusion among the people and the team. The preparedness phase can be aptly done only with the help of trained team of committed and hard working people. The next phase is the response phase. This phase has the first to react team like ambulance or police etc. who are later followed by a rescue team. Response as the name suggests is the immediate reaction to the disaster occurred. This is done not only by the emergency management team but also by some local organizations like the Red Cross and other public safety agencies (Jane, 2004). The efforts

A phenomenological study of Chinese Buddhist temples Essay

A phenomenological study of Chinese Buddhist temples - Essay Example This paper is about Chinese Buddhist temples from an architectural perspective. The introduction in part A describes what these temples are and this is followed by a selection of some temples of architectural significance as examples. The introduction in part A describes what these temples are and this is followed by a selection of some temples of architectural significance as examples. This brief survey is then used to identify some typical architectural features in part B, a description of three distinct architectural styles, and a discussion of the impact of the introduction of Buddhism in China. The main part C then describes the phenomenological study of a particular temple, namely the Bao Shan Chan Si after first justifying the method and introducing the temple. Part A: Chinese Buddhist temples Introduction to Chinese Buddhist temples Buddhist temples are spiritual spaces designed for worship, devotion or offerings according to the Buddhist religion. Chinese Buddhist temples ha ve been known throughout history as Ci, Lanruo, Jlalan, Jingshe and Si. Temples are one of the most conspicuous and significant of buildings that exhibit Buddhist (xiu xing) architecture. Others are pagodas (religious towers), grottos (religious caves) and stupas (dome-shaped monuments). They display marvellous items with Buddhist symbolism, sculpture, painting and calligraphy. But they have more than these outward features alone. They are also places of serenity, tranquillity and holiness. They exude an atmosphere in which people can feel inner peace and spend time to purify their souls. A selection of some temples of architectural significance There are many Buddhist temples all over China, but three of these were selected to illustrate the significance of Chinese Buddhist temples from an architectural perspective. These are the JieTai temple, the Longhua temple, and Yo Fu Si. The construction of the JieTai Temple, which is outside Beijing, began during the Tan dynasty but was com pleted during the later Qing dynasty. The JieTai temple has a special ordination platform made of white marble containing beautifully carved figures and special rock formations and trees around its main courtyard. JieTai Temple (Source: http://www.buddhist-tourism.com/countries/china/temples/tanzhe-temple.html) The Longhua Temple is the largest in Shanghai. In its domed Grand Hall is a glided statue of the Buddha together with his disciples. There is also a special sculpture that shows how reincarnation happens. In another hall called the Three Sage Hall, there are three incarnations of the Buddha, and another room contains 500 golden small arhat statues. The temple complex also has a special pagoda constructed from wood and brick. It has an octagonal structure and seven stories, which is highly symbolic. The Grand Hall of the Longhua Temple (Source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/shanghai-longhua-temple) Also in Shangai is a famous temple known as the Jade Buddha (Yu Fo S i) Temple. It is so called because it contains two Buddha statues made from white jade, which were brought over from Burma. From the perspective of architecture, the temple has a Song dynasty style so it is a fairly new temple and therefore distinct from traditional Chinese architecture. One of these distinct features is the use of circular doors as shown in the photo below. One of the circular doors of the Jade Buddha Temple (Source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/shanghai-jade-buddha-temple) Part B: Typical architectural features of Chinese Buddhist temples The above survey of Buddhist temples in China has revealed typical architectural features listed below. Chinese Buddhist temples tend to have: Several large halls connected together Small courtyards separating its halls Statues of the Buddha and other ornamental sculptures Tiled roofs turned upward at the corners Common materials were wood, brick and stone Usually symmetrical