their origins, peacetime disasters are of two main types: natural and man-made. There  is  no  official  military  definition  for  military or  naval  disasters.  However,  any  definition  of  peacetime naval disasters would only differ from those previously listed in the application of terms to naval personnel, equipment or installations. In terms of this chapter, remember that naval disasters differ in the scope of public interest and concern. A naval disaster in any locale  provokes  the  interest  of  the  entire  country  since Navy personnel come from all corners of the United States. A Navy ship involved in a collision, for instance, may very well have representatives from all 50 states in its crew. DESCRIPTIVE DIFFERENCES In addition to the two general classes of disasters, natural  and  man-made,  there  are  other  descriptive differences  that  are  helpful  to  consider. Disasters differ in the following ways: l Degree of predictability . Degree of probability . Degree of controllability . Nature of the precipitating agent l  Origin . Speed of onset .  Scope l   Destructive   effects   on   people   and   physical objects CATEGORIZING  DISASTERS There is no commonly accepted way of categorizing disasters  beyond  the  two  previously  mentioned divisions.  For  operational  purposes,  however,  the  Red Cross l l l l l recognizes  the  following  types: Hurricanes Tornadoes Other  windstorms Floods All other storms (hailstorms, snowstorms, etc.) .  Explosions .  Fires l Wrecks (train, ship, airplane, etc.) LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST DISASTERS Learning  Objective:  Analyze  the  public  affairs  lessons learned from specific past naval/natural disasters. It is helpful to detail successes in the handling of public  affairs  in  past  naval/natural  disasters.  It  is probably more important, however, to scrutinize the things that could have been done better. This section does both. The  gauge  of  success  or  failure  is  difficult  to measure. In the Navy, success is competence in carrying out the assigned mission, performing according to rank or  rate  and  responsibility,  reflecting  one’s  own  personal experience and upholding and maintaining the traditions of the naval service. Contemplating a major disaster is not a pleasant task.  The  Navy’s  operational  forces  have  learned  that constant  training  to  meet  a  national  emergency, peace-keeping action or disaster situation have paid handsome dividends when the real event occurred. The public affairs staff must be ready when a disaster strikes. A disaster plan is meaningless if the public affairs staff is unfamiliar with it or cannot put it into operation. All concerned should have a thorough knowledge of the disaster plan and be able to put it into effect. Each individual should know his duties and responsibilities, such as where he goes, what he may be expected to do, and his own particular part in the overall public affairs operation. It would be useful for the public affairs staff to run drills during off-duty hours to determine how long it  would  take  to  man  the  office  fully  in  a  disaster situation. You should periodically put the disaster plan in full operation to find out how long it takes to get out a  news  release,  radio  tape  or  videotape. The   following   disaster   cases   were   originally published in the Public Affairs Communicator. More detailed  case  studies  on  these  and  other  disasters  are available from the CHINFO Plans and Policy Division. 2-2