An emergency refers to an unexpected and potentially dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, environment, or community stability and requires urgent action to prevent escalation of damage or loss. Emergencies may arise from natural causes such as floods, earthquakes, cyclones, droughts, pandemics, and landslides, or from human-induced factors including industrial accidents, fires, transportation accidents, chemical spills, terrorism, and technological failures. What distinguishes an emergency from routine incidents is the need for rapid decision-making, coordinated response, and effective utilization of available resources under time pressure. Emergencies disrupt normal functioning and demand organized intervention by individuals, communities, institutions, and government agencies to minimize adverse consequences. Emergency preparedness is closely connected with systematic planning and management processes designed to anticipate risks, reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure effective response and recovery. The emergency management cycle provides a structured framework through which authorities and organizations manage disasters and emergencies in a continuous and integrated manner. This cycle consists of interrelated phases that operate before, during, and after an emergency situation, ensuring that lessons learned from one event strengthen preparedness for future incidents. The first component of the emergency management cycle focuses on mitigation, which involves actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks associated with hazards. Mitigation aims at preventing emergencies or minimizing their potential impact before they occur. It includes structural measures such as constructing earthquake-resistant buildings, strengthening dams and embankments, improving drainage systems, and enforcing fire safety regulations. Non-structural measures are equally important and involve land-use planning, environmental conservation, hazard mapping, risk assessment, public awareness programs, and policy formulation. Effective mitigation reduces vulnerability by addressing root causes of disaster risk, such as unsafe infrastructure, population density in hazard-prone areas, and environmental degradation. Governments play a crucial role in establishing building codes, zoning laws, and environmental protection measures that prevent minor hazards from becoming large-scale emergencies. Preparedness represents the second phase and emphasizes planning and readiness to respond effectively when an emergency occurs. Preparedness activities ensure that communities, institutions, and emergency services possess the necessary knowledge, skills, equipment, and coordination mechanisms required for prompt action. This phase includes the development of emergency response plans, evacuation procedures, communication systems, resource inventories, and training programs. Emergency drills, simulation exercises, mock evacuations,