civil defense

American  

noun

1. plans or activities organized by civilians and civilian authorities for the protection of civilian population and property in times of such disasters or emergencies as war or floods.

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Etymology

Origin of civil defense

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Summoned to the scene, the new police and civil defense officials who took over during the transition had fished out the bodies, which were then sent to Damascus for a forensic analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal

In private, he was already losing enthusiasm for civil defense.

From Literature

"It requires surveys to discover and track NEOs, campaigns to characterize those that are hazardous, modeling efforts to understand and predict impact effects and associated consequences, and mitigation through impact avoidance and/or civil defense."

From Science Daily

According to Laura Velazquez, the head of Mexico's civil defense authority, the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla were hardest hit by flooding brought on by days of heavy rains.

From Barron's

A day before the earthquake in Myanmar, Taiwan’s government staged civil defense drills on how to respond to a major disaster.

From Los Angeles Times