Introduction To Disasters and Disaster Risks 2

DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION 1
Introduction to Disasters and Disaster Risks

A. What is Disaster?
a sudden, calamitous event, bringing great damage, loss,
destruction, and devastation to life and property(Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center, 2012).
a serious disruption of the functioning of society,
causing widespread human, material or environmental
losses, which exceed the ability of the affected people to
cope, using their human resources(Adelman, 2011).
A serious and tragic event that causes loss of lives,
human sufferings, and great damages to properties and
environment. It disrupts the current state of communities,
affecting wide-ranging aspects of community life.
It happens when communities lack the capacity to adapt
to disruptions that further affect the socio-economic,
political, psychological, and cultural state of individuals
and families in communities. However, the impact of
disasters varies depending on geographical location and
vulnerability of population, among others.
Hazard: Waves,
storms,erosion, sea
level rise
Risk Exposure:
Vulnerability:
population and
Susceptibility to
infrastructure
damage and
situated in low-
capacity to cope
lying coastal
and'or adapt
areas
Mechanism behind emergence of natural disasters

It occurs when a hazard targets vulnerable people. That is
when hazard, vulnerability, and lack of capacity
interplay, which lead to, increased risks.
It is the convergence of hazards and vulnerabilities.
Hazard it pertains to a dangerous phenomenon that may cause loss of lives and negatively
affect social, economic and environmental concerns.
Vulnerability the level of susceptibility of a community to such hazards.
Exposure refers to people, property, systems, or other elements present in hazard zones
that are thereby subject to potential losses.
B. Nature of Disasters
1. Natural disasters these originate from the different
forces of nature. Natural disasters can be earthquakes,
Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and cyclones that affect may
countries in Asia particularly in the Philippines.
2. Human-made disasters these disasters occur due to
peoples actions against human, material, and
environment. These include transport and industrial
accidents, such as, air and train crashes, chemical spills,
and building collapses.
C. Types of Disasters
A. Natural Types of Disasters
Agricultural diseases and pests
Storm surge
El Nio
Earthquakes
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Landslide and debris flow
Thunderstorms and lightning
Tornadoes
Tsunamis
Wildfires
Sinkholes
Emergency diseases
Extreme heat
Floods and flashfloods
La Nia
B. Man-made/Human-induced and Technological Types of
Disasters
Hazardous materials
Power service disruption and blackout
Nuclear power plant and nuclear blast
Radiological emergencies
Chemical threat and biological weapons
Cyber attacks
Explosion
Civil unrest
Terrorism
D. What is Disaster Risk?
the probability that a communitys a particular
hazard, on account of its nature, construction and
proximity to a hazardous area(ADPC, 2012).
the potential disaster losses, in lives, health status,
livelihoods, assets, and services which could occur to a
particular community or a society over some specified
future time period(United Nations International
Strategy on Disaster Reduction (ISDR), 2009).
It is the function of hazard, vulnerability, and
exposure. Thus,
Disaster Risk = Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability
E. Categories of Disaster Risks
1. Intensive risk involves the exposure of large number of
people in a specific geographic area to extreme events that

can further lead to catastrophic disaster impacts involving
high mortality rate and asset loss.
2. Extensive risks concerns more on the exposure of
dispersed populations to various hazards of low or
moderate intensity.
F. Global rise of disaster risk in the last decades (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2014).
The global number of disasters has more than doubled
since the 1980s;
An annual average of 232 million people worldwide were
affected by disasters between 2001 and 2010;
More than 680, 000 people died in earthquakes between
2000 and 2010, mainly due to poorly constructed
buildings.
Every year, an average of 102 million people around the
world are affected by floods, 37 million people by
cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, and nearly 366, 000
people by landslides;
Much of increasing world population is literally on the
edge, living flood-prone river basins, on exposed to
coastlines and in cities located in areas of high seismic
activity;
Climate change increases the risk for heavy rainfall,
which in turn can cause floods and landslides. It can also
lead to stronger cyclones, and in many regions is likely to
cause more heat waves, and droughts. Sea-level rise
threatens low-lying coastal areas all around the world.
G. Impacts of Disasters
It can be identified as:
a. Direct losses include physical effect such as
destruction and changes that reduce the
functionality of an individual or structure. These
involve damages to changes to people
(death/injury), buildings, vehicles, clean-up, and
disposal costs.
b. Indirect losses affect society by disrupting or
damaging utility services and local businesses.
These include loss of revenue, increase in cost,
expenses connected to the provision of assistance,
lodging, and drinking water, and costs associated
with the need to drive longer distances because of
blocked roads.
c. intangible losses include psychological
challenges caused by both direct and intangible
losses that individuals suffer from disaster.

Direct
Destruction
of a site of Property
cultural Damage
significance
Non- Quantifiable
quantifiable Measured
numerically
Business
Lost interruption
education and lost
income
Indirect
The Impact of Disasters
H. Other Impacts of Disasters

A. Medical effects include traumatic injuries, emotional
stress, epidemic diseases, and indigenous diseases.
B. Damage to critical facilities widespread disasters can
destroy or damage facilities that may be critical not only in
maintaining a safe environment and public order, but also
in responding to the disaster. Among these are
communication installations, electrical generating and
transmission facilities, hospitals, water facilities and other
public and private buildings.
C. Disruption of transportation during the initial stages of a
disaster almost all surface means of transportation within a
community are disrupted by broken bridges and roads and
streets are rendered impassable by landslides or floods.
The restricted mobility of vehicles makes rescue and other
emergency operations doubly difficult.
D. Economic impact as a result of the destruction and
damage to critical facilities, especially to transportation
and communication facilities, disasters disrupt economies
as normal business operations and other economic
activities are curtailed. People must also leave their jobs
and devote their time to disaster-related activities, such as
search and rescue, or to caring for survivors.
E. Global and environmental change there is increasing
evidence of global climatic change brought about by
human activity and disasters. Although the long-range
consequences are hard to predict, more severe cyclonic
storms, an increase in both flooding and drought and a
trend towards desertification cannot be ruled out. The
changes could result in a wide range of more hazards such
as wildfires and mudslides reduced productivity in the
oceans, and weakened immune systems of people and
animals.

F. Social and political impact as a large segment of the
population in developing countries consists the poor, who
are the most vulnerable whenever a disaster strikes, these
countries are the most affected. The poor are the most
prone to disasters like earthquakes and typhoons because
the structures they live in which are unreinforced and
poorly built. These are also often located in marginal
lands. When disasters happen, social, and political
inequities are usually exposed, which may lead to major
political and social
I. Risk Factors Underlying Disasters
Severity of exposure. The amount of exposure to the
disaster is highly related to risk of future mental
problems. At highest risk are those that go through the
disaster themselves. Next are those in close contact with
victims. At lower risk of lasting impact are those who
only had indirect exposure, such as news of the severe
damage, injury and life threat are the factors that lead
most often to mental problems.
Gender and family. Almost always, women or girls suffer
more negative effects than do men or boys. Disaster is
more stressful when children are present in the home.
Women with spouses also experience more distress
during recovery. Having a family member in the home
that is extremely distressed is related to more stress for
everyone. Marital stress has been found to increase after
disaster. Also, conflicts between family members or lack
of support in the home make it harder to recover from
disasters.
Age. Adults who are in the age range of 40-60 are likely
to be more distressed after disasters. The thinking is that
if one is in that age range, he/she has more demands from
job and family. Research on how children react to natural
disasters is still limited at this point in time. In general,
children show more severe distress after disasters that do
adults. Higher stress in the parents is related to worse
recovery in children.
Developing countries. There is a strong body of evidence
that these risk factors can be made worse if the disaster
occurs in a developing country. Disasters in developing
countries have more severe mental health impact than to
disasters in developed countries.
Low or negative social support. The support of others can
be both risk and a resilience factor. Social support can
weaken after disasters. This may be due to stress and the
need for members of the support network to get on with
their own lives. Sometimes, the responses from others
disaster victims rely on for support are negative.

J. Effects of Natural Disasters on Human Life
Displaced Populations. One of the most immediate
effects of natural disasters is population displacement.
When earthquakes or other powerful forces of nature like
floods and super typhoons ravage countries, many people
have to abandon their homes and seek shelter in other
regions. A large influx of refugees can disrupt
accessibility of health care and education, as well as food
supplies and clean water.
Health risks. Aside from the obvious immediate danger
that natural disasters present, the secondary effects can be
just as damaging. Severe flooding can result in stagnant
water that allows breeding of waterborne bacteria and
malaria carrying mosquitoes. Dengue fever is another
serious health problem caused by mosquitoes. Without
emergency relief from international aid organizations and
others, death tolls can rise even after the immediate
danger has passed.
Food scarcity. After natural disasters, food often becomes
scarce. Thousands of people around the world go hungry
as a result of destroyed crops and loss of agricultural
supplies, whether it happens suddenly in a storm or
gradually in a drought. As a result, food prices rise,
reducing families purchasing power and increasing the
risk of severe malnutrition
Emotional Aftershocks. Natural disasters can be
particularly traumatic for young children. Confronted
with scenes of destruction and the deaths of friends and
loved ones, many children develop post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), a serious psychological condition
resulting from extreme trauma. Left untreated, children
suffering from PTSD can be prone to lasting
psychological damage and emotional distress.
K. Areas/ Locations Exposed to Hazards
Exposed to Natural Hazards
Exposed to man-made hazard
L. Disasters from Different Perspectives
Physical perspective defined as a phenomenon that
can cause damage to physical elements such as
buildings, infrastructures, including people and their
properties. Physical effects are the most visible and
quantifiable effects of a disaster. In assessing the
aftermath of a disaster, physical damages are
essentially considered in data recording.
Psychological perspective regarded as an occurrence
involving an unexpected or uncontrollable event rather
than a long-term experience. In other words, a disaster
is something that could happen within a hazard rather
than the hazard itself. Hence, one very important
component of the recovery phase, aside from relied
services is debriefing or psychological support system.

Socio-Cultural perspective disaster is analyzed based
on how people respond having as parameter their
social conditions and cultural settings. These two
factors are important determinants of the degree of
risk, resilience and vulnerability of those affected.
That is why some ethnic groups can easily cope with
disasters compared to other groups.
Economic perspective disaster is defined as a natural
event that causes a perturbation to the functioning of
the economic system, with a significant negative on
assets, production factors, output, employment and
consumption. One salient component of assessing the
impact of disaster impact from this view is defining
direct economic cost and indirect losses.
Political perspective disasters are commonly thought
to be less politically contentious than armed conflicts.
Yet, a closer look reveals that politics are deeply
wedded to both the impact of a natural disaster and the
subsequent delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Political considerations before, during, and after a
natural disaster can determine who are most at risk,
which can intervene, what actions will be taken, and
who will benefit from those actions. Some case studies
demonstrate that economic, social, and political factors
can significantly amplify the devastating impact of a
natural disaster.
Environmental perspective disasters are not random
and do not occur by accident. They are the
convergence of hazards and vulnerable conditions.
Disasters not only reveal underlying social, economic,
political, and environmental problems, but also
unfortunately contribute to worsening them. Such
events pose serious challenges to development. The
Millenium Declaration recognizes the risk to
development stemming from disasters and calls on the
global community to intensify our collective efforts
to reduce the number and effects of natural hazards
and man-made disasters. Several studies have
recently highlighted the fact that investments in
development are in jeopardy unless precautionary
action is taken toward reducing disaster risk. Yet, few
development of projects and fewer still recognize the
role of environmental management in reducing disaster
risk.
Individual Activities:
1. Based on your understanding of the discussion above, identify
some areas of your barangay/community that are exposed to
hazard. Using a table, indicate what potential hazards these
areas are exposed to.
2. Read an account of Super Typhoon Yolanda that struck Samar
and Leyte in 2013. Analyze its impacts from the different
perspectives that we have discussed.

Exposure and Vulnerability
A. Exposure
refers to people, property, systems, or other
elements present in hazard zones that are thereby
subject to potential losses.
Refers to the elements at risk from a natural or
man-made hazard event. It includes the following:
o Human beings;
o Dwellings or households and communities;
o Buildings and structures;
o Public facilities and infrastructure assets;
o Public and transport system;
o Agricultural commodities; and
o Environmental assets.
B. Vulnerability
refer
Hazard it pertains to a dangerous phenomenon that may

cause loss of lives and negatively affect social, economic and
environmental concerns.
Vulnerability the level of susceptibility of a community to
such hazards.
Vulnerability
The characteristics and circumstances of a community,
system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging
effects of a hazard.
It explains how people operate and differences among
them contribute to the situation or context wherein they
operate.
M. Types of Vulnerability
1. Social vulnerability refers to the inability of people,
organizations, and societies to withstand adverse impacts
to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social
interactions, institutions and systems of cultural values. It
is linked to the level of well being of individuals,
communities, and society. It includes aspects related to
the levels of literacy and education the existence of peace
and security, access to basic human rights, systems of
good governance, social equity positive traditional
values, customs and ideological beliefs and overall
collective organizational systems (UNISDR).
2. Physical vulnerability it can be determined by aspects
such as population density levels, remoteness of a
settlement, the site, design and materials used for critical
infrastructure and for housing (UNISDR).
3. Economic vulnerability the level of vulnerability is
highly dependent upon the economic status of
individuals, communities and nations. The poor are
usually more vulnerable to disasters because they lack the

resources to build sturdy structures and put other
engineering measures in place to protect themselves from
being negatively impacted by disasters. The same people
are the least prepared due to lack of access to education
and information.
4. Environmental vulnerability natural resource depletion
and resource degradation are key aspects of
environmental vulnerability. This is one aspect that both
communities and government must be sensitive about.
Mitigation measures like reforestation and natural
resource protection and conservation must be undertaken
to reduce natural disaster risk and vulnerability.
N. Hazard
a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human, activity or
condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other
health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods, and
services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage(ISDR, 2009).
O. General classifications of Hazard

1. Natural Hazards natural process or phenomenon that
may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts,
property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social
and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
2. Human-induced hazards/Technological hazards sprout
from technological or industrial conditions which include
infrastructure failures or specific human activities that
may cause loss of life, injury, illness or other health
impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage.
3. Quasi natural hazards arise through the interaction of
natural processes and human activities.
P. Types of Natural Hazards
1. Biological hazard process or phenomenon of organic
origin or conveyed by biological vectors, including
exposure to pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and
bioactive substances that may cause loss of life, injury,
illness or other health impacts, property damage, loss of
livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption,
or environmental damage.
2. Geologic hazard geological process or phenomenon that

3. Hydrometeorological hazard process or phenomenon of
atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature that
Q. Types of Hazards and Examples for Each (After Hewitt and
Burton 1971)
G H A B M
e y t i a
o d m o n
l r o l -
o o s o m
g l p g a
i o h i d
c g e c e
i r a
c i l
c
E F T E T
a l y p r
r o p i a
t o h d n
h d o e s
q s o m p
u n i o
a c r
k o t
e r r i
s i n a
V v h c
i e u h c
b r r u i
r r m d
a a i a e
t n c n n
i d a s t
o n s
n c e
G o s
r a
o s
u t
n a
d l
r
u
p
t
u
r
e
L
i
q
u
e
f
a
c

t
i
o
n
E
a
r
t
h
q
u
a
k
e
-
i
n
d
u
c
e
d
l
a
n
d
s
l
i
d
e
s
T
s
u
n
a
m
i
V W T E I
o a h p n
l v u i d
c e n d u
a d e s
n a e m t
i c r i r
c t s c i
i t a
e o o i l
r n r n
u m e
p s p x
t l p
i a l
o n o
n t s
L s i
a o
v n
a s

f a
l n
o d
w
V f
o i
l r
c e
a s
n
i
c
g
a
s
P
y
r
o
c
l
a
s
t
i
c
f
l
o
w
T
e
p
h
r
a
f
a
l
l
L
a
h
a
r
V
o
l
c
a
n
i
c
d
e
b
r

i
s
a
v
a
l
a
n
c
h
e
R D E E A
a r x p c
i o c i c
n u e d i
f g s e d
a h s m e
l t i i n
l v c t
- e a
i i l
n r n
d a r
u i a e
c n n l
e f i e
d a m a
l a s
l l l e
a s
n o
d f
s
l t
i o
d x
e i
s c
c
h
e
m
i
c
a
l
s
,
r
a
d
i
o
l
o
g
i
c
a
l

m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
,
b
i
o
l
o
g
i
c
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
,
o
i
l
R R T L N
a a o o u
p p r c c
i i n u l
d d a s e
d t a
s g o s r
e l e
d a s a
i c c
m i c
e e i
n r d
t e
a n
m d t
o v s
v a
e n
m c
e e
n
t
S H C
u e o
b a l
s v l
i y a
d p

e s s
n n e
c o
e w o
f f
a
l p
l u
s b
l
i
c
b
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
s
S H W
i a M
n i D
k l
h
o
l w
e e
a
f p
o o
r n
m s
a
t o
i f
o
n m
a
s
s
d
e
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
I B C
m l o
p i m
a z p
c z u
t a t
s r e

d r
w s
i v
t i
h r
u
s s
p
a s
c u
e c
h
o
b a
j s
e
c a
t
s
T
r
o
j
a
n
h
o
r
s
e

p
r
o
g
r
a
m

G
l
a
z
e

s
t
o
r
m
s
F
r
e
e
z
i
n

g
r
a
i
n
H
i
g
h
w
i
n
d
s
p
e
e
d
s
E
x
t
r
e
m
e
t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
s
L
i
g
h
t
n
i
n
g
R. Impacts of Various Hazards on Different Exposed Elements

A. Physical impact
o Death of people
o Destruction and loss of vital infrastructure like
transport system, roads, bridges, power lines, and
communication lines
o Widespread loss of housing
B. Psychological impact

o Grief and psychological trauma
o Marital conflicts
o Depression due to loss of loved ones and
properties
o Chronic anxiety among children severely affected
C. Socio-Cultural impact
o Displacement of populations
o Loss of cultural identity
o Forced adoption of new sets of culture
o Ethnics conflict
D. Economic impact
o Loss of job due to displacement
o Loss of harvest and livestock
o Loss of farms, fish cages, and other sources of
living
o Loss of money and other valuables like jewelries,
furniture, and appliances
E. Environmental impact
o Loss of forest due to forest fires
o Loss of freshwater due to salination intrusion of
saltwater to freshwater sources
o Disturbance of biodiversity
o Loss of natural rivers and other tributaries
F. Biological impact
o Epidemic to people, flora and fauna
o Chronic and permanent illnesses due to nuclear
radiation
o Mental disorder developed from consumption of
contaminated foods
o Proliferation of different viral and bacterial
diseases
S. Adaptive Capacity
The ability of an individual or community to withstand
and adapt to continuous environmental changes.

Name:______________________________________Date:____
______________Score:____________
Directions: Indicate on the space provided for answer as whether
each of the following items is hazard or a disaster. For answer in
b, choose whether it is geologic, biologic, atmospheric,
hydrologic, or man-made.
1. A super typhoon with storm surge affecting Leyte
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
2. A typhoon passing over a remote and unpopulated island
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
3. A flood in a rural area which floods the roads but does
not affect any houses
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
4. A volcano erupting in isolation in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
5. An avalanche in a ski resort
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
6. An avalanche high on the mountain and slopes remote
from any settlement
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
7. A tsunami wave 5 m high off the coast of Japan
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
8. An earthquake in Kashmir, Northern Pakistan
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
9. A drought in Australias Outback (vast, remote, arid
interior of Australia)
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________
10. A landslide in a favela (slum area) in Rio de Janeiro
a. _______________________ b.
_______________________

By Group Activities:
1. Make a video presentation of the types of natural hazards.
In your video presentation, give examples of each natural
hazard; explain the characteristics of each hazard, and the
dangers each hazard poses to people and communities.
2. Make a brochure of the impacts of disasters in social,
economic, and environmental.
3. Make an informational comic book of one natural
phenomenon by following the procedures below.
a. List some natural phenomena that are USUALLY
HAPPENING IN THE PHILIPPINES that you
can think of and choose one as your topic.
b. Explore the websites of the following to add to
your list:
PHILVOLCS (Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology)
PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration)
MGB (Mines and Geoscience Bureau)
c. Based on all the pieces of information that you
have gathered from the given websites and other
resources that you have used, discuss the natural
phenomenon that you have chosen earlier through
making an informational comic book. Your
informational comic book must answer the
following questions:
Where does this kind of event occur?
What causes natural phenomenon?
How much warning is there?
Can it cause damage to people and the
environment? If so, what sort of damage
can it cause?
How are different people affected when a
natural event strikes your community?
Who would be most affected?
Does a reported natural phenomenon
affect people all the time?

How strong are the most damaging
events? List five examples.
How big should a natural phenomenon be
for it to be considered a hazard? Does size
even matter?
Why do people live in areas affected by a
natural hazard?
How would people prevent disasters when
a natural hazard strikes?
Activities for the whole class:

1. Make a proposal for conducting a 3-hour seminar on
Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction. Your proposal
shall contain the following parts:
A. Title of the Seminar:
B. Theme of the Seminar:
C. Participants:
D. Date:
E. Rationale:
F. Objectives to conduct the seminar
G. Timetable
H. Registration Fee:
I. Materials:
J. Programme:

Introduction To Disasters and Disaster Risks 2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Introduction To Disasters and Disaster Risks 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION 1

Introduction to Disasters and Disaster Risks

Mechanism behind emergence of natural disasters

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

H. Other Impacts of Disasters

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Hazard it pertains to a dangerous phenomenon that may

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

O. General classifications of Hazard

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

R. Impacts of Various Hazards on Different Exposed Elements

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

Activities for the whole class:

Prepared by: Jordan B. Espiritu

You might also like