DISASTER READINESS AND RISK
REDUCTION
FIRST QUARTER 11/12
Module 3
CONCEPT OF VULNERABILITY
Most Essential Learning Competency:
Explain the meaning of vulnerability (DRR11/12-Ic-8)
Explain why certain sectors of society are more vulnerable to
disaster than others DRR11/12-Ic-9
Prepared by Erickson F. Del Mundo
CCSHS - SDRRM Coordinator
TO THE LEARNERS
Set aside other tasks that will disturb you while studying. Read the simple instructions below on how to
use this module.
1. Follow all the contents and instructions indicated in every page of this module.
2. Write on your notebook the key concepts as writing improves retention of learning
3. Perform all the provided activities in the module.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers using the answer key card.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
EXPECTATIONS
At the end of this module you are expected to:
• define exposure and vulnerability.
• differentiate physical, social, economic and environmental vulnerability.
1 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
PRE-TEST
Read each question carefully and then WRITE THE LETTER of the answer that best fits the question in
the space before that appears before the number.
______ 1. Which is the LEAST vulnerable in the social group?
A. Affluent families B. Children C. Elderly D. Women
______ 2. What type of vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of infrastructures to adverse impacts of
hazards?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 3. What type of vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of people to adverse impacts of hazards?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 4. What is the type of vulnerability susceptibility to adverse impacts of hazards as determined by
their economic status?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 5. What type of vulnerability refers to the susceptibility to adverse impacts of hazards as determined
by natural resource depletion and degradation?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
LOOKING BACK TO YOUR LESSON
Directions: Read each item carefully and answer on the space provided
1. Aside from destruction of physical properties and casualties, give an effect of disasters in one’s life
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2. Identify what disaster perspective the situations are viewed below. Write your answer in the space
provided
Situation Disaster Perspective
Storms and floods are God’s way of making the people to work
together as one community.
People tend to prefer candidates who have provided humanitarian
assistance in a previous disaster that has taken place.
Having no casualty in an earthquake reflects the people’s effort to
prepare themselves through drills and planning
2 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
The marginalized sector is likely to be more affected by disasters
as they lack access to resources needed to prepare for disasters.
Previous disasters have shaped the way Philippines action to
disasters as shown in the shift from reactive to proactive actions.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Vulnerability refers to the characteristics or circumstances of the elements which makes them susceptible
to the damaging effects of hazards. The vulnerability of an element may vary according to the nature of the
hazard. There are four types of vulnerability according to Government of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago - Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (2013) as follows:
Physical Vulnerability – refers to the susceptibility of physical structures and other physical assets to
adverse impacts of hazards as determined by its remoteness, site, design and materials used for construction.
For example. a wooden house with stilts may survive a flood but is more vulnerable to fire. This
vulnerability is determined by the design and materials used for the construction of the house
Social Vulnerability – refers to the susceptibility of people, organizations and societies to adverse impacts
of hazards as determined by well-being of individuals, literacy and education, access to resources, tradition
and customs, ideological beliefs, governance, as well as social interactions, institutions and systems of
cultural values. For example, elder people may have difficulty in evacuating during disasters which may be
due to their declined physical capability. This vulnerability is determined by the well-being of the
individual.
Environmental Vulnerability – refers to the susceptibility to adverse impacts of hazards as determined by
natural resource depletion and resource degradation. For example, a coastal community with denuded
mangrove forest is susceptible to the damaging effects of tsunami and storm surges.
Economic Vulnerability – refers to the susceptibility of individuals, communities and nations to adverse
impacts of hazards as determined by their economic status. For example, the economically disadvantaged
individuals may not be able to stockpile food for community quarantine as they do not have the resources
to do so.
3 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
ACTIVITIES
Activity 3.1: The Many Faces of Vulnerability
General Instructions: Complete this activity by following the instructions in each subsection answering
the guide questions that follow.
Activity 3.2.1 Look at the houses below and answer the guide questions
1a. House with basement 1b. 5-story 1c. Wooden house 1d. House with foundations
concrete house built on ground
Figure 1 Different houses
Sources: (1a) Free Image on Pixabay—House, Plank, Garage, Auto, Keller. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23,
2020, from https://pixabay.com/illustrations/house-plank-garage-auto-keller-2006023/
(1b) Free Image on Pixabay—House, Clip, Art, Mansion, Rich. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://pixabay.com/vectors/house-clip-art-mansion-rich-floor-2744765/
(1c) Free Image on Pixabay—Log Cabin, House, Home, Wooden. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://pixabay.com/vectors/log-cabin-house-home-wooden-304003/
(1d) Free Image on Pixabay—House, Mansion, Architecture, Home. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://pixabay.com/vectors/house-mansion-architecture-home-4194512/
1. Which house is the most vulnerable to a disaster (choose one disaster)? Why?
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2. Which house is the least vulnerable to a disaster (choose one disaster)? Why?
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Activity 3.2.1 Look at the groups below and answer the guide questions
2a. Women 2b. Children
4 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
2c. Persons with Disabilities 2d. Workforce 4e. Elderly
Figure 2 Vulnerable Groups
Sources: (2a) Download Women doing things for free. (n.d.). Freepik. Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/women-doing-things_3516296.htm
(2b) Free Image on Pixabay—Child, Toys, Playing, People, Play. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://pixabay.com/vectors/child-toys-playing-people-play-145411/
(2c) Download Disabled people set for free. (n.d.). Freepik. Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/disabled-people-set_4279293.htm
(2d) Free Image on Pixabay—Worker, Man, Woman, Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2020, from
https://pixabay.com/vectors/worker-man-woman-industry-russia-156806/
(2e) Download Old people making photo selfie illustration. Cartoon elderly man and woman smiling for
free. (n.d.). Freepik. Retrieved June 23, 2020, from https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/old-people-
making-photo-selfie-illustration-cartoon-elderly-man-woman-smiling_3264818.htm
1. Which group is the most vulnerable to disasters (choose one or two disaster/s)? Why?
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2. Which group is the least vulnerable to disasters (choose one or two disaster/s)? Why?
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Activity 3.2.3 Read the text and answer the guide questions succinctly
Findings are mixed regarding the effects of socio-economic status (SES) on perception of disaster risk.
Some research suggests that people of low SES are less prepared for disasters than others, although if
this is the case, it may relate to the fact that people of low SES cannot always afford more expensive
preparedness actions, such as purchasing flood or earthquake insurance or making home improvements
to increase resilience in certain types of disasters. People of low SES may be less likely to evacuate in
response to disaster warnings, even though many factors influence evacuation behavior, and when
people of low SES do not evacuate in response to warnings, it may be because they are unable to do so.
People in the United States and around the world who are of low SES are more likely to live in housing
that is vulnerable to disasters. They also may live in areas where risks from disasters are higher.
Additionally, research suggests they may fare more poorly from a health standpoint in certain types of
disasters, such as heat waves. Because people of low SES have fewer assets, they have less to lose, and
when they experience financial loss in disasters, a given amount of loss has a greater financial impact
5 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
on them than it will on people of higher SES, as the loss is proportionally greater relative to a poorer
person’s assets than it will be relative to the assets of someone of higher SES. They also may have their
savings concentrated in fewer possessions, such as home and livestock, and so they may be more
vulnerable to economic losses in disasters than people of higher SES who have their savings distributed
more widely and saved in financial institutions.
Following a disaster, people of low SES face many barriers to receiving aid to help them rebuild their
homes and meet their other needs. Research indicates they may also have trouble getting access to
housing and other resources. The stress linked to lack of resources may have emotional and behavioral
health consequences. People of lower SES after a disaster may be more likely to experience distress
and depression. Additionally, they may have physical health problems that people of higher SES do not
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA] (2017) “Greater
Impact: How Disasters Affect People of Low Socioeconomic Status” SAMHSA Disaster Technical
Assistance Center Supplemental Research Bulletin pp. 12-13
1. In two to three sentences how does economic status affect vulnerability?
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2. Is economic status and vulnerability absolutely related? Why or why not?
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Activity 3.2.4 Look at the table below and answer the guide questions
Ecosystem Role in Flood Regulation Role in Fire Regulation
Cultivated crop cover provides flood protection, part of the management of some
conditioned in good management cropping systems, e.g., sugar cane,
timber, etc.
Dryland protection through vegetation cover; recharge biodiversity issues: adaptation
of aquifers mechanisms to fire
Forest protection from floods providing flood part of the natural system; reducing
attenuation and soil loss prevention wood fuel accumulation; biodiversity
issues
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Urban move people away from floodprone areas, move people away from natural fire-
conditioned on good urban planning prone areas; scale benefits from more
effective fire prevention and control
Inland provide mechanisms for flood attenuation wildfires control, e.g., pit fires control
Waters potential (wetlands, lakes, etc.) by wetlands
Coastal benefits from sediment transport to the coastal not applicable
zone; flood protection provided by coastal
ecosystems (barrier beaches, mangroves, etc.)
Marine benefits from nutrient transport to the oceans not applicable
Polar discharge regulation to oceans in the Arctic not applicable
system (freshwater provision to Arctic
oceans)
Mountains regulating flood-related events (slope main source of wood fuel
stability)
Islands benefits from sediment transport to oceans not applicable
through floods from the mainland; aquifer
recharge as main source of fresh water
Table 1 Role of ecosystems in flood and fire mitigation
Source: United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP]. (n.d.). Environment and Vulnerability:
Emerging Perspectives [PDF]. Retrieved May 4, 2020, from:
https://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/environment-vulnerability.pdf
1. In general, what is the role of environment in disasters based from the table?
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2. What would happen to vulnerability if the environment is degraded?
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REMEMBER
Vulnerability is the predisposition to the damaging effects of a hazard as determined by characteristics of
physical assets, well-being of a person or society, economic status, and condition of natural resources. The
four types of vulnerability are physical vulnerability, social vulnerability, economic vulnerability, and
environmental vulnerability.
7 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Why does the marginalized sector more vulnerable to the effects of disasters than other sectors?
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POST-TEST
Read each question carefully and then WRITE THE LETTER of the answer that best fits the question in
the space before that appears before the number.
______ 1. Which is the LEAST vulnerable in the social group?
A. Affluent families B. Children C. Elderly D. Women
______ 2. What is the type of vulnerability is present when a hazard has a potential impact on the economic
assets and processes?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 3. What type of vulnerability is present when the handicapped, children and the elderly are affected
by hazards?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 4. What is the type of vulnerability is present when a coastal community was devastated when their
mangrove forest in the area has been denuded?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
______ 5. What type of vulnerability is present when a house with walls made of plywood is more
susceptible to fire than a house with stone walls?
A. Economic B. Environmental C. Physical D. Social
8 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
REFLECTION
Reflect on your learnings in this module using the PMIS Chart below. Use any one or two prompts to help
you in this reflection activity
PLUSES MINUSES INTRIGUING SUGGESTIONS
I like… I do not like… I am still thinking
I know… I do not know… about…
I agree… I disagree… I want to know more
I can use… I cannot use… about…
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REFERENCES
De Leon, Marietta M. (2016) Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction Philippines: Trinitas publishing Inc.
pp. 52-63
Rimando, Rolly E. (2016) Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction 1st edition Manila: Rex Bookstore Inc.,
pp. 15-21
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - Office of Disaster Preparedness and
Management. (2013). Vulnerability and Risk. Retrieved May 04, 2020, from
http://www.odpm.gov.tt/node/162
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (n.d.). What is vulnerability?
Retrieved May 04, 2020, from https://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-
disasters/what-is-a-disaster/what-is-vulnerability/
United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP]. (n.d.). Environment and Vulnerability: Emerging
Perspectives [PDF]. Retrieved May 4, 2020, from
https://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/environment-vulnerability.pdf
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - PreventionWeb. (2015, November 15).
Vulnerability. Retrieved May 04, 2020, from https://www.preventionweb.net/risk/vulnerability
9 | Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
