DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

exposure and vulnerability increase. It

LESSON 1 refers to the estimated cost of deaths,
injuries, and property damage caused by a
BASIC CONCEPT OF DISASTER hazard. Disaster risk is expressed as a
AND DISASTER RISK function of hazards, exposure, and
vulnerability (Disaster Risk = Function
The frequency of disasters caused by [Hazard, Exposure, Vulnerability]). It
typhoons, floods, and droughts, for aims to express not only the likelihood of
example, has been increasing. Only when the disaster occurring, but also the
people's lives and property are lost do magnitude of its consequences.
hazards become disasters. If the increase
in disasters is also due to a rapid increase
in vulnerable populations, then any
Characteristics of Disasters
disaster prevention or reduction strategy
cannot be purely hazard-oriented. Disasters are inherently unpredictable and
Measuring vulnerability is indeed vital if can strike with little or no warning. As a
science is to assist us in dealing with result, disasters result in widespread
disasters. death, injury, and property damage.
The Philippines' location on the “Pacific Major Types of Disasters
Ring of Fire” and along the Pacific
typhoon belt mean that the country Natural Disaster - are large-scale
experiences many forms of natural geological or meteorological events that
disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, have the potential to cause loss of life or
floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and property.
fires.
Man-made Disasters - have an element
Vulnerability - Refers to factors, such as of human intent, negligence, or error
physical, social, economic, and involving a failure of a man-made system,
environmental ones, that increase the as opposed to natural disasters resulting
susceptibility to the impact of a hazard from natural hazards.

Disaster occurs when a potentially

destructive agent, or hazard, strikes a
Impacts of Disasters
vulnerable, populated area. A natural
event, such as a volcanic eruption or Disasters are frequently caused by a
tsunami, that strikes an uninhabited area failure to anticipate the timing and
does not qualify as a disaster. It only enormity of natural hazards. Disasters
becomes a disaster if it affects vulnerable cause not only deaths and destruction or
populations and properties—in other damage to homes and buildings, but also
words, if there are victims. crop destruction and a reduction in the
quality or quantity of water.
The interaction between a physical event
and human activity is a recipe for disaster. Other Impacts of Disasters

• Medical Effects
• Damage to Critical Facilities
The Element of Disaster Risk
• Disruption of Transportation
We could indeed say that the risk of losing • Economic Impact
a life, seriously injuring someone, or losing • Global Environmental Changes
or damaging property as a result of • Social and Political Impact
hazards increases as the levels of
 Elements at Risk and Exposure

➢ Disaster - A sudden calamitous, The people, properties, economic

event bringing great damage, activities, and private and public services
loss, destruction, and devastation that could be threatened by a negative
➢ Ring of Fire - A path along the event are considered elements at risk.
Pacific Ocean characterized by
active volcanoes and frequent Risks are also a function of hazards, as the
earthquakes. risk model (Risk = Hazard x Exposure x
➢ Calamity - An event causing great Vulnerability)
and often sudden damage or Hazard describes the likelihood of an
distress event occurring at a specific magnitude.
➢ Earthquake - Shaking of The term "exposed elements" can refer to
earthquake caused by waves the quantity of people or buildings in the
moving on and below the earth’s exposed area.
surface.
➢ Volcanic Eruption - When lava A hazard is a process, phenomenon, or
ang gas are discharged from a human activity that has the potential to
volcanic vent. impact the environment negatively and
➢ Pacific Ocean - Largest and cause property damage, social unrest, or
deepest of Earth’s oceanic other health effects.
divisions.
PhExp = Hazard x Exposure
➢ Typhoon - Type of tropical
cyclone, or severe tropical storm. PhExp = Physical Exposure for the
➢ Natural Disaster - A natural event affected area
such as a flood, earthquake, or
hurricane that causes great Hazard = Probability of occurrence of an
damage or loss of life. event at a given magnitude.
➢ Natural Disaster - A sudden or
Exposure = Total Population living in the
great misfortune or failure
affected area for each event.
➢ Man Made Disaster - Caused by
man are those in which major
direct causes are identifiable
intentional or non-intentional Social, Environmental, and Economic
human actions. Dimensions of Exposure and
Vulnerability

When a disaster strikes, the first things

LESSON 2 that are reported in the tri-media are
casualties and property losses and
EXPOSURE AND damages. The effects on the other
VULNERABILITY elements become more important long
after a disaster occurs. Social,
environmental, and economic losses are
Many people take natural hazards for
divided into tangible and intangible types.
granted because they are unaware of the
full range of negative effects that can result Social. Demography is the most significant
from a hazard event. Hazards can affect aspect of the social dimensions of
not only people but also animals and exposure and vulnerability.
plants
Environmental. Location and built
structures are considered under the
physical aspects of exposure and
vulnerability.
Economic. Business interruptions caused Economic Factor. While many different
by accessibility issues, the loss of jobs and factors work together to affect how
access to employment, and a decrease in vulnerable a country is to hazards, poverty
government revenue. is probably the single most significant
factor.
List of the physical elements exposed to
various hazards:

1. Essential Facilities Progression of Vulnerability

2. Industrial and High Potential Loss
Facilities and Facilities containing According to the (UNISDR 2017) UN
hazardous materials. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction –
3. Transportation Lifelines disaster risk is defined as: The potential
4. Utility Lifelines loss of life, injury or destroyed or damaged
assets which could occur to a system,
Exposure and vulnerability in the context society or a community in a specific period
of the environment also includes aspects of time, determined probabilistically as a
that go beyond the physical. function of hazard, exposure, and
capacity.

The Pressure Model demonstrates how

Vulnerability of each Exposed Element understanding community vulnerability
According to the UNDP (United Nations and the reasons why communities are
Development Programme), vulnerability vulnerable to disaster risks depends
is “the degree of loss to each element heavily on the progression of vulnerability.
should a hazard of a given severity occur”. Exposure is a necessary, but not sufficient,
Physical, social, economic, and determinant of risk. Vulnerability refers to
environmental factors determine the the characteristics and circumstances of a
likelihood and severity of damage due to a community, system or asset that make it
given hazard. susceptible to the damaging effects of a
hazard.

Social, Environmental, and Economic

Factors of Vulnerability

Social Factor. Individuals, families, and

communities' level of social well-being has
a direct bearing on how vulnerable they
are to risks. Social wellbeing is influenced
by many factors, with morality, good
governance, levels of education, literacy,
and training, safety and security, access to
fundamental human rights, social equity,
and information and awareness.

Environmental Factor. The discussion of

environmental aspects of vulnerability
covers a very broad range of issues in the
interacting social, economic, and
ecological aspects of sustainable
development relating to disaster risk
reduction.
 LESSON 3 Snow Avalanche - The downslope
displacement of surface materials
BASIC CONCEPT OF HAZARD (predominantly ice and snow under
gravitational forces)

Concept of Hazard • Hydrological

The definition of the word "hazard" is not Flood - The inundation of typical dryland
always clear. Dictionary definitions are with water.
frequently vague or combined with the
term "risk," as in the case of one dictionary Drought - A prolonged period with lower-
that defines hazard as "a danger or risk," than-expected precipitation, resulting in a
which helps to explain why the terms are severe hydrological imbalance or the
frequently used synonymously. removal of once-existent and persistent
water through poor agricultural practice or
Hazard - a process, phenomenon, or water diversion.
human activity that has the potential to
impact the environment negatively, cause
• Shallow Earth Process
property damage, social unrest, or other
health effects is considered a hazard. Regional Subsidence - The sudden or
gradual, downward vertical movement of
Risks are frequently divided into
the ground surface over a regional spatial
categories based on whether they are
extent.
natural. In some contexts, particularly in
the insurance industry, the word "peril" is Ground Collapse - The rapid, downward
used instead of "hazard." vertical movement of the ground surface
into a void.

Soil Subsidence - The gradual,

Types of Hazards
downward vertical movement of the
• Geophysical ground surface over a localized spatial
extent.
Earthquake - The sudden release of
stored elastic energy in the earth’s Ground Heave - The sudden or gradual,
lithosphere is caused by its abrupt upward vertical movement of the ground
movement or fracturing along zones of surface
preexisting geological weakness, resulting
• Atmospheric
in seismic waves.
Storm - A significant perturbation of the
Tsunami - The displacement of a
atmospheric system often involves heavy
significant volume of water generates a
precipitation and violent winds.
series of waves with large wavelengths
and low amplitudes Tornado - A violently rotating column of air
pendant (usually) from a cumulonimbus
Volcanic Eruption - The subterranean
cloud and in contact with the surface of the
movement of magma and its eruption and
earth
ejection from volcanic systems, together
with associated tephra, ashes, and gases, Hailstorm - A significant perturbation of
under the influence of the confining the atmospheric system, in which strong
pressure and superheated steam and updrafts occur within convective storms
gases. where there is an ample supply of
supercooled water droplets, resulting in
Landslide - The downslope displacement
heavy precipitation of hailstones when
of surface materials (predominantly rock
and soil under gravitational forces)
they have sufficient mass to leave the Rapid or sudden onset hazards - As the
atmospheric system classification indicates, rapid or sudden
onset hazards strike without any or
Snowstorm - A significant perturbation of minimal prior warning. This hazard
the atmospheric system, with heavy includes wildfires, floods and flash floods,
precipitation of snow volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and pest
Lightning - The atmospheric discharge of infestations. Be it either natural or
static electricity occurs when the technological or be it environmental
resistance of the intervening air between degradation will depend on the following:
areas of positive and negative charge is - the probability of its occurrence;
overcome. - its intensity and characteristics;
Extreme Temperature (Heat) - A - the susceptibility of the elements
prolonged period of temperatures above at risk based on the political,
the normal average for a designated physical, social, economic and
period. environmental conditions
prevailing; and
Extreme Temperature (Cold) - A - the capacity of the affected
prolonged period of temperatures below individual, household, and
the normal average for a designated community to cope, withstand and
period recover from the impact of the
hazard (UNISDR 2002:41).
• Biophysical

Wildfires - An uncontrolled fire fueled by The Impact of Various Hazard

natural vegetation. Risks can affect society in social,
economic, and environmentally friendly
• Space/Celestial
ways. These include fatalities, injuries, and
Geomagnetic Storms - A perturbation of harm to people, property, and ecosystems.
the earth’s magnetosphere because of
Economic Impact - The hazards'
changes in space weather, i.e., the
immediate and long-term effects have an
intensity of the solar wind.
impact on the economy. Indirect effects on
Impact Events - The impact of a celestial the economy include adverse effects on
body on the earth’s surface. trade, opportunities, and gross domestic
product growth.

Social Impact - The social effects of

Characteristics of Hazard hazards include death, injury, and
The rate at which each hazard manifests problems with physical and mental health.
itself varies. There is, generally speaking, It frequently takes the affected
a distinction between hazards with rapid community's residents into account.
and slow onsets. Environmental Impact - Physical
Slow onset hazards - Slow-onset systems, especially ecosystems, can be
hazards are the easiest to predict and plan damaged or destroyed due to
for but can have the most significant environmental hazards. The cost of
environmental impact. Slow-onset reconstruction on the environment is
hazards include droughts, landslides due another example of indirect effects.
to heavy rains, environmental degradation
or pollution, deforestation, desertification
and tropical cyclones
Influence of Governance on Impacts of • Liquefaction
Hazards
Liquefaction can occur when seismic
The impact of an earthquake is measured shaking agitates saturated ground
using the Mercalli scale. It rates the visible material of certain types. Buildings and
damage brought on by earthquakes on a other surface structures supported by
scale from I to XI liquefied ground can subside or tilt over.
Due to buoyancy forces, underground
hollow structures like pipes and tanks may
LESSON 4 rise to the surface.

EARTHQUAKES HAZARDS
• Ground Subsidence

Subsidence – the sinking of the ground

Ground shaking is simply the vibration of because of underground material
the land surface, while liquefaction movement—is most often caused by
transforms what was a solid into a liquid‐ removing water, oil, natural gas, or mineral
like state. In contrast, ground resources from the environment by
displacement directly results from the pumping, fracking, or mining activities.
fault's slippage.
Land subsidence, for instance, may result
An earthquake occurs when the stress on from a combination of sediment loading
the edge exceeds friction, releasing (when rivers deposit sediment in an area
energy in waves that travel through the which sinks under the added weight) and
earth's crust and produce the shaking we sediment compaction after groundwater is
experience. removed in the Chesapeake Bay region.

• Tsunami

POSSIBLE EARTHQUAKES HAZARDS According to NOAA, "a tsunami is a set of

ocean waves caused by any large, abrupt
• Ground Shaking disturbance of the sea surface".
During an earthquake, both body and Earthquakes generate most, but volcanic
surface waves cause the land surface to eruptions, landslides, undersea slumps, or
shake and vibrate. The intensity of an meteor impacts cause others. The term
episode of shaking and vibration depends tsunami comes from the Japanese and
upon the earthquake’s magnitude, the means "harbor wave". The plural is
distance from the epicenter, and local tsunamis. In the past, tsunamis have
geological conditions. sometimes been referred to as tidal
waves.

• Earthquake-induced landslide
• Ground Displacement-Surface
Ruptures Although various movement types are
included in earthquake-induced
If a building, or any artificial or natural
landslides, everyday movement types can
structure, lies across a fault, then
be seen under similar geological
displacement, that is, surface rupture,
properties. Major movement types of
along the spot can produce damage.
earthquake-induced landslides.