DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

FOURTH MONTHLY EXAM REVIEWER

VULNERABILITY is a set of “characteristics and circumstances, system, or assets

that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of hazards.” is one of the
determinants of the effects and impacts of hazards.

MIGRATION is the movement of people from one place to another.

EXPOSURE can be described as the situation of communities including its

people, residences, infrastructure, and economic resources that are located
in areas that are hazard- prone (UNISDR, 2017)

CATASTROPHE is bigger than a disaster. For some, the damage caused

by Typhoon Yolanda is considered a catastrophe.

CLIMATE is the average weather conditions of a place or regions of the

Earth observed over a period of years. The weather conditions include
temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation.
HAZARD as a natural event or a human activity that has the potential of
causing loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social
and economic disruption, or environmental degradation.

Natural events (ORIGIN) are geological, hydrometeorological, and

biological.

Hazard completes the three elements of disaster risk. Hazard, exposure,

and vulnerability increase occurrence of disaster risk. Combining the three
elements, the damage to life and property becomes significant.

INTENSITY refers to the strength and power of an earthquake to which we

can predict the level of destruction; its effects on people and man-made
structures.

MAGNITUDE measures the severity of an earthquake based on the energy

releases.

Haiyan is the international name Typhoon Yolanda

NATURAL HAZARDS are predominantly associated with natural processes

and phenomena (UNISDR, 2017). These hazards are impossible to prevent.
Natural hazards can further be categorized as biological,
geological/geophysical, and hydro-meteorological, depending on its origin.

VOLCANIC ERUPTION occurs when hot materials are thrown out of

a volcano. Lava, rocks, dust, and gas compounds are some of these
"ejecta".

TERRORISM the broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate

violence as a means to create terror, or fear, to achieve a political, religious
or ideological aim.

FAULTS are breaks on the surface of the earth that generate earthquakes
when it moves.

FREQUENCY is the number of times a movement such as ground shaking

is repeated within a certain amount of time.

AVALANCHE is a rapid flow of snow down a sloping surface.

GROUND SHAKING is the primary cause of earthquake damage to man-

made structures. It causes buildings and other infrastructures to collapse
which may result to injuries or casualties.
WAR is a state of armed conflict between states or societies.

LIQUEFACTION occurs when the ground loses stiffness and behaves like
liquid in response to earthquakes. When shaking happens, grains of the
underlying material vibrate and undergo COMPACTION.

LANDSLIDE it is the downslope movement of rocks or sediments under the

influence of gravity.

DISASTER RISK- is measured and assessed to reduce the number of

deaths and resources lost.

DISASTER FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Physical and Environmental Aspect

When a disaster hits, the first line of impact is the environment.

Disaster causes drastic changes in the structure of the environment.

 EXAMPLE: when an earthquake occurs in an area, there is a high

possibility that roads will break and crack. Landslides in the
mountains causes erosion of the soil. This will lead to the removal of
an arable layer of soil. Arable soil is needed to plant more trees to
prevent landslides in the future. Droughts can cause soil cracking
in farms as well because of the absence of water moisture. Because
of this, farmers cannot provide enough supply of crops because the
land is not suitable for crop growth

Socio-economic Aspect

Impacts of disaster in the socio-economic aspect include the state of

the social well-being and the financial resources of the community.
Government agencies are responsible for reducing the socio-
economic impacts of the community through proper mitigation
procedures.

Educational Aspect
 Access to information is important in reducing the hazardous effects
of disasters. Observation and data analysis is not just essential for
identifying risk in disasters but also to educate and train people on
how to reduce disaster risk. Students in elementary and high school
are greater in population. This large percentage in a community is
crucial in literacy when it comes to disaster management.

Psychological Aspect

A natural or man-made disaster is a traumatic event that can cause

stress, depression, and anxiety. People with underlying mental
illnesses is considered a vulnerable group. Shock and denial stages
after disastrous events are normal for victims that is why they need
psycho-social intervention to be able to cope and live a normal life.

Biological Aspect

Disasters can cause health problems to individuals. In a larger scale,

these diseases can cause an epidemic or an outbreak especially if
emergency care is not available. In terms of biological diversity,
animals, and plants that live in a community where disaster strikes
can drastically decrease in number. This would result to imbalance in
the ecosystem and potentially limited access to food resources,
agriculture, and livestock.

Political Aspect

In the Philippines, a disaster have brought donations from local and

international agencies. Survivors and their families expected to
rebuild their properties from those donations but government
rebuilding efforts seem too slow. This scenario made a huge political
impact to the country regarding the trust rating of government
officials.

EFFECTS OF DISASTER

Population

The common evacuation areas are schools and churches. These

infrastructures can accommodate a large number of people and can usually
withstand a natural disaster. However, a large number of evacuees in an
area will have limited access to basic needs like food and clean water.

Health

One consequence of disaster is threat to the population’s health.

Severe flooding caused by typhoons can increase the presence of
stagnant water in the area. This stagnant water is a perfect breeding
ground for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and for the growth of
bacteria.

Food

Food becomes limited after an occurrence of disaster. Source of

food from farms, poultry, and aquaculture become damaged after a
disaster, thus the supply of food becomes limited. Typhoons and
drought cause damage in crops of farms and gardens. As a result,
the price of food becomes higher and people’s ability to buy supplies
is reduced. This can lead to malnutrition and hunger, brought upon
by these disasters. This can hamper the development of children in
the long run.

Psychological

The devastating impacts of disaster can be traumatic for any person

who has experienced it. Exposure to deaths and catastrophe can be
unforgettable to anyone especially to children. Many children could
develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after experiencing
such as disastrous events. PTSD is a serious psychological
condition from extreme trauma. Inability to notice and address it
early, can lead to a lifetime of emotional distress and psychological
damage.

Human Resilience

Humans are naturally resilient. Resilience is the ability of individuals

to recover from the impacts of a disaster. There are several factors
that increase the resilience of an individual:

1. SOCIAL SUPPORT includes emotional support by sharing

traumatic experiences, coping mechanisms, and finding a sense of
comfort from others.

2. COPING CONFIDENCE is the self-efficiency to believe that one

can survive any disaster and reduce mental distress in the future.
 This method of coping includes values like optimism, hope, and
confidence.

A RISK ASSESSMENT is made to estimate the potential economic,

infrastructure, and social impacts.

DISASTER RISK FACTORS

 PHYSICAL – This includes the concrete objects in a community

that can help or harm an individual during a disaster. Examples
are availability of fire exits during a fire, sturdiness of
infrastructure or the ability of a building to withstand
earthquakes.

 PSYCHOLOGICAL – It includes the mental state of an

individual, like the ability of an individual to respond to a
disaster and fear.

 SOCIO-CULTURAL – This includes traditions, religion, and

social statuses in society. Examples include community
folklore, presence of bayanihan system, etc.

 ECONOMIC – This includes resources in the community and the

income source of individuals such as farming and employment.

 BIOLOGICAL – This includes the flora and fauna in the

environment, their health, and its diseases.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Disaster risk reduction aims to decrease the risk level in

communities. It implements policies and measures to control
potential risks like poor urban and rural planning, poverty, and poor
government and local capacities. Disaster risk reduction is
implemented in order to:

 reduce vulnerability to life, property, or environment to an

existing hazard;
 reduce degree of exposure to hazards; and
 increase preparedness through proper mitigation procedures.