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Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

The term “disaster” originated from the French word “ desastre” which is a combination of the words “des” meaning bad and
“aster” meaning star. From this, it can be inferred that disaster literally means bad star. Disaster is a serious and tragic
event that causes loss of lives, human suffering, and great damages to properties and environment. It disrupts the current
state of communities, affecting wide-ranging aspects of community life. Disasters happen 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.
Disasters are in fact the convergence of hazards and vulnerabilities. Hazards pertain to a dangerous phenomenon that may
cause loss of lives and negatively affect social, economic, and environmental concerns. Meanwhile, vulnerability is the level
of susceptibility of a community to such hazards. Disasters are often defined by consequences to human lives and not on
the basis of disaster itself. For instance, an earthquake is a natural phenomenon. When it happens in a place where no
people are harmed or no damages are incurred, no matter how strong, it cannot be considered a disaster.
Disaster risk is the potential loss in lives, health status, livelihoods, and various assets which are often challenging to
quantify. However, by having knowledge on the scientific and local context behind hazards, disaster risks can be assessed
and mapped.
Mechanism behind emergence of natural disasters: Hazard, Exposure, and Vulnerability. (Similarity: Risk)
Disasters can be divided into 2 large categories:
A. Natural – a natural phenomenon is caused by natural forces such as earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions,
hurricanes, fires, tornados, and extreme temperatures. They can be classified as rapid onset disasters and those
with progressive onset, such as droughts that lead to famine. These events, usually sudden, can have tremendous
effects.
B. Man-Made – disasters caused by a man are those in which major direct causes are identifiable intentional or non-
intentional human actions.
Subdivided into three categories:
1. Technological / Industrial disasters – unregulated industrialization and inadequate safety standards increase the
risk for industrial disasters. Example: leaks of hazardous materials; accidental explosions; bridge or road collapses,
vehicle collisions; power cuts
2. Terrorism/ Violence – the threat of terrorism has also increased due to the spread of technologies involving nuclear,
biological, and chemical agents used to develop weapons of mass destruction. Example: bombs of explosions;
release of chemical materials; release of biological agents; release of radioactive agents; multiple or massive
shootings; mutinies
3. Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – the term complex emergency is usually used to describe the humanitarian
emergency resulting from an international or civil war. Example: conflicts of war; genocide

Exposure and Vulnerability

Exposure and vulnerability are part and parcel of the disaster equation. In some cases, exposure and vulnerability are the
main determinants of disasters. Lack of awareness about the range of consequences of a hazard event is the big reason
why many take natural hazards for granted. People are not the only ones who can be affected by hazards. For some, this
might not be an easy task as disasters do not happen every day. One should however try to think in terms of who and what
might be affected if something goes wrong. There is no better place to start this than at home. Familiarizing yourselves with
smaller elements that are exposed to hazards is no different from doing it with bigger things exposed to bigger source of
danger. One can even make a list of those which might be affected by various man-made hazards at home and in your
neighborhood. What can one do to get these out of harm’s way?
Elements at risk are the people, properties, economic activities, and private and public services potentially threatened by
harmful event. Risk assessment involves the identification and mapping of the elements at risk and the assessment of
vulnerability. In order to reduce risk, most of the focus is on reducing vulnerability, and understanding the elements exposed
to each type of hazard is the first step of doing it. As the risk model (Risk= Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability) shows, risk is
also a function of hazard. Hazard again, refers to the probability of occurrence at a given magnitude that may cause loss of
lives and negatively affect social, economic, and environmental concerns.
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Physical. Exposed element can refer to the number of people or structures within the exposed area. Figures for these two
types of elements are the most reliable and least subjective. The combination of both hazard and exposed population
provides the physical exposure:
PhExp = Hazard x Exposure
where: PhExp is the physical exposure for the affected area
Hazard is the probability of occurrence of an event at a given magnitude
Exposure is the total population living in the affected area for each event
When a disaster strikes, casualties (deaths, missing persons, and injured people) and property loses and damages are the
first to be reported in tri-media. Long after a disaster, the effects to other elements assume greater attention. These are the
consequences that cannot be measured or quantified as easily as property losses or damages. Tangible and intangible
losses fall under social, environmental, and economic categories.
Social. The social dimension of exposure and vulnerability covers a wide range of concerns (including migration, social
groups, health and well-being, education, culture, institutions, and governance aspects) but demography is the most
important aspect. Population density maps are excellent indicators of exposure and vulnerability.
Environmental. The physical aspects of exposure and vulnerability refer to location and built structures. Hazardous events
such as the Typhoon Yolanda, which destroyed a wide range of structures, showed how vulnerable a city’s exposed
elements can be to typhoons and storm surges partly because of location. Detailed list of physical elements exposed to
various hazards:
1. Essential Facilities
 educational facilities
 medical and healthcare facilities
 emergency response facilities
 government offices
 recreational or tourist facilities
 places of worship
 banks and financial centers
 markets and shopping centers
 cemeteries
2. Industrial and High Potential Loss Facilities and Facilities Containing Hazardous Materials
 dams and ponds
 fuel reservoirs, pipelines, and pumps
 power (electric) generating plants and lines
 multi-purpose hydropower plants, water tanks, and lines
 food processing facilities
3. Transportation Lifelines
 highways, bridges, railway tracks, and tunnels
 bus facilities
 port and harbor facilities
 airport facilities and runways
4. Utility Lifelines
 portable water facilities, waste water facilities, pipelines, and distribution lines
 oil and natural gas systems facilities, pipelines, and distribution lines
 electric power facilities and distribution lines
 communication facilities (stations) and distribution lines (cables and networks)
Environmental aspects of exposure and vulnerability encompass those beyond the physical dimension. Also, included are
potentially vulnerable natural systems such as low-lying areas, coastal regions, and mountainous areas. Sometimes, the
combination of human settlement patterns and environment makes populations more vulnerable to hazard events. Take for
example, the preference of some people to occupy floodplains along major river courses which increases their exposure to
flood hazards. More often, the construction of flood control structures such as dikes and channel modification give people
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living in these areas a false sense of security which entices more people to come and settle. Flood control structure design
may be exceeded by extreme events, and so flood risk also increases due to both hazard event and increased exposure.
Economic. Among the economic effects of a hazard event include business interruptions due to accessibility problems, loss
of jobs and access to work, and loss of government income due to inability of businesses and people to pay taxes at a time
when more funds are needed for relief and rehabilitation.

Vulnerability is the “degree of loss to each element should a hazard of given severity occur”. Physical, social, economic, and
environmental factors determine the likelihood and severity of damage due to a given hazard. Recent and present
hazardous events, highlight the need to assess the vulnerability levels of areas of the Philippines that are exposed to these
hazards. With this, resources available can be made to work more efficiently to reduce vulnerabilities. Such measures
include mitigation, prediction and warning, preparedness, and building capacities to withstand and cope with hazards. The
root causes of vulnerability, such as poverty and poor governance, must also be addressed to sustain efforts to reduce
vulnerability.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) defines vulnerability as “the degree of loss to a given element at risk
at a certain severity level”. The vulnerability of populations, buildings, and other elements at risk is assigned a value
between 0 and 1 depending on the percentage of loss that might be incurred when a hazard event causes a disaster.
Social vulnerability. Certain population groups may be more vulnerable than others. For example, the very young and the
old are more exposed to hazards than other age groups, just like the Covid’19 wherein you have to belong to a specific age
range to be able to get permission to go out of the house in this time of pandemic. Furthermore, a rapidly aging population is
more vulnerable as health, economic growth, and mobility issues are more pronounced. Below is a list of the most
vulnerable populations:
 people with disabilities
 children
 seniors
 medication-dependent individuals
 women, especially those who are single, single parents, or the unemployed
 ethnic minorities, indigenous people
 homeless or “street people”
 incarcerated individuals
 marginalized groups (i.e., by the society or the community)
Among the most vulnerable elements are the schoolchildren, especially those in the pre-elementary levels. The education
sector is often exposed to hazards yet it is a potent agent in reducing vulnerability. The use of information dissemination
and education campaigns should lead to a well-informed and motivated population, and hence, to risk reduction.
Environmental vulnerability. Compared with developed countries, developing nations such as or country face more
exposure and vulnerability because of relative inability to adapt to changes and to create wealth that may enhance
resilience. Rapid urbanization in hazardous areas heightens vulnerability to disaster risk.
Economic vulnerability. It is the susceptibility of individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to absorb or
cushion the effects of a hazard event. Rural households are found to be more vulnerable than those in urban environments
because of the greater number of those living in poverty. This is tied to a more limited access to markets and other services.
In a more traditional communities where gender inequalities are more pronounced, women are more vulnerable simply
because they lack access to livelihoods.

Basic Concept of Hazard

Hazards are the potentials for damage to man and his environment that may result from the occurrence of natural events
such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and storm surge. An event per se does not constitute a hazard. Without a
threat to population, the eruption of an isolated volcano remains an event but when volcanic activity occurs close to or right
at the center of a populated area, a mere event becomes a hazard. Imagine your house in a subdivision close to a river with
unchanging flow speed, water volume, and path. As there is no threat of flooding, we can say that there is no flood hazard
and, therefore, no flood risk to speak of.
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The various hazards we are exposed to at home or at school are so common that we tend to overlook these for varied
reasons. How many times did you see someone being tripped by an electric cord running across the aisle? How many times
have you seen a person slipped because of a spill on the floor? Have you ever bothered to check if your electrical wirings
are up to standards and properly laid out? The tendency is to simply delay making changes to remove the hazards.
Oftentimes, the real reason is people fail to recognize the hazard and the possible consequences these may bring. Learning
to deal with bigger hazards starts with the smaller ones in our immediate surroundings.
There are different types of hazards depending on their precursors, namely:
1. Natural Hazards – hazards that results from earth’s natural processes (volcanic eruption, earthquakes)
2. Secondary Hazard – are hazards that resulted or consequence of other hazards (landslides, tsunamis)
3. Technological Hazards – man-made hazards (radiation leaks, toxicity of land due to pesticides)
4. Quasi-natural Hazards – hazards that results from the interaction of natural processes and human activities
(volcanic eruption, earthquakes)
Classification of hazards:
a. Geologic Hazards – events that originated in solid ground count as major precursor ( volcanic eruptions and
emissions, earthquakes, landslides, mudflows)
b. Hydrologic Hazards – extreme events associated with water occurrence, movement, and distribution ( floods, wave
action, drought, rapid glacier avalanche, river scour and deposition)
c. Atmospheric Hazards – hazards to human health and wealth that are created in the atmosphere ( oxygen
deficiencies, dusts, chemical vapors, welding fumes, fogs, typhoons or hurricanes, thunderstorms)
d. Biologic Hazards – these are directly linked to an organic origin caused by exposure of living organisms to toxic
substances, also known as biohazards, which refer to biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living
organisms, primarily that of humans (epidemic in humans, epidemic in plants, epidemic in animals, locusts)
e. Man-made Hazards – events that originated in solid ground count as major precursor. ( transportation accidents,
industrial explosions and fires, accidental release of toxic chemicals, radiological materials, nuclear accidents,
collapse of public buildings, weapons of mass destruction)
Profiling hazards is important in predicting the possible disasters that a certain hazard can bring. They are useful in planning
for a disaster especially if the same impacts are likely to brought by a hazard that frequents a certain place. Hazards can be
profiled in different ways; magnitude of event (high-scale or low-scale), frequency (number of times in a year), duration
(short-term or long-term), and causality effects (direct or indirect).
 Magnitude – The magnitude of the hazard can be assessed by the measurements obtained from scientific
instruments. For example, magnitude 5.0 and above is considered high scale in earthquakes based on PHIVOLCS.
Floods reaching 1.0 meter is likewise considered high scale. Typhoons with winds up to 150 kph are deemed strong
and powerful.
 Frequency – The frequency of the hazard to occur in an area is important because it tells its proneness to hazard.
This is usually, but not always, associated with the area’s geographical location. On earth or its topographical
condition. For example, a coastal community may be frequented by storm surges if it belongs to the typhoon belt.
Coastal community may be frequented by flooding, and not storm surges, if its topography or level of ground is
lower than the sea level. Usually, government agencies record frequencies of natural hazard occurrences to see
any pattern to serve as tools in preparing for a disaster.
 Duration – The impact of hazards varies in duration. In earthquakes for example, the length of shaking, trembling,
and even the after-shocks are recorded. If the event happened in a span of more than a minute, the earthquake is
deemed to be long. Another example is a volcanic eruption that can lasts for days.
 Causality Effects – Impacts of hazards can be assessed based on the causality of events, that is, whether the
exposed element receives the likely disaster directly or indirectly. Sometimes, other elements that are not visibly
present in the site of event also suffer some degree of consequences because all communities interact within and
outside their territory.
A hazard-prone area is a location where a natural hazard is likely to happen if preventive measures are not implemented.
Due to its geography, the Philippines is considered prone to natural hazards, and hence natural disasters as well. It is
situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area as we all know, surrounds the basin of the Pacific Ocean where many
volcanoes have formed. Thus, seismic activities such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently occur in the region.
Around 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur in this region.
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Another reason the Philippines is considered prone to disasters is its major tectonic feature, the Philippine Fault Zone
(PFZ). A PFZ is a series of interrelated faults that cut across the country from northwestern Luzon to southern Mindanao. A
fault is a crack or break on the earth’s crust along which rocks have moved. A rapid or sudden movement of rocks releases
a large number of seismic waves, which cause the ground to move or shake. This sudden shaking of the ground is called an
earthquake.
Another reason the Philippines is considered as hazard-prone area is its location in the Western Pacific Basin, the part of
the world that is most often visited by typhoons. The region is also called the typhoon belt. This explains why an average of
20 typhoons hit our country every year. The impacts of hazards are the likely outcome of disaster. The exposed elements
will initially receive all the negative impacts. In some cases, however, not all the impacts of hazards are adverse. Some
natural hazards result in changes that may be beneficial or supportive of the other existing elements: physical, socio-
economic, and environmental elements.
For socio-economic, they will tend to create new operations or ways of living that can withstand the next possible
occurrence of the same hazard. In environmental, for instance, the ashes spewed out during a volcanic eruption, just like
the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo revealed to have made some soils in Zambales fertile.
An individual living in an area exposed to multiple hazards, one should try to gather information about hazards and the
threats they pose. Individuals, disaster-related agencies, and planners dot his sort of information gathering and analysis as
part of hazard assessment. Hazard assessment is the process of estimating, for defined areas, the probabilities of the
occurrence of potentially damaging phenomenon of given magnitude within a specified period of time
Hazard assessment and risk assessment are two different concepts. Risk assessment involves both the assessment of
hazards from a scientific point of view and the socio-economic impacts of a hazardous event. Thus, without hazard
assessment, no risk assessment can be completed. Scientists employ various methods to assess natural hazards. These
include the following:
a. Quantitative approach – mathematical functions or equations relating the hazard variables used are formulated or
adopted to quantify the hazard
b. Qualitative approach – instead of representing with numbers, this method uses expert opinion in ranking in relative
terms (high, moderate, low)
c. Probabilistic approach – provides an objective estimate of the probability of each hazard affecting an area or region
by considering past records of events
d. Deterministic approach – a more subjective approach of estimating probability; a past event of a given intensity or
magnitude is selected and the consequences at certain are being described
Acronyms
 NDRRMC – National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
 PHIVOLCS – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
 PFZ – Philippine Fault Zone
 PAR – Philippine Area of Responsibility
 NAMRIA – National Mapping and Resource Information Authority
 CDFCG – Calamity, Disaster and Fire Control Group
 NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
 NCDPP – National Calamities and Disaster Preparedness Plan
 PAGASA – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
 IATF – Inter-Agency Task Force