Understanding Disasters and Disaster Risk

Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

• The objectives are to explain the meaning of disaster, differentiate the risk factors underlying disaster, describe the effects of disasters on one's life, and analyze disaster from different perspectives, including physical, psychological, socio-cultural, economic, political, and biological aspects.

What is a Disaster?

• A disaster can appear to be a number of things, including being broken, financial issues, physical harm

Disaster Defined

• A disaster is a natural or man-made emergency that affected communities cannot handle; they experience severe danger, loss of lives, and property damage.
• It involves a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society, entailing widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses and impacts, that surpasses the affected community or society's ability to cope using its resources alone

Key Terms

• Emergency is any situation where the life or well-being of a community is threatened and demands immediate and appropriate action with extraordinary responses.
• Hazard is any phenomenon that has the potential to cause disruption or damage to humans and their environment.
• Hazard causes harm
• Risk measures the chance someone will be harmed by the hazard
• A hazard presents a potential for harm, risk is the likelihood of causing harm.
• Exposure refers to people or properties directly affected by natural disasters.
• Vulnerability relates to factors in a community which allow a hazard to cause a disaster, increasing a population's susceptibility to the impact of a hazard.
• Disaster reduction is a systematic way to identify, assess, and reduce disaster risk through prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Capacities are the positive resources and abilities useful for individuals, families, and communities in mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery.
• Is expressed as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability
• Disaster risk seeks to not only express the chance of disaster but also quantify the impact
• Disaster Risk = f(hazard x exposure x vulnerability) / Coping Capacity
• Key elements of disaster risk are hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and coping capacity.

Magnitude of a Disaster

• The magnitude of a disaster depends on the severity of the natural event.
• It depends on the quantity of exposure of elements at risk.
• The magnitude hinges on the vulnerability level or quality of exposure

Factors Contributing to Disasters in the Philippines

• Geographic setting
• Poverty
• Education
• Human-induced environmental changes
• Climate change

Identifying Disaster Elements

• Hazard, capacity, vulnerability, exposure, and disaster risk are Disaster elements.
• Scenario 1: A pile of garbage beside an elementary school gate.
• Scenario 2: The Philippines is situated within the area of the Ring of Fire.
• Scenario 3: Japan is technologically advanced and can fix broken roads in three days.
• Scenario 4: After typhoon Goyong, 50,000 families lost their homes, and 6 million pesos worth of properties were destroyed.
• Scenario 5: A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits Metro Manila causing massive destruction.

Nature of Disaster

• Natural disasters are from natural processes on Earth, occurring with or without warning.
• Human-made disasters usually have a precursor but may occur without any warning.

Classification of Disaster

• Geologic Disasters: Earthquake, Volcanic Eruptions, Tsunami, Landslides, Subsidence
• Hydrometeorological Disasters: Typhoons, Tornadoes, Drought, Thunderstorms, Storm Surges, Flood
• Anthropogenic Disasters: Hazardous materials, Acid Rain, Global Warming
• Biological Disasters: Insect infestation, Epidemic

Characteristics of Disaster

• Disasters are unexpected and quick, and they cannot be managed through normal means.
• They create demands beyond the capacity of the government, exposing a lack of disaster planning, response, and coordination.
• Disasters know no political boundary and require restructured and new responding organizations
• New tasks are created that require more disaster responders
• Render routine emergency response equipment and facilities routine
• Understanding the roles of people and organizations worsens

Levels of Responses

• The levels of disaster responses consist of You, Family and neighbors, Civil Defense Area HQs, Local emergency operational center, and National and international support

Effects of Disaster

• Primary effects come directly from the incident; e.g., water damage from floods or building collapse during an earthquake.
• Secondary effects stem from the primary effect; e.g., A fire breaks out after the collapse of a building.
• Tertiary effects are long-term; e.g., permanent relocation of a community after an earthquake.
• Medical Effects; e.g., effects on the health and well-being of the people in the area
• Damage to critial facilities
• Disruption of Transportation
• Economic Impact
• Disaster Rehabilitation through a response strategy for the creation of sustainable livelihoods, encompassing support geared toward the restoration of human-centered services and the physical and ecological integrity of the affected ecosystem.