Disasters: Causes, Effects, and Classification PDF

# **Disasters** > According to pulse Asia survey in 2010, 63 percent of Filipinos blame climate change and the irresponsibility of people as cause of disasters. > 21 percent believe that disasters are manifestations of God’s wrath. ## **Etymology of Disaster** > The etymology of disaster is “dis...

# **Disasters** > According to pulse Asia survey in 2010, 63 percent of Filipinos blame climate change and the irresponsibility of people as cause of disasters. > 21 percent believe that disasters are manifestations of God’s wrath. ## **Etymology of Disaster** > The etymology of disaster is “dis astro” which is the combination of two words meaning wrong or abnormal star, an astronomical body. Thus, disastro means abnormal formation of stars. ## **Definition Of Disaster** > Disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and impacts. > - Which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. ## **Factors of Disaster** Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: - The exposure to a hazard - The conditions of vulnerability that are present - Insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequence. ## **Hazard** > Hazard refers to the natural or human-made harmful and threatening event that can cause death and destruction. > Ex. Natural hazards are typhoons, earthquake, volcanic eruption. Human-made hazards are fire, chemical leak, and armed conflict. ## **Exposure** > Anything that is in contact to the impact of a hazard is called exposure. Direct or indirect exposure of people to hazards can cause minor to severe injury or even death. Properties exposed to hazards can be damaged or destroyed. Natural environment can be obliterated when faced with the impact of a hazard. ## **Vulnerability** > People and communities are vulnerable if they are susceptible to the effects of hazardous events. Susceptibility means the weakness of people to resist the impacts of hazard and protect their life, property and keep their normal way of living. The vulnerable members of the community are old aged, infants, children, person with disability, sick and pregnant women. Structural vulnerability signifies the weakness of materials used in resisting the impact of hazard. ## **Capacity** > Refers to the knowledge and skills of people to resist the effects of hazard and strengthen resilience against hazardous events. The human capacity can be translated to the ability to make wise decisions in the prevention and mitigation of negative effects of hazards. > Capacity manifest in the readiness of individual and communities in terms of financial, material and technological resources to prevent and mitigate the effects of hazards. # **Classification of Hazardous Events** ## **Natural** > Natural hazardous event refers to environmental events that happen without human intervention. The earth and entire universe constantly move, develop, progress and decline on its own. Ex. Tectonics plates beneath the earth is the cause of the movements of the island and continents. Its slightest move will create an earthquake on the ground. ### **Kinds of Natural Hazard** 1. **Geologic:** it is related to the ground and land formations such as volcanic activities, earthquakes, and landslides. 2. **Hydro meteorological:** it is related to water, wind, temperature, precipitation, and other climate such as typhoons, floods, and drought. 3. **Astronomical:** it is related to the contact of heavenly bodies or earth such as meteor shower, fall of an asteroid, and solar storm. Ex. Tunguska, Siberia, Russia 1908. 4. **Biological:** it is related to biological hazards or biohazards caused by a widespread disease or epidemic on humans and animals, and agricultural pests. Ex. ASF African swine flu that affected hogs and COVID 19 pandemic, that affected millions of people around the world. ## **Human-Made** > Hazardous event refers to the prevalence of a disaster due to deliberate or non-deliberate act of people. Deliberate means the willingness of people to inflict harm and destruction. Non-deliberate is an event caused by technological or mechanical failure and malfunction. ### **Deliberate Human Made Disasters** - Armed conflict - War - Terrorism - Hostage taking - Bombing - Chemical attack - Biological attack - Arson - Collision - Structural demolition - Hacking ### **Non Deliberate Human Made Disasters** - Fire - Spontaneous combustion - Mechanical failure - Technological malfunction - Structural collapse - Human induced landslide - Human induced grassfire - Oil spill - Outbreak.