Disaster Analysis, Vulnerability and Impact of Hazard PDF

Angelo Freidrich O. Ambalong  Disaster is a hazard that causes such great losses and damage that the affected communities do not have the resources to recover without outside assistance.  With this, programs and interventions are put in place in order to lessen if not prevent h...

Angelo Freidrich O. Ambalong  Disaster is a hazard that causes such great losses and damage that the affected communities do not have the resources to recover without outside assistance.  With this, programs and interventions are put in place in order to lessen if not prevent hazard exposure.  Hazard exposure is a state of being in which a person or group of people and their properties are in a risk of danger. Hazard is any event, phenomenon or human activity that can threaten people, their properties and environment.  It is important to identify areas or locations that are exposed to hazards to manage the risk and establish safety management activities to reduce exposure to hazards. Why Vanuatu is the world's most 'at-risk' country for natural hazards?  Vanuatu - world's most at-risk country for natural hazards (UN University World Risk Index) Storms, earthquakes, volcanoes or tsunamis are the main problem.  For four years running, Vanuatu has been ranked the world's most disaster- prone country in an annual World Risk Report published by the United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).  World Risk Report 2014 World's most disaster-prone country United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). Vanuatu (36.5 %) First place Philippines (28.3 %) Second place Tonga (28.2 %) Guatemala (21 %) Germany (3 %) 147th Qatar (0.8 %) last (or best, in this case) Japan (13 %) 17th  The WRI is a statistical model for assessing the global risk of disasters that arise directly from extreme natural events such as earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts or sea-level rise. The index is based on the idea that risk is particularly high when vulnerable societies are hit by extreme natural events (WRR, 2020).  What is it that makes life on Vanuatu so dangerous? 1. Natural disasters 2. Coping 3. Susceptibility 4. Adaptation  1.Natural disasters Name a natural hazard, and Vanuatu likely knows it. In a country of roughly 250,000 people, earthquakes place on average 90,000 per year at risk. The exposure figure is an average: A quake affecting a million people once a decade places 100,000 per year "at risk.“  1.Natural disasters The same holds true for storms. Future rising sea levels of one meter will put about 30,000 people at risk. This means 64 percent of Vanuatu's citizens are exposed to natural hazards every year. This indicator determines the level of exposure of a particular population to extreme climatic events.  1.Natural disasters It's significant in that nearby Tonga comes in at just 55 percent and that both volcanoes and tsunamis - risk factors for both countries - were not in the global analysis. Storms affect the small island nation far differently than, say, Indonesia, the Philippines or US. When a storm hits tiny Vanuatu, the entire country is affected - including the capital.  2. Coping 81% points on the index, Vanuatu lacks coping capacities. ▪ Quake victims in Haiti had it worse, with 91 % points lacking coping capacities ▪ Afghanistan topped the list at 94 %.  Coping Capacities This refers to measures and capabilities that are immediately available during an incident to mitigate damage. For this calculation, the opposite value (lack of coping capacities) is used.  Coping Capacities This indicator is measured through three (3) variables, namely: 1) Government and authorities (corruption index, and disaster preparedness and early warning), 2) Medical services (number of physicians and hospital beds), and 3) Material coverage (insurance).  2. Coping One of point of comparison: ▪ Manila was better able to "cope" with Typhoon Haiyan since the Philippine capital was not struck severely by the storm. ▪ Porta Vila, Vanuatu, however, was struck as fiercely as its outlying islands. Helicopters were unable to conduct immediate search and rescue operations on its 65 inhabited islands.  3. Susceptibility On susceptibility, Professor Birkmann cites sanitation as a proxy indicator: In good times, just 57 % of Vanuatu's citizens enjoying access to sanitation and sufficient sewage disposal. Or compare it to the Philippines, and problems with Typhoon Haiyan, where access to sanitation is still much higher at 74 %.  3. Susceptibility So Vanuatu has severe deficits and challenges,“ Other contributing factors: Roughly ten percent of the country lives in extreme poverty, with eight percent of people chronically undernourished.  This indicator determines the likelihood of generally suffering damages from extreme natural event. It describes structural characteristics and framework conditions of affected nations.  The level of susceptibility is measured through four conditions: 1) Public infrastructure (access to basic sanitation and drinking water services, and housing conditions), 2) Nutrition (undernourished population), 3) Poverty and dependencies (dependency ratio of under 15 and over 65, and extreme poverty population), and 4) Economic capacity and income distribution (GDP per capita and GINI index).  4. Adaptation Usually the Red Cross looks at a months-long recovery process. But for us it was important to look ahead, 50 years, at the capacity to change," says Birkmann. Factors include adult literacy rates, school enrollment, gender equality, investment, public health expenditures, life expectancy, and others.  4. Adaptation Importantly, it also includes a factor which some countries can change, but Vanuatu mostly cannot: Where its citizens live. The chances they will go through this again are high. Professor Birkmann says politicians often fail to address - or intentionally avoid - social and governmental failings when addressing disaster prevention and relief.  4. Adaptation Birkmann cites Japan as an example. "Japan is highly exposed with the number of people exposed to earthquakes, but disaster risk is lower due to a higher level of preparedness with regard to building codes and infrastructure there,“ "The question of whether an extreme impact is a catastrophe heavily depends on the vulnerability." Adaptation is a long-term process that includes structural changes and takes into account measures and strategies that deal with the negative impacts of climate change in the future (WRR, 2020). The indicator is computed as the value one minus adaptive capacities.  Four conditions are considered in this indicator: 1) Education and research (adult literacy rate and school enrollment), 2) Gender equality (gender inequality index), 3) Environmental status/Ecosystem protection (water resources, biodiversity and habitat protection, forest management, and agricultural management), 4) Investment (public health expenditure) 1. In a long size bond paper, create a paper copy of basic information of your entire family with contact number, birthday, important medical information and other important information. 2. Write down also the places where your family members spend most of their time outside the house (Work, School, Business, etc.). Include the address, contact number and evacuation information.