Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction PDF

Disaster Readiness Risk Reduction Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, 2004) defines disaster as “ a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic...

Disaster Readiness Risk Reduction Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, 2004) defines disaster as “ a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope, using its own resources” Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) describes disaster as “ any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and health services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area” Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction Disaster impacts may include loss of lives, injuries, diseases, and other negative effects on human physical, mental and social well- being, together with damage to properties, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and economic disruption and environmental degradation. Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction Disaster causes a multidimensional impact affecting not only the socioeconomic and political life, but also the mental and cultural state of the affected area (Srivastava 2010). It disrupts the people’s normal dayto- day life such as school life, business activities, and government services. It brings to a condition which overpowers local capacity (IJMES Quarentelly 1987) Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction  EFFECTS OF DISASTERS ✓Human / Biological ✓Social ✓Physical / Material ✓Psychological ✓Economic ✓Environmental ✓Political Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction … the other side of the coin BENEFITS OF DISASTER ✓Increasing awareness of hazards and disasters ✓Prompting people to build a culture of safety and prevention ✓Serving as an occasion to appreciate the gift of nature ✓Bringing people together and strengthening the culture of “ bayanihan “ Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction Disasters are inevitable. The fact is, disasters happen for a reason; and in most instances their occurrence is greatly influenced by factors related to human activities Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction