DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

Lesson 1: Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

Disaster

❑The term disaster owes its origin to the French word

“desastre” which is a combination of two words “des” Disaster Risk Factor
meaning bad and “aster” meaning star
1. Physical factors – would pertain to tangible
❑Thus the term refers to “Bad or Evil star” objects or infrastructure, like the availability of
fire exits, or the sturdiness of the building, or
❑is a situation that causes substantial losses and the presence or absence of objects that can
damage to communities and individuals, possibly harm you or help you, etc.
including losses of life and livelihood assets and damage 2. Psychological factors - include state of mental
to the ecosystem, which leaves the affected capacity and health (e.g. are we dealing with
communities unable to function normally without babies? Kids? Adults? People with special
outside assistance. needs?), perception of self (e.g., self-
❑ is a “serious disruption of the functioning of a assessment of capability to respond to
community or society causing widespread human, disasters, fear), etc.
material, economic, and environmental losses which 3. Socio-cultural factors - include religion, social
exceed the ability of the affected community to cope status, traditions, perception by society, etc.
using its own resources” 4. Economic factors - include assets and liabilities,
income, economic class, etc. Disaster Risk
Risk 5. Political factors - include government structure,
diplomatic issues, etc. Disaster Risk Factor 6.
•The possibility that something bad or unpleasant will
Biological factors include environment, health,
happen (such as an injury or a loss).
diseases, etc.
•Concept of chance or possibility on an event and its
Lesson 2: Nature and Effects of Disaster
negative consequence, ex. The risk of an accident.
(General usage) Natural Disasters
•Consequences “potential losses” for some cause, place ➢Are consequence when a natural hazard affects
and period. humans and/or the built environment.
Capacity Man-made Disasters
•Combination of all the strengths, attributes, and ➢Are events that are caused by humans and occur in or
resources available within a community, society, or close to human settlements (IFRC).
organization that can be used to achieve agreed goals.
➢Consequence of technological or human hazards.
Disaster Risk is “the probability of harmful
consequences or expected losses (deaths, injuries,
livelihoods, assets, services) resulting from the
Effects of Disaster
interactions between natural or human-induced
hazards and vulnerable conditions” • Effects to human - leads to death, injuries,
psychological impact (trauma), and etc.
• Effects on the economy - economic disruption, 2. Present in hazard zones.
destroy tangible assets such as buildings and equipment
3. That is thereby subject to potential loss.
– as well as human capital – and thereby deteriorate
their production capacity. These adverse impacts may
sometimes be fatal to the firms and result in them being
forced to close down. Vulnerability

• Environmental effect - the destruction of natural  Is the physical, social, economic and
resources and habitat of the animals and humans. environmental factors which increase the
susceptibility to be impacted by hazards.
 Vulnerability engages resistance and resilience.
 Vulnerability is the state of being open to injury
or appearing as if you are.

Lesson 4: Difference Between Hazards, Vulnerability

and Exposure

Vulnerability has many aspects it can be physical, social,

economic, and environmental factors.

Types of Vulnerability

1. Physical Vulnerability may be determined by aspects

such as population density levels, remoteness of a
settlement, the site, design and materials used for
critical infrastructure and for housing

2. Social Vulnerability it is linked to the level of well-

being of individuals, communities and society.

• It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and

education, the existence of peace and security, access
Aggravate to basic human rights, systems of good governance,
• To make more serious or severe (injury, problem, etc.) social equity, positive traditional values, customs and
ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational
Mitigate systems
• To make it less severe, harmful, or painful it is linked to the level of well-being of individuals,
communities and society

3. Economic Vulnerability it is the level of vulnerability

Lesson 3: Exposure and Vulnerability
is highly dependent upon the economic status of
Exposure (elements at risk) individuals, communities and nations.

- Elements at risk from a natural or man-made 4. Environmental Vulnerability the natural resource
hazard event. depletion and resource degradation are key aspects of
- It is the total value of elements at risk. environmental vulnerability
- It is expressed as the number of human lives
and value of the properties, that can potentially
be affected by hazards.

Exposure has three (3) essential components:

1. People, property, systems, and other elements.

 •A natural event that has the potential to cause harm
or loss. (ADPC)

•Is a threat.

•Future source of danger.

•It has the potential to cause harm to:

- People

- Human Activity

- Property

- Environment

Classification of Hazards

Technological (man-made) Hazard

➢Result of human activities. Examples: Toxicity

of pesticides to fauna, accidental release of
chemicals or radiation from a nuclear plant

Quasi – Natural Hazard

➢It arises through the interaction of natural

processes and human activities.

Types of hazards

Geological Hazards (Geohazards)

•This are geological and environmental

conditions and involve long-term or short-term
geological processes

•It originates from the solid earth’s geosphere

Examples: Ballistic projectiles (Rocks from an

erupting volcano), Ground shaking
(Earthquake), Landslide

Hydrometeorological Hazard

•It is a process or phenomenon of atmospheric,

hydrological or oceanographic nature
Lesson 5 : Concept of Hazards
Examples: Tornado, Flood, Typhoon, Forest fire
Hazard
Biological Hazard
• Those elements of the physical environment, harmful
to man and caused by forces extraneous to him (Burton,
et al., 1978)
 • It is a process or phenomenon of organic
origin or conveyed by biological vectors/agents,
including exposure to pathogenic
microorganisms, toxins and bioactive
substances.

Examples: Ebola Virus, Flu virus, Rabies

•Tsunami- sea waves resulting from the disturbance of

ocean floor by an earthquake

Lesson 6: Earthquake Hazard and Effects

What is Earthquake?

•Is shaking of the ground caused by the sudden

breaking and movement of large sections (tectonic
plates) of the earth’s rocky outermost crust. • Liquefaction- is a process that transforms the
behavior of a body of sediments from that of a solid to
that of a liquid when subjected to extremely intense
Common Earthquake Related Hazard shaking.
•Ground shaking disruptive up-down and sideways
movement or motion experienced during an
earthquake.

•Earthquake-induced landslide- failures in steep or hilly

slopes triggered by an earthquake

•Ground rupture displacement on the ground due to

movement of fault.
Natural Signs of an Impending Tsunami

1. Severe ground shaking from local earthquakes may

cause tsunamis.

2. As a tsunami approaches shorelines, water may

recede from the coast, exposing the ocean floor, reefs
and fish.
3. Abnormal Ocean activity, a wall of water, and an debris avalanche event occurred during the 1980
approaching tsunami create a loud "roaring" sound eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
similar to that of a train or jet aircraft.
•Ballistic projectiles -are volcanic materials directly
ejected from the volcano’s vent with force and
trajectory
Lesson 7: Volcano Hazards
•Tsunami - sea waves or wave trains that are generated
VOLCANO
by sudden displacement of water (could be generated
•is a vent on the Earth’s surface that opens downward during undersea eruptions or debris avalanches)
to a pool of molten rock, debris, and gases

VOLCANIC HAZARDS - are phenomena arising from

volcanic activity that pose potential threat to persons or
property in a given area within a given period of time.

•Lava flows - are stream-like flows of incandescent

molten rock erupted from a crater or fissure.

When lava is degassed and/or very viscous, it tends to

extrude extremely slowly, forming lava domes.

•Ashfall or tephra fall -are showers of airborne fine- to

coarse-grained volcanic particles that fallout from the
plumes of a volcanic eruption.

ashfall distribution/ dispersal is dependent on prevailing

wind direction

•Pyroclastic flows and surges -are turbulent mass of

ejected fragmented volcanic materials (ash and rocks),
mixed with hot gases that flow downslope at very high
speeds.

Surges are the more dilute, more mobile derivatives or

pyroclastic flows.

•Lahars -are rapidly flowing thick mixture of volcanic

sediments (from the pyroclastic materials) and water,
usually triggered by intense rainfall during typhoons,
monsoons and thunderstorms.

•Volcanic gases - gases and aerosols released into the

atmosphere, which include water vapor, hydrogen
sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen
chloride, hydrogen fluoride

•Debris avalanche or volcanic landslide - massive

collapse of a volcano, usually triggered by an
earthquake or volcanic eruption. An example of recent