RAQUEL B.

VIÑÑ AS MAEd SCIENCE

Disasters continue to cause thousands of deaths and injuries and billions of pesos of
economic losses each year. Disasters can be natural, accidents and man-made. Natural
disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples
include floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and other geologic processes.
Accidents are incidental and unplanned event that could have been prevented had
circumstances leading to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its
occurrence; examples include shipwreck, structural failures and collapses. Man-made
disasters are made by people rather than by nature; examples are terrorists incidents,
wars, and massacres. Disasters can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically
leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected
population’s resilience or ability to recover.
To prevent or reduce the disruptive impacts of a disaster on community, certain
measures/actions can be taken such as awareness, education, preparedness, and prediction
and warning systems. How can these help the community?
Awareness - media has a very significant role in information dissemination.
Everyone rely on media for information. In developing population’s disaster awareness,
media is a powerful tool to do it.
Education - The role of education for disaster risk reduction strategies can be
presented according to three types of activities: 1) save lives and prevent injuries should a
hazardous event occur, 2) prevent interruptions to the provisions of education, or ensure
its swift resumption in the event of an interruption, and 3) develop a resilient population
that is able to reduce the economic, social, and cultural impacts should a hazardous event
occur.
Prediction and Warning System - advances in technology are providing decision-
makers with increasingly accurate and useful information on the potential impacts of
natural disasters on society. The challenge is to apply this information and translate
current understanding of natural hazards into meaningful action at the community level.
The aim of these measures is to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to disaster as
well as dealing with the environmental and other hazards that trigger them and this is a
responsibility of development and relief agencies alike. It should be an integral part of the
way such organizations do their work, not an add-on or one-off action. Equally important
is the human side of mitigation; programs should reflect the needs of an urban, aging,
technologically oriented society.
Despite increasing vulnerability to natural disasters, many communities resist
adopting mitigation programs. The barriers are economic, social and political and
mitigation is often perceived as restrictive, costly and incompatible with the community’s
economic development goals.
RAQUEL B. VIÑÑ AS MAEd SCIENCE

The earth has been affected by the natural hazards over a long time as man emerged
into picture the picture that the natural occurrences were becoming disaster, together
with being documented in various ways providing a warning for the future generation.
However in 1920, there was a published study referred to as the catastrophe and social
change by Henry Samuel Prince. This was the Halifax Disaster documented account and
the occurrence of the social change. The first person to deliver evidence based study
was Prince, by use of theory founding a paradigm which paved way for the management
of disaster to be studied (Sperling, 2004).

A change in social can be caused by disasters. Social change always is not for better
depending on affected population resources (Oliver, 2002). Change in disaster study
started changing with theories like as Carr discussing a cultural protection collapse. Carr
made a discussion on how we got the tools in place encountering the act of disasters
though if there was lack of these tools there was no more protection.

Disaster is any occurrence that causes ecological disruption, damage, human life loss,
health services and health deterioration on sufficient scale to warrant response
extraordinary from the outside area or community affected (De Boer, 2000). In addition, it
can be also defined as the series or event which disrupts the normal activities seriously.
Disaster means a sudden or great misfortune. This may include tsunami; fires; floods;
droughts; flood and many others.

The major disasters naturally may include earthquake, cyclone, flood, and drought.
Minor disasters naturally include storm, heat waves, cold wave, mud slides, and
thunderstorm. The major disasters that may occur in man made activities include
deforestation, fires, setting of fires, and pollution due to their prawn activities. Minor man
made occurrence of disasters may include accidents on the roads or trains, riots,
industrial riots, food poisoning, and environmental pollution.

In history throughout disasters had some impacts significantly on the number, life style
and health status of the population such as death, shortage of food, movements of the
population, damage of water systems and the health facilities, and severe injuries which
requires treatment extensive. Health problem that is common to every disaster include
mental health, social reactions, nutrition and food, climatic exposure, health
infrastructure damage, and population displacement.
RAQUEL B. VIÑÑ AS MAEd SCIENCE

Whether a disaster is man- made or natural, it can occur at anytime and anywhere.
General response to any disaster is thereby in terms of rescue and relief operations
which are after the event. If we are well and adequately prepared, it is very easy to
reduce the impact of that disaster. There can be reduction of the impact through being
aware by understanding well the preventive actions, together with having knowledge of
particular tools and techniques; at the time of disaster event these tools and techniques
can be used to control total damage to belongings and life. The biggest problem and
very sad thing is the way a disaster occur; they occur with swiftness and suddenness
hence, for a disaster serenity to be reduced, the response has to be swift equally(De
Boer, 2000).

It is hard for a day to pass without news about complex or major emergency happening
in different parts of the world, as disasters continue to strike causing destruction to both
developed and undeveloped countries (Dyregrov, 1999). This raises vulnerability
concern to occurrences that may affect gravely our daily lives and the future. In
vulnerable populations, some emergency in particular those occurring in nature become
catastrophic events only when they are in combination with the vulnerability factors like
populations density and the human settlements.

An occurrence of earthquake in deserted area is might be considered as a natural

hazard, rather than if it occurred in mega city where it is recognized as major disaster
(Stewart, 2005). Any type of emergency that has anything to do with vulnerability
population together with man made included, concerns some technological disasters like
the ones of chemicals or nuclear; these demonstrates complex and major emergencies
are linked closely to an anarchic growth population that leads to poverty, unplanned
population settlements, and environmental degradation.

Disasters themselves have no limitation to specific parts of world. There are no countries
that are disaster immune, but there is variance in disaster vulnerability (Sperling, 2005).
However, some countries might be more prone to a particular type of disaster. The more
advanced a country is, the level of their preparedness is slightly higher. High level of
preparedness enhances them have good control over loss. Some disasters where loss
during actual event is not required as high, hence losses become a bit high due to the
inability in managing the situation in a timed manner.

Another thing that might lead to a big loss during certain disasters is the secure utilities
and properly manages inability (Pearce, 2003). In one way these utilities tend to be very
RAQUEL B. VIÑÑ AS MAEd SCIENCE

important, and on the other hand, due to ruptures or leakage, some of them might be in
contact with each other, where they are not supposed to therefore leading to further
damage. The most important thing and the most motivation of disaster management are
minimizing losses at disaster time together with ensuring that resources are utilized
effectively; as they are scarce already.

The major disasters naturally may include earthquake, cyclone, flood, and drought.
Minor disasters naturally include storm, heat waves, cold wave, mud slides, and
thunderstorm. The major disasters that may occur in man made activities include
deforestation, fires, setting of fires, and pollution due to their prawn activities. Minor man
made occurrence of disasters may include accidents on the roads or trains, riots,
industrial riots, food poisoning, and environmental pollution.

There are four types of disaster mainly. These include environmental emergencies,
natural disasters, pandemic disasters, and complex disasters. Disaster prevention is
activities that are designed for provision of permanent disasters protection. Not every
disaster can be prevented and particularly natural disasters; the loss risk of injury and life
can be only mitigated with plans of good evacuation, design standards and
environmental planning.

Disaster preparedness is activities for life loss and damage minimization (Pearce, 2003).
Preparedness is the best way of reducing disasters impact. Disaster relief is a multi-
agency coordinated response of reducing disaster impact and its results of long-term.
These activities may include relocation, rescue, water and food provision, preventing
disability and disease, repair of vital services like transport, provision of temporary
shelter and health care emergency.

Once the needs of emergency has been accomplished and the crisis is initially over,
those affected together with the community supporting them remain vulnerable.
Management of disaster is linked with the development sustainably, in particular with
vulnerable people relation like the ones with disability, children, elderly people and
groups marginalized.
RAQUEL B. VIÑÑ AS MAEd SCIENCE

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning

of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or
environmental losses that exceed the community's or society's ability to cope
using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have
human origins.