MODULE 1:

BASIC CONCEPT OF DISASTER AND DISASTER RISK

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 BASIC CONCEPT OF DISASTER AND DISASTER RISK

At the end of this module. I can:

 Define disaster;
 Enumerate various effects of disasters;
 Identify destructive typhoons that struck the Philippines in the last 5 years;
 Explain the meaning of Disaster Risk;
 Enumerate the risk factors which underlie disasters;
 To enumerate the types of disaster effects;
 To view a disaster and its effects from different perspectives/angles;
 Distinguish natural events from disasters;
 Make a documentation of potential disasters in your community; and
 Draft a recommendation for your barangay council.

Introduction

Disasters are a reality. This is especially true in the Philippines where we are visited
by innumerable typhoons each year with their attendant floods; we are situated in an
archipelagic country that sits over a ring of fire and is leashed to an earthquake belt.
Perhaps our most potent response to it must be awareness, knowledge, and understanding
of this reality. Hence, this first lesson provides you, the learner, with a basic but thorough
grounding on the concept of disaster and how and when an event turns into a disaster.

Pre-Test
Shade the circle which corresponds to your answer to the following questions.
1. Which volcano generated the largest eruption of the 20 th century?
 Mt. Mayon
 Mt. Pinatubo
 Mt. Isarog
 Mt. Apo
2. Which typhoon resulted to a massive storm surge that devastated the Visayas
group of islands especially Tacloban City?
 Yolanda
 Ondoy
 Glenda
 Milenyo
3. What is the average number of typhoons that visit the Philippines annually?
 19
 30
 20

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  29
4. What is the year when a devastating earthquake hit the Visayan island of Bohol
destroying centuries-old churches?
 2009
 2013
 2003
 2012
5. Which typhoon in 2014 toppled powerlines in many parts of Laguna and Batangas
- plunging many towns into brownouts (some towns for months) and rendered
major and secondary roads impassable due to flooding?
 Glenda
 Ompong
 Pepeng
 Rosing
6. Which is an example of man-caused hazard?
 Proximity to oil depots
 Base of denuded mountain
 Coastal areas
 Open fields
7. Which is an example of natural hazards?
 Proximity to chemical plants
 Proximity to fault lines
 Proximity to factories
 Proximity to mining sites
8. Which among the following is a disaster?
 a strong earthquake in Makati
 a massive earthquake in uninhabited Liguasan Marsh
 an earthquake in Gobi Desert
 an intense earthquake in the lahar deserts of Pampanga
9. Which among the following is NOT a disaster?
 a landslide in an abandoned village
 a landslide in Palo Alto, Calamba
 a landslide along the resorts in Los Banos
 a landslide in the dense community of Looc, Calamba
10. Which of the following is NOT TRUE of disasters in the Philippines?
 They are predominantly natural-caused.
 They are either human-caused or natural.
 They affect both rich and poor.
 Many of them cannot be mitigated.

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Learning Experience
Disaster is “a sudden, calamitous event, bringing great damage, loss,
destruction and devastation to life and property.” (Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center, ADPC, 2012)
The preceding definition of disaster stresses that two elements are affected –
life (whether human or animal) and property. The effects vary – it maybe a minor
damage (like broken windows and doors), major damage (like torn rooftops,
collapsed walls), total destruction (like completely destroyed houses and structures
rendering them useless and inhabitable) and the worst of all, death. The extent of
effects also varies. The damages may be confined to a small area or it reach or
encompass an extensive, wide area.
Disaster is “a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society
involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and
impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using
its own resources.” (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, FAO,
2008)

Risk is “the probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses (deaths,

injuries, property, livelihoods, economic activity disrupted or environment damaged)
resulting from interactions between natural or human-induced hazards and
vulnerable conditions.” (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, FAO
(2008)

Disaster risk is usually described as a function of the hazard and the

vulnerability context, including the resilience of the societal system under threat.
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, FAO (2008)

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 Disaster Risk is “the probability that a community’s structure or geographic
area is to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular hazard, on account
of its nature, construction and proximity to a hazardous area.” (ADPC, 2012).

The three definitions cited above indicate that there are three elements of disaster
risk:

1. Exposure: The ‘elements at risk’ from a natural or man-made hazard event.

(Quebral, 2016).

2. Hazard: A potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon or human activity

that may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic
disruption or environmental degradation. FAO (2008)

3. Vulnerability: The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and

environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community
to the impact of hazards. FAO (2008)

Man-made hazard

Reduction of the level of vulnerability and exposure is possible by keeping

people and property as distant as possible from hazards. We cannot prevent natural
events from occurring so we should focus on addressing the reduction of vulnerability
and exposure.

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 Disasters can affect anyone and everyone. It does not discriminate between
and among social classes, gender, creed, race, nationality. But there are certain risk
factors which put those affected in a position where they will have graver or longer-
lasting post-disaster stress reactions. These aggravating factors contribute
pronounced differences in the stress reactions of certain individuals with certain
characteristics.

The risk factors which underlie disasters according to the ADPC (2012) are:

1. Severity of exposure - those who experience disaster first-hand have the

highest risk of developing future mental problems. Next are those in contact with
victims such as rescue workers and health care practitioners. Of lowest risk are
those most distant like those who have awareness of the disaster only through news.

2. Gender and Family – the female gender (woman or girl) suffers more adverse
effects. This worsens when children are present at home. Marital relationships are
placed under strain.

3. Age - Adults in the age range of 40-60 are more stressed after disasters but in
general, children exhibit more stress after disasters than adults do. Highly-stressed
parents affect recovery of children.

4. Economic status of country – Evidence indicates that severe mental

problems resulting from disasters are more prevalent in developing countries like the
Philippines. Furthermore, it has been observed that natural disasters tend to have
more adverse effects in developing countries than do man-caused disasters in
developed countries.

5. Certain factors are related to a survivor’s background. Recovery is hampered

if survivors:

 we’re not functioning well before the disaster

 have no experience dealing with disasters
 must deal with other stressors after the disaster
 have low self-esteem
 feel uncared for by others
 think they exercise little control over what happens to them
 unable to manage stress

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 More factors contributory to worse outcomes:

 Death of someone close

 Injury to self or family member
 Life threat
 Panic, horror, or similar feelings
 Separation from family
 Massive loss of property
 Displacement

A disaster can bring about a lot of devastating effects. The effects can be
classified as physical, economic, social or psychological. So, everyone must be
prepared for this unfortunate event.

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Module 1 - Quiz

Give five (5) harmful consequences of risk identified by the Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ.)
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
Enumerate the risk factors underlying disaster:
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
Arrange the jumbled letters in Column A to be able to form the words related to
disaster effects, then match them with the words in Column B.
Column A Column B

___ 1. JYINRU A. widespread occurrence of disease

___ 2. VLUARENBEL B. damages like wound, bruise
___ 3. MAUTAR C. prone/ susceptible to harm
___ 4. DIPEMECI D. feeling of despair
___ 5. SSENOLEPESSH E. damage to mind

Determine if each scenario is a disaster. Write YES if it is a disaster; NO if not a

disaster.
_____ 1. A landslide in a mountain resort
_____ 2. A typhoon traversing a remote and uninhabited island
_____ 3. A volcano erupting 15 km away from a city
_____ 4. A mudslide towards a hill foot community
_____ 5. A strong earthquake in the Dasmariñas City

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Module 1 – Activity 1

Read the scenario below then answer the question by writing an essay.
What risk factors are reflected from the preceding text? Explain why you consider
these as risk factors.

Gina, an 18-year-old resident of Tacloban City, just got laid off from her job
as a sales clerk in a medium-sized hardware store. She and her siblings
could barely survive each day with their limited resources. Then Typhoon
Yolanda struck, killing her 2 younger sisters. Their home was completely
destroyed by the storm surge. In her barangay alone, 2000 residents were
killed, including her children friends and former playmates.

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Module 1 – Activity 2

Consider you are a friend to the following people. Given their situation and the
fact that they are suffering from the effects of a previous disaster, what tips or advice
or empowering words can you give them to help them recover.

Note: Your advice should be able to see the case in different perspectives.

1. Dale Marc is a 16 year old student. He, together with his family, is currently
staying in a basketball court which serves as the evacuation center for affected
families who lost their homes due to an earthquake. He decided to stop
schooling and instead find a job to be able to
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2. Anna is a teacher at Bagong Pag-asa Elementary School. She used to be a

mom of two beautiful kids. She lost them after their community was stricken by
a super-typhoon submerging and washing away homes and properties. It is
very clear to her memory how her two children gripped to her hands to the best
of their effort in order to survive. Unluckily, their hands slipped and was swept
by the flood and drowned. She feels very helpless and at some point, thinking
to end her own life.
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3. Junsei is the newly elected barangay captain of Barangay Takaw-Sunog. The

said barangay is densely populated with many illegal settlers. Illegal electrical
connections, mindless behavior, lack of education are some defining
characteristics of his constituents. He feels that the community is vulnerable to
fire hazards. If he seeks your advice on impending occurrence of fire, what
policies/ordinance would you suggest him that he can apply to his
constituents?
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