12

Disaster
Readiness and
Risk Reduction
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Basic Concept of Disaster and
Disaster Risk

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk
First Edition, 2020

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over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Authors: Emerina Clarisse R. Bernante, Louise A. Ferrer, Mark Anthony C. Mamon,
Cheryl A. Retio,
Editor: Ma. Lanie A. Socorro, Ed.D.
Reviewers: Raquel M. Austero, Ph.D.
Illustrator: Mark Anthony C. Mamon
Layout Artist: Louise A. Ferrer
Management Team: Malcolm S. Garma, Director IV
Genia V. Santos, CLMD Chief
Dennis M. Mendoza, Regional EPS In-Charge of LRMS
Micah S. Pacheco, Regional ADM Coordinator
Violeta M. Gonzales, CID Chief
Jennifer L. Tubello, Division EPS In-Charge of LRMS &
Division ADM Coordinator

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education – National Capital Region

Office Address: Misamis St., Bago Bantay, Quezon City

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Telefax: 02-929-0153
____________________________________________
E-mail Address: ____________________________________________
depedncr@deped.gov.ph

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

 12

Disaster
Readiness and
Risk Reduction
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Basic Concept of Disaster and
Disaster Risk

This instructional material was collaboratively developed and reviewed

by educators from public and private schools, colleges, and or/universities. We
encourage teachers and other education stakeholders to email their feedback,
comments, and recommendations to the Department of Education at
action@deped.gov.ph.

We value your feedback and recommendations.

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

This module adheres to the learning competencies of the K-12 Curriculum. This module
helps the learners understand the basic concept of disaster and disaster risk based
on the principles and guidelines of disaster risk reduction and management. This
module is a useful learning material that provides the learning objectives, pretest,
lesson proper, enrichment activities, generalization, application, assessment and
additional activities

For the learner:

This module is created to give meaningful learning on the basic concept of disaster and
disaster risk through clear and comprehensive discussions about the concepts and
through engaging and relevant activities. This module also allows the learners to reflect
and apply disaster risk reduction and management in everyday life.

1
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
understand the Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk. This module provides
discussions and activities that will help you learn the concepts, ideas, and relevant
information about the lesson. This module emphasizes the guidelines, and
importance of disaster readiness, risk reduction, and management.

The module is all about the Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain the meaning of disaster.

2. Differentiate the risk factors underlying disasters.

2
 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. What is a process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic
disruption or environmental degradation?
A. Hazard C. Emergency
B. Disaster D. Vulnerability

2. Which is NOT a risk driver?

A. Weak governance C. Environmental degradation
B. Poverty and inequality D. Properly planned urban
development

3. What are the variables that amplify the effects of hazards, thus affecting the
degree or scope of a disaster?
A. Exposure C. Risk drivers
B. Elements at risk D. Vulnerability

4. Which among the following is not a result of disasters?

A. Displacement of populations.
B. Damage to the ecological environment.
C. Destruction of a population’s homeland.
D. Adequate supply of goods and services.

5. An event, whether natural or human-induced, becomes a disaster EXCEPT on

what situation?
A. It occurs in an area with no exposure.
B. It causes widespread material or environmental losses.
C. Community cannot provide the residents their basic needs.
D. Communities experience severe danger and incur loss of lives.

6. Which of the following situations pertain to a disaster risk?

A. A landslide at the foothill of a deserted mountain.
B. A landslide in Benguet that destroyed a mountain village.
C. An isolated volcano erupting in the middle of Pacific Ocean.
D. Typhoon Haiyan passing over a remote and unpopulated island.

3
7. What is the difference between a disaster and a disaster risk?
A. Disaster is a process, phenomenon, or human activity that may cause
loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and
economic disruption or even environmental degradation; whereas a
disaster risk is the situation of people, infrastructure, housing,
production capacities and other tangible human assets located in
hazard-prone areas.
B. Disaster is the combination of all strengths, attributes, and resources
available within an organization, community, or society to manage and
reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience; whereas a disaster risk
is the potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed/damaged assets which
could occur to a system, society, or a community in a specific period,
determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure,
vulnerability, and capacity.
C. Disaster is defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events
interacting with variety of conditions; whereas the latter is the potential
loss of life, injury, or destroyed/damaged assets which could occur to
a system, society, or a community in a specific period, determined
probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and
capacity.
D. None of the choices.

8. Which among the following is not an example of a natural disaster?

A. Sinkholes C. Nuclear war
B. Insect infestation D. Storm surge

9. What is the condition determined by physical, social, economic, and

environmental factors or processes that increases the susceptibility of an
individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards?
A. Vulnerability C. Resilience
B. Hazard D. Capacity

10. Which risk driver shows the inefficient, and incompetent protection of human
rights, and failure to provide public services?
A. Poverty C. Weak Governance
B. Lack of awareness D. Climate change

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 Lesson
Basic Concept of Disaster
1 and Disaster Risk

Do you feel scared or shocked when you hear news about typhoons, floods,
fire, earthquakes, landslides, terrorism, kidnapping, and epidemic diseases? When
these happen, you hear terrible deaths, witness many injured or sick people, see
massive infrastructure destruction, or experience economic loss. In this world, we
always face these threats. Are there ways on how you can become prepared for these
threats? With this first module, you will be equipped with knowledge, and
information about disasters.

What’s In

When was the last time you experienced a disaster? What are the effects of
this disaster to you or probably to your family or community? How did you respond
to it?

Notes to the Teacher/Parent/Guardian

Use the latest and current events of disasters that happened in the
Philippines as examples to make the students updated and
informed. Let the learners be aware on what is happening in their
communities.

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 What’s New

Activity 1. The Pandemic Rises

Analyze the picture shown in Figure 1, then answer the questions given. You can
use a separate sheet in answering this activity.

Figure 1
Source: https://onenews.ph/covid-19-outbreak-expected-to-impact-on-the-local-economy-doh-bracing-for-local-
transmission

Answer the following questions:

1. What disaster is currently happening that makes the people in the picture
wear masks?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 2. How can the people shown in Figure 1 be vulnerable in their current situation?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What do you think will be the outcome of the disaster?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

What is It

The Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

The terminologies listed below are defined by the United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), also known as the United Nations International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

A disaster is defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community

or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of
exposure, vulnerability, and capacity, that may lead to one or more of the following:
human, material, economic, and environmental losses and impacts. An event is
already a disaster if a hazard has already affected a population making them
vulnerable.

A disaster risk is the potential loss of life, injury or destroyed or damaged

assets which could occur to a system, society, or a community in a specific period,
determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and
capacity.

The disaster risk formula is shown below:

Disaster Risk = Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability

Capacity

A hazard is a process, phenomenon, or human activity that may cause loss of

life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption
or even environmental degradation.

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 An exposure is the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production
capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas.
Vulnerability is a condition determined by physical, social, economic, and
environmental factors or processes which increases the susceptibility of an
individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.

To determine disaster risk, the capacity of the community must be analyzed.

Capacity is the combination of all strengths, attributes, and resources available
within an organization, community, or society to manage and reduce disaster risks
and strengthen resilience. The capacity of a community may include the knowledge
and skills of people, leadership and management of the local government, and the
infrastructure and facilities available to the community.

Disaster risk can be presented with this diagram:

Figure 2: Disaster Risk

Source: https://niwa.co.nz/natural-hazards/hazards/risk-and-vulnerability

Nature of Disaster
1. Natural Hazards and Disasters – are the results and outcomes of naturally
occurring processes that occurred throughout Earth’s history.

Examples: Flood, volcanic eruption, insect infestation, tropical cyclone,

earthquake, tsunami, landslide, hurricane, tornado, sinkhole, drought, storm
surge etc.

2. Man-made/Human-induced/Anthropogenic Hazards and Disasters –

occur as a result or an outcome of human actions and interactions with other
people and the environment.

Examples: Chemical threat, hazardous material, nuclear blast, cyber-attack,

terrorism, civil unrest, bioweapon etc.

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Disaster Risk Drivers
Disaster risk drivers are factors that promote or increase the risk of a disaster.
The following are some disaster risk drivers:

1. Climate change – this can amplify disaster risk while weakening the
resilience of the community.
2. Poverty – extreme poverty equates to greater disaster impact.
3. Socio-economic inequality – can result to limited capacity of households and
communities to manage the risk and improve their resilience
4. Increase population density/growth – the higher the population, the greater
vulnerability to disasters
5. Rapid and unplanned urbanization – can result to an increased severity of
disasters
6. Environmental degradation – can reduce the environmental capacity to
provide social and ecological needs
7. Lack of awareness – households, communities, and societies who have lack
of awareness on disasters are not disaster prepared thus can aggravate
disaster risk
8. Weak governance – inefficient, and incompetent protection of human rights,
and failure to provide public services can happen due weak governance

What’s More

Activity 2. My Disaster Diary

Answer this activity in a separate sheet. Fill in the table by writing in the first
(1st)
column the disasters you experienced, year it happened in the second (2 nd)
column, and what you felt and experienced during these disasters in the third (3rd)
column.

Disasters Year these Happened Thoughts and

Experiences

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Activity 3. Recalling the Challenging Times
Read the article provided on this activity about a disaster that recently happened in
the Philippines. Answer the given questions on a separate sheet.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) — The Philippines has confirmed
its first case of novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.
The Department of Health announced Thursday that a 38-year-old female
Chinese national who travelled to the Philippines from Wuhan — the Chinese city
where the coronavirus outbreak originated — via Hong Kong tested positive for the
virus. She arrived in the country on January 21, the DOH said.
The DOH further disclosed that she consulted with a doctor after experiencing
mild cough. She is no longer exhibiting any symptoms of coronavirus infection.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III confirmed to CNN Philippines' Newsroom
that the woman has been confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, a special
national hospital for infectious diseases.
“We are working closely with the hospital where the patient is admitted and
have activated the incident command system of the said hospital for appropriate
management, specifically on infection control, case management and containment.
We are also implementing measures to protect the health staff providing care to these
patients,” Duque said in an earlier press briefing.
Further, Duque told Newsroom that the Chinese nationals admitted in San
Lazaro Hospital were put in isolation.
"They are in isolation room, absolutely sealed off form anybody, except the
health care workers taking care of them and they are in their full gear," the Health
chief assured.
DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Ferchito Avelino said they are also
looking at places where the woman stayed in Cebu and Dumaguete. He added that
they are working to identify and quarantine employees at establishments who had
close contact with the woman
Avelino also said they are also working with the Bureau of Quarantine to
determine what flights the Chinese woman took to the Philippines. He said they will
track down the four passengers nearest to the front, back and sides of the patient,
contact them and advise them accordingly.
The Philippine National Police has vowed to assist the DOH in monitoring all
major entry points in the country. It said that local police are also on standby to track
down other people who may have been infected with 2019-nCoV.
The city government of Manila will also distribute around 400,000 face masks
to students in public schools in the Philippine capital, Mayor Isko Moreno said.
"We ask the public not to panic and to remain calm as the government,
especially the DOH, is on top of the situation," Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said. "We would like to assure them
that the relevant health, research, and law enforcement agencies are working
together to prevent the disease from spreading."

Travel ban sought

The DOH said that it is now investigating 29 people suspected of 2019-nCoV
infection. Eighteen of them are in Metro Manila, four are in Central Visayas, three in
Western Visayas, and one each in Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao
and Davao.
One person who had been under investigation for the coronavirus has died of
pneumonia. Health officials said that the 39-year-old man has not yet tested positive

10
 for 2019-nCoV, but has tested positive for HIV, which if untreated can leave the body
susceptible to all kinds of infections.
Duque said he will recommend to the task force on emerging diseases to ban
the entry of all travellers from China's Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.
“But I believe that will still change. It could expand, increase the number of
places depending on the assessment that is going to be done by the WHO (World
Health Organization),” he said.
Some areas in the country have enforced stricter entry rules, with Samal
Island in Davao del Norte barring entry of all people who came from countries which
have reported cases of 2019-nCoV. Cebu, meanwhile, is seeking to enforce a 14-day
quarantine for tourists coming from China.
Some lawmakers are also calling for the government to temporarily ban all
people who came from China from entering the country.
Among them is Senator Risa Hontiveros who wants a 30-day travel ban on
all individuals travelling to the Philippines who passed through China in the past
two weeks.
“If Hong Kong has drastically reduced high-speed train and ferry services
from China, then why can’t we do the same?" said Senate President Pro Tempore
Ralph Recto, who is also seeking a travel ban.
The DOH advised the public to practice good hygiene, drink lots of water, eat
food rich in vitamins A, C, E and the mineral zinc, avoid crowded places and to wear
a surgical mask if they feel any flu-like symptoms.
Some of the common symptoms of a 2019-nCoV infection are headache and
weakness, runny nose, cough or sore throat, and muscle pain. It may also cause
high fever, trouble breathing, pneumonia, sepsis and even death.
Worldwide, the number of people infected with 2019-nCoV has exceeded the
count during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, with now more
than 7,700 confirmed cases in mainland China, including 170 deaths, CNN reported.
This marks an increase of almost 30 percent in the number of cases from the
previous day.
Cases have also been reported in countries including Thailand, South Korea,
Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, France,
Germany, Sri Lanka, India and Australia.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Triciah Terada contributed to this report.

Source: https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/1/30/Philippines-coronavirus-case.html

Answer the following questions:

1. What disaster is being discussed in the article? Give a brief description of

the disaster.
2. What will be affected by the disaster? List all the possibilities and justify
why.
3. What negative implications can this disaster bring?

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Activity 4. Everything Around Us
Try to remember a disaster that happened in the past, or is currently
happening. Try to identify how did the risk drivers magnified disasters. Write the risk
drivers in the first (1st) column, and explain how these answers magnified the risk of
a disaster in the second (2nd) column.

Risk Drivers Magnified Results

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

What I Have Learned

1. A disaster is a serious disruption in the functioning of a community or a

society due to a hazardous event.
2. The factors of disaster risk are hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity.
3. Disasters can be natural, such as earthquake, typhoon, and flood, or man-
made such as hazardous material and chemical threat.
4. Disaster risks can be promoted or aggravated by poverty, rapid and unplanned
urbanization, increased population density, climate change, environmental
destruction, socio-economic inequality, weak governance and lack of
awareness.

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 What I Can Do

Pollution is a man-made disaster in the environment brought about by

irresponsible actions and activities. Pollution can harm people, animals and plants.
As a student, how can you help in solving the problem on pollution?

Assessment

Multiple choice. Choose the best answer. Answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Which is NOT a risk driver?

A. Weak governance C. Environmental degradation
B. Poverty and inequality D. Properly planned urban
development

2. What is a process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic
disruption or environmental degradation?
A. Hazard C. Emergency
B. Disaster D. Vulnerability

3. What are the variables that amplify the effects of hazards, thus affecting the
degree or scope of a disaster?
A. Exposure C. Risk drivers
B. Elements at risk D. Vulnerability

4. An event, whether natural or human-induced, becomes a disaster EXCEPT on

what situation?
A. It occurs in an area with no exposure.
B. It causes widespread material or environmental losses.
C. Community cannot provide the residents their basic needs.
D. Communities experience severe danger and incur loss of lives.

5. Which among the following is not a result of disasters?

A. Displacement of populations.
B. Damage to the ecological environment.
C. Destruction of a population’s homeland.
D. Adequate supply of goods and services.

13
6. Which of the following situations pertains to a disaster risk?
A. A landslide at the foothill of a deserted mountain.
B. A landslide in Benguet that destroyed a mountain village.
C. An isolated volcano erupting in the middle of Pacific Ocean.
D. Typhoon Haiyan passing over a remote and unpopulated island.

7. Which among the following is not an example of a natural disaster?

A. Sinkholes C. Nuclear war
B. Insect infestation D. Storm Surge

8. What is the condition determined by physical, social, economic, and

environmental factors or processes which increases the susceptibility of an
individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards?
A. Vulnerability C. Resilience
B. Hazard D. Capacity

9. Which risk driver shows the inefficient, and incompetent protection of human
rights, and failure to provide public services?
A. Poverty C. Weak Governance
B. Lack of awareness D. Climate change

10. What is the difference between a disaster and a disaster risk?

A. Disaster is process, phenomenon, or human activity that may cause loss
of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and
economic disruption or even environmental degradation; whereas a
disaster risk is the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production
capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas.
B. Disaster is the combination of all strengths, attributes, and resources
available within an organization, community, or society to manage and
reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience; whereas a disaster risk is
the potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed/damaged assets which could
occur to a system, society, or a community in a specific period, determined
probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and
capacity.
C. Disaster is defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting
with variety of conditions; whereas the latter is the potential loss of life,
injury or destroyed/damaged assets which could occur to a system,
society, or a community in a specific period, determined probabilistically
as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity.
D. None of the choices.

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 Additional Activities

1. Interview your parents about disasters they can remember that occurred in
your community. Create a timeline about the disasters.

2. Watch this video with the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-

SWl3J1aQc for additional information.

References

Commission on Higher Education. 2016. Teaching Guide for Senior High School:
Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction.
Department of Education. 2008. Disaster Risk Reduction Resource Manual (Safer
Schools Resource Manual. Retrieved from http://psba.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2018/07/Disaster-Risk-Reduction-Resource-Manual-
2008.pdf

Department of Education-Bureau of Learning Resources. 2017. Disaster Readiness

and Risk Reduction - Reader. Pasig City.
Parena Jr., J.S., & Ramos, J.D.A. 2016. Exploring Life through Science Series:
Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing
House, Inc.

Quebral, V.S. 2016. Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction. Cubao, Quezon City:
Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
Tarbuck, E.J., & Lutgens, F.K. 2004. Earth Science (10 th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson
Education, Inc.

Websites

 https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology
 https://www.childfund.org/Content/NewsDetail/2147489272/
 https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/introduction.htm
 https://gobgr.org/what-causes-a-disaster/
 https://www.preventionweb.net/risk
 https://riskreductionandmanagement.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/lesson-6-
risk-factors-underlying-disasters/

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – (Bureau/Office)

(Office Address)

Telefax:

Email Address:

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