UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST MANILA

BASIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

A.Y. 2021-2022
THIRD QUARTER

Learning Activity Sheet (LAS) No. 1

Activity Title: Introduction to Disasters

Types of Activity: Concept Notes, Brief Essay Writing Exercises
Learning Targets: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• differentiate between disaster and hazard
• explain how disaster becomes a disaster
• define hazard, vulnerability, exposure, and capacity

References: Bongalonta, Ranold Manuelito P., Bongalonta, Charito-Salvador., (2019)

Disaster Preparedness 101. Abiva Publishing House Inc.,

Concept Notes
R Vocabulary Boost
disaster: (n) a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, destruction
risk: (n) possibility of loss or injury
reduction: (n) act or process of reducing
hazard: (n) a source of danger
Disaster
 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 of time
 Sudden calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or
society’s ability to cope using its own resources
Risk VS Disaster
Risk is the exposure of vulnerable communities to a hazard while disaster is an
unforeseen and uncontrollable event either caused by nature or humans and results in
massive destruction and casualties. The risk from any disaster is influenced by the
interaction between several factors, namely:
1. Hazard - a phenomenon or event that may pose danger to human lives and may
cause destruction of properties and the environment. Hazard is not the same as
disaster but may eventually turn into a disaster when the community affected by it could
not cope with its devastating effects such as injuries, deaths, and damages. It is often
human activities that aggravate the effects of hazard.
2. Exposure - the degree to which elements such as people and properties are at risk
to potential losses due to a particular hazard.
3. Vulnerability - the degree of susceptibility or proneness of a community to the
damaging effects of hazard on a particular environment.
4. Capacity - the ability of a community, society, or organization, in terms of its
available resources, to support the people and to recover from the effects of a hazard. It
can be any form of physical, institutional, social, human, or economic resources.
Types of Disasters
1. Natural disaster - it is a type of disaster brought about by naturally occurring
phenomena.
1.1. Major natural disasters - include cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and droughts because of the large scale of their impact.
1.2. Minor natural disasters - include thunderstorms, heat waves, mud slides, and
cold waves because of the small scale effects of these phenomena.
2. Man-made disaster - it is a type of disaster that is directly traced to human actions,
whether accidental or intentional.
2.1. Major man-made disaster - include fires, deforestation, epidemic, wars, and
chemical pollution.
2.2 Minor man-made disaster - include vehicular accidents and food poisoning.

Brief Essay Writing Exercise. Answer the following questions briefly using your own
words. Answers MUST NOT exceed 3 complete sentences. BE SUCCINCT!
(10 easy-peasy points)
1. Elucidate the difference between risk and disaster.
2. Differentiate natural disaster from man-made disaster.
3. Name at least 4 examples of “hazard”.