HAZARD, DISASTER AND DISASTER RISK

Mention the word disaster" or "catastrophe" and images of destruction, chaos and anarchy will come to
mind easily. Millions of people have been affected by the occurrences of events that disrupt their
normal course of living and activities and sometimes, these events adversely affect and change their
lives permanently.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines disaster as a serious disruption
of the functioning of a community or a society causing

widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected
community or society to cope, using its own resources.

Similarly the World Health Organization describes disaster as any occurrence that causes damage,
ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and health services on a scale sufficient
to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area.

For a more simple definition, disaster is any event that causes widespread human, economic and
environmental losses or impacts that seriously disrupt the normal functioning of a community. The level
of severity of a disaster is determined based on the number of human lives missing, or lost and on the
condition of the survivors.

Furthermore, disaster as defined by UNISDR, is a result of the combination of:

a. exposure to hazard

b. the conditions of vulnerability that are present

c. insufficient capacity of measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences.

An event is also considered a disaster based on the amount of income lost from work, livelihood and
other economic activities that had been stopped or slowed down due to the disaster.

Disasters usually follow hazards that are not anticipated. When disaster occur, the community affected
may lose its ability to cope with the loss and damage using its own resources. Hence, disasters may be
prevented if proper and effective disaster plans are in place.

• A hazard is a threat or harm that has the potential to cause damage ( injury, destruction of properties)
to a community.

LET'S LEARN MORE AND BE ENLIGHTEN!

Disaster risk is defined as the "potential disaster losses in terms of lives, health status, livelihood and /or
assets and services, which could occur to a particular community or society over some specified future
time period". It is specific to a location or condition of a community. Usually if certain hazards frequent a
specific location or if the present situation of a community puts it in a dangerous position, the disaster
risk becomes a vital consideration in defining the safety of the people in that community. Disaster risk
determines the tendency of a community to face disasters.
According to the terminology of UNDRR, disaster risk is defined as "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, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, and capacity".

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF DISASTER AND DISASTER RISK?

Disasters are sometimes considered external shocks, but disaster risk results from the complex
interaction between development processes that generate conditions of exposure, vulnerability and
hazard.

HAZARD

VS

RISK

A HAZARD is something that has the potential to harm you

RISK is the likelihood of a hazard causing harm

ce of disaste

Risk is the anticipated or potential consequences of a specific hazard interacting with a specific
community at a specific time.

HAZARD

Anything that can cause harm (eg a chemical electricity ladders, etc)

RISK

How great the chance that someone will be harmed by the hazard
RISK FACTORS UNDERLYING DISASTERS

1. Climate Change

Climate change can increase disaster risk in a variety of ways-by altering the frequency and intensity of
hazards events, affecting vulnerability to hazards, and changing exposure patterns.

Climate change is denied only by those with a strong economic interest in doing so, and its
anthropogenesis is discounted for the same reason by those who accept its reality but do not want to
try to do anything about it. A virtual unanimity of climate scientists, however, agrees that climate
change is real, increasingly dangerous to human life, and man-made.

2. Environmental Degradation
It is both a driver and consequence of disasters, reducing the capacity of the environment to meet social
and ecological needs. Ecosystems provide the fundamental necessities of life, such as food, water,
protection from extreme weather events, and the purity of the air we breathe. These systems, however,
are threatened by unregulated economic expansion and are fast losing their capacity to moderate
disaster risk

3. Globalized Economic Development

It resulted in increased polarization between the rich and poor on a global scale.

4: Poverty and Inequality

Poverty is both a driver and consequence of disasters, and the processes that further disaster risk
related poverty are permeated with inequality.

5. Poorly-planned and Managed Urban Development

A new wave of urbanization is unfolding in hazard exoosed countries and with it, new opportunities for
resilient investment emerge

6. Weak Governance

Weak governance zones are investment environments in which public sector actors are

unable or unwilling to assume their roles and responsibilities in protecting rights, providing basic
services and public services Bad urban planning exacerbates these tendencies. The driving force of
economic development, fueled by private capital, skews decisions about where and what to build,
leading

urban areas to expand into hazardous locations that are sometimes extremely dangerous.

EFFECTS OF DISASTERS:

The effects of disasters vary mostly, depending on the severity of the exposure of life, property and the
environment to the hazard, like the severity of the effects of a disaster is higher in the community
directly affected by the hazard.

According to measurable severity, effects of disasters are:

1. Primary effects are direct situations arising from the disaster itself.

EXAMPLE: flooding is a primary effect of a strong typhoon in a certain environment.

2. Secondary effects are situations resulting from the primary effects. EXAMPLE: disruption of electrical
and water services because of the damages to power and water lines.
3. Tertiary effects are those that are not experienced as a disaster is taking place but can be fell some
time after the disaster has occurred. EXAMPLE: higher prices of commodities particularly vegetables
because of

shortage of supply due to damage of vegetation and farm to market roads.

AFFECTED COMPONENTS:

Indeed, the effects of disasters can be complex and widespread depending on the damage done on
those that are affected namely;

1. PEOPLE

After a disaster takes place, the number of casualties is assessed but, in most cases, the actual number
cannot be achieved. There may be missing who may be presumed dead, the number of injures or who
have gotten due to disaster is also considered.

The loss of family members, friends, and other loved ones is the most tragic effect of

disasters on people. The pain is exacerbated when loved ones remain missing ever after the

disaster.

2. BUILDING & INFRASTRUCTURE

Homes, buildings, and other infrastructure are important components that are considered in the
aftermath of a disaster. Reestablishment of affected homes, workplaces, commercial sites, and similar
structures is a priority in like manner, the destruction or damage to public buildings, such as schools,
hospitals and public infrastructure such as roads and bridges can significantly affect the devastated
community. Damaged infrastructure can immobilize the community and any) building or structure that
has lost its capacity to serve its designed purpose is tantamount to being useless and is considered as a
loss.

With the damage to hames, people that are affected do not just lack shelter but also lost most of their
properties and they have to practically rebuild their lives as they slowly replaced what they've lost.

3. ECONOMY

An economy is not a single entity that functions alone. It involves all sectors of society such as business,
transportation, and communication. Hence, when a disaster strikes a community, the economy is among
the first to be affected because of the loss of livelihood, employment, and even tourism opportunities
for the community

With the damage to buildings and public infrastructure comes the loss or delay of essential services such
as electrical power, fuel, sewerage, telecommunications, and water. This hampers the operations of
households, businesses, companies and schools. The damage to public infrastructure also disrupts the
operations of transport services and this is in turn affects the movement of people, goods, and services.
All these have serious implications on the economic life of a community.
4. ENVIRONMENT

Disasters can cause negative effects on the air, soil, water and ecosysterns in a community.

Air quality is compromised when harmful particulates are released into the air during disasters such as
volcanic eruptions, explosions, and nuclear plant emissions. These particulares include ash, dust, heavy
metals, and smoke. They do not stay suspended but are deposited into the environment and can
contaminate the ground, bodies of water and even

human, animal, and plant life. Aside from absorbing air particulates from man-made disasters, the soil or
land suffers other effects such as erosion from flash floods and landslides, cracks and fissures from
earthquakes and changes in its quality due to absorption of chemicals,

Disasters affect water in its various aspects: as groundwater, in bodies of water and in water containers
such as swimming pools, and water tanks.

An ecosystem is a complex community involving the interactions of animals, plants, and microorganisms
with the nonliving components of that area. The natural balance of ecosystems is gravely affected by
disasters.

ACTIVITY 5: HOW AM 1 AFFECTED? CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

Direction: On a LONG coupon bond, give example/s on how disasters affect the economy and

the environment of a given community.

TRANSFER

DISASTER FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Most people look at disasters in the same perspective. However, to evaluate the overall results of a
disaster, disaster experts examine them from different points of view.

1. PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

Calamities are phenomena that cause great physical damage in a community infrastructure, its people
and their properties, e.g. houses and environmental sources of living. These cited effects of a disaster
can be easily measured and the most common. Natural disasters generally affect the physical
infrastructural facilities, agricultural productivity and even lead to loss of life and cause damage to
property. Various factors influence the effects of a disaster on a country among them are the magnitude
of the disaster, the geography of the area affected, and the recovery efforts directed towards reducing
the immediate effects of a disaster.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Victims of disasters may suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other serious mental
health conditions, which are not being given much attention to by the authorities or even by the victims,
themselves. (This may be sensitive statement) Disasters are mostly unpredictable, which leave the
victims in a state of shock. They tend to deny the loss and try to escape from reality. Being in a denial
state makes the victims more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and other

different maladaptive reactions, Death of a closed one also leaves the victim in a state of insecurity
because the sense of love, attachment and belongingness are deprived.

Psychological effects of a Disaster: Distress Hopelessness Intrusion/avoidance

Emotional Effects: Hatred/revenge

Cognitive Effects:

Dependence/insecurities

Physical Effects:

Gnet/withdrawn/isolation

Interpersonal Effect:

Guilt feeling Helplessness Lack of trust

3. SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Filipinos are generally known as-matisin, resourceful, helpful, optimistic, and prayerful. These
characteristics are manifested in the country's recent fight against COVID19. Due to the National Health
Emergency, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) prevailed in the whole country. A lot of people
temporarily lost their jobs, some people stranded in different regions, repatriated OFWs were held in
different ntine facilities in Metro Manila, and all people were restricted to go were out of their homes
for months. As a result, most Filipino families would rely on government's help vernment make people
find quaran for them to get by. However, limited resources and aids from the government make people
possible ways to survive amid the pandemic. These traits help a lot of Filipinos to survive the the
challenge of COVID19 in the country. To people who are used to natural calamities like typhoons, flash
floods, and volcanic eruptions most citizen would find contentment with what they have at the moment.
The culture of malalampasan din natin to beliel and bahala na ang Diyos syndrome give hope to most
Filipino in the midst of a disaster. Such perspective helps a lot especially those who helong to the
marginalized sector to be hopeful and continue fighting against any challenge at hand. Their belief that a
help from someone or from God would arrive at a time they most needed. It also helps most people
survive a lot of oddities in life.

SOCIO-CULTURAL EFFECT OF DISASTERS:

- Change in individual roles

Disruption of social relationships and personal connections

4. ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE DISASTERS

It affects the economic condition of a community because they reduce local and international trade. It
can also partially or totally paralyze a country's transportation system, just like what nappened in the
COVID19 pandemic implementation of a partial and total shut down of local business operations result
to a lot of people losing means of living.

ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF DISASTERS:

Loss of life

Unemployment

- Loss of property

Loss of household articles Loss of crops

Loss of public infrastructure

5. PERSPECTIVE
Natural disasters are commonly thought to be less politically argumentative than armed conflicts, yet a
closer look shows that both the effects of a natural disaster and the resulting distribution of
humanitarian aid are profoundly linked to politics. Just as vulnerability to disasters is mediated by the
political system of a country, disasters can have major consequences for political stability and political
legitimacy. Since agencies of government have a significant role to play in directing disaster
preparedness, prevention and recovery. Social systems establish vulnerability to natural disasters and
governments are often considered to be responsible for the disaster effects.

POLITICAL EFFECTS OF A DISASTER

People who have trust in political institution will assess the government's nsk assessments as credible
and accept their hazard policies. (Johnson 1999) Low level of trust in public institutions therefore means
that citizens may ignore the recommendations and disregard the information provided by these
institutions.

(McCaffey 2004)

- If individuals are confident that they will receive sufficient aid from government when a disaster
occurs, they might not be motivated to take measures on their own. (King and Kang 2000)

6. BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE The disturbing effects caused by a prevalent kind of disease level is known
as biological disaster.

or virus in an epidemic or pandemic (a) EPIDEMIC LEVEL: Biological disaster affects large numbers of
people within a given community or area. Ex: Dengue

(b) PANDEMIC LEVEL: Biological disaster affects a much farge region, sometime spanning

entire continents of the globe.

Ex: Swine flu

Biological disasters can wipe out an entire population at a short span of time. Example of it is the
COVID19 pandemic which infected millions in less than a month and left

thousands of deaths in the same duration, Viral respiratory infections can lead to anything from a mild
cough that lasts a few weeks or months to full-blown persistent wheezing or asthma. He added that
when there is a severe respiratory infection, recovery can be prolonged with a general increase in
shortness of breath

even after normal lung function returns.

Since COVID19 is a respiratory disease, the public is advised by health authorities to do health
precaution to prevent social contamination. Examples are: observing physical distancing, appropriate
washing of the hands, wearing of mask at all times once outside of one's home, and boosting one's
immune system. COVID19 patients who have strong immune system can likely soon recover from the
disease. Also, those who follow the health precaution strictly have less chance of being infected. As
such, the effects of a biological disaster can be reduced.

EFFECTS OF BIOLOGICAL DISASTERS

Loss of lives Public demobilization - Negative economic effect

Unemployment Hunger

RISK FACTORS UNDERLYING DISASTERS:

While there is little or nothing that can be done to prevent natural hazards//disasters, some human
actions worsen the risk of their occurrence, making the probable disaster more

difficult to prevent or even anticipate Most of the man-made activities as part of human

exploration and advancement compound the risk of disasters

1. Housing and building development.

In the pursuit of addressing the modern-day needs and wants of people, the environment is put at risk.

2. Presence of physical structures prone to disaster risks.

Some disasters take place without anyone knowing them because the sites of disaster are void of any
structure or community.

The presence of physical structures which may house a significant number of people, is a serious
consideration in disaster assessment

ACTIVITY S: YOU WATCH OR YOU READ!

DIRECTIONS: Choose an option you want. Then, answer the questions that follow.

1: Watch this video from the YouTube, entitled "Philippines' President Threatens to 'shoot dead'
coronavirus lockdown troublemaker."

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gERZqLv3MKg

2. Read the article below if you do not have internet access at home.

State of Public Health Emergency Declared in PH

by Azer Parrocha

President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a proclamation formally declaring a state of public health
emergency throughout the Philippines after the health department reported the first known local
transmission of the new coronavirus disease (COVID 19), Duterte signed Proclamation 922 on March 8
to capacitate government agencies and LGUS (local government units) to immediately act to prevent
loss of life, utilize appropriate resources to implement urgent and critical measures to contain or
prevent the spread of COVID-19, mitigate its effects and impact to the community, and prevent serious
disruption of the functioning of the government and the community.

The proclamation would also facilitate the implementation of mandatory reporting,

intensify government response and measures, and enforce quarantine and disease control

prevention measures

Duterte recognizes that the outbreak of Covid-19 constitutes an emergency that threatens national
security which requires a whole-of-government response aligned with the Department of Health's (DOH)
four-door framework for COVID-19, and the efforts of all concerned government agences and LGUS.

Under the proclamation, all government agencies and LGUs are tasked to give full assistance and
cooperation and mobilize the necessary resources to undertake critical,

Assessing risk, mitigating, or even preventing are the different ways on how to lessen or stop the impact
or effect of disasters on communities. Knowing how and why a certain community is exposed and
vulnerable, residents would be able to lessen if not prevent losses of lives, properties and the damage of
the environment.
The next lesson will focus on the factors that could determine the risk: vulnerability and exposure of a
community to hazard and disaster. Understanding these two important factors would lessen the impact
of hazard or disaster.

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Explain the meaning of vulnerability.

2. Explain the meaning of exposure. 3. Distinguish vulnerability, exposure and hazards.

4. Recognize the connection among vulnerability, exposure and hazards.

S. Enumerate elements exposed to hazards

6. Explain why certain sectors of society are more vulnerable to disaster than others.

7. Analyze why certain structures are more vulnerable to specific hazards than others. 8. Recognize the
vulnerabilities of different elements exposed to specific hazards. 9. Give an example of an actual
situation that demonstrates vulnerabilities, exposure, and hazard of a community.

EXPLORE:

THE CONCEPT OF VULNERABILITY

What is vulnerability? What is the effect of vulnerability to disaster?

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies defines vulnerability

as the 'diminished capacity of an individual or group to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from
the impact of a natural or man-made hazard".

What do we mean by the definition given by IFRC?

Vulnerability is the characteristics or circumstances of a person, group or even

community that make it susceptible or prone to the damaging effects of a hazard. It is also defined as a
set of prevailing or consequential conditions which adversely affect the community's ability to prevent,
mitigate, prepare for and response to hazardous events. Another definition may be given as "the quality
or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or
emotionally."

Being vulnerable may come from many aspects specifically those that arise from various

social, economic, physical and environmental factors. Examples are poor design and construction

of infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, inadequate protection of workers, lack of public

awareness, inadequate preparedness measures.

Vulnerability is situation specific. This means that if a particular region experienced earthquakes
frequently, it doesn't mean that all the provinces in that region are vulnerable. The vulnerability of the
provinces differs in the way they prepare for the hazard and the amount and type of resources they
have to prevent and manage it.

Vulnerability is also hazard specific. This means that a specific community which is vulnerable to
typhoons does not necessarily mean that it is vulnerable to earthquakes.
The level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the economic status of individual communities and
nations. The poor are usually more vulnerable to disasters because they las the resources to build sturdy
structures and put other engineering measures in place to protes themselves from being negatively
impacted by disaster.

Economic vulnerability is the susceptibility of individuals, communities, businesses and governments to

absorb or cushion the effects of a hazard events. Rural households are found to be more vulnerable than
those in urban environments because of the greater number of people living in poverty. This is tied to
the more limited access to markets and other services. In other traditional environment or communities
where gender inequalities are more pronounced, women are more vulnerable than men partly because
they lack access to livelihood. Family responsibilities and reproductive role also contribute to their
vulnerability. The resourcefulness and resilience of women should be recognized so that they can be
tapped to play critical roles in times of crisis.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY

Natural resources depletion and resources degradation are key aspects of environmental

vulnerability. Compared with developed countries, developing nations face more exposure and
vulnerability because of their relative inability to adapt to changes and to create wealth that may
enhance resilience. Rapid urbanization in hazardous vulnerability to disaster risk. The quintupling of the
world's urban population, mostly in less developed countries and the rapid development of megacities
mean a greater exposure and vulnerability. More than half of world's population live in cities and with
the rate of migration from rural areas, there is the possibility that more than half of the population will
be urban dwellers. This increase in population will make it more difficult for government and citizens
hard up for funds to cope with the effects of hazard events. The increasing number of informal settlers
forced by circumstances to occupy areas at or in close to

river systems, coastal areas, and steep hillsides exposes more people to inundation and landslide.

3. PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY

It may be determined by aspects such as population density levels, remoteness of the settlement, the
site design and materials used for critical infrastructure.

4. SOCIAL VULNERABILITY

Refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand adverse impacts to

hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions, institutions and cultural values.

Certain groups may be more vulnerable than others. For example, the very young and the old are more
exposed to most hazards than any other age groups. A rapidly aging population is more vulnerable as
health, economic growth, and mobility issues are more pronounced.

Among the most vulnerable elements are the schoolchildren. The education sector is often exposed to
hazards yet it is a potent agent in reducing vulnerability. The education dimension includes vulnerability
of school children and school buildings, access to education and access to information about disaster
risk reduction and hazard adaptation. The use of information dissemination and education campaigns
should lead to a well- informed and motivated population and hence, to disaster risk reduction. To elicit
action among the people, their perception of disasters, as influenced by their beliefs, experiences, and
culture must be taken into account. Explicit education programs among children and adults should result
in greater awareness of risk, vulnerability and exposure to hazard events.

FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF VULNERABILITY OF AN

AREA OR COMMUNITY:

1. Proximity to a hazard event.

An area which is frequented by a certain hazard is considered to be highly vulnerable. For example,
houses, buildings and other structures become vulnerable to flooding if they are build on flood prone
areas. A more concrete scenario is the situation of our country. We all know that the Philippines is
situated on an area called the "Pacific Ring of Fire" where there are frequent seismic activities, thus we
frequently experienced earthquakes than Brazil or any other country away from region.

2. Population density near a hazard event.

Population density refers to the number of individuals living in an area in relation to the size of that
area. If a small area is densely populated, there is a little space and time to escape from hazard. For
example, our situation nowadays, particularly in slum areas where houses are closed to one another and
there are many persons living on it, the transmission of the COVID-19 will be more rapid and more
people will be affected.

3. Capacity and efficiency to reduce disaster risk.

The capacity of a community to reduce disaster risk includes the accessibility and availability of services
and facilities that help in preparing for or during disasters. The availability of resources will be useful and
would result in the ability of a community to anticipate, adapt, and respond to the changes in socio-
ecological and economic impacts that are usually experienced after a disaster.

Nowadays, occurrences of super typhoons can be predicted by PAGASA through the different modern
technology and equipment. In the past years, provinces particularly those frequented by typhoons have
already set up suitable evacuation centers to house familles prior to the arrival of super typhoons. Some
local government units purchased rescue boats to help transport people during flooding. The
dissemination of information and availability of warning devices and equipment provide immediate
response during disasters, making a community less vulnerable.

4. Building codes and disaster policies,

Buildings and other structures may increase disaster risk. Thus, in the design and construction of
buildings, possible hazards should be considered.

Resistant structures can lower the vulnerability, especially if the features or designs of the structures are
hazard-specific. But these ideal features or deigns would be costly because the type of materials,
engineering and technology to be used are not ordinary.

Procedures such as evaluation for earthquake resistance, earthquake-proof retrofitting, and

rebuilding are now standard protocols in structures that are deemed to have high vulnerability to

seismic hazards.
THE CONCEPT OF EXPOSURE:

Exposure is defined as the elements at risk from hazardous events or from a natural or man made
hazard event, which includes individuals, households, properties, buildings & structures, agricultural
commodities, livelihood and public facilities, and other environmental assets present in an area that are
subject to potential losses.

Exposure and vulnerability are distinct from each other. A community can be exposed but not

necessarily vulnerable. Whereas, an area is vulnerable if it is exposed to certain disaster.

ELEMENTS EXPOSED TO HAZARDS:

The lack of awareness about the range of consequences of a hazard event is one big reason why many
take natural or man-made hazards for granted. Not only people are affected by hazards. It is not easy to
quantify or determine who or what would be affected since disasters do not occur everyday.
Familiarizing oneself with the smaller elements that are exposed to hazards would be a big help. It is like
knowing bigger sources of danger.

Exposure refers to the element at risk from a natural or man-made hazard event.

Elements at risk are the people, properties, economic activities, and private and public

services potentially threatened by a harmful events.

a. Physical elements

These are elements that are tangible or can be seen and touch. Examples of these are buildings, people,
and other structures that make up an environment. These tangible elements are prone to be destroyed
or altered when exposed to hazards or disasters.

Example of this is the decrease in population density from a high fatality rate, resulting from

a devastating earthquake.

b. Socio economic elements

Socioeconomic elements refer to the manner of social interactions that are involved in the system that
occurs in a community.

These comprise the institutional and government systems that dictate the kind of well-being and
lifestyles of the communities. All of these can be altered, changed or even destroyed when exposed to
hazards,
Example of these elements are delivery of basic facilities, goods and services, network of market and
trade, peace and order.

These elements may receive similar effects due to disruption of normal processes and activities.

c Environmental elements

Environmental elements include the natural processes and importantly the ecosystem that are exposed
to hazard events Organisms are also affected when these elements are exposed to hazards.

Example of these is a situation is the absence or reduced number of trees which may aggravate
landslides and/ or flash floods

RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARDS, EXPOSURE, AND VULNERABILITIES

Hazards are potentials for damage to man and his environment that may result from the occurrence of
natural events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and storm surges. An event per se does
not constitute a hazard. It is only when man and his environment are threatened that these events can
be considered as hazards. The probabilities of occurrence of hazard events may be estimated. Flood, for
example, have been monitored and recorded over many years and so the occurrence of these is known.

Hazards are threats, either natural or man-made that may occur or maybe experienced

unexpectedly. A hazard can lead to disaster in a community if: a. The community is exposed to the
hazard.

b. The community's situation makes it vulnerable to the hazard

The combination of exposure and vulnerability determines the level of disaster that a community will
most likely experience. These two determinants of disaster risk must be controlled in order to minimize
or prevent the disaster, high exposure and high vulnerability can causes extreme disaster even if the
hazard is deemed as a small scale.

To illustrate the relationship of the three concepts, let us take for example a cous community that is
frequented by typhoons this would probably mean that the community located within typhoon belt or
that compared to other communities, It receives more rain and typhoon in a year. If the community has
high exposure to a typhoon and is deemed to have a high vulnerability to the same hazard, it is more
likely to experience disaster.

Physical Elements Socioeconomic Elements Environmental Elements About how many people live Does
the community interact Are the community members dependent solely on the natural resources they
get from their surroundings?

in the community?

What bodies of water and/ or landforms can be found in the community

Are
with other communities?

there structures (breakwater, seawall) found in the community that may collapse or fall during a
typhoon?

How will this interaction be affected If a typhoon hits the community?

What products and services may be affected? What is the major livelihood of the community? How will
this be affected?

What would happen to plants and animals when a typhoon destroy's their habitats?

Activity 3: RATE ME

DIRECTION: Given the coastal community's high exposure to typhoons, kindly assess its level of
vulnerability using the following:

a. Proximity to disaster b. Population density

c. Capacity of deficiency to minimize disaster risk d. Building codes and disaster polity

Activity 4: DIFFERENTIATE ME

DIRECTION: On a one whole sheet of bond or pad paper, differentiate hazards, exposure, and
vulnerabilities from one another by giving an example based on actual situation.

Essential Learning:

Hazards are inevitable. They are part of nature's process of rejuvenation, recovering and recycling of
various biogeochemical processes; hence, they cannot be controlled or prevented. In nature's
perspective, hazard events are not at all devastating. They are systematic processes that are necessary
for its continued existence. However, in the occurrence of these natural events. there are absolutely
certain communities and structures that may be affected negatively. The abrupt and forceful
characteristics of these natural events make them a hazard because devastation usually follows their
occurrence. Therefore, anything that is exposed to the path or the zone of impact of any hazard maybe
likely suffer from its overwhelming consequences. If communities are aware of this exposure and do
nothing to address the hazard, they create their vulnerability to disasters: The vulnerability of elements
depends on their environmental setting, location, and circumstances. Nothing can be done to any
hazard as it is a natural perpetuating event. But it is up to communities to implement appropriate
measure to know their vulnerability.