LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Define disasters and emergencies;
2. Describe the impact of disasters and emergencies on individuals, families, and communities;
3. Describe the impact of disasters and emergencies to mental health and wellbeing, basic knowledge
in humanitarian principles and process in relation to MHPSS;
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts of disaster mental health and psychosocial support;
and
5. Demonstrate understanding of issues regarding the protection of the rights of all the affected popu-
lation with consideration to at risk groups in emergencies and disasters, with particular emphasis on
MHPSS.

I. DISASTER, EMERGENCIES, AND OTHER CONCEPTS

To begin our online training, it is important that we have a basic understanding of the impact of disasters
and emergencies on mental health. Such conditions define the aftermath of disasters and create the
context in which responders are supposed to work and provide mental health and psychosocial support.
To start off, we will have a short activity.

ACTIVITY 1

Note: Prepare a notebook where you can write down all your answers in each activity.

What is DISASTER, EMERGENCY, RISK, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, and HAZARD for you? In your note-
book, write down as many words or phrases you can think of that are related to these terms. Once done,
continue reading this e-book and check whether your thoughts were correct or not.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 1
It is important to look at and understand the universally-accepted and legal definitions of these terms.
We need them to establish a common language, which will facilitate the quick delivery of the appropriate
response.

The importance of understanding DRRM technologies

1. Established common language
2. Gain deeper comprehension of the disciplines and capacitates us in the planning

What are hazards?2

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 environmental degradation (UNISDR,
2017).

Natural hazards are naturally-occurring events or phenomena originating from the following:

 Geological processes: involve the movement of the earth, soil and tectonic plates. Examples:
volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
 Hydro-meteorological factors: involve weather disturbances occurring in the air or water.
Examples: thunderstorms, tornadoes, coastal storm surges, hailstorms, La Niña, El Niño.
 Biological phenomena: involve exposure to pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and bioactive
substances. Examples: bird flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola pandemic.

2 Module 1, The Philippine Context, the Importance of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Adapting to Rapid Climate Change. Comprehensive Communi-
ty-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training (CCBDRRM)

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 2
Human-induced hazards may be categorized into:
 Technological hazards: damaging human-induced events originating from technological or
industrial accidents, dangerous procedures, or infrastructure failures. Examples: oil spills that
destroy marine life, nuclear meltdowns, train accidents, and fire resulting from an explosion
whether industrial or mechanical or even a chemical spill in a school laboratory.
 Armed conflict: dangerous conflicts between or among armed groups, tribes, or states, causing
widespread fear and destruction, and forcing many people to flee to safe places. Examples:
terrorist activities and mass killings.
 Everyday hazards and dangers particularly to children. Examples: items in the home that are
labelled as hazardous, open electrical outlets, and small toys that may cause choking.

Can you identify a hazard from your own locality/community?

While hazards do not automatically lead to loss of life or economic disruption, steps must be taken to
reduce the vulnerabilities of the threatened communities, to build their resilience and minimize the
damage to them.

A hazard results into a disaster when it leads to loss of life and livelihoods, injuries, displacement and
homelessness and/or damage to infrastructure and property. e.g. A typhoon in an uninhabited island will
not result in a disaster

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 3
What is a disaster?3

Republic Act 10121 or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of the Philippines,
defines disaster as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving wide-
spread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using its own resources.

It is the result of the combination of: the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are
present; and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative
consequences.

Impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human, physical, mental
and social wellbeing, together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and
economic disruption and environmental degradation.

Are earthquakes, floods and cyclones disasters? Not necessarily. They become disasters when they
adversely and seriously affect human life, livelihood, and property.

What is disaster risk?4

The potential disaster losses when hazards occur. Disaster risk is dependent on the strength of hazard;
and extent of exposure, vulnerability, and capacity of a community to withstand the onslaught of the
hazard.
The relationship may be expressed as follows:

R = Hazard x Vulnerability x Exposure

Capacity

Vulnerability characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it

susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard.

Exposure is the degree to which a community is likely to experience hazard events of different
magnitude. It also refers to the physical location, characteristics and population density of a community
that “exposes” it to hazards.

3 Republic Act 10121: An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System
4 Module 1, The Philippine Context, the Importance of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Adapting to Rapid Climate Change. Comprehensive Communi-
ty-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training (CCBDRRM)

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 4
Capacity is the combination of all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a community,
society or organization.

Vulnerability in this equation, is defined as the characteristics and circumstances of a community, sys-
tem or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. Vulnerability may arise from
various physical, social, economic, and environmental factors such as poor design and construction of
buildings, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and awareness, limited official
recognition of risks and preparedness measures, and disregard for wise environmental management.

In every community, there are Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups. These individuals and groups face
higher exposure to disaster risk and poverty including, but not limited to, women, children, elderly,
differently-abled people, and ethnic minorities. The standard approach to DRRM is it must be disability-
inclusive, engaging individuals in consultations, planning and delivery of DRRM strategies and activities. 5

What then, is an Emergency?6

An emergency is an unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger, demanding immediate action.

Can emergencies become a disaster? If a small emergency, when not immediately attended to, causes
and leads to serious disruption to the functioning of a community, then yes, emergencies can become a
disaster.

According to the UN, an emergency is an event that can be responded to using the resources available at
hand, implying that there is no need to request external assistance. A disaster, on the other hand, is
characterized by impacts that overwhelm the capacities of local responders and place demands on
resources which are not available locally. Hence, an event is declared as a “disaster” when there is a
need for external assistance to cope with its impacts. A national government declares a state of disaster
or national calamity as a way to request international humanitarian assistance and the support of the
international community to cope with the impacts of the disaster.

5 Added during the Pilot Testing of the Harmonized Training Manual in General Santos City, June 27-29, 2018
6 Republic Act 10121: An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 5
What is Disaster Risk Reduction?7

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) defines DRR as a concept and practice of reducing dis-
aster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and reduce the causal factors of disasters8. This prac-
tice includes other concepts such as preparedness, mitigation, and sustainable development. Every gov-
ernment has its own way of practicing DRR, depending on the risks and hazards that they have identified
in their own territories.

End of Session Insights

 Disasters are the result of the combination of: the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of vulnera-
bility that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential
negative consequences.
 An emergency is an event that can be responded to using the resources available at hand, implying
that there is no need to request external assistance. A disaster, on the other hand, is characterized
by impacts that overwhelm the capacities of local responders and place demands on resources
which are not available locally.

7 Emergency and disaster management. UN-SPIDR http://www.un-spider.org/risks-and-disasters/emergency-and-disaster-management

8 What is Disaster Risk Reduction? UNISDR https://www.unisdr.org/who-we-are/what-is-drr

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 6
 II. MENTAL HEALTH IN DISASTERS

Effective response in the aftermath of disasters requires an understanding of their impact on people and
their communities. In this part of the lesson, we will think of the many ways disasters affect people.

ACTIVITY 2

In your notebook, draw three concentric circles (follow the

format). In each circle, write down INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY, and
COMMUNITY. Select one of the following scenarios and write
down what you think are the impact of the disaster to the
Individual, Family and Community. Compare your work with
what you will read in this e-book.

Earthquake
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed 222 people and injured 877. It also damaged the municipal hall,
hospitals, a school, old churches, and roads, and left many towns without power for a week. The im-
pact on the economy is pegged to be at PhP 52 million.

Typhoon
A 210 kph typhoon left a death toll of 1,067, with 834 still missing. Moreover, 2,686 persons were
injured and 6.24 million persons or 711,682 families were affected. The typhoon destroyed PhP
36.95 billion worth of infrastructure (P7.57B), agricultural products (PhP 26.53), and private proper-
ties (PhP 2.86B), including 216,817 houses.

Fire
A 10 hour-fire spread rapidly, razing more than 1,000 makeshift houses and leaving 15,000 people
homeless, and without access to food and water.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 7
The impact of emergencies and disasters cover a wide spectrum of categories: from the physical effects
such as damaged houses to the non-tangible effects like grief. During emergencies and disasters, af-
fected population become recipients of goodwill and passionate humanitarian actors who respond to
these effects in our different capacities: some of us provide medical services, others build shelters, and
still others establish hygiene and sanitation facilities. Whatever role we are playing addresses needs of
the individual, families, and communities called for by the disaster situation.

In this part of the lesson, we will focus on disaster mental health and go through some key concepts that
will allow us to understand better how disasters impact the mental health of the affected population and
even responders.

What is our understanding of mental health?

Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which every individual
realizes own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of
life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to the community, as defined in the National
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support which
we will discuss in Module 2.

Mental health and psychosocial support is any type of local or

outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial
wellbeing and/or prevent or treat mental disorder9.

Grief and loss10

Grief is defined as the psychological-emotional experience following a loss, while loss is the sense of
sadness, fear and insecurity we feel when a loved person is absent. It can also be felt for things and
place.

Why do we grieve?
 We grieve because we love.

Loss is the central experience of any disaster: everyone has lost someone or something they love.

Mourning
Mourning: culturally appropriate processes that help people to pass through grief
 All cultures mourn but in different ways

9 IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings, 2007

10 Adapted from Training Curriculum for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support of the International Medical Corps and AmeriCares

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 8
  Involves acknowledgement and acceptance of the death, saying farewell
 There are “prescribed” time periods for grieving
 Processes to continue attention towards the dead and to move beyond and make new attachments

How does disaster affect mourning practices?

 Disaster disrupts the possibility of appropriate mourning
 Normal rituals are impossible to carry out because of lack of resources and facilities
 Bodies are treated inappropriately
 There is uncertainty over missing people
 There may be mass graves
 The absence of markers
 The practice of mourning might have reduced significance given the context
 The social networks are destroyed
 There is desire to remain connected

Massive losses that affect whole communities deprive the individual of the normal support received from
their community if their loss had been a singular occurrence.

Mental Health and Disasters

Emergencies erode normally protective supports, increase the risks of diverse problems and tend to
amplify pre-existing problems of social injustice and inequality. For example, natural disasters such as
floods typically have a disproportionate impact on poor people, who may be living in relatively dangerous
places.

Here are the general principles of Disaster Mental Health:

1. Everyone who sees a disaster is affected by it.
2. Target population is primarily normal.
3. How people have coped with crises in their past will be a good indicator of how they will handle the
disaster.
4. People do not disintegrate in response to disaster.
5. Disturbance is transitory.
6. Disaster relief procedures have been called the “Second Disaster.”
7. Disaster stress reactions may be immediate or delayed.
8. People respond to active interest and concern.
9. Informed early intervention can speed up recovery and prevent serious or long-term problems.
10. The family is the first line of support for individuals.
11. Support systems are crucial to recovery.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 9
 12. A response program must be aligned with the community’s needs and dynamic, for it to be
accepted.
13. A disaster can bring out the best and the worst in people.

These are the mental health and psychosocial concerns that need to be addressed in emergency
response:

Social
 Pre-existing (pre-emergency) social problems (e.g. extreme poverty; belonging to a group that is
discriminated against or marginalized; political oppression);
 Emergency-induced social problems (e.g. family separation; disruption of social networks; de-
struction of community structures, resources and trust; increased gender-based violence); and
 Humanitarian aid-induced social problems (e.g. undermining of community structures or tradition-
al support mechanisms).

Psychological
 Pre-existing problems (e.g. severe mental disorder; alcohol abuse);
 Emergency-induced problems (e.g. grief, non-pathological distress; depression and anxiety disor-
ders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)); and
 Humanitarian aid-related problems (e.g. anxiety due to a lack of information about food distribu-
tion).

For children, the impact of disasters can cover a wide range11 (UNICEF Philippines, 2018):
a. Individual Child
 Basic Needs are not met
 Normal Routine and relationships are disrupted
 Psychological Disturbance
 Exposure to danger

b. Child in the Family

 Helplessness of Heads of families and reversal of roles
 Inability to provide proper guidance
 Inability of the parents to protect their children
 Separation due to death
 Increase of Domestic violence

11 From DepEd-DRRMS

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 10
 c. Child in the community
 Community values are change
 Inability to go to schools and other damaged facilities
 Social roles and relationships are changed
 Unintended loss of access to services due to sanction on government and rebel groups

For adolescent: (Reference. SEE Students; Manual on Psychosocial Interventions for Secondary School-
aged Children)
 They feel a strong responsibility to the family.
 They may feel guilt and shame that they were unable to help those who were hurt.
 They may feel intense grief.
 They may become self-absorbed and feel self-pity.
 They may experience changes in their relationships with other people.
 They may also start taking risks, engage in self-destructive behavior, have avoidant behavior, and
become aggressive.
 They may experience major shifts in their view of the world accompanied by a sense of
hopelessness about the present and the future.
 They may become defiant of authorities and parents, while they start relying on peers for
socializing

Phases of Disaster
Both community and individual responses to a major disaster tend to progress according to phases. An
interaction of psychological processes with external events shapes these phases. Examples of signifi-
cant time-related external events are the closure of the emergency response phase.

The following represents a compilation of phase lists, selected and described because of their relevance
to disaster mental health planners and workers in providing ongoing disaster recovery assistance:

1. Threat phase (Days before the actual incident or no warning at all): If warning is given, some people
will make preparations, while some may ignore. If no warning, people may feel vulnerable, unsafe,
and fearful of future unpredicted tragedies.
2. Impact Phase (Day 1 to 3): Getting over the destruction and its effects depends on the extent. The
greater the scope, destruction and personal losses associated with the disaster, the greater the
psychosocial effects.
3. Heroism (Impact up to 1 week afterwards): Struggle to prevent the loss of lives and property dam-
age, survival; common emotions are fear, anxiety, and shock.
12Adapted from National Center for Mental Health MHPSS Training Manual. For full reference see DeWolfe, Deborah (2000). Training manual for mental
health and human service workers in major disasters. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED459383

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 11
 4. Honeymoon (2 weeks to 2 months): Relief efforts lift spirit of survivors; hope of quick recovery run
high; optimism often short-lived. Usual feelings are euphoria at being alive, gratitude, grief, and
disbelief.
5. Disillusionment (Several months to over a year): Unexpected delays and failures resulting in frustra-
tion, confusion in the bureaucracy, people starting to rebuild their own lives and solving their own
problems. Survivors realize they have lots to do by themselves and their lives may never be the
same again.
6. Reorganization and recovery (Several years): Coordinated individual and community effort to rebuild
and reestablish normalcy; normal functioning is gradually reestablished.

Types of Disaster Victim

1. Direct victims – Those killed or injured
2. Indirect victims – Family, friends, co-workers of the direct victims
3. Hidden victims – Crisis workers, service providers

End of Session Insights

 Massive losses that affect whole communities deprive the individual of the normal support re-
ceived from their community if their loss had been a singular occurrence.
 Emergencies erode normally protective supports, increase the risks of diverse problems and tend
to amplify pre-existing problems of social injustice and inequality.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 12
 III. MHPSS ISSUES OF AT-RISK GROUPS IN EMERGENCIES

ACTIVITY 3

Imagine that you are one of any of the following:

(1) Person with severe mental disorder
(2) Government employee
(3) Student
(4) Non-government organization (NGO) worker
(5) Mayor
(6) Army officer
(7) Abandoned child
(8) Parent
(9) Person with disability
(10) Infant

Prior to, during, and after a disaster, these scenarios can happen. In the following scenarios, put an X in
the space provided if you are NOT protected and leave it blank if the scenario WILL NOT AFFECT YOU.

Scenarios 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
You live a landslide-prone area and it
has been raining for several days
Both of your parents were killed
during an armed conflict.
Recruitment to armed groups while in
displacement
Displacement due to massive
flooding
Sexual abuse in evacuation centers
Human rights violation
Human rights violation
Loss of livelihood due to disasters

After doing the above exercise, answer the followinq questions:

1. What did you feel while doing the exercise?
2. How difficult was it to determine if you are protected or not for each of the scenario?
3. What were your thoughts when deciding whether to put an X or not?

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 13
There are risks and hazards, both natural and man-made, as well as various scenarios that can further
affect the mental health condition of individuals, families and communities, regardless of your age, gen-
der, position, etc. Two important messages: Everyone has specific vulnerabilities, and individuals with
same cases may have varying vulnerabilities due to social and cultural factors. It is important that we do
recognize that there are groups that need special attention and additional support during emergencies
because they are more vulnerable to risks.

There is a large diversity of risks, problems and resources within and across each of the groups. Some
individuals within an at-risk group may fare relatively well. Some groups (e.g. combatants) may be sim-
ultaneously at increased risk of facing some problems (e.g. substance abuse) and at reduced risk of oth-
er problems (e.g. starvation). Some groups may be at risk in one emergency, while being relatively privi-
leged in another emergency. Where one group is at risk, other groups are often at risk as well (Sphere
Project, 2004). To identify people as ‘at risk’ is not to suggest that they are passive victims. Although at-
risk people need support, they often have capacities and social networks that enable them to contribute
to their families and to be active in social, religious, and political life.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support identified
people at increased risk of various problems in diverse emergencies.13

 For development-related, children are more vulnerable (from newborn infants to young people 18
years of age), such as separated or unaccompanied children (including orphans), children
recruited or used by armed forces or groups, trafficked children, children in conflict with the law,
children engaged in dangerous labor, children who live or work on the streets and undernourished/
under stimulated children
 We also must recognize that there are children and adults with disabilities that are more vulnera-
ble because of their limitations in functional capacities
 Women (e.g. pregnant women, mothers, single mothers, widows and, in some cultures, unmarried
adult women and teenage girls) and members of the lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,
asexual, and intersex (LGBTQAI) community are vulnerable to gender-related challenges such as
discrimination, abuse, and gender-based violence
 Men (e.g. ex-combatants, idle men who have lost the means to take care of their families, young
men at risk of detention, abduction or being targets of violence)
 Elderly people (especially when they have lost family members who were caregivers)
 Extremely poor people
 Refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and migrants in irregular situations (especially traf-
ficked women and children without identification papers)

13 IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 14
  People who have been exposed to extremely stressful events/trauma (e.g. people who have lost
close family members or their entire livelihoods, rape and torture survivors, witnesses of atrocities,
etc.)
 People in the community with pre-existing, severe physical, neurological or mental disabilities or
disorders
 People in institutions (orphans, elderly people, people with neurological/ mental disabilities or dis-
orders)
 People experiencing severe social stigma (e.g. people with severe mental disorders, survivors of
sexual violence)
 People at specific risk of human rights violations (e.g. political activists, ethnic or linguistic minori-
ties, people in institutions or detention, people already exposed to human rights violations)

ACTIVITY 4

Following are four case studies for you to read and analyze. Then answer the following questions for
each of the case:
1. Describe how the hazards became a disaster considering the vulnerabilities, risks, and hazards?
2. Considering the social and psychological issues in the case study, who are the potential at-risk
groups?
3. Explain how these risk groups can be affected in relation to their mental health and psychosocial
wellbeing.

Case Study 1
My name is Juana. I live in an informal settlement with 35 other families. This settlement is 5 me-
tres away from a river which overflows when there is heavy rainfall. Our house is made up of wood
and tires. We have been told to relocate but we don’t have anywhere else to go. I have 8 children
and my husband is a contractual carpenter.

Case Study 2
My name is Surah and I always encounter ridos14 in our locality. Whenever there are disputes, we go
to the nearest masajid (mosque) and/or relatives. Unfortunately, our community is also prone to
flooding especially during the monsoon season. I have six brothers and two sisters. We have lost
our mother when she gave birth to my youngest sibling.

14Rido is feuding between families and clans, is a type of conflict characterized by sporadic outbursts of retaliatory violence between families and kin-
ship groups as well as between communities. https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/ PHridoexecsummary.pdf

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 15
 Case Study 3
My name is Lucio. I am a farmer living near a volcano. The volcano erupted two weeks ago and I am
living with my family in an evacuation center. Sadly, my leg had to be amputated after I had an acci-
dent during the evacuation. My wife is pregnant with our third child.

Case Study 4
My name is Samuel. I am a nurse working for the municipal health office. We have recently suffered
from a 6.9 earthquake and we are still feeling the aftershocks. Most of the people have opted to
build small huts outside their houses instead of staying at the evacuation camps. Around 95% of
the houses in the community where I came from were totally damaged.

Compare your answers with the following:

Case study 1
Juana and her family are exposed to a hazard which is the river that overflows when there is heavy rain-
fall. All the families living in the area are vulnerable especially since they are living in an illegal area. The
type of housing is also susceptible to damages especially when there is heavy rain. Having to take care
of a large family is difficult especially when there is an emergency.

Case study 2
There is human-induced hazard in Surah’s community brought by the ridos. In cases of evacuation be-
cause of a rido, it can lead to prolonged displacement if and when there is flooding. All members of the
community particularly those belonging to the at-risk groups are very vulnerable to violence, security
threats, natural risks and hazards brought by the flooding.

Case study 3
Lucio is very vulnerable because apart from being in an evacuation center, he lost his leg and has to look
after the needs of his family particularly his pregnant wife. Being in displacement in this condition can be
very overwhelming for Lucio.

Case study 4
Service providers and emergency responders are also considered to be affected by the disaster. Thus,
Samuel is vulnerable to mental health and psychosocial disorders particularly those rooting out from his
work as a service provider, while also tending to his own needs. The people in his community are also
prone to MHPS concerns because of the aftershocks and the displacement.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 16
Key Messages of this Module

We have now reached the end of Module 1. Some of the key messages from this module are:

1. Understanding and recognizing hazards can reduce risks and can help prevent disasters.
2. Emergencies erode normally protective supports, increase the risks of diverse problems and tend
to amplify pre-existing problems of social injustice and inequality.
3. A disaster can bring out the best and the worst in people.
4. How people have coped with crises in their past will be a good indicator of how they will handle the
disaster.
5. Children and individuals belonging to at-risk groups need special support during disasters.

Additional References

1. Republic Act 10121 - National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act
2. Republic Act 10821 - Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act
3. Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
(MHPSS) in Emergency Settings

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 1. Disaster and Emergencies: Impact on Individuals, Families, and Communities 17