Chapter Ii - The Concept of Vulnerability and Exposure

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.
0 10-July-2020
Study Guide in (Sci. 128 Disaster Risk Reduction and Mgt.) Module No._2_
STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

2
CHAPTER II: Module 2

EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY
MODULE OVERVIEW
Figure 1. Residents hang on to a rope as Figure 2. The Philippines' 2013 disaster

they pass strong currents along a flooded coffers had been emptied before typhoon
area in Marikina, east of Manila, Philippines Haiyan struck which rockets up list of
on Aug. 9, 2012 countries most vulnerable to disaster Source:
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yckrx8xn https://tinyurl.com/pt5nfb89
Figure 3. Shanty dwellings at

Figure 4. The Vulnerable People.
Blumentritt, Manila, Philippines
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yckjm5x6
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2cxw9mrt
Disaster risk is widely recognized as the consequence of the interaction between a hazard
and the characteristics that make people and places vulnerable and exposed. Vulnerability is
the human dimension of disasters and is the result of the range of economic, social, cultural,
institutional, political and psychological factors that shape people’s lives and the environment
that they live in. The extent to which exposed people or economic assets are actually at risk is
generally determined by how vulnerable they are, as it is possible to be exposed but not
vulnerable. This module consists of essential information in order to understand more about
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020
exposure and vulnerability.
MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain the key concepts of exposure and vulnerability

2. Determine the relationship between exposure and vulnerability
3. Identify the vulnerable sectors of society.
4. Discuss the factors of vulnerability and exposures.
5. Distinguish the types of vulnerability and how will you be able to avoid it.
LEARNING CONTENTS 1
I. THE CONCEPTS OF EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY
A. Basic Concept of Exposure
Exposure is defined as the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production

capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas. As stated in the
United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction glossary, “measures of exposure can include
the number of people or types of assets in an area. These can be combined with the specific
vulnerability and capacity of the exposed elements to any particular hazard to estimate the
quantitative risks associated with that hazard in the area of interest”. The information used to
develop exposure data sets can derived from various sources and methods.
Geoscience Australia defines exposure as the elements at risk from a natural or man-
made hazard event. This could include: individuals; dwellings or households and communities;
buildings and structures; public facilities and infrastructure assets; agricultural commodities;
environmental assets; and business activity.
B. Basic Concept of Vulnerability

Vulnerability is defined as the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and
environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a
community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards. Examples include to: poor design and
construction of buildings, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and
awareness, high levels of poverty and education, limited official recognition of risks and
preparedness measures, disregard for wise environmental management or weak institutions,
and governance.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or IFRC 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.” In actual fact, vulnerability
depends on several factors, such as people's age and state of health, local environmental and
sanitary conditions, as well as on the quality and state of local buildings and their location with
respect to any hazards.
Below are the examples of vulnerability;

1. An elderly person may be more vulnerable to the impacts of flooding because s/he
has a harder time evacuating or moving quickly (see figure 5).

Figure 5. Elderly Woman Evacuating Source:

https://tinyurl.com/33ttrv57
2. Families with low incomes often live in high-risk areas around cities, because they
can't afford to live in safer (and more expensive) places (see figure 6)..
Figure 6. Communities in Coastal Areas

Source: https://tinyurl.com/ddhahsaa
3. A wooden house is sometimes less likely to collapse in an earthquake, but it may be
more vulnerable in the event of a fire or a hurricane (see figure 7)..
Figure 7. Burning Wooden House

Source: https://tinyurl.com/bdffsetp
According to Pennsylvania State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the
concept of vulnerability encompasses a variety of definitions. In general, vulnerability means the
potential to be harmed. Vulnerability to natural hazards is thus the potential to be harmed by

natural hazards. Some people and places are more vulnerable to certain hazards than other
people and places, this means vulnerability can be specific situation and can also hazard
specific.
Moreover, the following are real life examples that are exposed and vulnerable to a
hazard;
1. The Philippines is vulnerable to tsunami due to the presence of offshore faults and
trenches such as Manila Trench, Negros Trench, Sulu Trench, Cotabato Trench,
Philippine Trench, and East Luzon Trough (see Figure 8).
2. CaMaNava is the shortened name of the 4 cities: Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and
Valenzuela. Since these cities share and exposed to the same river system, it’s
expected that when the rainy season comes (or just heavy rain in general), all 4
cities are vulnerable to flooding (see Figure 9).
3. Quezon City is also within the exposed area served by a network of rivers and
creeks. The city has five river systems with 44 tributaries, making about 78 areas in
35 communities vulnerable to flooding when these rivers overflow (see Figure 10).
4.
Figure 10. San Juan River Basin Map

Figure 8. Tsunami Prone Areas Figure 9. CAMANAVA MAP. affecting Makati City along the creeks.
Map in the Philippines. Source:https://tinyurl.com/33r88tpr Source: https://tinyurl.com/33r88tpr
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3s5nyccw
Also, Mandaluyong, is no
wonder that this city is notably vulnerable to flood: in the south, there’s the Pasig

River; in the Southeast is Laguna de Bay; in the west is Manila Bay and the San
Juan River is in the northwest of the city. Basically, Mandaluyong is exposed and
surrounded by a variety of water. Another contributor to the flood-prone difficulties is
the city’s drainage system. Unexpectedly, it will sometimes trigger some problems
and worsen the flooding as not being settled and handled well by the operators (see
Figure11).
Figure 11. San Juan River Basin Map affecting Makati City along the
creeks.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3yywywpv
5. All of the provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region or CAR are included in
the top ten landslide prone areas in the Philippines. This is because the entire region
is located “on and around the Cordillera Mountain ranges” and so after period of
heavy rains or when typhoon or earthquakes occur, the land on the hills and
mountains becomes soft and unstable which makes the region susceptible to
landslides (see Figure 12).
Figure 12. Typhoon Ompong triggered thousands of landslides in

the area of Itogon, Benguet (Philippines) in 2018.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/mrn4esv2
To further understand the concepts of exposure and vulnerability, view the video
clip 1 which is attached below.
VIEW VIDEO CLIP 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feaNu9Z4I3I
II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

Vulnerability to natural hazards consists of three different dimensions: exposure,
sensitivity, and resilience or adaptive capacity. Vulnerability changes with the scale of
observation and the system in question. A population as a whole may not be vulnerable to
climate change, but a community within the population can be extremely vulnerable to climate
change (if they live in the coast, for example).
Exposure + Sensitivity + Adaptive Capacity = Vulnerability
The definition and representation of vulnerability in this formula has significantly

influenced the design of vulnerability assessments as it forces us to consider how different
factors contribute to vulnerability.

Figure 13. Relationships of Exposure, Sensitivity, Adaptive Capacity, and Vulnerability

Source: https://tinyurl.com/nheahbw6
1.Exposure is defined as the contact between a system and the climate. Exposure is
external to the system: climate events from outside is impacting the system and having an
effect. Common examples of exposure to climate risks include exposure to climate variations,
extreme events, and diseases.
Example:
Consider a coastal
community within 10 km from the
sea. This community would be
exposed to cyclones, rising sea
levels and saltwater intrusion in
aquifers.
Figure 14. A House Near the Sea

Source: https://tinyurl.com/yc7brv5r
2. Sensitivity is the degree to which the system is affected by the exposure to risks. The
concept is similar to immunity: if you don’t get the seasonal flu every time the weather changes
(exposure), it means you are less sensitive to the changing weather. This is an internal
characteristic of the system.
Example:
Coastal community
would be more sensitive to
cyclones if their livelihoods are
dependent on sea-based
tourism, or if there are no wind-
resistant trees in their
community space, or because
they live in areas below the sea
level Figure 15. Community With No Wind-Resistance Trees
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2v23h5s3

3. Adaptive Capacity refers to the ability of an individual, household or community to develop

resilience and adjust to the climate risks. This adaptive capacity is a function of access to
financial, technical, educational, and community resources. focuses on the capacity of
individuals, social groups, and organizations to pursue adaptation.
Example:
If our coastal community has access to early warnings of cyclones, and has the
ability to move to higher ground fast, they would be considered to have high adaptive
capacity.
Figure 16. Warning Siren Signals to Figure 17. People used different
The adaptive capacity of a community is a tocombination Figure 18. Community Evacuating
Community transportation vehicles Evacuate of characteristics that are
internal to an individual, community, or https://tinyurl.com/3up23dbm Source:that
organization and external factors https://tinyurl.com/45wrxvx7
are beyond their
Source: https://tinyurl.com/mryy85pn Source:
control that either enable or constrain their ability to respond to change. However, adaptive
capacity is concerned not so much with adaptation or capacity in any theoretical sense, but with
adaptive actions. Thus, vulnerability is often seen as the lack of such action or capacity to
engage in adaptive actions. To be adaptive is to alter the direction of management in response
to social, political, or ecological changes.
For more details and explanation about the relationship between these three (exposure,
sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) to vulnerability, watch the video clip 2 that is attached below.
VIEW VIDEO CLIP 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnvx75D0W8
LEARNING CONTENTS 2
III. FACTORS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXPOSURE
1. Physical factors
This factor compromises the poor design and construction of buildings,

unregulated land use planning, etc. An example on physical factors: UNECEF study
maps transport infrastructure at high risk due to climate change in Pan-European region
and Canada. It may be determined by aspects such as population density levels,

remoteness of a settlement, the site, design and materials used for critical
infrastructure and for housing (UNISDR).
Figure 19. “Building peace in the minds of men and women".

Source: https://tinyurl.com/v78bftfb
2. Social factors
In this factor, it involves poverty
and inequality, marginalization, social
exclusion and discrimination by gender,
social status, disability and age (amongst
other factors) psychological factors, etc.
Social factors are things that affect
someone's lifestyle. These could
include wealth, religion, buying habits,
education level, family size and structure
and population density.
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3. Economic factors
This factor refers to the uninsured informal sector, vulnerable rural livelihoods,
dependence on single industries, globalization of business and supply chains. It affects the
economy, including interest rates, tax rates, laws, policies, wages, and governmental activities.

These factors are not directly related to the business but influence the investment value in the
future.
Figure 21. "Economic Factors That Highly Affect Business 2018"

Source: https://tinyurl.com/yanunjxv
4. Environmental factors
In this factor, it involves poor environmental management, overconsumption of natural
resources, decline of risk regulating ecosystem services, climate change, etc. It
includes temperature, food, pollutants, population density, sound, light, and parasites. The
diversity of environmental stresses that have been shown to cause an increase in asymmetry is
probably not exclusive; many other kinds of stress might provide similar effects.
In addition, vulnerability is determined by historical, political, cultural and institutional and

natural resource processes that shape the social and environmental conditions people find
themselves existing within. These processes produce a range of immediate unsafe conditions
such as living in dangerous locations or in poor housing, ill-health, political tensions or a lack of
local institutions or preparedness measures.
Figure 22. Disregard for Wise Environmental Management.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/32ac566f
For more information about the factors of exposure and vulnerability, view the video clip
3 attached below.
VIEW VIDEO CLIP 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJ3vRJtpYo

IV. VULNERABLE SECTORS OF SOCIETY
A. Who are the so-called Most Vulnerable Sectors?
They are the set of prevailing or consequential conditions, which adversely affect
the community’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond to hazardous
events.
Figure 23. "What Are Indigenous Populations 2021"

Source: https://tinyurl.com/y9bvzfrr
They are composed of farmers, the

urban poor, laborers, indigenous
people, persons with disabilities
(PWDs), women, and children. In
addition, they are the so-called
abused sector and at the lowest
levels of society.
Figure 24. "People With Disabilities and

Politics in Nigeria".
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2ajuyx5u
B. Who are the so-called Less Vulnerable Sectors?
They are the community members whose capacities start from their own ability to
acquire material resources: skills and training: and position in society.

Their capacities are higher than those in the vulnerable sector to overcome the adverse
effects of disasters.
Figure 25. "Better Health Care to Improve the

Lives of Women,Figure
Children,26. &"Cartoon farmerthe
Youth Around in front of
colorful farm with barn, crops and cows" They are composed of professionals,
World"
Source: https://tinyurl.com/y92uj368 small entrepreneurs, and others similar
Source: https://tinyurl.com/y92uj368
to those who belong to the higher
levels of society (see figure 27 and 28).
Their role in disaster management activities is to extend assistance and support to

vulnerable sectors.
Figure 27. Concepts

Figure 28. "Najm of Entrepreneur
Mohamed, Digital Marketing Intern"
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3fxrdrz5
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3fxrdrz5
C. Who are the so-called not vulnerable

sectors?
They are sectors in society having big position in the community. Most of the time, they
are the targets of the vulnerable and less vulnerable sectors in advocacy work relating disaster
issue to the structure and policies implemented by the government that are the root causes of
the vulnerability of the community.

Figure 29. Big Mansion

Source: https://tinyurl.com/4mae9nvm
Know more about the vulnerable sectors of the society by viewing the video clip 4 attached
below.
VIEW VIDEO CLIP 4: . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKN71Tez7d4
LEARNING CONTENTS 3
V. CATEGORIES OF VULNERABILITIES
According to Anderson and Woodrow (1990), there are three areas of vulnerability,
which are the following:
1. Physical/ Material Vulnerability

This category of vulnerability includes; poor people who have few physical and material
resources usually suffer more from disasters than rich people. People who are poor often live on
marginal lands; they don’t have any savings or insurance; they are in poor health. Their physical
and material resources are miserable. These factors make them more vulnerable to disasters,
meaning they have difficulty surviving and recovering from a calamity than people who are
better off economically.
Physical vulnerability covers the following examples;
a. Location and type of housing/building materials

b. Land, water, animals, capital, other means of production (access and control)
c. Infrastructure and services: roads, health facilities, schools, electricity,
communications, transport, housing, etc.
d. Human capital: population, mortality, diseases, nutritional status, literacy,
numeracy, poverty levels
e. Environment factors: forestation, soil quality, and erosion

Figure 30. Examining the Implications of Hazards, Emergencies and

Disasters,
Source: https://tinyurl.com/5h3emrrz
2. Social / Organization vulnerability
This category of vulnerability refers to the people who have been marginalized in social,
economic, or political terms are
vulnerable to suffering from disasters,
whereas groups that are well-organized
and have a high commitment to their
numbers suffer less during disasters.
Weaknesses in social and organizational
areas may also cause disasters. For
example, deep divisions can lead to
conflict and war. Conflict over resources
due to poverty can also lead to violence.
A second area of vulnerability then is the
social and organizational aspect of a
community. Figure 31. Mapping social vulnerability in
southeastern states and the Gulf Coast .
Hence, the following covers the Source: https://tinyurl.com/yxmhh27k
social vulnerability:
a. Family structure (weak/strong)

b. Leadership qualities and structure
c. Legislation
d. Administrative structures and institutional arrangements
e. Decision-making structures (who is left out, who is in, effectiveness)
f. Divisions and conflicts: ethnic, class, caste, religion, ideology, political groups,
language groups, and structures for mediating conflicts
3. Attitudinal/ motivational vulnerability

People who have low confidence in their ability to affect change or who have “lost
heart” and feel defeated by events they cannot control, are harder hit by disasters than those
who have sense of their ability to bring the changes they desire.
Thus, the third area of vulnerability is the attitudinal and motivational aspect which
includes;

a. Attitude toward change

b. Faith, determination, fighting spirit
c. Religious beliefs
d. Ideology
e. Fatalism, hopelessness, despondency, discouragement
f. Consciousness, awareness
g. Cohesiveness, unity, solidarity, cooperation
h. Orientation toward past, present and future.
4. Economic Vulnerability.
The level of vulnerability is highly dependent on the economic status of individuals,
communities, and nations. The poor are typically more vulnerable to disasters because they
lack the resources to construct strong structures and implement other engineering measures to
protect themselves from being negatively impacted by disasters.
Example:
Poorer families may live in squatter settlements because they cannot afford to
live in safer (more expensive).
Figure 32. Why We Need to Talk More About Economic Vulnerability

Source: https://tinyurl.com/yf72xfpf
5.Environmental Vulnerability.
Natural resource depletion and degradation are major contributors to environmental
vulnerability.
Example:
Wetlands, such as the Caroni Swamp, are sensitive to increasing salinity from
sea water, and pollution from storm water runoff containing agricultural chemicals,
eroded soils, etc.

Figure 33. Environmental Vulnerability & Ecosystem Services Section (EVES)

Source: https://tinyurl.com/2wnx5tmb
For more learnings about categories of vulnerability, watch the video clip 5 attached
VIEW VIDEO CLIP 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TM2HYyJx0E
below
LEARNING ACTIVITY
A. Video clip summary questions:
1. Video clip 1: Exposure and Vulnerability

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feaNu9Z4I3I
a) What is the difference between exposure and vulnerability?

b) Can you cite 5 examples of an exposure and vulnerability to a disasters and
hazards?
2. Video clip 2: What is vulnerability and how do we adapt to climate change?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnvx75D0W8
a) How does an exposed element affect its vulnerability to the potential impact of a
natural hazards?
b) What can be done to lessen the vulnerability of an exposed element to natural
hazards?
c) Why is it important to know the vulnerability and exposure of various elements at
risk in your community?
3. Video clip 3: Exposure and Vulnerability

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJ3vRJtpYo
a) What are the underlying causes and factors that affects exposure and
vulnerability?

b) Does vulnerability contribute to the adverse impacts of hazards to the

community? Why do you think so?
4. Video clip 4: Explaining why Certain Factors are more vulnerable to disasters
than others
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKN71Tez7d4
a) Why certain sectors are more vulnerable to disasters and hazards?

b) Aside from the other vulnerable sectors, what are the other sectors that might be
affected by disasters and hazards?
5. Video clip 5: VULNERABILITY (Types of Vulnerability) | DRR

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TM2HYyJx0E
a) What are the types of vulnerability?

b) How Physical, Social, and Economic Vulnerability affects our life?
c) What is the significance of knowing the categories of vulnerabilities?
B. Practical Activity
LEARNING ASSESSMENT
MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST
Name: _________________________________________ Score: _______________

Year & Section: _________________________________ Date: ________________
Direction: Read carefully and select the best answer for each question. Write your answer on a
separate piece of paper.
1. Which of the following refers to the people and properties that are affected by
hazards?
a. Risk
b. Adaptive Capacity
c. Exposure
d. Vulnerability

2. It is defined as the social and technical skills and strategies of individuals and groups
that are directed towards responding to environmental and socioeconomic changes. 
a. Vulnerability
b. Sensitivity
c. Exposure

d. Adaptive Capacity
3. Which statement best describes vulnerability?
a. Vulnerability is potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon, or human

activity.
b. Vulnerability is the susceptibility of an individual or a group of people on the
impact of natural hazard.
c. Vulnerability can cause the loss of life or injury, and property damage.
d. Vulnerability can generate social and economic disruption or environmental
degradation
.
4. This refers to the location, attributes, and value of assets that are important to
communities (people, buildings, factories, farmland, etc.) and that could be affected by a
hazard.
a. Exposure
b. Sensitivity
c. Vulnerability
d. Adaptive Capacity
5. It is the degree to which a system, asset, or species may be affected, either adversely
or beneficially, when exposed to climate variability or change or geophysical hazards.
a. Sensitivity
b. Exposure
c. Vulnerability
d. Risk
6. It refers to the human dimension of disasters and is the result of the range of
economic, social, cultural, institutional, political and psychological factors that shape
people’s lives and the environment that they live in.
a. Vulnerability
b. Hazards
c. Risk
d. Exposure
7. They are composed of professionals, small entrepreneurs, and others similar to those
who belong to the higher levels of society.
a. Most Vulnerable Sectors

b. Not vulnerable sectors
c. Less Vulnerable Sectors
d. Lowest levels of society.
8. It is the location, attributes, and value of assets that are important to communities
(people, buildings, factories, farmland, etc.) and that could be affected by a hazard.
a. Vulnerability

b. Hazards
c. Risk
d. Exposure
9. The diversity of environmental stresses that have been shown to cause an increase in
asymmetry is probably not exclusive; many other kinds of stress might provide similar
effects.
a. Environmental factors
b. Economic Factors
c. Physical Factors
d. Social Factors
10. Things that affect someone's lifestyle. These could include wealth, religion, buying
habits, education level, family size and structure and population density.
a. Environmental factors
b. Economic Factors
c. Physical Factors
d. Social Factors
11. It is a characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make

it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard.
a. Exposure
b. Vulnerability
c. Risk
d. Hazard
12. These factors make them more vulnerable to disasters, meaning they have difficulty
surviving and recovering from a calamity than people who are better off economically.
a. Attitudinal Vulnerability
b. Economic Vulnerability
c. Social Vulnerability
d. Physical Vulnerability
13. According to them, there are three areas of vulnerability.
a. Anderson and Woodrow

b. Anderson and Woddrow
c. Bell and Anderson
d. Madrigal and Sy
14. This type of vulnerability described that the level of vulnerability is highly dependent
on the economic status of individuals, communities, and nations.
a. Social Vulnerability
b. Attitudinal Vulnerability

c. Economic Vulnerability
d. Physical Vulnerability
15. Which type of vulnerability that refers to the inability of people, organizations and
societies to withstand adverse impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in
social interactions, institutions and systems of cultural values.
a. Attitudinal Vulnerability
b. Social Vulnerability
c. Environmental Vulnerability
d. Economic Vulnerability
ANSWER KEY:
1. C 6. A 11. B
2. D 7. C 12. D
3. B 8. D 13. A
4. A 9. A 14. C
5. A 10. D 15. B
SUMMARY
Exposure are the elements at risk from a natural or man-made hazard event. This could
include: individuals; dwellings or households and communities; buildings and structures; public
facilities and infrastructure assets; agricultural commodities; environmental assets; and
business activity. The concept of vulnerability means the potential to be harmed. Vulnerability to
natural hazards is thus the potential to be harmed by natural hazards. Some people and places
are more vulnerable to certain hazards than other people and places, this means vulnerability
can be specific situation and can also hazard specific.
Vulnerability to natural hazards consists of three different dimensions: exposure,

sensitivity, and resilience or adaptive capacity. Vulnerability changes with the scale of
observation and the system in question.
Vulnerability and exposure data are frequently utilized as indicators of relative risk,
particularly the change of risk over time and across geographic boundaries. As a result, more
focus should be made on gathering and analyzing vulnerability and exposure data in order to
inform the development of risk indicators and the process of risk monitoring throughout time and
geography. Several indices of physical and socioeconomic vulnerability/exposure necessitate
statistically robust information on the built environment which is often lacking even in developed
countries.
`
There are different factors of vulnerability and exposure. Physical factors that was

determined by aspects such as population density levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site,
design and materials used for critical infrastructure and for housing (UNISDR). Social factors
which affect someone's lifestyle. Economic factors which affect the economy, including interest
rates, tax rates, laws, policies, wages, and governmental activities and Environmental factors
that includes temperature, food, pollutants, population density, sound, light, and parasites.
There are also vulnerable sectors of society which are the Less Vulnerable Sectors, Most
Vulnerable Sectors and not vulnerable sectors.
By including vulnerability in our understanding of disaster risk, we acknowledge that

disaster risk is determined not only by the severity of the hazard or the number of people or
assets exposed, but also by the susceptibility of people and economic assets to loss and
damage. Levels of vulnerability (and exposure) help to explain why some non-extreme hazards
can have extreme consequences and disasters, while others do not. In the context of high risk,
people's vulnerability is frequently the most important factor in determining their risk.
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risk/component-risk/vulnerability
UNESCO. (n.d.). Disaster Risk Reduction. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://en.unesco.org/disaster-risk-reduction
United Nations. (n.d.). Disaster Risk Management. United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
UN-Spider Knowledge Portal. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.un-spider.org/risks-
and-disasters/disaster-risk-management
The Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). Environment and Society in a Changing

World :Vulnerability to Natural Hazards. PennState College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog30/node/379
Video clips:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feaNu9Z4I3I
(Exposure and Vulnerability)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnvx75D0W8
(What is vulnerability and how do we adapt to climate change?)
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJ3vRJtpYo
(Exposure and Vulnerability)
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKN71Tez7d4
(Explaining why Certain Factors are more vulnerable to disasters than others)
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TM2HYyJx0E
(VULNERABILITY (Types of Vulnerability) | DRR)
Images:
1. Figure 1. Residents hang on to a rope as they pass strong currents along a flooded area
in Marikina, east of Manila, Philippines on Aug. 9, 2012
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yckrx8xn
2. Figure 2. The Philippines' 2013 disaster coffers had been emptied before typhoon
Haiyan struck which rockets up list of countries most vulnerable to disaster
Source: https://tinyurl.com/pt5nfb89
3. Figure 3. Shanty dwellings at Blumentritt, Manila, Philippines
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2cxw9mrt

4. Figure 4. The Vulnerable People.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/yckjm5x6
5. Figure 5. Elderly Woman Evacuating. Source: https://tinyurl.com/33ttrv57
6. Figure 6. Communities in Coastal Areas. Source: https://tinyurl.com/ddhahsaa
7. Figure 7. Burning Wooden House. Source. https://tinyurl.com/bdffsetp
8. Figure 8. Tsunami Prone Areas Map in the Philippines. Source:
https://tinyurl.com/3s5nyccw
9. Figure 9. CAMANAVA MAP. Source: https://tinyurl.com/33r88tpr
10. Figure 10. San Juan River Basin Map affecting Makati City along the creeks.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3yywywpv
11. Figure 11. Mandaluyong Linear Park along Pasig River. Source:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8jad2j
12. Figure 12. Typhoon Ompong triggered thousands of landslides in the area of Itogon,
Benguet (Philippines) in 2018. Source: https://tinyurl.com/mrn4esv2
13. Figure 13. Relationships of Exposure, Sensitivity, Adaptive Capacity, and Vulnerability.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/nheahbw6
14. Figure 14. A House Near the Sea. Source: https://tinyurl.com/yc7brv5r
15. Figure 15. Community With No Wind-Resistance Trees.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2v23h5s3
16. Figure 16. Warning Siren Signals to Community. Source: https://tinyurl.com/mryy85pn
17. Figure 17. People used different transportation vehicles to Evacuate.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3up23dbm
18. Figure 18. Community Evacuating. Source: https://tinyurl.com/45wrxvx7
19. Figure 19. “Building peace in the minds of men and women".
Source: https://tinyurl.com/v78bftfb
20. Figure 20. Informal Settlers. Source: https://tinyurl.com/ys74pnjj
21. Figure 21. "Economic Factors That Highly Affect Business 2018".
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yanunjxv
22. Figure 22. Disregard for Wise Environmental Management.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/32ac566f
23. Figure 23. "What Are Indigenous Populations 2021". Source: https://tinyurl.com/y9bvzfrr
24. Figure 24. "People With Disabilities and Politics in Nigeria".
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2ajuyx5u
25. Figure 25. "Better Health Care to Improve the Lives of Women, Children, & Youth
Around the World". Source: https://tinyurl.com/y92uj368
26. Figure 26. "Cartoon farmer in front of colorful farm with barn, crops and cows".
Source: https://tinyurl.com/y92uj368
27. Figure 27. Concepts of Entrepreneur. Source: https://tinyurl.com/3fxrdrz5
28. Figure 28. "Najm Mohamed, Digital Marketing Intern". Source:
https://tinyurl.com/3fxrdrz5
29. Figure 29. Big Mansion. Source: https://tinyurl.com/4mae9nvm
30. Figure 30. Examining the Implications of Hazards, Emergencies and Disasters, Prof.
John Tiefenbacher (Ed.), InTech, DOI: 10.5772/55538. Source:
https://tinyurl.com/5h3emrrz
31. Figure 31. Mapping social vulnerability in southeastern states and the Gulf Coast.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yxmhh27k
32. Figure 32. Why We Need to Talk More About Economic Vulnerability.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/yf72xfpf
33. Figure 33. Environmental Vulnerability & Ecosystem Services Section (EVES).
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2wnx5tmb


Chapter Ii - The Concept of Vulnerability and Exposure

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Chapter Ii - The Concept of Vulnerability and Exposure

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FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

CHAPTER II: Module 2

Figure 1. Residents hang on to a rope as Figure 2. The Philippines' 2013 disaster

Figure 3. Shanty dwellings at

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

exposure and vulnerability.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Explain the key concepts of exposure and vulnerability

I. THE CONCEPTS OF EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

A. Basic Concept of Exposure

Exposure is defined as the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production

B. Basic Concept of Vulnerability

Below are the examples of vulnerability;

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

Figure 5. Elderly Woman Evacuating Source:

Figure 6. Communities in Coastal Areas

Figure 7. Burning Wooden House

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

Figure 10. San Juan River Basin Map

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4

Figure 12. Typhoon Ompong triggered thousands of landslides in

VIEW VIDEO CLIP 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feaNu9Z4I3I

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

Exposure + Sensitivity + Adaptive Capacity = Vulnerability

The definition and representation of vulnerability in this formula has significantly

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 6

Figure 13. Relationships of Exposure, Sensitivity, Adaptive Capacity, and Vulnerability

Figure 14. A House Near the Sea

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 7

3. Adaptive Capacity refers to the ability of an individual, household or community to develop

VIEW VIDEO CLIP 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnvx75D0W8

III. FACTORS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXPOSURE

This factor compromises the poor design and construction of buildings,

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 8

Figure 19. “Building peace in the minds of men and women".

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 9

Figure 21. "Economic Factors That Highly Affect Business 2018"

In addition, vulnerability is determined by historical, political, cultural and institutional and

Figure 22. Disregard for Wise Environmental Management.

VIEW VIDEO CLIP 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJ3vRJtpYo

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 10

IV. VULNERABLE SECTORS OF SOCIETY

A. Who are the so-called Most Vulnerable Sectors?

Figure 23. "What Are Indigenous Populations 2021"

They are composed of farmers, the

Figure 24. "People With Disabilities and

B. Who are the so-called Less Vulnerable Sectors?

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 11

Figure 25. "Better Health Care to Improve the

Their role in disaster management activities is to extend assistance and support to

Figure 27. Concepts

C. Who are the so-called not vulnerable

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 12

Figure 29. Big Mansion

VIEW VIDEO CLIP 4: . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKN71Tez7d4

1. Physical/ Material Vulnerability

Physical vulnerability covers the following examples;

a. Location and type of housing/building materials

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 13

Figure 30. Examining the Implications of Hazards, Emergencies and

2. Social / Organization vulnerability

Name: ___________________________ Score: _