Lesson 5

Have you ever wondered the aftermath brought by disasters? Have you ever
seen bodies of people and dead animals; and damaged properties after
dreadful calamities?Our life is full of uncertainties. There are times we feel
isolated, insecure and defenseless towards unexpected situations. We
experience shock for the loss of our loved ones and properties, trauma, stress
and disasters. In this module, you will learn about existing conditions that
pose threats to ourlives, how certain factors may impact our lives especially
during disasters and how toadapt ways to become resilient. Are you excited?
Then, brace yourself and be ready to learn and accomplish the tasks ahead.
Vulnerability is “a set of prevailing or consequential conditions, which
adversely affect the community’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for and
respond to hazardous events.” (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, 2006)
When you look around, do you observe any vulnerabilities in your house or
barangay? Vulnerability is present in the community or society even before a
disaster happens. It comes before any disaster, contributes to the severity or
extent of its impact, impedes disaster response, and may continue to exist
long after a disaster has struck. One example is when people cut down too
many trees at a faster pace tha nature can replace them. It increases the
vulnerability of many communities due to unprotected soil which causes mudslides,
landslides and floods.

Do you know who are considered the most vulnerable sector in the society?
Several sectors in our society are considered as Most Vulnerable, Less
Vulnerable and Not Vulnerable Sectors. Farmers, urban poor, laborers,
indigenous people, persons with disabilities (PWDs), women, and children are
among the most vulnerable sectors. They are the so-called abused sector.
Abused sectors are those who are not capable of defending themselves in
times of crisis. They are weak and vulnerable and have been traditional victims
of violations and consequently require special attention. They are the
community members whose capacities are low and not sufficient to resist and
overcome the damaging and harmful effects of disasters.
Less Vulnerable Sectors are the people
In the community whose capacities
start from their own ability to acquire
material resources; skills and trainings;
and positionin the community. Their
capacities are higher thanthose in the
vulnerable sector to overcome the
adverse effects of disasters. They are
composed of professionals, small
entrepreneurs, and civil society
organizations like Philippine Red Cross.
Their roles in disaster management
activities is to extend assistance and
support to vulnerable sectors.

The Not Vulnerable Sectors are those having high position in the community. Most of the
time, they are the targets of the vulnerable and less vulnerable sectors in advocacy work
relating to disaster issue to the structure and policies implemented by the government that
are the root causes of the vulnerability of the community. In order to overcome our
vulnerabilities, we must capacitate ourselves. How are we going to do that? Let us define
first what capacity is. Why do you think capacity is important in disaster management?
According to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction or UNISDR
(2009), capacity refers to “all the strengths, attributes, and resources available within a
community, organization, or society that can be used to achieve an agreed goal.” These
qualities are important to citizens and community to cope with, overcome the harmful effects of,
and reduce the risks of disasters through preparation, mitigation, and recovery. Hence, it
is vital to develop and build these capacities categorized as socioeconomic, political,
ideological/cultural, physical, organizational, and leadership. Ownership of land and safe
location and construction of home, adequate income, savings, adequate food sources,
local knowledge such as the barangay hotline and evacuation plan, family and community
support system, responsive local government, enabling legislation and strong community
organizations are some examples of capacity. It is also essential to understand the
community’s coping capacity in relation with disaster. Coping capacity is “the ability of
people, organizations, and systems, using available skills and resources, to face and
manage adverse conditions, emergencies or disasters (UNISDR 2009).” The ability to cope
entails sustained situations assessment, awareness building, and resource mobilization
and
management. The community’s level of coping mechanisms and readiness determine the scope
and depth of disaster risk reduction. Some of the strategies to achieve our coping capacity
includes attending trainings in first aid, learning to swim as part of water survival, securing
our homes, establishment of early warning systems, designing evacuation strategies,
stockpiling of emergency equipment and alternative means of income. Community
members and groups have different vulnerabilities and capacities. These are determined
by age, gender, class, social class, ethnicity, language, religion, and physical condition.
Strengthening the capacities of each community helps people to adapt easily and become
resilient with inevitable circumstances.
The concept of vulnerability comes from many aspects, specifically, those that arise from
various social, economic, physical, and environmental factors. Examples may include poor
design and construction of buildings, inadequate protection of assets and lack of public
awareness, limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures, and disregard
for wise environmental management (ODPM 2013). According to Anderson and Woodrow
(1990), there are three areas of vulnerability:

❖ Physical/Material Vulnerability
This refers to the most visible area of
vulnerability. It includes land, climate, environment,
health, skills and labor, infrastructure, housing, finance
and technologies. Poor people suffer from crises more
often than people who are richer because they have
little or no savings, few income or production options,
and limited resources. They are more vulnerable and
recover more slowly. To understand physical/material
vulnerabilities, one has to ask what made the people
affected by disaster physically vulnerable: was it their
economic activities (e.g., farmers cannot plant because
of floods), geographic location (e.g., homes built in
typhoon-prone areas), or poverty/lack of resources?

❖ Social/Organizational Vulnerability
How society is organized, its internal
conflicts and how it manages them are
just as important as the physical/material
dimension ofvulnerability, but less visible
and less well understood. This aspect includes
formal political structures and the
informal systems through which people
get things done. Poor societies that are
well organized and united can
withstand or recover from disasters
better than those where there is little of
no organization and communities are
divided. To explore this aspect, one must ask what the social structure was before the
disaster and how well it served the people when disaster struck; one can also ask what
impact disasters have on social organization.

❖ Attitudinal/Motivational Vulnerability
This area includes how people in
society view themselves and their ability
to affect their environment. Groups that
share strong ideologies or belief
systems, or have experience of
cooperating successfully, may be better
able to help each other at times of
disaster than groups without such
shared beliefs or who feel fatalistic or
dependent. Crises can stimulate
communities to make extraordinary
efforts. Questions to be asked here
include what people’s beliefs and
motivations are and how disasters affect
them.
GLOSSARY in Lesson 5
Vulnerability – the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that
make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. (RA 10121 2010)
Capacity – a combination of all strengths and resources available within a community, society
or organization that can reduce the level of risk, or effects of a disaster. Capacity may include
infrastructure and physical means, institutions, societal coping abilities, as well as human
knowledge, skills and collective attributes such as social relationships, leadership and
management. Capacity may also be described as capability. (RA 10121 2010)
Physical/material vulnerability - refers to the most visible area of vulnerability.
Social/organizational vulnerability – a community which has weak family structures, lack of
leadership for decision making and conflict resolution, unequal participation in decision making,
weak or no community organizations, and the one in which people are discriminated on racial,
ethnic, linguistic or religious basis.
Attitudinal/Motivational Vulnerability - This area includes how people in society view
themselves and their ability to affect their environment.
Coping capacity- is the ability of people, organizations, and systems, using available skills
and resources, to face and manage adverse conditions, emergencies or
disasters (UNISDR 2009).
Exposed elements or Elements at risk – they are the people, animals, crops, houses, tools,
infrastructures, social networks, communication mechanisms, attitudes, or anything that can be
negatively affected by a hazard.
Resilience – the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb,
accommodate and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient
manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential
basic structures and functions. (RA 10121 2010)

Lesson 6
Vulnerability is present in the community or society even before a disaster happens. Some
people living in the community are more vulnerable to disasters. In this module, you will
learn about who are the so-called vulnerable sectors of the community in times of disaster.
Are you up for it? Then, be ready to learn and accomplish the tasks ahead.

Who are the so-called Most Vulnerable Sectors?

They are the community members whose
capacities are low and not sufficient to withstand and
overcome the damaging and adverse effects of
disasters. Therefore, they are the ones who receive the
Social Amelioration Program (SAP) and relief
distribution of the government during this pandemic
crisis.
• They are composed of farmers, the urban poor,
laborers, indigenous people, persons with disabilities (PWDs),
women, and children.
• Also, they are the so-called abused sector
and at the lowest level of society.

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 trainings; and position in society.
• Their capacities are higher than those in the most vulnerable sector to overcome the
adverse effects of disasters.
• They are composed of professionals, small entrepreneurs, and others similar to those
who belong to the higher levels of the society.
• Their role in disaster management activities is to extend assistance and
support to the most vulnerable sectors.
Who are the so-called Not Vulnerable Sectors?

• They are the sectors in society having a high position in the community.
• They do advocacy or charity for the benefit of the most vulnerable and less vulnerable
sectors during and after disasters.

Categories of Vulnerabilities
According to Anderson and Woodrow (1990), there are three areas of
vulnerability, which are the following:

1. Physical/ Material Vulnerability

For example, poor people who
have few physical and material
resources usually suffer more
from disasters than rich people.
Poor people often live in 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.

2. Social/ Organizational Vulnerability

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 commitment to their members suffer
less during disasters. Weakness in social
and organizational areas may cause
disasters. For example, deep divisions can lead to violence. Conflict over
resources due to poverty can also lead to violence.
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 a sense of their ability to
bring the changes they desire.

GLOSSARY in Lesson 6

Advocacy – the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal.

Despondency – a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.
Disability- used to refer to both physical and mental/psychological
impairment that
substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing,
thinking,
speaking, or hearing.
Disaster- any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of
human
life, deterioration of health services on a scale, sufficient to warrant an
extraordinary
response from outside the affected community or area.
Fatalism- is a feeling that you cannot control events or prevent unpleasant
things
from happening, especially when this feeling stops you from making decisions
or
making an effort.
Indigenous – someone who naturally belong or native to an area.
Marginal lands- the land that cannot be used in farming and has less value.
Urban poor- refers to individuals or families in urban areas with incomes
below the
poverty line.
Vulnerability- a set prevailing or consequential conditions, which adversely
affect
the community’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, and respond to
hazardous
events

Lesson 7. IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC VULNERABILITIES

The concept of vulnerability comes from many aspects, specifically,those that

came from various social, economic, physical, and environmental factors.
Vulnerability is present in the community or society even before a disaster
happens. It happens before a disaster, contributes to its bad effect, hinders
disaster response, and may continue to exist long after a disaster has struck
(Lanada, Maria Isabel B. et. al, 2016). In this module, your previous
knowledge and understanding on the concept of vulnerability will be tested
and improved as you go along recognizing the vulnerabilities of different
elements exposed to hazards.

According to Asian Disaster

Preparedness Center,
“Vulnerability is a set of prevailing
or consequential conditions, which
adversely affect the community’s
ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare
for and respond to hazardous
events.

Vulnerability is related to how an individual would likely behave in case of

disaster, how their weaknesses and lack of capacities make them be easily
affected
by hazards.

There are three areas of Vulnerability (Anderson and Woodrow, 1990):

➢ Physical/Material Vulnerability
Vulnerability limits people’s capacities
to cope with hazards. For example, people
who have a few physical and material
resources usually suffer more from
disasters than those with adequate
resources. People who are often living on
marginal lands; they don’t have any
savings or insurance; their health status is
in compromise. Their physical and material
resources are depressing. 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.
Vulnerability is not simply about poverty, but extensive research over the past
30years has revealed that it is generally the poor who tends to suffer worst
from disasters (UNISDR, 2009).

Examples of Physical/Material vulnerability also includes:

• Location and type of housing/building materials
• Land, water, animals, capital, other means of production (access and
control)
• Infrastructure and services: roads, health facilities, schools,
electricity,communications, transport, housing, etc.
• Human capital, population, mortality, diseases, nutritional status,
literacy, numeracy, poverty levels
• Environment factors: forestation, soil quality, and erosion
➢Social/Organizational Vulnerability
People who have been marginalized or
those in low position in social, economic or
political terms are vulnerable to suffering
from disasters, whereaas groups that
are well-organized and have a high
commitment to their members suffer less
during disasters. Weaknesses in
social and organizational areas may also
cause disasters. For example, deep
political 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. This also includes:

• Family Structure (weak/strong)

• Leadership qualities and structure
• Legislation
• Administrative structures and institutional arrangements
• Decision-making structures (who is left out, who is in, effectivenees)
• Participation levels
• Division and conflicts: ethnic, class, caste, religion, ideology, poltical groups,
language groups, and structure for resolving conflicts
• Degree of justice, equality, access to political processess
• Community oganizations: formal, informal, traditional, governmental,
progressive
• Relationship to government, administrative structures
• Isolation or connectedness

➢ 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 a sense of their ability to bring the changes
they desire. Thus, the third area of vulnerability is the attitudinal and
motivational aspect. The following are also examples of
Attitudinal/motivational vulnerability:
• Attitude toward change
• Sense of ability to affect their world, environment, get things done
• Initiative
• Faith, determination, fighting spirit
• Religious beliefs, ideology
• Fatalism, hopelessness, discouragement
• Dependent/independent (self-reliant)
• Consciousness, awareness
• Unity, solidarity, cooperation
• Orientation toward past, present, and future
Experiences in the Philippines affirm the effectiveness of involving communities in disaster
preparedness and mitigation. However, local communities cannot reduce all vulnerabilities
on their own. While communities have built on local coping strategies and capacities to
reduce some vulnerabilities, many necessary structural mitigation measures involve big
capital outlay. More importantly, vulnerability is also a complex web of conditions, factors,
and processes, which can only be reduced through complementary and concerted action
among multiple-stakeholders from various disciplines and levels of the disaster
management and development planning system (Victoria n.d.). Whether a disaster is
major or minor, of national or local proportions, it is the people at the community or village
level who suffer most of its adverse effects. They use coping and survival strategies to
face and respond to the situation long before outside help from NGOs or the government
arrives. They are interested to protect themselves from the damage and harm through
Community-based disaster preparedness and mitigation. Elements of Community Based
Disaster Management in the Philippines (which generally parallels experiences in other
countries) are:
➢ People’s participation
➢ Priority for the most vulnerable groups, families, and people in the community
➢ Risk Reduction measures are community specific
➢ Existing coping mechanisms and capacities are recognized
➢ The aim is to reduce the vulnerabilities by strengthening capacities, the goal is building
disaster resilient communities
➢ Links disaster risk reduction with development
➢ Outsiders have supporting and facilitating role (e.g. NGOs)

In addition, in the article entitled “Vulnerability” retrieved from

https://www.preventionweb.net/risk/vulnerability, the approaches to vulnerability reduction
have been identified and summarized as follows:

• Implementing building codes

• Insurance and social protection
• Emphasizing economic diversity and resilient livelihoods
• Knowledge and awareness raising
• Preparedness measures

Vulnerability is, among other things, the result of a lack of capacity. Vulnerabilityis the
opposite of capacity, so that increasing capacity means reducing vulnerability, and high
vulnerability means low capacity (Cardona O.D. et. al, 2012). Therefore, to reduce
vulnerability, we need to increase capacity. There may be several approaches to reduce
vulnerability among different countries but their basis for the formation of these different
approaches are the same given the different hazards that may arise; thus they are one in
developing sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction Management System towards the
betterment of the community.

GLOSSARY in Lesson 7

CAPACITY – all the strengths, attributes, and resources available within a community,
organization or society that can be used to achieve an agreed goal (Lanada, Maria Isabel
B. et. al, 2016).
EARTHQUAKE – a sudden ground motion or vibration of the earth produced by rapid
release of stored up energy. It includes a sudden slip on a fault and the resulting
radiation of seismic energy (Rimando, 2016).
EXPOSED ELEMENT – the number of people or structures within the exposed area
(Rimando, 2016).
EXPOSURE – the degree to which the elements at risk are likely to experience hazard
events of different magnitudes (Rimando, 2016).
FIRE – a rapid oxidation process which is a chemical reaction resulting in the evolution
of light and heat in varying intensities (National Fire Protection Association, n.d.)
FLOOD – referred to as the running and overlaying of water on land that is not ordinarily
covered by it (Lanada, Maria Isabel B. et. al, 2016).
HAZARD – a situation or an occurrence with capacity to bring damages to lives,
properties, and the environment (Lanada, Maria Isabel B. et. al, 2016).
TYPHOON – a severe water disturbance characterized by strong winds and heavy
rains which revolve around a central low pressure area (Rimando, 2016).
VULNERABILITY – is a set of prevailing or consequential conditions, which
adversely affect the community’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond
to hazardous events (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center).