January 30, 2023

The Concept of Disaster

Definitions of Disaster
● A sudden, calamitous event, bringing great damage, loss, destruction, and
devastation to life and property (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, 2012)
○ Disaster is sudden and that is why we need to prepare (increase capacity)
● Consequence of exposure to unanticipated hazard
● The result when vulnerability is present
● The result of insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with potential
negative consequences

Sociocultural Definition
● A serious disruption of the normal functioning of society, causing widespread
human, material, economic, or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of
the affected people to cope using their human resources (Adelman, 2011)

When is an event a disaster?

● Human Lives (deceased, missing, conditions of living or survivors): At least 20% of
the population is affected and in need of emergency assistance.
● Lost of income and disruption of economic activities
○ A great number or at least 40% of the means of livelihoods (such as fishing
boats, vehicles, etc.) are destroyed.
○ Major roads and bridges are destroyed and impassable for at least a week,
thus disrupting the flow of transport and commerce.
● Assessed cost of repair for destroyed or damaged infrastructure that exceeds
economic or financial capacities
● Epidemics (pandemic)

Types of Disasters
1. Natural Disasters
a. Geological, hydrometeorological, climatological, biological, astronomical
2. Man-made or Anthropogenic Disasters
a. Environmental degradation-induced, industrial/technological, civil conflicts,
fire

Perspectives on Disasters
● Physical perspective
○ Destruction of man-made or natural tangible and visible materials
● Psychological perspective
○ Refers to the people’s mental states such as emotional state, cognitive state,
and interpersonal reaction to difficulties
○ Mental health (eg.: depression, trauma, anxiety, nightmares, etc.)
● Sociocultural perspective
○ Society’s responses to disaser based on their religions, beliefs, attitudes,
values, etc.
● Economic perspective
○ Negative financial state or consequences of areas/countries affected by
disasters
● Political perspective
○ Government policies and services on disaster prevention, mitigation, and
response (disaster management)
● Biological perspective
○ Loss of biological diversity
○ Prevalence of diseases (infestations or epidemics) in humans