Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
DIVISION OF BOHOL

DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

Quarter 1 – Week 4 (Day 12)

Learning Content : Disaster Risk and Elements-At-Risk

Learning Competency : Differentiate among hazards, exposure, and
vulnerabilities and explain the relationship of the
three to disaster risk. (DRR11/12-Id-13)
Learning Objective : Describe the relationship of hazard, exposure, and
vulnerability to disaster risk.
References : Building Resilient Communities by Lanada,
Melegrito, and Mendoza pp. 34-37
Copyright : For classroom use only.
Non-DepEd owned
Pending for approval

Concept Notes :

• Hazard is defined as a “dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or

condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property
damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage”.
• Exposure refers to people and properties that are affected by hazards. It can be
measured by the number of people or types of assets in an area.
• 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. It explains how people and the differences among them
contribute to the situation or context wherein they operate.
• Disaster risk can be expressed as a function of hazard, exposure, and
vulnerability or a function (hazard, exposure, vulnerability). How one copes
depends on capacity and readiness to respond to an emergency and crisis.
• The equation Disaster Risk = Hazard x Elements of Exposure x
Vulnerability emphasizes particularly the physical aspects of vulnerability. Risk
results from the interaction of the three functions.
• The World Health Organization (WHO, 2007) defines disaster risk as the
“probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses resulting from
interactions between natural or human-induced hazards and vulnerabilities.”
In other words, disaster risk results from the combined effects of the hazards
to which a community is exposed and the vulnerabilities of that community
(WHO,
2007)

Activity/Exercises:
Answer the following questions in brief and concise manner.
1. What is the difference among hazard, exposure, and vulnerability?
2. What happens to the level of disaster risk as the severity of hazard increases?
3. What is the effect of the increased quantity of exposure of elements to disaster
risk?
4. How does vulnerability, exposure, and hazard relate to disaster risk?