Lesson 4: Exposure, Vulnerability, and Hazard

Disaster Risk
- Probability of harmful consequences to the environment as a result of interactions induced
hazards and vulnerable or capable conditions
- A disaster that hasn’t happen yet
- Risk = Hazard x Vulnerability x Exposure
Capacity
Factors that may increase or decrease disaster risk:
a. Hazard
b. Exposure
- Refers to the elements present in the hazard zone
- If there is no exposure to a hazard, there is no disaster risk
c. Vulnerability
- Comprises conditions determined by factors which increases the susceptibility of a
community to the impact of hazards
• The effects of hazards are not equal because people's ability to cope with them are not equal
d. Coping Capacity
- The positive resources and abilities which are helpful in mitigating, preparing for
responding to and recovering from the hazard impact
- ↑ Coping Capacity = ↓ Disaster Risk
- ↑ Hazard ↑ Exposure ↑ Vulnerability = ↑ Disaster Risk
Situation Analysis:
A strong tsunami that strikes a poor, distant, low- populated island in the Atlantic Ocean.
a. Hazard: tsunami
- High hazard because strong tsunami
b. Exposure: low
- it is distant and low- populated
→ Less people, less properties and assets
c. Vulnerability: high
- Island
→ Prone to the effects of tsunami
- Poor construction of houses, poor drainage system, low government telecommunication
system services, lack of public information and awareness dissemination process
→ Because it is a distant island
d. Coping Capacity: low
→ A poor island with little resources
Why is it significant to understand hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities?
Disaster Resilience
- The ability of a system to resist, absorb, accommodate, and recover from the effects of disaster
in a timely and efficient manner

• "Hazards do not have to turn into disaster" - UNDRR

• Residual Risk
- We can prevent future risk, reduce existing risk and support resilience and societies in the
face of risk that cannot be effectively reduced.
Disaster Risk Reduction
- The policy objective of Disaster Risk Management
- Contributes to resilience
- Considered to be a shared value
- Requires a people- centered and multisector approach
• Disaster Risk
- A shared risk, all participate in its construction
Disaster Risk Management

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Disaster Risk Management
- The implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction
- Includes building the capacity of a community to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from
disaster through:
a. Prevention
- Outright avoidance of adverse impacts
- Less costly that disaster relief and response
b. Mitigation
- Lessening or minimizing of the adverse impacts
c. Preparedness
- The knowledge and capacities to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover
from the impacts of likely, imminent or current disaster

Lesson 5: Types of Hazards

A. Natural Hazards
a. Hydro- meteorological
- Hazards of atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic geography
Includes:
i. Cyclones vii. Flood
ii. Typhoons viii. Storm surge
iii. Tornado ix. Global warming
iv. Thunderstorm x. Drought
v. Blizzard xi. Heat waves
vi. Avalanches xii. El Nino and La Nina
b. Geological
- Originates from earth internal processes
Includes:
i. Earthquake iii. Volcanic eruption
ii. Tsunami iv. Astronomical hazards
- Comets and asteroids
c. Biological or Biohazards
- Of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors
Includes:
i. Anthrax v. Rabies
ii. Common colds vi. Malaria
iii. HIV/AIDS vii. COVID- 19
iv. Hepatitis A, B, C

B. Human- caused hazards

a. Technological

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a. Technological
- Originates from technological or industrial conditions
Includes:
i. Industrial pollution iv. Dam failures
ii. Nuclear radiation v. Chemical spills
iii. Toxic waste vi. fires
b. Socioeconomic, political and security
- Violence and crime done by humans
Includes:
i. Bomb Threat
ii. Kidnapping threat'
c. Environmental Hazards
i. Red tide
ii. Pollution

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