Lesson 1: What is Disaster and Disaster Risk?
In such situations, large numbers of people are
Disaster is "a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm,
injury, destruction, and devastation to life and property”. It disrupts the
usual course of life, causing both physical and emotional distress as well
as an intense feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. A preceding
definition of disaster stresses that two elements are affected – life
(whether human or animal) and property. The effects vary – it maybe a
minor damage (like broken windows and doors), major damage (like torn
rooftops, collapsed walls), total destruction (like completely destroyed
houses and structures rendering them useless and inhabitable) and the
worst of all, death.
Disasters are often a result of the combination of: the exposure to a
hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient
capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative
consequences.
Its impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative
effects on human physical, mental, and social wellbeing, together with
damage to properties, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and
economic disruptions, and environmental degradation.
The damage caused by disaster cannot be measured. It also differs with
the kind of geographical location, climate, earth’s specific characteristics,
and level of vulnerability. These determining factors affect generally the
psychological, socio–economic, political, and ethnical state of the affected
area.
Risk and Disaster Risk
Risk has various connotations within different disciplines. In general, risk
is defined as “the combination of the probability of an event and its
negative consequences” (UNISDR, 2009). The term risk is thus
multidisciplinary and is used in a variety of contexts. It is usually associated
with the degree to which humans cannot cope (lack of capacity) with a
situation (e.g. natural hazard).
The term disaster risk refers to the potential (not actual and realized)
disaster losses, in lives, health status, livelihoods, assets, and services
which could occur in a community or society over some specified future
time period.
Disaster risk is the product of the possible damage caused by a hazard due
to the vulnerability within a community. It should be noted that the effect
of a hazard (of a particular magnitude) would affect communities
differently (Von Kotze, 1999:35).
It can also be determined by the presence of three variables: hazards
(natural or anthropogenic); vulnerability to a hazard; and coping capacity
linked to the reduction, mitigation, and resilience to the vulnerability of a
community.
Classification of Disasters:
Disasters can be divided into 2 large categories:
A. Natural - a natural phenomenon is caused by natural forces, such as
earthquakes, typhoon, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and
extreme temperatures. They can be classified as rapid onset disasters and
those with progressive onset, such as droughts that lead to famine. These
events, usually sudden, can have tremendous effects.
B. Man-Made - Disasters caused by man are those in which major direct
causes are identifiable intentional or non-intentional human actions.
Subdivided into three categories:
1. Technological/industrial disasters - Unregulated industrialization and
inadequate safety standards increase the risk for industrial disasters.
Example: leaks of hazardous materials; accidental explosions; bridge
or road collapses, or vehicle collisions; Power cuts
2. Terrorism/Violence - the threat of terrorism has also increased due to
the spread of technologies involving nuclear, biological, and chemical
agents used to develop weapons of mass destruction. Example: bombs or
explosions; release of chemical materials; release
of biological agents; release of radioactive agents; multiple or massive
shootings; mutinies
3. Complex humanitarian emergencies - the term complex emergency is
usually used to describe the humanitarian emergency resulting from an
international or civil war.
displaced from their homes due to the lack of personal safety and the
disruption of basic infrastructure including food distribution, water,
electricity, and sanitation, or communities are left stranded and isolated
in their own homes unable to access assistance. Example: conflicts or
wars; genocide
Lesson 2: Differentiating Risk Factors Underlying Disaster
RISK FACTORS
Disaster Risk as defined in the first module, has three important elements
such as:
1. Exposure - the “elements at risk from a natural or man-made hazard
event (Quebral, 2016).
2. Hazard - a potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon or human
activity that may cause loss of life or injury, property damage, social and
economic disruption or environmental degradation (Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United nation, FAO 2008).
3. Vulnerability - the condition determined by physical, social, economic
and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility
of a community to the impact of hazard (Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United nation, FAO 2008).
Reduction of the level of vulnerability and exposure is possible by
keeping people and property as distant as possible from hazards. We
cannot prevent natural events from occurring so we should focus on
addressing the reduction of vulnerability and exposure by identifying the
factors which underlie disasters.
Risk Factors are processes or conditions, often development-related, that
influence the level of disaster risk by increasing levels of exposure and
vulnerability or reducing capacity.
The following are also taken into consideration when risk factors
underlying disaster are involved:
• Severity of exposure - which measures those who experience
disaster first-hand which has the highest risk of developing future
mental problems, followed by those in contact with the victims such
as rescue workers and health care practitioners and the lowest risk
are those most distant like those who have awareness of the disaster
only through news.
• Gender and Family - the female gender suffers more adverse effects.
This worsens when children are present at home. Marital
relationships are placed under strain.
• Age - adults in the age range of 40-60 are more stressed after
disasters but in general, children exhibit more stress after disasters
than adults do.
• Economic status of country - evidence indicates that severe mental
problems resulting from disasters are more prevalent in developing
countries like the Philippines. Furthermore, it has been observed that
natural disasters tend to have more adverse effects in developing
countries than do man-caused disasters in developed countries.
Factors which underlie disasters:
1. Climate Change - can increase disaster risk in a variety of ways – by
altering the frequency and intensity of hazards events, affecting
vulnerability to hazards, and changing exposure patterns. For most
people, the expression “climate change” means the alteration of the
world’s climate that we humans are causing such as burning of fossil fuels,
deforestation and other practices that increase the carbon footprint and
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This is in line with
the official definition by the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) that climate change is the change that can be
attributed “directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over comparable time periods”
2. Environmental Degradation - Changes to the environment can
influence the frequency and intensity of hazards, as well as our exposure
and vulnerability to these hazards. For instance, deforestation of slopes
often leads to an increase in landslide hazard and removal of mangroves
can increase the damage caused by storm surges (UNISDR, 2009b). It is
both a driver and consequence of disasters, reducing the capacity of the
environment to meet social and ecological needs. Over consumption
of natural resources results in environmental degradation, reducing the
effectiveness of essential ecosystem services, such as the mitigation of
floods and landslides. This leads to increased risk from disasters, and in
turn, natural hazards can further degrade the environment.
3. Globalized Economic Development - It results in an increased
polarization between the rich and poor on a global scale. Currently
increasing the exposure of assets in hazard prone areas, globalized
economic development provides an opportunity to build resilience if
effectively managed. By participating in risk-sensitive development
strategies such as investing in protective infrastructure, environmental
management, and upgrading informal settlements, risk can be reduced.
Dominance and increase of wealth in certain regions and cities are
expected to have increased hazard exposure (Gencer, 2013).
4. Poverty and Inequality - Impoverished people are more likely to live in
hazard-exposed areas and are less able to invest in risk-reducing
measures. The lack of access to insurance and social protection means
that people in poverty are often forced to use their already limited assets
to buffer disaster losses, which drives them into further poverty. Poverty
is therefore both a cause and consequence of disaster risk (Wisner et al.,
2004), particularly extensive risk, with drought being the hazard most
closely associated with poverty (Shepard et al., 2013). The impact of
disasters on the poor can, in addition to loss of life, injury and damage,
cause a total loss of livelihoods, displacement, poor health, food
insecurity, among other consequences. Vulnerability is not simply about
poverty, but extensive research over the past 30 years has revealed that it
is generally the poor who tend to suffer worst from disasters
5. Poorly planned and Managed Urban Development - A new wave of
urbanization is unfolding in hazard-exposed countries and with it, new
opportunities for resilient investment emerge. People, poverty, and
disaster risk are increasingly concentrated in cities. The growing rate of
urbanization and the increase in population density (in cities) can lead to
creation of risk, especially when urbanization is rapid, poorly planned and
occurring in a context of widespread poverty. Growing concentrations of
people and economic activities in many cities are seen to overlap with
areas of high-risk exposure.
6. Weak Governance - weak governance zones are investment
environments in which public sector actors are unable or unwilling to
assume their roles and responsibilities in protecting rights, providing basic
services and public services. Disaster risk is disproportionately
concentrated in lower-income countries with weak governance (UNISDR,
2015a). Disaster risk governance refers to the specific arrangements that
societies put in place to manage their disaster risk (UNISDR, 2011a; UNDP,
2013a) within a broader context of risk governance (Renn, 2008 in
UNISDR, 2015a). This reflects how risk is valued against a backdrop of
broader social and economic concerns (Holley et al., 2011).
Lesson 3: Effect of Disasters on one’s Life
A disaster is a damaging event that occurs suddenly and involves loss of
life and property. It can be of two types, natural and man-made.
Natural disasters can destroy a whole community in an instant. Examples
of natural disasters are volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and
typhoons which are destructive to people's lives.
Man-made disasters on the other hand are caused by human beings.
Some of the man-made disasters are bomb explosions, terrorism, wars,
leakage of poisonous chemicals, pollutions, industrial accidents, and
epidemics. They are identified as man- made disasters because they
happen due to human actions and not by natural forces.
What is the difference between hazard and disaster?
A hazard is a dangerous situation or event that carries a threat to humans.
A disaster is an event that harms humans and disrupts the operations of
society. Hazards can only be considered disasters once it affected humans.
If a disaster happened in an unpopulated area, it is still a hazard.
The Human Effect of Natural Disasters
1. Displaced Populations - One of the most immediate effects of natural
disasters is population displacement. When countries are ravaged by
earthquakes or other powerful forces of nature, many people need to
abandon their homes and seek shelter in other regions. A large influx of
refugees can disrupt accessibility of health care and education, as well as
food supplies and clean water.
2. Health Risks - Aside from the obvious immediate danger that natural
disasters present, the secondary effect can be just as damaging. Severe
flooding can result in stagnant water that allows breeding of waterborne
bacteria and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Without emergency relief from
international aid organizations and others, death tolls can rise even after
the immediate danger has passed.
3. Food Scarcity - The aftermath of natural disasters affects the food
supplies. Thousands of people around the world are hungry because of
destroyed crops and loss of agricultural supplies, whether it happens
suddenly in a storm or gradually in a drought. As a result, food prices rise
reducing families’ purchasing power and increasing the risk of severe
malnutrition or worse. The impacts of hunger following an earthquake,
typhoon or hurricane can be tremendous, causing lifelong damage to
children’s development.
4. Emotional Aftershocks - Natural disasters can be particularly traumatic
for young children. Confronted with scenes of destruction and the deaths
of friends and loved ones, many children develop post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), a serious psychological condition resulting from extreme
trauma. Left untreated, children suffering from PTSD can be prone to
lasting psychological damage and emotional distress.
Great damage caused by a disaster can be reduced if everyone will take
responsibility in anticipating its effects. Here are some ways on how to
plan ahead of a disaster:
1. Check for hazards at home.
2. Identify safe place indoors and outdoors
3. Educate yourself and family members
4. Have Disaster kits/supplies on hand.
5. Develop an emergency communication plan.
6. Help your community get ready.
7. Practice the Disaster Preparedness Cycle
Lesson 4: Disaster from Different Perspectives
The Different Perspectives of Disaster
1. Physical perspective - Calamities are phenomena that cause great
physical damage in a community infrastructure, its people and their
properties, e.g. houses and environmental sources of living. These cited
effects of a disaster can be easily measured and the most common.
Natural disasters generally affect the physical infrastructural facilities,
agricultural productivity and even lead to loss of life and cause damage to
property. Various factors influence the effects of a disaster on a country
among them are the magnitude of the disaster, the geography of the area
affected, and the recovery efforts directed towards reducing the
immediate effects of a disaster.
Effects of Physical Disasters
• Injuries
• Physical disabilities or illness
• Sanitation
• Damage in infrastructure
2. Psychological Perspective - Victims of disasters may suffer from Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other serious mental health
conditions, which are not being given much attention to by the authorities
or even by the victims, themselves. (This may be sensitive statement)
Disasters are mostly unpredictable, which leave the victims in a state of
shock. They tend to deny the loss and try to escape from reality. Being in
a denial state makes the victims more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and
other different maladaptive reactions. Death of a closed one also leaves
the victim in a state of insecurity because the sense of love, attachment
and belongingness are deprived.
Psychological effects of a Disaster:
• Distress
• Hopelessness
• Intrusion/avoidance
• Emotional effects
• Hatred/revenge
• Cognitive Effects
• Dependence/insecurities
• Physical Effects
• Grief/withdrawn/isolation
• Interpersonal effect
• Guilt feeling
• Helplessness
• Lack of trust
3. Socio-cultural Perspective - Filipinos are generally known as “matiisin”,
resourceful, helpful, optimistic, and prayerful. These characteristics are
manifested in the country’s recent fight against COVID19. Due to the
National Health Emergency, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)
prevailed in the whole country. A lot of people temporarily lost their jobs,
some people stranded in different regions, repatriated OFWs were held in
different quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, and all people were
restricted to go out of their homes for months. As a result, most Filipino
families would rely on government’s help for them to get by. However,
limited resources and aids from the government make people find
possible ways to survive amid the pandemic.
The culture of “malalampasan din natin ‘to..” belief and “ bahala na and
Diyos” syndrome give hope to most Filipino in the midst of a disaster. Such
perspective helps a lot especially those who belong to the marginalized
sector to be hopeful and continue fighting against any challenge at hand.
Their belief that a help from someone or from God would arrive at a time
they most needed. It also helps most people survive a lot of oddities in
life.
Socio-Cultural Effect of Disasters
• Change in individual roles
• Disruption of social relationships and personal connections
4. Economic Perspective - Disasters affect the economic condition of a
community because they reduce local and international trade. It can also
partially or totally paralyze a country’s transportation system, just like
what happened in the COVID19 pandemic. Implementation of a partial
and total shut down of local business operations result to a lot of people
losing means of living.
Economic Effects of Disasters
• Loss of life
• Unemployment
• Loss of property
• Loss of household articles
• Loss of crops
• Loss of public infrastructure
5. Political Perspective - Natural disasters are commonly thought to be
less politically argumentative than armed conflicts, yet a closer look shows
that both the effects of a natural disaster and the resulting distribution of
humanitarian aid are profoundly linked to politics.
Just as vulnerability to disasters is mediated by the political system of a
country, disasters can have major consequences for political stability and
political legitimacy (Hörhager, date?). Since agencies of government have
a significant role to play in directing disaster preparedness, prevention and
recovery. Social systems establish vulnerability to natural disasters and
governments are often considered to be responsible for the disaster
effects.
6. Biological Perspective - The disturbing effects caused by a prevalent
kind of disease or virus in an epidemic or pandemic level is known as
biological disaster.
a) Epidemic Level: Biological disaster affects large numbers of people
within a given community or area. Ex: Dengue.
b) Pandemic Level: Biological disaster affects a much large region,
sometime spanning entire continents or the globe
Biological disasters can wipe out an entire population at a short span of
time.
Example of it is the COVID19 pandemic which infected millions in less than
a month and left thousands of deaths in the same duration. Viral
respiratory infections can lead to anything from a mild cough that lasts a
few weeks or months to full-blown persistent wheezing or asthma
(Martin, 2020). Since COVID19 is a respiratory disease, the public is
advised by health authorities to do health precaution to prevent social
contamination. Examples are: observing physical distancing, appropriate
washing of the hands, wearing of mask at all times once outside of one’s
home, and boosting one’s immune system.
COVID19 patients who have strong immune system can likely soon recover
from the disease. Also, those who follow the health precaution strictly
have less chance of being infected. As such, the effects of a biological
disaster can be reduced.
Effects of Biological Disasters
• Loss of lives
• Public demobilization
• Negative economic effect
• Unemployment
• Hunger
Lesson 5: Explain the meaning of Vulnerability
Vulnerability Defined
Vulnerability is a state of being at risk. According to Republic Act 10121
also known as ‘Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of
2010’, vulnerability is defined as the characteristics and circumstances of
a community, system or resource that make it susceptible to the
damaging effects of a hazard. With all the identified hazard at home,
there is a possibility that some family members might be susceptible or
prone to the accident due to the presence of hazard. Vulnerability is also
situation specific. This means that if a specific province is prone to
earthquake, it does not mean that all localities on that province is
vulnerable to it. The vulnerability of different towns or cities or even
provinces differ in the way they prepare for the hazard and the amount
and type of resources they have in order prevent and manage it. To lessen
vulnerability means to make the community prepared and ready for the
possible damaging effect of the hazard. This further means that to make
the community less vulnerable, it must be resilient. So, to develop
resiliency at home, you should first identify the hazards and be prepared
all the time for the possible outcome and respond immediately.
Lesson 6: Sector of Society’s Vulnerability to Disaster
Level of vulnerability of an area or community can be assessed base on
different factors. These factors can affect one another or can lead to
other factors.
Factors affecting vulnerability of one’s community:
1. Population density near a hazard event.
• Population differs from population density.
• Population refers to the number of individuals inhabiting in a
particular space at the same time. If people are well distributed, there
is lesser effect of disaster.
• Population density refers to the number of individuals living in an
area in relation to the size of an area.
• The primary consideration is not the population size but the
population density.
2. Capacity and efficiency to reduce Disaster Risk.
• Community that is less vulnerable has the capacity to reduce disaster
risk because;
i. It can provide accessibility and availability of services and
facilities during and after disaster.
ii. It has the ability to anticipate, adapt, and respond to
possible disaster.
Lesson 7: Recognize vulnerabilities of different elements exposed to
specific hazards
Vulnerabilities of different elements are determined due to its exposure
to particular and specific hazard.
1. Physical vulnerability encompasses population density, settlement exposed to hazard factors, the higher is the disaster risk or higher chance
location, site design, and infrastructure materials. During hazardous disaster occurrence.
events, these physical elements are typically severely damaged. For Vulnerability means the characteristics and circumstances of a
instance, UP Visayas buildings were entirely destroyed during the community, system, or asset, that make it susceptible to the damaging
super typhoon Yolanda in 2008, resulting in total structural damage. effects of a hazard and inability of a community to prevent, mitigate,
Similarly, the 1990 earthquake in North Luzon led to a reduced prepare for and respond to hazardous events.
population density in Baguio, causing numerous injuries and Risk implies the probability of possible adverse effects. This results from
fatalities. the interaction of social and environmental systems, from the
2. Social vulnerability happens due to inability of people, organization, combination of physical danger, and exposed item vulnerabilities.
and societies to prevent severe effects from hazards because of the Disaster is a serious disruption to the functioning of a community or
expected behavior in social interactions, institutions, and system of society which causes widespread human, material, economic or
cultural values. For example, during typhoon the line of environmental losses that exceed the capacity of the community or
communications were cut off when cell sites shutdown or disruption society concerned to cope with the use of their own resources. It results
of transport system due to inability of small vehicles to pass through from the mix of hazards, risk conditions and inadequate capability or
the flooded areas or unpassable roads and bridges. With some measures.
difficulties in the delivery of services such as relief goods and Exposure and vulnerability, on the other hand, are distinct. A certain
medicines, a lot of problems occurred like shortage of food and community can be exposed but it does not mean that it is vulnerable.
spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, when social elements were Buildings and structures in Japan are exposed to earthquake, but they are
exposed to hazard, these may lead to disruption of normal processes not vulnerable since their architectural and engineering designs are
and activities in the community. earthquake proof or resistant. However, to become vulnerable, it must be
3. Level of economic vulnerability is based on the economic status of exposed to hazard first.
individuals, communities, and nations. The poorer the country, the Physical elements Population
more vulnerable to disasters because they lack the funds or budgets Buildings: Urban land use, Density of population, distribution
to build sturdy structures and put other engineering measures in construction types, building in space, distribution in time, age
place which protect them from being affected by disasters. So, we can height, building age, total floor distribution, gender distribution,
say that Philippines is more vulnerable than Japan. As an example is space, replacement costs. handicapped, income distribution
the Covid-19 pandemic wherein the most affected are those who Monuments and cultural heritage
belong to low income and informal workers. Social and economic Essential facilities Socio-economic aspects
vulnerability can be combined also known as socioeconomic Emergency shelters, Schools, Organization of population,
vulnerability. Hospitals, Fire Brigades, Police. governance, community
4. Environmental vulnerability is caused by natural resources depletion organization, government support,
and destruction. Organisms like humans, animals, and plants are all socio-economic levels. Cultural
dependent on the environment for survival. Human activities like heritage and traditions.
deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, and kaingin affect the natural Transportation facilities Economic activities
abilities of the environment to protect itself from any natural hazard Roads, railway, metro, public Spatial distribution of economic
due to absence of trees which may cause landslide and flashfloods. transportation systems, harbor activities, input-output table,
Sometimes the effects are irreversible. facilities, airport facilities. dependency, redundancy,
Quantifying vulnerability is used in estimating how much unemployment, economic
mitigation and preparedness measures will be applied. Computation is production in various sectors.
based on the previous hazard events and severity of their effects. Life lines Environmental elements
Vulnerability can be expressed as: 0 = lowest degree of vulnerability and 1 Water supply, electricity supply, Ecosystems, protected areas,
as the highest degree. Vulnerability of people is the ratio of casualties or gas supply, telecommunications, natural parks, environmentally
injured to the total population. Vulnerability of buildings is expressed as a mobile telephone network, sensitive areas, forests, wetlands,
repair cost or degree of damage. sewage system. aquifers, flora, fauna, biodiversity.
Lesson 8: Hazards, Exposure, and Vulnerabilities from actual situations Lesson 9: Hazard and Its Types
Hazards can be categorized in different types:
1. Natural hazards - arise from natural processes in the environment.
e.g. earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, volcanic eruptions and floods
2. Quasi-natural hazards- arise through the interaction of natural
processes and human activities e.g. pollution or desertification,
smog and fog
3. Technological (or man-made) hazards- These arise directly as a result
of human activities. e.g. accidental release of chemicals, toxic and
pesticides to floral and fauna
Hazards Signs and Symbols
Hazard is a harmful condition, substance, human behavior or condition These signs and symbols with corresponding meaning below
that can cause loss of life, injury or other health effects, harm to property, help people to be extra cautious, aware and observant in surroundings.
loss of livelihood and services, social and economic disruption or damage
to the environment. Any risk which is imminent is threat.
Exposure is the presence of elements at risk or chance of being harmed
from a natural or man-made hazard event. Elements include the
individuals, households or communities, properties, buildings and
structures, agricultural commodities, livelihoods, and public facilities,
infrastructures and environmental assets present in an area that are
subject to potential damage or even losses. The more a community is
 Each picture is designed to become recognizable to anyone as a
signal word like “danger” or “warning”.
Technology or Man-Made Hazards Signs and Symbols

Quasi-Natural Signs and Symbols

Natural Hazards Signs and Symbols