Disaster from

Different Perspective

Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

 PERSPECTIVE
• a particular attitude toward
or way of regarding
something; a point of view.
(Dictionary.com)
 WHAT IS YOUR
PERSPECTIVE IN
LIFE?
 DISASTER
• Is a result of a vast ecological
breakdown in the relation between
humans and their environment; a
serious or sudden event on such a
scale that the stricken community
needs extraordinary efforts to cope
with it, often with outside help or
international aid.
 Disaster is analyzed from
different perpectives as follows:
PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIO-CULTURAL
PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

ECONOMIC
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE

ENVIRONMENTAL
PERSPECTIVE
Physical Perspective

• From this view disaster is

defined as a phenomenon
that can cause damage to
physical elements such as
buildings, infrastructures,
including people and their
properties.
 Physical Perspective

• Physical effects are the most

visible and quantifiable effects
of a disaster.
• In assessing the aftermath of a
disaster, physical damages are
essentially considered in data
recording.
 Assessment of Disaster is focused on
the following common questions:
• How many families are affected?
(displacement, injury, death)
• How many houses are damaged
or washed out? (in case of super
typhoons)
• How many roads, bridges, dams,
and other infrastructures are
damaged? (in case of floods, lahar
 Continuation

• What is the extent of damage

in agricultural industry? (crop,
losses. Damaged fish cages,
washed out rice fields, etc.)
Psychological Perspective
• Disasters can
cause serious
mental health
consequences
for victims.
 Psychological Perspective
• These consequences take the form of POST
TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
is a mental health condition that's
triggered by a terrifying event — either
experiencing it or witnessing it.
Symptoms may include flashbacks,
nightmares and severe anxiety, as well
as uncontrollable thoughts about the
 Psychological Perspective

• In psychological context a
disaster is regarded as an
occurrence involving an
unexpected or
uncontrollable event rather
than a long-term
experience.
 Psychological Perspective
• In other words, a disaster is
something that could happen
within a hazard rather that the
hazard itself.
• Hence, one very important
component of the recovery phase,
aside from relief services is
debriefing or psychological
 Other Psychological effects
• Emotional Effects: Shock, terror
irritability, blame, numbing,
helplessness, loss of pleasure derived
from familiar activities, difficulty
feeling happy, difficulty feeling loved.
 Other Psychological effects
• Cognitive effects: Impaired
concentration, impaired decision-
making ability, memory
imapairment, disbelief, confusion,
nightmares, decreased self-
esteem, decreased self-efficacy,
self-blame, intrusive thoughts,
memories dissociation (e.g.
 Other Psychological effects
• Physical effects: fatigue, exhaustion,
insomnia cardiovascular strain, startle
response, hyper arousal, increased
physical pain, reduced immune
response, headaches, gastrointestinal
upset, decreased appetite, decreased
libido, vulnerability to illness.
 Other Psychological effects

• Interpersonal effects: increased

relational conflict, social
withdrawal, reduced relational
intimacy, alienation, impaired
work performance, decreased
satisfaction, distrust,
externalization of blame,
 Socio-cultural Perspective
• What the people living at risk
know and do about natural
hazards and disaster risks is
mediated by arange of factors
including social
conditions(age,gender, wealth,
ethnicity) and cultural settings
(language, beliefs, traditions,
 Socio-cultural Perspective

• People’s socio-cultural
background may affect their
response to disasters at the
different stages of disaster
management.
 Socio-cultural Perspective
• Hence, from the socio-cultural point of
view, a disaster is analyzed based on how
people respond having as parameter their
social conditions and cultural settings.
• These two factors are important
determinants of the degree of risk,
resilience and vulnerability of those
affected.
• That is why some ethnic groups can easliy
cope with disasters compared to other
 Economic Perspective
• From economic perspective, a
natural disaster can be defined as
as natural event that causes a
perturbation to the functioning
of the economic system, with a
significant negative impact from
this view is defining direct
economic cost and indirect losses.
 Economic Perspective
• Direct economic cost is the value of what
has been damaged or destroyed by the
disaster.
• These should be seriously considered in
disaster risk management and assessment.
• However, to get the whole picture indirect
losses is crucial in assessing disaster
seriousness.
 Economic Perspective
• This is done by evaluating the
main indirect consequences of
disaster.
• One example is when a head of
family losses a job due to
isolation or the workplace itself is
affected.
• The value of losses is measured
 Political Perspective
• From this view, natural disasters
are commonly thought to be less
politically contentious than armed
conflicts.
• Political considerations before,
during, and after a natural
disaster can determine who is
most at risk, who can intervene,
 Political Perspective

• Governmentality or
deliverance of government
services to constituents can
be a plus or minus factor in
disaster risk reduction and
management.
 Political Perspective
• Government interventions should be
present in the following phases of Disaster
Risk Reduction and management:
• 1. Prevention
• 2. Mitigation
• 3. Preparedness and
• 4. Recovery
 Political Perspective

• Failure to do adversely
affects the capacity and
opportunities of those
affected to cope with and
recover from the impacts of
disaster.
 Environmental Perspective
• Disasters are not random and do
not occur by accident. They are
the convergence of hazards and
vulnerable conditions.
• Disasters not only reveal
underlying social, economic,
political and environmental
problems, but unfortunately
Environmental Perspective