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DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION MANAGEMENT
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION MANAGEMENT
Source/Reference: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR)
• The lead UN agency for the coordination of disaster risk
reduction.
• They envision a world where disaster risks no longer threaten
the well-being of people and the future of the planet.
I. Four Phases of Disaster Management
• Disaster Management: The process of planning,
organizing, coordinating, and implementing measures
preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters.
• Hazard: Something that is dangerous and likely to cause
damage
• Disaster: An event that results in great harm, damage or
death, or serious difficulty
1. Mitigation: Reducing or minimizing
the adverse impacts of a hazardous
event or disaster.
Aim: To prevent future emergencies and
take steps to minimize their effects or
impacts.
 It occurs before a disaster takes
place. Here, an organization will take
steps to protect people and property,
while also decreasing risks and
consequences from a given disaster
situation.
 Mitigation measures include building
codes; vulnerability analyses updates;
zoning and land use management;
building use regulations and safety
codes; preventive health care; and
public education.
Examples of mitigation may can include
measures such as:
• Clearing space around buildings to
create a defensible space against fires
• Adding levees or improving property
drainage to protect from flooding
• Securing furniture to floors and walls
to help prevent damage/injuries during
earthquakes
• Re-locating structures to less disaster-
prone areas
2. Preparedness: The knowledge and
capacities developed by governments,
response and recovery organizations,
communities, and individuals to effectively
anticipate, respond to and recover from the
impacts of likely, imminent or current
disasters.
Aim: To achieve a satisfactory level of
readiness to respond to any emergency
situation through programs that strengthen the
technical and managerial capacity of
governments, organizations, and communities.
 It also occurs before a disaster takes
place. Here, an organization attempts to
understand how a disaster might affect
overall productivity and the bottom
line.
 During the preparedness phase,
governments, organizations, and
individuals develop plans to save lives,
minimize disaster damage, and enhance
disaster response operations.
Examples of preparedness include:
• Contingency planning
• hosting trainings
• public education and awareness
• drills
• stockpiling of equipment and
supplies
• tabletop exercises, and full-scale
exercises on disaster preparedness
• building warning systems.
3. Response: Actions taken directly
before, during or immediately after a
disaster in order to save lives, reduce
health impacts, ensure public safety and
meet the basic subsistence needs of the
people affected.
Aim: To provide immediate assistance to
maintain life, improve health and
support the morale of the affected
population.
  It occurs in the immediate aftermath of a
disaster. During the preparedness phase,
governments, organizations, and individuals
develop plans to save lives, minimize disaster
damage, and enhance disaster response
operations.
 Organizations focus their attention on
addressing immediate threats to people,
property, and business. Occupant safety and
 The focus is on meeting wellbeing largely depends on your
the basic needs of the preparedness levels before disaster strikes.
people until more  The focus is on meeting the basic needs of
permanent and sustainable the people until more permanent and
sustainable solutions can be found.
solutions can be found.
Examples of response measures
include:
• Activating the emergency operations
center
• Evacuating threatened populations
• Opening shelters
• Providing mass care
• Fire fighting
• Search and rescue operations
4. Recovery: The restoring or improving
of livelihoods and health, as well as
economic, physical, social, cultural and
environmental assets, systems and
activities, of a disaster-affected
community or society, aligning with the
principles of sustainable development
and “build back better”, to avoid or
reduce future disaster risk.
Aim: To rebuild after a disaster in an
effort to return operations back to
normal
 It takes place after a disaster. It is the
restoration of an organization following
any impacts from a disaster. By this
time, the organization has achieved at
least some degree of physical,
environmental, economic and social
stability.
 The recovery phase of a disaster can
last anywhere from six months to a
year (or even longer depending on the
severity of the incident).
 The organization works to obtain new
resources, rebuild or create partnerships,
and implement effective recovery
strategies. The organization also takes
steps to reduce financial burdens, rebuild
damaged structures, and reduce
vulnerability to future disasters.
 An example of recovery is creating
strategic protocols and action plans to
address the most serious impacts of a
disaster. The protocols should give clear
steps to follow for various disaster events
and cover multiple scenarios.
 For example, a flood protocol could
include:

 The organization’s internal plan to

mitigate the effects of water (fan
deployment, etc.)
 The preferred water remediation
service and their contact information
 If that vendor is unavailable,
secondary and tertiary services to
contact
II. Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Act of 2010
• Also known as the Republic Act of 10121
• It was established as a non-stock, non-profit organization in the Philippines in
2004 but signed into law last May 27, 2010.
• It’s an act strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
System, providing for the national disaster risk reduction and management
framework and institutionalizing the national disaster risk reduction and
management plan, appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes
• Under this act, provinces, cities, and municipalities now play a greater role in
building the disaster resilience of communities, and in institutionalizing measures
for reducing disaster risks, enhancing disaster preparedness and response
capabilities.
• It requires the establishment of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Office(LDRRMO) in every province, city, and municipality