Disaster Readiness and

Risk Reduction

Subtitle
LESSON 1
Basic Concept of Disaster
and Disaster Risk

Subtitle
What is Disaster
and Disaster
Risk?
 IT’S A DISASTER
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 such as an
intense feeling of helplessness
and hopelessness.
 • (whether human or animal) and
property. The effects vary –it maybe
a minor damage (like broken
A preceding windows and doors), major damage
definition of (like torn rooftops, collapsed walls),
disaster stresses total destruction (like completely
destroyed houses and structures
that two rendering them useless and
elements are inhabitable) and the worst scenario,
affected –life. it can lead to death. (Asian Disaster
Preparedness Center, ADPC, 2012)
 Republic Act 10121
also known as “An Act Strengthening the
Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management System, Providing for the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Plan, Appropriating Funds,
Therefore and Other Purposes” was
passed and approved on May 27, 2010
after 21 years of revisions and refiling in
the two legislative bodies.
• One of the law’s salient points is the
immediate release of calamity funds
to local government units (LGUs) so
they can prepare for disaster
mitigation and preparedness. This is a
welcome provision because local
government units can utilize 70
percent of the total calamity fund to
risk-reduction measures and 30
percent to quick response activities.
 Section 2 of the RA 10121
• states that the state shall “develop, promote, and
implement a comprehensive that aims to strengthen
the capacity of the national government and the
LGUs, together with partner stakeholders, to build
the disaster resilience of communities, and to
institutionalize arrangements and measures for
reducing disaster risks, including projected climate
risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and
response capabilities at all levels.
Natural Disasters

• a natural phenomenon is
caused by natural forces,
such as earthquakes,
typhoon, volcanic eruptions,
hurricanes, fires, tornados,
and extreme temperatures.
 Hazard
A hazard is a source or
condition that has the
potential to cause harm to
humans in the form of
injury or illness, property
damage, environmental
damage, or a combination
of these.
A. A natural hazard
• occurs when an extreme natural
event is destructive to human
life and property. This event
could interfere with activities
in a minor way such as when
strong winds blow trees down,
or this event could completely
disrupt activities like a large
earthquake damaging your
home, business or school.
 B. Human-made

induced hazards are caused by human

activities. Unlike natural hazards, human-
made hazards can often be prevented.
Examples:
 1.Technological/
industrial
disasters
• Unregulated industrialization
and inadequate safety
standards increase the risk
for industrial disasters.
Examples: leaks of
hazardous materials;
accidental explosions;
bridge or road collapses, or
vehicle collisions; Power
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.
 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. Examples: bombs or
explosions; release of chemical materials;
release of biological agents; release of
radioactive agents; multiple or massive
shootings; mutinies
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.
 the term complex emergency is usually used
to describe the humanitarian emergency
resulting from an international or civil war.
In such situations, large numbers of people
are 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
3.Complex in their own homes unable to access
humanitarian e assistance. Examples: conflicts or wars and
Genocide the deliberate killing of a large
mergencies group of people, especially those of a
particular ethnic group or nation
•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.
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Risk and
Disaster Risk

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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).
 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).
LESSON 2
Risk Factors Underlying
Disasters

Subtitle
After going through this module, you are
expected to:
Ident Desc Utiliz Apprec
iate
ify ribe e • app
• id • de • uti reci
e sc liz ate
e the
nt ri imp
be th orta
if e nce
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ri sk kn ng
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1 n
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oi
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y.
Risk Factors
The following are also taken into
consideration when risk factors
underlying disaster are involved:
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.

Severity of exposure
 Gender and Family
the female gender suffers more adverse
effects. This worsens when children are
present at home. Marital relationships
are placed under strain.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

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.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

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.
 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.
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)
 3. Globalized Economic
Development
•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
•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.
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.

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 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.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.

 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).
Direction: Analyze the
given situation by
identifying the correct risk
factor. Write only the letter
that corresponds to your
answer. To facilitate your
task, accomplish the given
table below:
LESSON 3
Disasters and Its Effects

Subtitle
After going through this module, you are expected
to:
1. 2. 3. 4.
Id Cit He
D
en e lp
et the
tif pe
er rso co
y mi m
nal
th mu
ne val
e ue nit
w y
eff s
ec ay in
tha
ts s t
red
to uci
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di le n the
sa ss hel eff
ste en p
1
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o
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ast
et ers
ers
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.
What is the A hazard is a dangerous situation or event that
carries a threat to humans. A disaster is an event that
difference harms humans and disrupts the operations of
between hazard society. Hazards can only be considered disasters
once it affected humans. If a disaster happened in an
and disaster? unpopulated area, it is still a hazard.
 The Human
Effect of Natural
and Man-Made
Disasters
 1. Displaced Populations

•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.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

 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
 •Thousands of people around the world are hungry
because of destroyed crops and loss of agricultural
3. Food Scarcity 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
 Natural disasters can be particularly traumatic for young
children. Confronted with scenes of destruction and the deaths of
4. Emotional Aftershocks
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
LESSON 4
Disasters from
Different
Perspectives
Subtitle
 What do I know??
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. What do you call to an incident or natural disaster that

causes the general public to suffer significant damage?

a. Demonstration
b. Disaster
c. pollution
d. war
 What do I know??
2. Which among the following is NOT an example of
psychological effect of a disaster?

a. anxiety
b. b. bereavement
c. depression
d. hunger
 What do I know??
3. Which perspective of a disaster that shows how the
government assesses, manages, and mitigates the
effects of a disaster?

a. biological
b. economic
c. socio-cultural
c. d. political
 What do I know??
4. Which perspective of a disaster that stresses on the
significance of culture in developing a disaster resilient
personality among the inhabitants in a certain
community?

a. biological
b. economic
c. socio-cultural
d. political
 What do I know??
5. What do you call to the spread of disease across a
country or around the world?

a. academic
b. epidemic
c. pandemic
d. prolific
 What do I know??
6. Which of the following is NOT an example of the
physical effects of a disaster?
a. injuries
b. physical disability
c. sanitation
d. unemployment
 What do I know??
7. How can a set of prevailing community traits help
people fight the effects of a disaster?

a. It gives them a sense of hope.

b. It gives them a sense of pride.
c. It gives them a sense of identification.
d. It gives them a sense of cooperation.
 What do I know??
8. Which among the following is NOT a disaster?

a. COVID-19 Pandemic
b. Taal Volcano eruption
c. typhoon crossing the Pacific Ocean
d. flashflood in Tacloban and their neighboring towns
 What do I know??
9. How can great damage from a disaster be prevented?

a. It can be prevented through sufficient funding.

b. It can be prevented through rigid information
campaign.
c. It can be prevented through strong implementation of
rules.
d. It can be prevented through accurate assessment an
preparations.
 What do I know??
10. What do you call to the incidence of communicable
disease in a community at a given time?

a. academic
b. epidemic
c. pandemic
d. prolific
 What do I know??
11. Which among the perspectives of disaster is normally
left untreated?

a. economic perspective
b. physical perspective
c. psychological perspective
d. socio-cultural perspective
 What do I know??
12. Which of the following is the best description of a
disaster?
a. illogical
b. irretrievable
c. unchangeable
d. unpraedictable
 What do I know??
13. What happens when there is a supplementary
politics to deal with the effects of a disaster?

a. There will be unity in diversity.

b. There will be equal allocation of help.
c. There will be effective measures to reduce damages.
d. There will be effective delivery of humanitarian
assistance.
 What do I know??
14. How can you best help the country’s fight against
COVID19?

a. I can volunteer as a frontliner.

b. I can practice health protocols.
c. I can donate cash and/or goods to the needy.
d. I can wave cash assistance or goods from the
government.
 What do I know??
15. How can you best prepare yourself for a disaster?
a. Know what to do and who to trust.
b. Be vigilant and have disaster plan.
c. Prepare for the worst-case scenario.
d. Believe government disaster measures
 After going through this module, you are expected
to:

1 2 3 4
1. identify the 2. explain 3. formulate 4. manifest
different different disaster helpful methods readiness to face
perspectives on perspectives. to face different possible
disasters. disasters. disasters.
Disasters
(JMF)
What are the different perspectives of Disaster??
 Physical Perspective

Psychological Perspective

Socio-cultural Perspective
Perspectives of
Disaster Economic Perspective

Political Perspective

Biological Perspective
 Physical Perspective

Physical damage in a community infrastructure, its people

and their properties.
easily measured and the most common
generally affects physical infrastructural facilities,
agricultural productivity, damage of properties even lead to
loss of life
Effects of Physical Disasters

Injuries
Physical
disabilities or
illness

Sanitation

Damage in
infrastructure
 Psychological Perspective

 victims may suffer from PSTD (Post Traumatic

Stress Disorder) and other serious mental health
condition.
 leave the victims in a state of shock
Victims tend to deny the loss and try to escape
from reality
 Psychological effects of a Disaster

helplessness

distress lack of trust

guilt feeling hopelessness
hatred/revenge emotional effects
intrusion/avoidance cognitive Effects
dependence/insecurities physical Effects
grief/withdrawn/isolation interpersonal effect
 Socio-cultural Perspective

 both involves social and cultural factors

 ‘’ malalampasan din natin to’’, ‘’bahala na ang diyos’’
syndrome

Such attitudes, beliefs or help from someone

of from God 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

 Economic Perspective

 reduce local and international trade

partially or totally paralyze a country’s
transportation system
E.g 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 . . .

unemployment
loss of life
loss of public
infrastructure

loss of
household loss of loss of crops
articles property
 Political Perspective

disasters can have major consequences for

political stability and political legitimacy
Since agencies of government have a significant
role to play in directing disaster preparedness,
prevention and recovery.
Political Effects of a Disaster . .
People who have trust in political institution will assess the
government’s risk assessments as credible and accept their
hazard policies (Johnson 1999)
Low level of trust in public institutions therefore means that
citizens may ignore the recommendations and disregard the
information provided by these institutions (McCaffey 2004)
If individuals are confident that they will receive sufficient aid
from the government when a disaster occurs, they might not
be motivated to take measures on their own (King and Kang
2000).
 Biological Perspective

disturbing effects caused by a prevalent kind of disease or

virus in an epidemic or pandemic level

a) Epidemic Level- affects large numbers of people within a

given community or area. (e.g Dengue)
b) Pandemic Level-affects a much large region, sometime
spanning entire continents or the globe. (e.g Swine flu,
COVID 19)
Effects of Biological Disasters . .

loss of unemployment negative

lives economic
public effect
hunger
demobilization
ACTIVITY time!!
Direction 1: Watch a video from the Youtube, entitled Philippines’
President Threatens to shoot dead corona virus lockdown troublemaker
using the following link/URL: or read the articl.
Direction 2: Read and answer the ff based on the video you have
watched or from the article you have just read.
1. Based on the video/article, what perspective/s of disaster does
it imply?
2. What do you think are the significant needs of the people in the
video/article?
3. Do you agree with the perspective of the President in mitigating
the effect/s of the disaster?
4. Suppose you have the authority to give suggestion/s to the
President in reducing the impacts of the disaster in the video,
what advice will you give him? Justify your answer.
5. What do you think is the role of the government in qualifying the
effects of a disaster?
Direction: Study the case then answers the question below.

Tajima is an earthquake victim. She manages to save all his family

members from the wraths of the disaster. Though she is mentally tough, all
her resources are already gone.
If you were to rank the following needs of Tajima from the most
important to the least important, how would you arrange the following needs?
Justify your answer.

FOOD
COUNSELLING
HOME
MEDICINE
WORK
Physical disasters
•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.
 2 .P sy ch o lo gP icalersp ectiv e

•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.
 •distress
•hopelessness
•Intrusion/avoidance
•emotional effects
•Hatred/revenge
•cognitive Effects
•dependence/insecurities
•physical Effects
•Grief/withdrawn/isolation
Psychologica •interpersonal effect
•guilt feeling
l effects of a •helplessness
Disaster: •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.
Socio-Cultural Effect of Disasters

➢ disruption of
social
➢ change in
relationships and
individual roles
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.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

Economic Effects of
Disasters
- loss of life ​
- unemployment ​
- loss of property
loss of household
articles ​
- loss of crops ​
- loss of
public infrastruct
ure​

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.

 5. Political
Perspective
•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.
 Political Effects of a
Disaster
- People who have trust in political
institution will assess the government’s
risk assessments as credible and accept
their hazard policies (Johnson 1999)
- Low level of trust in public
institutions therefore means that
citizens may ignore the
recommendations and disregard the
information provided by these
institutions (McCaffey 2004).

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

If individuals are confident that they will receive sufficient aid
from the government when a disaster occurs, they might not be
motivated to take measures on their own (King and Kang
2000).
 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.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.

• (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 ex.
Swine Flue
Effects of Biological
Disasters
➢ loss of lives
➢ public demobilization
➢ negative economic
effect
➢ unemployment
➢ hunger
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.
Watch or Read!
Direction: Watch a video from the Youtube, entitled
Philippines’ President Threatens to shoot dead corona
virus lockdown troublemaker using the following
link/URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qERZgLv3MKg or read the article below if you do
not have internet access at home.