DISASTER

AND
DISASTER
RISK
 LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
1. Explain the meaning of disaster; (DRR11/12-Ia-b-
1)
2. Differentiate the risk factors underlying disasters;
(DRR11/12-Ia-b-2)
3. Describe the effects of disasters on one’s life;
(DRR11/12-Ia-b-3)
4. Explain how and when an event becomes a
disaster; (DRR11/12-Ia-b-4)
 LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
5. Identify areas/locations exposed to hazards that
may lead to disasters; and (DRR11/12-Ia-b-5)

6. Analyze disaster from the different perspectives

(physical, psychological, socio-cultural, economic,
political, and biological). (DRR11/12-Ia-b-6)
DISASTER
AND
DISASTER
RISK
- Every year, millions of people around the world
are affected by either human-caused or natural
disasters.
- Disasters take different forms, like volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes,
tornados, or fires.
- In a disaster, people face the danger of death or
physical injury.
- They may also lose their homes, possessions, and
community where they live in.

- Disasters can cause a full range of mental and

physical reactions.

- Those affected may also react to the problems

that occur after the event, as well as to triggers or
reminders of the trauma.
DEFINITION OF
DISASTER AND
DISASTER RISK
- Disaster is defined as “a sudden, calamitous event,
bringing great damage, loss, destruction and devastation
to life and property” (Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center - ADPC, 2012)

- Its origin can be natural, such as earthquakes, floods,

and hurricanes, or of human origin, such as explosions,
nuclear accidents and terrorist acts.
- From a socio-cultural perspective, disaster is defined
as “a serious disruption of the functioning of society,
causing widespread human, material or environmental
losses, which exceed the ability of the affected people
to cope, using their human resources” (Adelman,
2011).
- Relative to disaster, a salient factor that needs to be
addressed properly is disaster risk.

- Disaster Risk is defined as “the probability that a

community’s structure or geographic area is to be
damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular
hazard, on account of its nature, construction and
proximity to a hazardous area” (ADPC, 2012).
- In other words, disaster risk signifies the
possibility of adverse effects in the future.

- It is derived from the interaction of social and

environmental processes, from the combination
of physical hazards and the vulnerability of
exposed elements.
 NATURE
OF DISASTERS
- Disasters are of two types - ‘natural’ and ‘human-
made’.

- Based on the devastation, there are further

classified into major or minor natural disasters and
major and minor man-made disasters.
1. Natural Disasters
- These originate from the different “forces”
of nature (geological, meteorological,
hydrometeorological and biological).
- Natural disasters such as earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, typhoons and cyclones
affect many countries in Asia particularly
the Philippines.
2. Human-made Disasters

- These disasters occur due to people’s actions

against humans, materials and environment.
- These include transport and industrial
accidents, such as, air and train crashes,
chemical spills, and building collapses.
- Terrorism is also categorized as human-made
disaster.
 TYPES OF
DISASTERS
- Disasters can take many different forms and the
duration can range from an hour to days or weeks
of ongoing destruction.

- Below is a list of the various types of disasters,

both natural and human-made or technological in
nature that can impact a community. (Hewith and
Burton, 1971)
NATURAL TYPES
OF DISASTERS
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Agricultural
Diseases and
Pests
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Storm surge
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Drought and
water shortage
- El Niño
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Earthquakes
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Hurricanes
and Tropical
storms
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Landslide and
Debris flow
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Thunderstorms
and
Lightning
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Tornadoes
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Tsunamis
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Wildfires
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Sinkholes
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Emergency
diseases
(pandemic
influenza)
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Extreme heat
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

Floods and
flash floods
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS

La Nina
HUMAN-MADE
AND
TECHNOLOGIC
AL TYPES OF
DISASTERS
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Hazardous
materials
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Power service
disruption and
blackout
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Nuclear power
plant and
nuclear blast
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Radiological
emergencies
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Chemical
threat and
biological
weapons
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Cyber attacks
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Explosion
HUMAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
TYPES OF DISASTERS

Civil unrest
RISK FACTORS
UNDERLYING
DISASTERS
- A number of factors make it more likely that those
affected will have more severe or longer- lasting
stress reactions after disasters.

- These risk factors are summarized in a study made

by Asian Disaster Preparedness Center or ADPC,
2012:
 SEVERITY OF EXPOSURE
- The amount of exposure to the disaster is highly
related to risk of future mental problems.
- At highest risk are those that go through the disaster
themselves.
- Next are those in close contact with victims.
- At lower risk of lasting impact are those who only had
indirect exposure, such as news of the severe
damage.
 SEVERITY OF EXPOSURE
- Injury and life threat are the factors that lead most
often to mental health problems.

- Studies have looked at severe natural disasters,

such as the 1990 earthquake in Baguio, Mt. Pinatubo
eruption in 1991, mudslides in Ormoc City, and the
2013 devastating Super Typhoon Yolanda in
Tacloban.
 SEVERITY OF EXPOSURE

- The findings show that at least half of the

survivors suffer from distress or mental health
problems that need clinical care.
 GENDER AND FAMILY

- Almost always, women or girls suffer more

negative effects than do men or boys.
- Disaster recovery is more stressful when children
are present in the home.
- Women with spouses also experience more
distress during recovery.
 GENDER AND FAMILY
- Having a family member in the home who is
extremely distressed is related to more stress for
everyone.
- Marital stress has been found to increase after
disasters.
- Also, conflicts between family members or lack of
support in the home make it harder to recover from
disasters.
 AGE

- Adults who are in the age range of 40-60 are

likely to be more distressed after disasters.

- The thinking is that if one is in that age range,

he/she has more demands from job and family.
 AGE

- Research on how children react to natural

disasters is still limited at this point in time.
- In general, children show more severe distress
after disasters than do adults.
- Higher stress in the parents is related to worse
recovery in children.
 OTHER FACTORS SPECIFIC TO
THE SURVIVOR
- Several factors related to a survivor’s
background and resources are important for
recovery from disaster.
 OTHER FACTORS SPECIFIC TO
-
THE SURVIVOR
Recovery is worse if survivors:
● Were not functioning well before the disaster
● Have had no experience dealing with disasters
● Must deal with other stressors after the disaster
● Have poor self-esteem
● Think they are uncared for by others
● Think they have little control over what happens to
them
● Lack the capacity to manage stress
 OTHER FACTORS SPECIFIC TO
THE SURVIVOR
- Other factors have also been found to predict worse
outcomes:
● Bereavement (death of someone close)
● Injury to self or another family member
● Life threat
● Panic, horror, or feelings like that during the disaster
● Being separated from family (especially among youth)
● Great loss of property
● Displacement (being forced to leave home)
 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
- There is a strong body of evidence that these risk
factors can be made worse if the disaster occurs in a
developing country.
- Disasters in developing countries, like the
Philippines, have more severe mental health impact
than do disasters in developed countries.
- This is true even with less serious disasters.
 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

- For example, natural disasters are generally

thought to be less serious than human-caused.
- In developing countries, however, natural
disasters have more severe effects than do
human-caused disasters in developed countries.
 LOW OR NEGATIVE SOCIAL
SUPPORT
- The support of others can be both a risk and a
resilience factor.
- Social support can weaken after disasters.
- This may be due to stress and the need for
members of the support network to get on with
their own lives.
 LOW OR NEGATIVE SOCIAL
SUPPORT
- Sometimes the responses from others disaster
victims rely on for support are negative.
- For example, someone may play down their
problems, needs, or pain, or expect them to recover
more quickly than is realistic.
- This is strongly linked to long-term distress in trauma
survivors.
 EFFECTS OF
NATURAL
DISASTERS ON
HUMAN LIFE
- The following are the common effects of disaster
identified by some studies on disaster risk and
management:
 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 like floods and
super typhoons, many people have to abandon
their homes and seek shelter in other regions.
 DISPLACED POPULATIONS
- A large influx of refugees can disrupt accessibility
of health care and education, as well as food
supplies and clean water.

- When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, thousands

of families in Zambales and Pampanga were
displaced.
 DISPLACED POPULATIONS
- Their communities were ravaged by lahar flow
that turned these communities into "wilderness".
- Several resettlement areas were established to
accommodate those who were displaced.
- These resettlement areas which started as tent
cities for those affected by the volcanic eruption
became permanent communities.
 HEALTH RISKS

- Aside from the obvious immediate danger that

natural disasters present, the secondary effects
can be just as damaging.
- Severe flooding can result in stagnant water that
allows breeding of waterborne bacteria and
malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
 HEALTH RISKS

- Dengue fever is another serious health

problem caused by mosquitoes (aegis egypti).
- Without emergency relief from international aid
organizations and others, death tolls can rise
even after the immediate danger has passed.
 FOOD SCARCITY
- After natural disasters, food often becomes scarce.
- Thousands of people around the world go hungry as
a result 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.
 FOOD SCARCITY
- The impacts of hunger following an earthquake,
typhoon or hurricane can be tremendous, causing
lifelong damage to children's development.
- One of the serious "aftershocks" of Super Typhoon
Yolanda was there's no food to eat immediately after
the storm surge.
- This resulted in looting some of the stores and
supermarkets in Tacloban City.
FOOD SCARCITY
- A typhoon victim holds a
placard asking for food while
standing amongst the ruins of
houses destroyed by super
typhoon Haiyan in Tanauan,
Leyte in Central Philippines,
November 15, 2013.
- Source: www.metro.us -
Credit: Reuters.
 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.
HOW AND WHEN
AN EVENT
BECOMES A
DISASTER
- An event, either human-made or natural, becomes a
disaster when it is sudden or progressive, causing
widespread human, material or environmental losses.
- A typhoon like Yolanda is a natural phenomenon.
- It became a disaster due to several factors: its strength
(290 km/hr); the storm surge it brought was sudden and
unexpected; and its devastating effect to human, material
and environment.
- More than 7,000 people perished.
- The entire City of Tacloban was literally flattened to the
ground.
- Another example is Typhoon Ondoy that struck the
country in 2009.
- The Philippines is visited by typhoons on the average
of 20 every year.
- Hence, typhoons are considered as natural events in
this country.
- However, Typhoon Ondoy turned into a disaster
because of the amount of precipitation brought by its
torrential rains that lasted for several days causing
floods and flash floods in Metro Manila.
- Thousands of houses were submerged in flood water.
- Hundreds of shelters along river banks and steros
were washed out.
- Power and water supplies were cut off for several
weeks.
- Hundreds of lives perished.
- A television program like Wow Wowie, hosted by Willie
Revillame, a popular singer-comedian, was a common
social event in the Philippine entertainment world.
- It became so popular that thousands of fans flock to
ULTRA (a huge event venue during that time) to watch the
noon time variety show every day, except Sundays.
- That event turned out to be a disastrous tragedy when
there was a human-induced disturbance among the
watching crowd that caused a stampede.
- Many spectators were hurt and some even died which led
to the dissolution of said TV program.
 AREAS/
LOCATIONS
EXPOSED TO
HAZARDS
EXPOSED TO
NATURAL
HAZARDS
 AREAS/LOCATIONS EXPOSED TO:

Coastal areas Storm surge, tsunami or tidal waves

Reclaimed Areas Flooding, sinkhole

Near fault lines Earthquakes

On foot of denuded mountains Mudslide/Landslide

Volcanic eruption - pyroclastic

Near volcanoes (danger zones) materials, lahar flow, lava flow and
ash fall

River banks and esteros Flooding, flash floods

Open fields Thunderstorm, hailstorm, blizzard

EXPOSED TO
MAN-MADE
HAZARD
 AREAS/LOCATIONS EXPOSED TO:

Near Oil Depots Oil spills, pollution

Toxic waste- heavy metal, lead, mercury,

Near Mining Projects
nitric acid, etc.

Near Chemical Plants Chemical fumes, chemical waste

Nuclear waste, possible technical failure,

Near Nuclear Plants
leaks, or worse accidental explosion

Near Factories Factory waste, pollution

Unsafe building structures Fire

Public Places in Mega Cities Terrorism

 DISASTERS
FROM
DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES
- A 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 perspectives as

follows:
 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, e.g. houses and environmental sources of
living.
- 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 buildings collapsed or are damaged?
(in case of an earthquake)
- Assessment of disaster is focused on the following
common questions:
- How many roads, bridges, dams and other
infrastructures are damaged? (in case of floods,
lahar flows and earthquakes)
- What is the extent of damage in the agricultural
industry? (crop losses, damaged fish cages,
washed out rice fields, etc.)
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
- Psychological research has shown that disasters can
cause serious mental health consequences for victims.
- These consequences take the form of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a variety of other
disorders and symptoms which have been less
investigated.
- The more stress, defined in a variety of ways, within
the disaster, the more likely there are to be emotional
consequences.
- In psychological context a disaster is regarded as an
occurrence involving an unexpected or uncontrollable
event rather than a long-term experience.
- In other words, a disaster is something that could
happen within a hazard rather than the hazard itself.
- Hence, one very important component of the recovery
phase, aside from relief services is debriefing or
psychological support system.
- Other psychological effects of a disaster are the
following:

● Emotional effects: Shock, terror, irritability,

blame, anger, guilt, grief or sadness, numbing,
helplessness, loss of pleasure derived from
familiar activities, difficulty feeling happy,
difficulty feeling loved.
- Other psychological effects of a disaster are the
following:
● Cognitive effects: Impaired concentration,
impaired decision-making ability, memory
impairment, disbelief, confusion, nightmares,
decreased self-esteem, decreased self-efficacy,
self-blame, intrusive thoughts, memories,
dissociation (e.g., tunnel vision, dreamlike or
'spacey' feeling).
- Other psychological effects of a disaster are the following:

● 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 of a disaster are the following:

● Interpersonal effects: Increased relational conflict,

social withdrawal, reduced relational intimacy,
alienation, impaired work performance, decreased
satisfaction, distrust, externalization of blame,
externalization of vulnerability, feeling abandoned.
SOCIO-CULTURAL
PERSPECTIVE
- What the people living at risk know and do about
natural hazards and disaster risks is mediated by a
range of factors including social conditions (such as
age, gender, wealth, ethnicity) and cultural settings
(language, beliefs, traditions, customs).

- In most places people are also more or less exposed by

information and ideas coming from the "outside" --
the world outside their own cultural setting.
- At the same time, the field of natural hazards and
disasters has developed its own debates, framework,
and notions such as vulnerability, resilience, and
'risk'.
- But communities may have different priorities and
notions of natural hazards and disaster risks.
- People's socio-cultural background may affect their
response to disasters at the different stages of disaster
management.
- 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 easily cope
with disasters compared to other groups.
 ECONOMIC
PERSPECTIVE
- From an economic perspective, a natural disaster can
be defined as a natural event that causes a
perturbation to the functioning of the economic
system, with a significant negative impact on assets,
production factors, output, employment and
consumption.
- One salient component of assessing the impact of
disaster impact from this view is defining direct
economic cost and indirect losses.
- Direct economic cost is the value of what has
been damaged or destroyed by the disaster.
- This should be seriously considered in disaster
risk management and assessment.
- However, to get the whole picture indirect losses
is crucial in assessing disaster seriousness.
- This is done by evaluating the main indirect
consequences of a disaster.
- One example is when a head of family loses a job
due to isolation or the workplace itself is affected.
- The value of losses is measured vis-à-vis time
period and salary including perks and allowances.
 POLITICAL
PERSPECTIVE
- From this view, natural disasters are commonly
thought to be less politically contentious than
armed conflicts.
- Yet, a closer look reveals that politics are deeply
wedded to both the impact of a natural disaster and
the subsequent delivery of humanitarian
assistance.
- Political considerations before, during, and after a
natural disaster can determine who is most at risk,
who can intervene, what actions will be taken,
and who will benefit from those actions.
- Some case studies demonstrate that economic,
social, and political factors can significantly
amplify the devastating impact of a natural
disaster.
- Governmentality or deliverance of government services to
constituents can be a plus or minus factor in disaster risk
reduction and management.
- Government interventions should be present in following
phases of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management:
- 1) Prevention, 2) Mitigation 3) Preparedness, and 4)
Recovery.
- Failure to do so 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
contribute to worsening them.
- Such events pose serious challenges to development, as
they erode hard-earned gains in terms of political, social
and educational progress, as well as infrastructure and
technological development.
- Yet few development organizations adopt a
precautionary approach in the design and
management of projects and fewer still recognize
the role of environmental management in
reducing disaster risk.
 Questions

- Explain the meaning of disaster.

 Questions

- Differentiate the risk factors underlying disaster.

 Task #2:

Proceed to google classroom and

finish the posted activities.
THAN
KS! CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
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ENUMERATIO
N
5 HUMAN MADE DISASTER
5 NATURAL TYPE DISASTER
2 EFFECTS OF NATURAL
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, infographics &
images by Freepik and illustrations by Stories

DISASTERS ON HUMAN LIFE