CARAGA REGIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL & PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL – CARAGA CAMPUS

Module 3: Basic Concepts of Disaster and Disaster Risk

 Every year, millions of people around the world are affected by either human caused or
natural disasters.

 Disasters take in 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 home, possessions, and community where they live in.

 Disasters can caused a full range of mental and physical reactions. Those affected may
also react to problems that occur after the event, as well as to triggers of the trauma.
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)

 It can be natural or of human origin.

Nature of disasters

 Natural – These originate from the different “forces” of nature

(geological, meteorological, hydro meteorological and biological).

A natural hazard is a natural phenomenon that might have a negative effect on humans or

the environment. Natural hazard events can be classified into two broad
categories: geophysical and biological. Geophysical hazards encompass geological and meteorological
phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, cyclonic
storms, floods, droughts, avalanches and landslides. Biological hazards can refer to a diverse array
of disease, infection, infestation and invasive species.

Biological hazards, also known as biohazards, refer to biological substances that pose a threat to the
health of living organisms, primarily that of humans. This can include samples of
a microorganism, virus or toxin (from a biological source) that can affect human health. It can also
include substances harmful to other animals.

Example:

Outbreaks of epidemic diseases

Plant or animal contagion

Insect or other animal plagues

infestation

Geological hazard

It includes internal earth processes such as: landslides

earthquakes rockslides

volcanic activity and emissions surface collapse

Related geophysical processes such as debris mudflows

mass movements
Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer
of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. 

Natural processes or phenomena of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature that may cause
the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental
degradation.

Natural Disasters

Storm surge is the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the
water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by a storm’s winds
pushing water onshore.

A drought is a natural disaster of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in

prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water. A
drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days

Most people think of a drought as a period of unusually dry weather that persists long enough
to cause problems such as crop damage and water supply shortage. But because dry conditions develop
for different reasons, there is more than one definition of drought.

"Drought is caused by not only lack of precipitation and high temperatures but by overuse and
overpopulation."

Meteorological drought 

is specific to different regions, depending on the amount of yearly precipitation that's average
for that area.

Agricultural drought 

accounts for the water needs of crops during different growing stages. For instance, not enough
moisture at planting time may hinder germination, leading to low plant populations and a reduction in
yield.
Hydrological drought 

refers to persistently low water volumes in streams, rivers and reservoirs. Human activities, such
as drawdown of reservoirs, can worsen hydrological droughts. Hydrological drought is often linked with
meteorological droughts.

Socioeconomic drought 

occurs when the demand for water exceeds the supply. Examples of this kind of drought include
too much irrigation or when low river flow forces hydroelectric power plant operators to reduce energy
production. 

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth,

resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves .

Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers, and are a result
of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magma movement, large landslides and large man-made explosions
that give out low-frequency acoustic energy. 

"Tropical" refers to the geographical origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively
over tropical seas.

"Cyclone" refers to their winds moving in a circle, whirling round their central clear eye, with their
winds blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific.

Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Typhoons are formed over the Northwest Pacific Ocean

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope.
Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock
under the direct influence of gravity. 

A thunderstorm is a series of sudden electrical discharges resulting from atmospheric

conditions. These discharges result in sudden flashes of light and trembling sound waves, commonly
known as thunder and lightning.

Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid heating of air by a lightning strike.

Lightning is a huge electrical discharge that flows between clouds, from a cloud to air, or from a
cloud to the ground.

Tornadoes are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air. 

A tsunami is a series of waves caused by earthquakes or undersea volcanic eruption

A wildfire or wildland fire is a fire in an area of combustible vegetation occurring in rural areas.

Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt
beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating them. As the rock dissolves,
space and caverns develop underground.

An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of a new influenza A virus. Pandemics happen when new
(novel) influenza A viruses emerge which are able to infect people easily and spread from person to
person in an efficient and sustained way. 

Temperatures that hover 10 degrees or more above the average high temperature for the region and
last for several weeks are defined as extreme heat.

Flood: An overflow of water onto normally dry land. The inundation of a normally dry area caused by
rising water in an existing waterway, such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch. Ponding of water at or
near the point where the rain fell. Flooding is a longer term event than flash flooding: it may last days or
weeks.
 Flash flood: A flood caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6
hours. Flash floods are usually characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains that rip through river
beds, urban streets, or mountain canyons sweeping everything before them. They can occur within
minutes or a few hours of excessive rainfall. They can also occur even if no rain has fallen, for instance
after a levee or dam has failed, or after a sudden release of water by a debris or ice jam.

La Niña is sometimes referred to as the cold phase of ENSO and El Niño as the warm phase of ENSO.
These deviations from normal surface temperatures can have large-scale impacts not only on ocean
processes, but also on global weather and climate.

Human-made and Technological Disasters

 Human-made disasters – These disasters occur due to people’s actions against human, material
and environment.

 Hazardous materials
 Power service disruption and blackout
 Nuclear power plant and nuclear blast
 Chemical threat and biological weapons
 Cyber attacks
 Civil unrest
 Explosion
 Radiological emergencies
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.

Severity of exposure

The amount of exposure to the disaster is highly related to risk of future mental problems.

o At high risk are those that go through the disaster themselves.

o Next are those in close contact with victims.

o At lower risk of lasting impact are those who only had indirect exposure, such as news of the
severe damage.

o Injury and life threat are the factors that lead most often to mental health problems.

Gender and family

Disaster recovery is more stressful when the following are present in the home

• Women or girls

• children

• Women with spouses also experience more distress during recovery

• Having a family member in the home who is extremely distressed

• Marital stress has been found to increase after disasters

• 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.

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 that have been found to predict worse outcomes

 Bereavement (Death of someone close)

 Injury to self or another family member

 Life threat

Effects of Natural Disasters on human Life

1. Displaced Populations

2. Health Risk

3. Food Scarcity

4. Emotional Aftershocks

How and when an event becomes a disaster?

An event, either human-made or natural, becomes a disaster when is sudden or progressive,

causing widespread human, material or environmental losses.

Example:

A typhoon like Yolanda is a natural phenomenon. It became a disaster due to several

factors:

o Its strength (290 km./hour); the storm surge it brought was sudden and unexpected; and its
devastating effect to human, material, and environment.

o More than 7,000 people perished.

o The entire City of Tacloban was literally falttened to the ground.

 Exposure and Vulnerability

The severity of impacts of disasters and other extreme weather and climate events depends strongly on
the level of vulnerability and exposure to these events.

Exposure - ‘elements at risk’ from a natural or man-made hazard event.

The severity of impacts of disasters and other extreme weather and climate events depends strongly on
the level of vulnerability and exposure to these events

Elements Exposed to Hazard

 Human beings

 Dwellings or households and communities

 Buildings and structures

 Public facilities and infrastructure assets

 Public and transport system

 Agricultural commodities

 Environmental assets

Elements at risk can also refer to intangible elements such as economic activities and infrastructure
networks roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, and telecommunications 
(including Internet connectivity

Vulnerability - defined as “the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that
make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard”.

As indicated by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), there are many
aspects of vunerabilty arising from various physical, social, economic, and environmental factors.

 Poor design and construction of buildings

 Inadequate protection of assets

 Lack of public information and awareness

 Limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measure

 Disregard for wise environmental management

Reasons why certain sectors of society are more vulnerable to disaster than others?

1. Demographic factors

Population density

Age of population

Distribution of population

2. Socio-economic factors

Wealth

Education

Nature of Society

Understanding of the area

3. Community preparedness

Building codes

Scientific monitoring and early warning systems

Communication networks

Emergency planning

4. Dealing with the after-effects

Insurance cover

Emergency personnel

Aid request

4 Types of Vulnerabilities

1. Physical vulnerability

It may be determine by aspect such as population density levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site,
design and materials used for critical infrastructure and for housing United Nation International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

Example:

Wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an earthquake, but are more vulnerable to fire. Houses built
with light materials may not be a problem
2. Social Vulnerability

It refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand adverse impacts to hazards
due to characteristics inherent in social interactions, institutions and systems of cultural values.

It is linked to the levelzof wellbeing of individuals, communities and society.

It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and education, the existence of peace and security, access
to basic human rights, systems of good governance, social equity, positive traditional values, customs
and ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational systems (UNISDR)

Example:

When flooding occurs some citizens, such as children, elderly and person with disability(PWD’s), may be
unable to protect themselves or evacuate if necessary. Educated and well-informed are more likely to
survive when disaster strikes. There would be lesser casualty in communities with emergency plans
backed up by emergency personnel as compared to those without.

3. Economic vulnerability

The level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the economic status of individuals,
communities and nations. The poor are usually more vulnerable to disasters because they lack the
resources to build sturdy structures and put other engineering measures in place to protect themselves
from being negatively impacted by disasters. The same people are the least prepared due to lack of
access to education and information.

Example:

Poorer families may live in squatter settlements because they cannot afford to live in safer (more
expensive) areas. In metro Manila the so-called “urban poor” build their shanties or improvised houses
along river banks and esteros, making them prone to flash floods. Light materials that build their homes
make them exposed to fire hazards as well.

4. Environmental vulnerability

Natural resource depletion and resource degradation are key aspects of environmental
vulnerability. This is one aspect that both communities and government must be sensitive about.
Mitigation measures like reforestation and natural resource protection and conservation must be
undertaken to reduce natural disaster risk and vulnerability.

Example:

Wetlands, such as Agusan Marsh, are sensitive to increasing salinity from sea water, and
pollution from storm water runoff containing agricultural chemicals eroded soils, etc. Deforestation of
mountains due to illegal logging is the main cause of lanslides and mudflows like what happened in
Ormoc, Leyte (1994).
 Earthquake

One of the most common hazards inflicting tremendous damage to human life and material
properties is an “earthquake”.

It is a natural phenomenon that poses a great danger due to various hazards it may bring.
Though its impending occurrence can be predicted, the magnitude of its impact to a community and its
people is unpredictable. This makes earthquakes one of the main foci of disaster preparedness and
emergency response activities of governments and different emergency agencies.

Potential Earthquake Hazards

Geologists explain that an earthquake is a type of hazard that depends on the strength of
seismic activity, along with such factors as local topographic and built features, subsurface geology, and
groundwater. A large earthquake will always be followed by a sequence of aftershocks that normally
aggravates its effects on human and material elements like buildings and infrastructures.

The following are different hazards that normally result from the occurrence of an earthquake::

1. Ground shaking or ground motion

2. Ground or surface rupture

3. Liquefaction

4. Earthquake-induced subsidence and lateral spreading

5. Tsunami

6. Earthquake- induced landslides

GROUND SHAKING OR GROUND MOTION

The earth shakes with the passage of earthquake waves, which radiate energy that had been
“stored” in stressed rocks, and were released when a fault broke and the rocks slipped to relieve the
pent-up stress. The stress of ground shaking is measured in the velocity of ground motion, the
acceleration of ground motion, the frequency content of the shaking and how long the shaking
continues (duration).

Ground shaking will vary over an area due to such factors as topography, bedrock type, and
the location and orientation of the fault rupture. These all affect the way the seismic waves travel
through the ground.

Normal- and reverse- (collectively called dip-slip) faulting surface ruptures feature vertical
offsets while strike-slip faulting produces lateral offsets. Many earthquake surface ruptures are
combinations of both. Structures that span a surface fault are likely to suffer great damage surface
ruptures.
 Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by
earthquake shaking or other rapid loading. It normally occurs in saturated soils, that is, soils in which the
space between individual particles is completely filled with water. Prior to an earthquake, the water
pressure is relatively low– the weight of the buried soil rests on the framework of grain contacts that
comprise it.

EARTHQUAKE-INDUCED SUBSIDENCE AND LATERAL SPREADING

Subsidence or lowering of the ground surface, often occurs during earthquakes. This may be
due to downward vertical displacement on one side of a fault, and can sometimes affect a huge area of
land. Coastal areas can become permanently flooded as a result. Subsidence can also occur as ground
shaking causes loose sediments to “settle” and to lose their load bearing strength or to slump down
sloping ground.

A tsunami, also known as a seismic sea wave, is a series of waves in a water body caused by
the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake.

Landslides are frequently triggered by strong ground motions. They are important secondary
earthquake hazards. The term landslides includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls,
deep failures of slopes, a wide range of ground movement, and shallow debris flows. However, gravity
acting on a steep slope is the primary reason for all landslides.

NATURAL SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING TSUNAMI

1. Animal Behavior

Some zoologists hypothesize that some animal species like elephants have the ability to sense
subsonic Rayleigh waves from an earthquake or a tsunami. If correct and substantiated with more
evidence, monitoring their behavior could provide advanced warnings of earthquakes and tsunamis.

2. Drawback

This is an observable natural sign of an impending tsunami that is noteworthy. In fact,

drawback can serve as a brief warning. There are already proofs that people who observed drawback
survived when they immediately run for high ground or climbed to upper floors of nearby buildings.

HOW DRAWBACKS ARE FORMED?

All waves have a positive and negative peak, i.e. a ridge and a trough. In the case of a
propagating wave like a tsunami, either may be the first to arrive. If the first part to arrive at shore is the
ridge, a massive breaking wave or sudden flooding will be the first effect noticed on land.

SEISMOMETER – the main tool in monitoring and detecting an earthquake.