CARAGA REGIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

San Juan, Surigao City

Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

Name: _______________________________________ Section: ____________

Date: ________________________________________

Activity 1
Activity Title: Concepts, Principles and Relevance of Disaster Risk Reduction

Learning Target:
1.) discuss the key concepts, principles and elements of DRRR
2.) recognize the importance of DRRR on one’s life

I. CONCEPT NOTES

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is defined as “a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and reducing the risks
of disaster. It aims to reduce socioeconomic vulnerabilities to disaster as well as deal with the environmental and
other hazards that trigger them” (Asian Disaster Reduction Center – ADRC).

The following are key concepts of DRR as explained by ADRC:

 Disaster risk reduction is a matter of decision.

Each decision and action people make are determinants as to whether they are vulnerable to disasters or
more resilient to them.
 Disaster risk reduction is about choices.
Reducing exposure to hazards, lessening vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land
and environment, and improving preparedness and early warning for adverse events are all example of
disaster risk reduction.
 Disaster risk reduction is everyone’s business.
Unsound development policies will increase disaster risk, thus DRR involves every part of society, every
part of government, and every part of the professional and private sector.

Below are the basic principles of DRR:

 Development can either increase or decrease disaster risk
 Disaster risk reduction policy, laws and regulations will NOT save lives unless correctly implemented in
communities
 The “community” is the front line of disaster risk management
 Disaster risk reduction is not a “stand alone” activity – it cuts across almost all categories of human
activity
 Integrating disaster risk reduction at the national, provincial and community levels takes a long time to
achieve
 DRR must become a normal part of the decentralized development process

Elements of DRR
Below is the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) as a continuum indicating the interrelationship of
the different elements of DRR (FAO Series):
1. Disaster Risk Reduction Continuum
 Ongoing development activities
 Risk assessment
 Prevention
 Mitigation
 Preparedness
 Early Warning
2. Immediate Disaster Response
 Evacuation
 Saving people and livelihoods
 Immediate assistance
  Assessing damage and loss
3. Post Disaster to Continuum
 Ongoing assistance
 Recovery
 Reconstruction
 Economic and social recovery
 Ongoing development activities
 Risk assessment

(For more info, please refer to your pictures of the DRRR book pages 99 to 102 or you can search on the internet)

II. LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Task # 1.
Research on past disasters that happened in the Philippines and choose only one. Then fill in what is asked
below.
Note: For the table below, please provide a supporting statement for each of the elements of DRR observed or
not observed. Ex. Early warning – Signal no. 2 were raised, and people were told to evacuate already.

Disaster: _____________________
When: _____________________
Where: _____________________

Elements of DRR observed Elements of DRR not observed

Realization (must be 3-5 sentences only):

Task # 2.
Processing Questions (must be 3-5 sentences only):

1. In you own words, what is the key concepts and principles of disaster risk reduction?

2. What is the importance of disaster risk reduction on one’s life?

3. As a student, what can you do to help reduce the impact of disasters?