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Chapter 1- Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

Topic Outcomes:
At the end of this chapter, you are expecting to:
1. Explain the meaning of disaster risk.
2. Explain the effects of disaster on human life.
3. Enumerate ways to reduce the impact of disasters.
4. Explain the risk factors underlying disasters.

Review
1. Cite down the natural disasters that you know.
2. Does road accidents consider a risk? Defend your answer.

Pre-test
1. When does a hazard become a disaster?
2. Enumerate possible effects of a disaster.

Activity
1. Determine some barangays/municipalities/cities in the Philippines that are exposed to
hazard. Using a table, indicate what potential hazards these locations exposed to
particular Hazards.

Analysis
1. What are the various hazards present in our country? (Philippines)
2. Are there possible damages or casualties in a particular Hazard?

Abstraction

Disaster is defined as “a serious disruption if the functioning of society, causing

widespread human, material or environmental losses, which is causes inability of the affected
people to cope, using their human resources” (Adelman, 2011) Its origin could either be natural
or human-made disasters. Disaster risk defines as “the probability that a community or a
particular hazard, on account of its nature, construction, and proximity to a hazardous area.
(ADPC, 2012)

Nature of disasters
1. Natural disasters- These originate from the different forces of “nature.”
2. Human-made disasters- These occur due to people’s actions against human, material, and
the environment, including transport accidents such as land, air, and train crashes, chemical
spills, terrorism, and the collapse of buildings.
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Types of disasters that may bring an impact to the community. (Hewitt and Burton, 1971)

Natural classifications of disasters

Pests and diseases in agricultural sector
Storm surge
Ground shaking
Tropical storms
Tornadoes
Wildfires
Emergency diseases (Pandemic influenza)
Floods and flash floods
Extreme Heat and inadequate

Human-made and technological classifications of disasters

Hazardous materials
Power interruption
Nuclear plant blast
Radiological emergencies
Chemical threat and biological weapons
Cyberattacks
Explosion
Civil unrest

Risk factors underlying disasters

Several factors make it possible that those affected will have severe stress. Listed below are the
factors summarized in a study made by ADPC, 2012:

Severity of exposure
Gender and family
Age

Factors directly to the survivor of a particular hazard:

1. Have poor self-esteem.
2. Have no experience during the disaster.
3. Must deal with other stressors after the disaster.
4. They think they are uncared for by others.
5. Lacks the capacity to manage stress.
6. They expect they have little control over what happens to them.
Additional factors:
1. Bereavement (Death of someone else)
2. Injury to self or another family member
3. Life threat
4. Panic, horror, or feelings during the disaster.
5. Separation from family.
6. Loss of property.
7. Displacement.
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Effects of disaster on humans.

1. Displaced populations.
2. Health risks.
3. Food scarcity.
4. Emotional aftershocks.

How when an event becomes a disaster?

When it possess a threat to people, livelihood and infrastructure.

Application
Make a research proposal of some events in the Philippine context that turned into a disaster.

Post-test
1. Explain the definition of disaster.
2. Explain how and when an event becomes a disaster.
3. List down three natural and human-made disasters.

Printed reference:
1. Quebral, Villamor S., Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction OBE, and Kto12 Based
(Copyright 2016)
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