Introduction

It is believed by a Czech model, television host and philanthropist named Petra

Němcová that “We cannot stop natural disasters but we can arm ourselves with
knowledge: so many lives wouldn’t have to be lost if there was enough disaster
preparedness.”
The word ‘Disaster’ is derived from the middle French word ‘desastre’. The origin
of this French word comes from the Ancient Greek word “Dus” which means ‘bad’ and
“Aster” which means ‘star’. The root of the word disaster comes from the astrological
sense of a calamity blamed on the positions of the planets.
Disaster is a major crisis that occurs over a short or long period of time and
results in widespread human, material, economic, or environmental loss that surpasses
the affected community's or society's ability to deal with its own resources.
The preparedness and management operations aim to reduce the number of
people died and property damage in the event of a disaster. People and property can be
removed from a threatened area, and fast and effective rescue, relief, and rehabilitation
can be facilitated at the crisis site. Because most calamities are unexpected, and even
when they are predicted, there is little time to react, preparedness is the only strategy to
reduce the effect of disasters. In physical therapy practice management, community-
based preparedness and management should be a top responsibility. Also, appointing a
suitable department to deal with disaster management and preparedness should be a
top major concern of the government.
The aim of this study is to enlighten the readers on the importance and purpose
of disaster preparedness.
 Body
Disasters are unpredictable; there is no country that is excepted when it comes
to crisis, risk or calamities. Generally, it is classified into two. Natural Disasters are
large-scale geological or meteorological events that have the potential to cause loss of
life or property. Floods, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions are examples of calamities
that can have immediate effects on human health as well as secondary effects such as
landslides, earthquakes resulting in fires, tsunamis producing extensive flooding, and
typhoons sinking ships. While Manmade Disasters occur as a result of human activity or
incompetence and can result in significant loss of life and property. These can be
dangerous at times, or they can be a small issue that can be treated on a personal
basis. Most of the time, events occur as a result of human error and are thus
unpredictable; nonetheless, wars, attacks, and other tragedies are foreseeable. The
amount of damage caused by these disasters is determined by the level of the events.
The Philippines is located inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40-thousand-
kilometer-long horseshoe-shaped fault zone in the Pacific Ocean that is prone to
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Aside from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,
the region is affected by floods caused by high rainfall brought by the southwest
monsoon and a low-pressure system, causing damage to many livelihoods. Like in
Guiuan, Eastern Samar on August 31, 2012 that was felt as far as Mindanao very
strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 happened. The Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a tsunami warning Level 3, but it was
lifted 5 hours later. The quake caused damage on homes, bridges, and other
infrastructures. There were also power interruptions in the affected areas. But despite
the intensity only one person was reported dead and one injured because of the
landslide in Cagayan de Oro City. Also, super typhoon Yolanda (international name
Haiyan) hit the Philippines on 8 November 2013. Storm surges caused widespread
flooding in coastal areas and brought damages to 44 provinces, in many Regions in
Central Philippines. The most severely affected areas identified so far are Tacloban
City, Leyte, Northern Iloilo and Eastern Samar. Not only in Visayas but also some part
in Manila, their home and belongings had been destroyed due to flash floods and
landslides.
Let's be honest. Your family will sooner or later face a natural disaster or other
emergency situation that will demand you to act quickly to keep everyone safe. It will be
lot simpler if you arrive prepared and with a strategy. Here are three fundamental things
to ask yourself when putting together an emergency plan for your family. The first thing
you must answer is where you will go in the event of an emergency. Will you stay at
home and take cover? Will you leave the city and evacuate? Where would you go and
where will you stay if you decide to travel? These were all ’s appropriate to consider,
and you don't want to make them when in the middle of a tragedy. Those are stressful
moments, and it can be difficult to make quick decisions in those situations. Look at
alternative scenarios and gather the facts you'll need ahead of time as part of your
emergency preparation strategy. Nothing is more terrible than being unable to contact
loved ones during a crisis or emergency. It's also important to be able to receive news
and emergency notifications or announcements. Consider how you'll achieve this both
while on the road and while you're at home or at an emergency shelter. It's a good start
to ensure that everyone has a cell phone. Remember that these gadgets must be
charged. It is essential to have chargers on hand, particularly automobile chargers. An
extra battery or a backup power supply will also be quite useful. To ensure that your
device's battery lasts as long as possible, use it wisely. It's important to talk to your
family members about this in advance of a crisis and to remind them on a timely
manner. For news and communication, don't rely just on your phone. When you can't
obtain a good connection or your gadget runs out of battery, having a backup plan will
come in helpful. When you can't reach each other, designate a meeting spot or a person
for everyone to contact. Have a backup plan in place, such as a weather radio, to find
out what's going on.
Since we are prone to disaster and calamities, it is important for each every one
of us to be oriented and prepared in the said events. Conducting and attending
orientations are useful for us to be prepared.
 Conclusion

As disasters cannot be avoided, we can always be prepared for them beforehand. And for
that, we need to be up to date with the latest technologies so the impact on the lives of people,
animals and plants can be lessened. The bad thing about disasters is that we cannot prevent it
and we cannot predict it. We do not know when exactly it would happen. Because of that, it
would be better for us to be prepared at all times. When the unexpected happens, the better
prepared you are, the safer and more comfortable you will be.