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Q3 DISASTER READINESS & RISK REDUCTION
W1 BASIC CONCEPT OF DISASTER AND DISASTER RISKS
DAY 1 & 2 WHAT IS THE MEANING OF DISASTER?
Disaster is defined as “a sudden, tragic 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 origins, 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
environment losses, which exceed the ability of the affected people that
cope, using their human resources” (Adelman, 2011).
Relative to disaster, a noticeable factor that needs to be addressed properly
is disaster risk. Disaster risk is defined as “the probability that a community’s
structure or geographical area is to be damaged or disrupted by the impact
of a particular hazard, on account of its nature, construction, and proximity
to the hazardous area” (ADPC, 2012). In other words, disaster risk signifies
the possibility of adverse effects in nature. 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 DISASTER
Natural Disasters- originate from the different “forces” of nature (geological,
meteorological, hydro-meteorological, and biological). These include
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and cyclones.
Human-made disasters- occur due to people’s actions against humans,
material, and the environment. These include transport and industrial
accidents, such as air and train crashes, chemical spills, and building
collapses. Terrorism is also categorized as a human-made disaster.
NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS
 Agricultural diseases and pets  Tsunamis
 Storm surge  Wildfires
 Drought and water shortage- El  Sinkholes
Niño  Pandemics (COVID-19)
 Earthquakes  Extreme heat
 Hurricanes and tropical storms  Floods and flash floods
 Landslide and debris flow  La Niña
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 Thunderstorms and lightning
Human-made and Technological Types of Diseases
 Hazardous materials
 Power service disruption and blackout
 Nuclear power plants and nuclear blast
 Radiological emergencies
 Chemical threat and biological weapons
 Cyberattacks
 Explosion
 Civil unrest
DIFFERENT UNDERLYING RISK FACTORS IN A DISASTER
Several factors make it more likely that those affected will have more severe
and longer-lasting stress reactions after disasters. These risk factors are
summarized in a study made by ADPC, 2012:
1. The severity of exposure- the amount of exposure to the disaster is
highly related to the risk of future mental problems. At the highest risk
are those that go through the disaster themselves. Next are those in
close with victims. At the lower risk of lasting impact are those who only
had indirect exposure, such as news of the severe damage. Injury and
life threats are 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. The findings show that at least half of the survivors suffer from
distress or mental health that needs clinical care.
2. 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. 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.
3. 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. In general, children show
more severe distress after disasters than do adults. Higher stress in the
parents is related to worse recovery in children.
4. Developing Countries- disasters in developing countries, like the
Philippines, have more severe mental health impacts than do disasters in
developed countries. This is true even with less serious disasters.
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5. Low or negative social support- support of others can be both a risk and in stagnant water that allows the breeding of waterborne bacteria and
a resilience factor. Social support can weaken after disasters. This may be malaria-carrying mosquitos. Without emergency relief from international
due to stress and the need for members of the support network to get aid organizations and others, death tolls can rise even after the
on with their own lives. Sometimes the responses from other disasters immediate danger has passed.
victims rely on for support are negative. For example, someone may play
3. Food Scarcity
down their problems, needs, or pain or expect them to recover more
After natural disasters, food often becomes scarce. Thousands of people
quickly than is realistic. This is strongly linked to long-term distress in
around the world go hungry as a result of destroyed crops and loss of
trauma survivors.
agricultural supplies, whether it happens suddenly in a storm or gradually
OTHER FACTORS SPECIFIC TO THE SURVIVOR in a drought. As a result, food prices rise, reducing families’ purchasing
Several factors related to a survivor’s background and resources are power and increasing the risk of severe malnutrition or worse. The
important for recovery from disaster. Recovery is worse if survivors: impacts of hunger following an earthquake, typhoon, or hurricane can be
 Were not functioning before the disaster tremendous, causing lifelong damage to children’s development.
 Have had no experience dealing with disaster
 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 capacity to manage stress
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 feeling like that during a disaster
 Being separated from family (especially among youth)
 Great loss of property
 Displacement (being forced to leave home)
EFFECTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS ON HUMAN LIFE
4. Emotional Aftershocks
1. Displaced Populations Natural disasters can be particularly traumatic for young children.
One of the most immediate effects of natural disasters is population Confronted with scenes of destruction and the deaths of friends and
displacement. When countries are ravaged by earthquakes or other loved ones, many children develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
powerful forces of nature, many people have to abandon their homes a serious psychological condition resulting from extreme trauma. Left
and seek shelter in other regions. A large influx of refugees can disrupt untreated, children suffering from PTSD can be prone to lasting
the accessibility of health care and education, as well as food supplies psychological damage and emotional distress.
and clean water.
HOW AND WHEN AN EVENT BECOMES A DISASTER
2. Health Risks An event, either human-made or natural, becomes a disaster when it is
Aside from the obvious immediate danger that natural disasters present, sudden or progressive, causing widespread human, material, or
the secondary effects can be just as damaging. Severe flooding can result environmental losses. A typhoon like Yolanda is a natural phenomenon. It
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became a disaster due to several factors: its strength (290km./hr.); the storm DAY 3 & 4: AREAS/LOCATIONS EXPOSED TO HAZARDS
surge it brought was sudden and unexpected; and its devastating effect on
humans, material, and the environment. More than 7,000 people perished. Exposed to Natural Hazards
The entire city of Tacloban was flattened to the ground. Areas/Location Exposed to:
Another example is typhoon Ondoy that struck the country in 2009. The Coastal areas storm surge, tsunami, or tidal waves
Philippines is visited by typhoons on an average of 20 every year. Hence,
typhoons are considered natural events in this country. However, typhoon Reclaimed areas Flooding, sinkhole
Ondoy turned into a disaster because of the amount of precipitation brought Near fault lines Earthquakes
by its torrential rains that lasted for several days causing floods and flash
On the foot of stripped Mudslide/landslide
floods in Metro Manila. Thousands of
mountains
houses were submerged in the
floodwater. Hundreds of shelters Near volcanoes (danger zone) Volcanic eruption-pyroclastic
along river banks and stores were materials, lahar flow, lava flow, and
washed out. Power and water ashfall
supplies were cut off for several
Riverbanks and esteros Flooding, flash floods
weeks. Hundreds of lives perished.
Open field Thunderstorm, hailstorm, blizzard
A television program like Wow
Wowie, hosted by Willie Revillame, a popular singer-comedian was a
Exposed to Man-Made Hazard
common social event in the Philippines entertainment world. It became so
popular that thousands of fans flock to ULTRA (a huge event venue during Areas/ Locations Exposed to:
that time) to watch the noontime variety show every day, except Sundays.
Near oil depots The oil spill, pollution
That event turned out to be a disastrous tragedy when there was a human-
induced disturbance among the watching crowd that causes a stampede. Near mining projects Toxic waste- heavy metal, lead,
Many spectators were hurt and some died which led to the dissolution of the mercury, nitric acid, etc.
said TV program.
Near in chemical plants Chemical fumes, chemical waste
ACTIVITY 1 & 2
Near factories Factory waste, pollution
1. What is the meaning of disaster?
2. List five disasters you have encountered and identify whether it is Unsafe building structures Fire
natural or man-made disaster.
Public places in Mega Cities terrorism
3. Explain the different underlying risk factors in a disaster.
4. What are the factors that make recovery worse for a survivor? DISASTERS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
5. Explain the effects of natural disasters on human life.
6. Choose from the disaster between Typhoon Ondoy, Yolanda, or 1. Physical Perspective- it views disaster as a phenomenon that can cause
Wowowie and explain how it became a disaster. damage to physical elements such as buildings, infrastructures, including
people and properties. Physical effects are the visible and quantifiable
effects of a disaster. Assessment of disaster is focused on the following
common questions:
 How many families are affected? (displacement, injury, death)

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 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)
 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.)
2. Psychological Perspective- shows 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 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.
The 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.
 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).
 Physical effects: Fatigue, exhaustion, insomnia, cardiovascular strain,
startle response, hyperarousal, increased physical pain, decreased
appetite, vulnerability to illness.
 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.
3. 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 to information and ideas coming
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from the “outside”- the world outside their cultural setting. In this
perspective, a disaster is analyzed based on how people respond having
as a 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.
4. Economic Perspective- it defined disaster 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 defined as direct economic
cost and indirect losses. The 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 are crucial in assessing disaster
seriousness. This is done by evaluating the main indirect is crucial in his is
done assessing disaster seriousness. This is done by evaluating the main
indirect consequence of a disaster. One example is when ahead of the
family a job due to isolation or the workplace itself is affected. The value
of losses is measured vis-à-vis period and salary including perks and
allowances.
5. Political perspective- natural disasters are commonly thought to be less
politically contentious than armed conflicts. Yet, a closer look reveals
that politically are deeply wedded to both the impact of a natural
disaster and the subsequent delivery of humanitarian assistance.
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 the 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.
6. Environmental Perspective- the Millennium Declaration recognizes the
risk to development stemming from disasters and calls on the global
community to “intensify our collective efforts to reduce the number and
effects of natural hazards and man-made disasters.”
ACTIVITY 3 & 4
1. Under the Natural Hazards table, provide a city per area/location.
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2. Explain the disaster you chose above (Typhoon Ondoy, Yolanda, or
Wowowie) from the six perspectives.

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