Gabriel Nyl M.

Casiño

BA – 9

Disaster Risk Reduction

All I have Learned

This semester was a lot of fun for me. I have encountered difficulties and
technicalities on my journey towards this semester. Even though I am having a hard
time, the joy and satisfaction of learning new lessons will surely not prevail. As I said, I
have learned lessons on this subject and I know for sure that it will help me on my
journey to become what I want to become someday. Several things, actions and
systems that I have to cope for survival which I have learned on this subject which is
Disaster Risk and Reduction. Surely it is a minor subject but we do not know when will
an emergency will occur, we do not know what type of calamity to appear and who will
be there for us incase a calamity is happening. Knowing details on how to survive and
prevent these hazards is must since even the smallest details keeps a person alive.

Many topics are taught into us which takes a toll of time. Well, those wasted time
for us to learn such actions in terms of events is not totally wasted because someday
we can use it to handle situations properly. There are many topics to cite if I will do it
one by one so here are my favorite topics from day one up until last. First is our week
one topic and from the word “week one” itself, it is clearly our first topic of this semester.
What piqued my interest aside from the information about the topic itself is also the
mood because as I mentioned, it is our first topic and is clearly the first meeting with our
prof. So, I learned about the different types of hazards in this module which is the
Chemical Hazard, Physical Hazards, Ergonomic Hazard, Radiation Hazard,
Psychological Hazard, Biological Hazard and how to identify them. Chemical hazards
are re substances that has potential to cause harm to life or health. Physical Hazards
are factors or conditions within the environment that can harm your health. Ergonomic
Hazard are factors in your environment that can harm the musculoskeletal system such
repetitive movements, improper set up of workstation, poor design of equipment,
workstation design, (postural) or workflow, manual handling, repetitive movement.
Radiation Hazard is a risk to health consisting of or resulting from the presence of
ionizing radiation. Psychological Hazards are elements of the work environment,
management practices or organizational practices that pose a risk to mental health and
well-being. Common psychological hazards include exposure to harassment, violence
or traumatic events. Biological Hazard are processes of organic origin or those
conveyed by biological vectors, including exposure to pathogenic micro-organisms,
toxins and bioactive substances, which may cause the loss of life or injury, property
damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.

My next favorite lesson which I learned a lot also is our week 9 topic which is
flooding, this topic piqued my interest as well because I already experienced floods in
our area and this event is a no joke. It can cause lives if advisories from the government
is ignored. There are different types of floods which is the surge, river and pluvial floods.
A surge flood or storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or
tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure
weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the
normal tidal level, and does not include waves. A occurs when the water level in a river,
lake or stream rises and overflows onto the surrounding banks, shores and neighboring
land. In hilly or mountainous areas, floods can occur within minutes after a heavy rain,
drain very quickly, and cause damage due to debris flow. A pluvial flood occurs when an
extreme rainfall event creates a flood independent of an overflowing water body. There
are two common types of pluvial flooding: Surface water floods occur when an urban
drainage system is overwhelmed and water flows out into streets and nearby structures.
This topic (week 9) is very informative specially the weather condition nowadays is
constantly changing or what they as climate change. Actions on this kind of events must
be delivered correctly or it will cause a life.

This is my last favorite topic which is introduced to us by our professor on week

15, the topic is about fire hazards. This module taught me all kinds of information about
fire hazards, on how to act in this kind of situation and everything. These events are
common nowadays due to many reasons like the house is built with low – standard
materials because of the budget, the gasoline tank is left wide open even when no one
is using it and many more. Fire hazards have five classes which can be determine on
what situation it started and where it started. According to the module, there are five
classes which are classes A, B, C, D, and E but when you surf on the net, you will
discover that there is a class K. Class A fires are defined as ordinary combustibles.
These types are fires use commonly flammable material as their fuel source. Wood,
fabric, paper, trash, and plastics are common sources of Class A fires. Class B fire is a
fire in flammable liquids or flammable gases, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based
paints, solvents, lacquers, or alcohols. For example, propane, natural gas, gasoline and
kerosene fires are types of Class B fires. A Class C fire is a fire that involves electrical
equipment, electrical appliances, or electrical wiring. They are caused by energized
electrical elements, such as damaged power cores or overloaded electrical outlets. It is
one of the five classes of fires, along with A, B, D, and K. Class D fires involve
combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, and sodium. Extinguishers with a D
rating are designed to extinguish fires involving combustible metals. Note: Common
extinguishing agents may react with a combustible metal fire causing the severity of the
fire to increase. Class E fires are fueled by electrical appliances such as TVs,
computers and hair dryers. The appropriate extinguishers used to tackle a class E fire
include CO2 gas or a dry powder extinguisher. And lastly, Class K fires involve
vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances. Extinguishers with a K rating
are designed to extinguish fires involving vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats utilized in
commercial cooking appliances.

I learned a lot from all the lessons in this semester and without a doubt this is by
far one of the most informative subjects I have encountered to. All I can say is that I
have a great start on my college life. Thanks to our beloved Professor Daryll Garcia and
his competent on teaching us all these kinds of information. I absorbed almost all of the
topics thanks to his great teaching. Thank you once again sir and may God bless you
always.