DRR LESSON 1: BASIC CONCEPT
OF DISASTER AND DISASTER RISK
DISASTER
- a sudden, calamitous occurrence
that causes destruction, and
devastation to life and property. It
disrupts the course of life, causing
both physical and emotional
distress such as an intense
feelings of hopelessness and
helplessness.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DISASTERS
- Disasters are inherently
unpredictable and can strike with
little or no warning. As a result,
disasters result in widespread
death, injury, and property
damage. There were numerous
types of disasters, but there were
two major types of disasters.
- Disasters cannot be handled
normally. These situations
necessitate the immediate and
effective intervention of both
national government agencies
(NGAs) and non-governmental
organizations.
MAJOR TYPES OF DISASTERS
1. Natural Disaster - are
large-scale geological or
meteorological events that have
the potential to cause loss of life
or property. These types of
disasters include: Tornadoes and
Severe Storms, Hurricanes and
Tropical Storms, Floods, Wildfires,
Earthquakes, Drought.
2. Man-made Disasters - have an
element of human intent,
negligence, or error involving a
failure of a man-made system, as
opposed to natural disasters
resulting from natural hazards.
Examples include industrial
accidents, shootings, acts of
terrorism, and incidents of mass
violence.
THE FOLLOWING ALSO
CHARACTERIZE DISASTERS:
> Knows no political boundaries.
> Requires restructured
organizations and new responding
organizations.
> Creates new tasks and requires
more people as disaster
responders.
> Renders unnecessary routine
emergency response equipment
and facilities
> It increases confusion in
understanding the roles of people
and organizations.
> Exposes a lack of disaster
planning, response, and
coordination. Inexperienced
disaster organizations often fail to
see what their proper roles are.
OTHER IMPACTS OF DISASTERS
1. Medical Effects. The medical
effects of disasters include
traumatic injuries, emotional
stress, epidemic diseases, and
indigenous diseases.
2. Damage to Critical Facilities.
Widespread disasters can destroy
or damage facilities that may be
critical not only in maintaining a
safe environment and public order
but also in responding to the
disaster.
3. Disruption of Transportation.
During the initial stages of a
disaster, almost all surface means
of transportation within a
community are disrupted by
broken bridges and roads and
streets that are rendered
impassable by landslides or floods.
4. Economic Impact. People must
also leave their jobs and devote
their time to disaster-related
activities, such as search and
rescue, or to caring for survivors.
5. Global Environmental Changes.
There is increasing evidence of
global climatic change brought
about by both human activity and
disasters.
6. Social and Political Impact. As
a large segment of the population
in developing countries consists of
the poor, who are the most
vulnerable whenever a disaster
strikes, these countries are the
most affected.
HAZARD
- the potential for harm or an
adverse effect (people-health
effects, organization-property
or equipment losses.
- the probability of occurrence of
a potentially damaging
phenomenon.
VULNERABILITY
- refers to factors, such as
physical, social, economic, and
environmental ones, that increase
the susceptibility to the impact of
hazard.
VULNERABILITY
– the degree of loss resulting from
the occurrence of phenomenon.
VULNERABILITY RELATES TO A
NUMBER OF FACTS, INCLUDING:
❖ Physical factors: e.g. poor
design and construction of
buildings, unregulated land use
planning, etc.
❖ Social factors: e.g. poverty and
inequality, marginalisation, social
exclusion and discrimination by
gender, social status, disability and
age (amongst other factors)
psychological factors, etc. An
example on social factors: Older
adults' independence is most
significant factor for vulnerability
in hot weather
❖ Economic factors: e.g. the
uninsured informal sector,
vulnerable rural livelihoods,
dependence on single industries,
globalisation of business and
supply chains, etc. An example on
economic factors: Secure food
supply chain
❖ Environmental factors: e.g.
poor environmental management,
overconsumption of natural
resources, decline of risk
regulating ecosystem services,
climate change, etc. An example
on environmental factors: Severe
air pollution can heighten Covid-19
risk in South Asia.
ELEMENTS OF DISASTER RISK
❖ Hazard
❖ Exposure - the situation of
people, infrastructure production
capacities and other tangible
human assets located in
hazard-prone areas.
❖ Vulnerability - characteristics
determined by social, economic,
and environmental factors which
increase the susceptibility to the
impact of hazard.
DRR LESSON 2: EXPOSURE AND
VULNERABILITY
ELEMENTS AT RISK AND
EXPOSURE
❖ Risks are a function of hazards,
as the risk model (Risk = Hazard x
Exposure x Vulnerability)
demonstrates. Hazard describes
the likelihood of an event
occurring at a specific magnitude,
while exposed elements refer to
the quantity of people or buildings
in the exposed area. These two
categories of elements have the
most accurate and objective
statistics available. The
combination of both hazard and
exposed population provides the
physical exposure:
PhExp= Hazard x Exposure
Where:
❖ PhExp = Physical Exposure for
the affected area
❖ Hazard = Probability of
occurrence of an event at a given
magnitude.
❖ Exposure = Total Population
living in the affected area for each
event.
SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND
ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY
❖ When a disaster strikes, the first
things that are reported in the
tri-media are casualties (deaths,
missing persons, and injured
people) and property losses and
damages. The effects on the other
elements become more important
long after a disaster occurs. These
are the effects that are more
difficult to quantify or measure
than property losses or damages.
Social, environmental, and
economic losses are divided into
tangible and intangible types.
❖ Social. Demography is the most
important factor in the social
dimensions of exposure and
vulnerability, and population
density maps are excellent
indicators. These dimensions
cover a range of topics, including
migration, social groups, health
and well-being, education, culture,
institutions, and governance.
❖ Environmental. Location and
built structures are considered
under the physical aspects of
exposure and vulnerability. The
figure shows before-and-after
satellite images of a location in
Tacloban City (Leyte) caused by
Typhoon Yolanda, which showed
how exposed elements can be
vulnerable to typhoons and storm
surges.
Here is a detailed list of the
physical elements exposed to
various hazards:
1. Essential Facilities
★ Educational Facilities
★ Medical and Healthcare
Facilities (e.g., hospital
and clinics)
★ Emergency response
Facilities (e.g., Fire Station,
Police Station, and Shelters)
★ Government Offices
★ Recreational or Tourist
Facilities (e.g., Hotels,
Resorts, Parks, Public
Gardens, Camping
Grounds, Sporting Areas,
etc.)
★ Places of Worship (e.g.,
Churches or Mosques)
★ Banks and Financial
Centers
★ Markets and Shopping
Centers
★ Cemeteries
2. Industrial and High Potential
Loss Facilities and Facilities
containing hazardous materials.
★ Dams and Ponds
★ Fuel reservoirs, Pipelines,
and Pumps
★ Power (electric) generating
plants and lines
★ Multi-purpose hydropower
plants, water tanks, and
lines
★ Food processing Facilities
3. Transportation Lifelines
★ Highways, Bridges, Railway
tracks, and Tunnels
★ Bus Facilities
★ Port and harbor Facilities
★ Airport Facilities and
Runways
4. Utility Lifelines
★ Potable Water Facilities,
Waste Water Facilities,
Pipelines, and Distribution
lines
★ Oil and Natural gas system
Facilities, Pipelines, and
Distribution lines
★ Electric power Facilities
and Distribution lines
★ Communication Facilities
(Stations) and
★ Distribution lines (cable and
networks)
❖ Economics. Business
interruptions caused by
accessibility issues, the loss of
jobs and access to employment,
and a decrease in government
revenue as a result of businesses
and individuals; inability to pay
taxes at a time when more money
is required for relief and
rehabilitation are some of the
economic effects of hazard events.
The gross domestic product may
be
significantly impacted by disasters
(GDP).
VULNERABILITY OF EACH
EXPOSED ELEMENT
According to the UNDP (United
Nations Development
Programme), vulnerability is “the
degree of loss to each element
should a hazard of a given severity
occur”. Physical, social, economic,
and environmental factors
determine the likelihood and
severity of damage due to a given
hazard.
SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND
ECONOMIC FACTORS OF
VULNERABILITY
❖ SOCIAL FACTORS. Individuals,
families, and communities’ level of
social well-being has a direct
bearing on how vulnerable they
are to risks. Social wellbeing is
influenced by many factors, with
morality, good governance, levels
of education, literacy, and training,
safety and security, access to
fundamental human rights, social
equity, and information and
awareness. Additionally, physical,
mental, and psychological health
are important factors.
❖ ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR. The
discussion of environmental
aspects
of vulnerability covers a very
broad range of issues in the
interacting social, economic, and
ecological aspects of sustainable
development relating to disaster
risk reduction. The key aspects of
environmental vulnerability can be
summarized
by the following five distinctions:
★ The extent of natural
resource depletion;
★ The state of resource
degradation;
★ Loss of resilience of the
ecological systems;
★ Loss of biodiversity; and
★ Exposure to toxic and
hazardous pollutants
★ Deforestation
❖ ECONOMIC FACTOR. While
many different factors work
together to
affect how vulnerable a country is
to hazards, poverty is probably the
single most significant factor.
Therefore, reducing vulnerability
requires the eradication of
poverty.
❖ PROGRESSION OF
VULNERABILITY - The Pressure
and Release (PAR) Model was first
presented by Wisner (1994) to
describe how disaster occur. It
demonstrates how understanding
community vulnerability and the
reasons why communities are
vulnerable to disaster risks
depends heavily on the
progression of vulnerability. The
model thus makes it clear that
addressing a sizable number of
socio-political and
development-related issues
should be the primary focus for
lowering risks in communities.
DRR LESSON 3: BASIC CONCEPT
OF HAZARD
❖ HAZARD - any source of
potential damage, harm, or
adverse health effects on
something or someone (for
example, to organizations as
property or equipment losses, or
the environment).
CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARD
➢ Natural Hazards
➢ Technological Hazards
➢ Environmental Degradation
ORIGINS OF NATURAL HAZARDS
❖ Geophysical - earthquakes,
tsunamis, volcanic activity and
emissions, mass movements like
landslides, rockslides, rock fall,
liquefaction, submarine slides,
subsidence, surface collapse, and
geological fault activity.
❖ Hydrometeorological - floods,
debris and mudlows, tropical
cyclones, storm surges,
thunder/hailstorms, rain and
windstorms, blizzards, severe
storms, drought, desertification,
veld fires, heat waves, sand or dust
storms, permafrost, and snow
avalanches.
❖ Biological Hazards
(Biohazards) - outbreaks of
epidemic diseases, plant or animal
contagion, and extensive
infestations.
❖ TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS -
danger originating from
technolofical or industrial
accidents, dangerous procedures,
infrastructure failures or certain
human activities.
❖ ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION - concers
processes induced by human
behaviour and activities
(sometimes combined with natural
hazards) that damage the nature
resource base or adversely alter
natural processes or ecosystems.
EXAMPLES:
★ LAND DEGRADATION;
★ DEFORESTATION;
★ DESERTIFICATION;
★ VELD FIRES;
★ LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
★ LAND, WATER AND AIR
POLLUTION;
★ CLIMATE CHANGE;
★ SEA LEVEL RISE; AND
★ OZONE DEPLETION.
TYPES OF HAZARDS
❖ SLOW ONSET HAZARDS - the
easiest to predict and plan for, but
can have the biggest
environmental impact. This type of
hazard is normally preceded by a
number of early signs or
indicators.
EXAMPLES: WILD FIRES, FLOODS
AND FLASH FLOODS, VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS, TSUNAMIS (TIDAL
WAVES), AND PEST INFESTATIONS.
❖ RAPID OR SUDDEN ONSET
HAZARDS - strike without any or
very little prior warning. Examples
are drought, landslides due to
heavy rains, environmental
degradation, pollution,
deforestation, desertification, and
tropical cyclones.
HAZARD IDENTITY
- the first aspect to consider in
hazard identity is the development
of the hazard. The environment in
which it originates plays a crucial
part in its effective management —
be it primary (e.g devastation
caused by swift water) or
secondary consequences (famine
due to destruction of crops by a
flood).
PERMANENT CHARACTERISTICS
OF HAZARD OCCURRENCE
❖ NATURE
- those dynamic aspects and
variables over which the human
race has no control due to the
ineraction of the different systems
and cycles of the earth.
- the capacity or potential of
destructive forces or the effects of
the hazard contribute to its
intesity.
❖ EXTENT
- the geographical distribution or
range of impact of a hazard and
the nature and intensity of the
given hazard will determine its
extent.
❖ PREDICTABILITY
- determined by the physical or
temporal properties of the hazard.
The identity and nature of hazard
provide us with valuable historical
information that can be used in
order to predict their
consequences. It provides us with
a window of opportunity to
adequately implement disaster
risk reduction or contingency
measures.
TEMPORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
HAZARD - elements linked to time.
These characteristics are typically
associated with the following
questions
★ When do they occur?
★ How often?
★ How long do they last?
★ How quickly do they strike?
★ Can we predict their
behavior?
❖ FREQUENCY
- how often does this event
occur?
- contributes to the perception of
risk prevalent in different
communities. The higher the
frequency the greater the
perception of risk will be
throughout the elements at risk.
❖ DURATION
- determines the period in which a
community will be affected and
this impacts on their resilience.
❖ SPEED OF ONSET
- the third temporal characteristic
of hazards is the rapidity of the
arrival of impact. The speed of
onset naturally relates to
mitigation and prevention
measures.
❖ FOREWARNING
- forewarning or early warning is
the time between the
identification or warning of a
hazard and its actual impact.
DRR LESSON 6: POTENTIAL
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS AND
THEIR EFFECTS
❖ EARTHQUAKE
- a feeble shaking to violent
trembling of the ground produced
by the sudden displacement of
rocks or rock materials below the
earth’s surface. There are two
types of earthquakes: volcanic
and tectonic earthquakes.
❖ VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKE
- Earthquakes induced by rising
lava or magma beneath active
volcanoes
❖ TECTONIC EARTHQUAKE
- Earthquake induced by the
sudden displacement along fauls
in the solid and rigid layer of the
earth.
❖ FAULT
- refers to a fracture, fissure or a
zone of weakness where
movement or displacement has
occurred or may occur again.
❖ ACTIVE FAULT
- a fault which has moved within
the last 10,000 years
- a fault is said to be “active fault”
if it has historical and
contemporary seismicity, has
evidence of fault slip based on
displaced rocks or soil units of
known age and displaced
landforms.
5 WORST EARTHQUAKES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
1. Moro Gulf Earthquake (1976)
- with a 7.9 magnitude and almost
3,00 casualties, this Mindanao
earthquake is officially the
strongest and the deadliest
earthquake in Philippine History.
Almost 40,00 people in Region 9
and 12 were also left homeless by
this tragedy.
2. Luzon Earthquake (1990)
- on July 16, 1990, one of the
strongest earthquakes to ever
struck the country occurred in
several ares of Central Luzon and
Cordillera region. This
7.8-magnitude tremor resulted to
a total of 1,621 deaths and serious
damage in properties.
3. Casiguran Earthquake (1968)
- this 7.3-magnitude earthquake
killed a total of 270 people and
also caused massive landslides
and tsunami in Casiguran Aurora.
Almost 300 people were also
killed when the Ruby Tower in
Binondo collapsed as a result of
the tremor.
4. Mindoro Earthquake (1994)
- a total of 1,530 houses in the
coastal areas of Baco and Calapan,
Oriental Mindoro were swept away
by a tsunami generated by a
7.1-magnitude earthquake. The
tragedy also killd 78 people.
5. Bohol Earthquake (2013)
- a 7.2-magnitude tremor that
killed more than 150 people,
destroyed century-old churches
and affecte more than 3 million
families in Central Visayas.
COMMON EARTHQUAKE
HAZARDS
❖ Ground-shaking
- disruptive up-down and
sideways movement or motion
experienced during an earthquake.
- can cause objects to fall, break
windows among others
- can result to minor damages to
buildings and worse, cause
collapse of a structure
❖ Tsunami - sea waves resulting
from the disturbance of ocean
floor by an earthquake
❖ Liquefaction - is a process that
transforms the behavior of a body
of sediments from that of a solid
to that of a liquid when subjected
to extremely intense shaking.
❖ Earthquake-induced landslide
- failures in steep or hilly slopes
triggered by an earthquake
- loose thin soil covering on the
slopes of steep mountains are
prone to mass movement,
especially when shaken during an
earthquake
- many landslides occur as a
result of strong ground shaking
DRR LESSON 7: EARTHQUAKE,
TSUNAMI, AND PREPAREDNESS
❖ EARTHQUAKE
- a shaking of the ground caused
by sudden slippage of rock
masses below or at the surface of
the earth.
- a wave-like movement of the
earth’s surface.
- it is sudden and violent shaking
of the ground.
❖ ZONE OF WEAKNESS
- relatively weak zones in the
earth’s crust which when
differentially stressed will fail more
readily than the surrounding rock.
❖ TSUNAMI
- Also known as seismic sea
waves
- These are a series of giant sea
waves generated by impulsive
disturbance in the body of water
such as lake or ocean.
- Most tsunamis result from
tectonic displacement of the
sea-bed by large, shallow–focus
earthquakes (location where the
earthquake began).
IMPENDING SIGNS OF A TSUNAMI
1. Animal behavior
2. Drawback – Sea will
withdraw from the
coastline. Rapid lowering of
the sea level or the
noticeable rise and fall of
the coastal water
3. Ground Shaking – strong
felt earthquake
4. Unusual rumbling of sound
of approaching waves (like
an approaching train)
TSUNAMI RECORDS
1. The biggest tsunami ever
recorded was at Lituya Bay,
Alaska on July 9, 1958. The
megatsunami was around
524 meters tall.
2. The tsunami caused by
2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake is the 6th
deadliest natural disaster in
recorded history with a
death toll of 230,000 - - If you’re near the shore and feel
280,000. an earthquake, especially if it’s too
strong, move quickly to a higher
ground. TSUNAMIS might follow.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER AN AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
EARTHQUAKE - Be prepared for aftershocks.
❖ Before an Earthquake Once the shaking stops, take the
- Know the earthquake hazards in fastest and safest way out of the
your area building.
- Strap or bolt heavy furniture or
cabinets to the wall DON'T
- Check the stability of hanging - use elevators
objects like ceiling fans and - enter damaged buildings
chandeliers. - use telephones unless necessary
- Breakable items, harmful - PANIC
chemicals and flammable
materials should be stored CHECK
properly in the lowermost secured - yourself and others for injuries
shelves. - water and electrical lines for
- Don’t leave heavy objects on damages
shelves. - for spills of chemical, toxic, and
- Familiarize yourself with the exit flammable materials.
routes - and control fires which may
- Know where fire extinguishers, spread.
first aid kits, alarms and
communication facilities are If you need to evacuate your
located. Learn how to use them residence, leave a message stating
beforehand where you are going and bring
- Prepare a handy emergency your emergency supply kit. Keep
supply kit with first aid kit, canned updated on disaster prevention
food and can opener, water, instructions from
clothing, blanket, battery-operated battery-operated radios.
radio, flashlights and extra
batteries.
❖ During an Earthquake
- Stay calm
- When you are inside a
structurally sound building or
home, STAY THERE
- If possible quickly open the door
for exit
- Duck, cover hold under a sturdy
desk or table
- Stay away from glass windows,
shelves, cabinets and other heavy
objects
- Beware of falling objects
- If you’re outside, move to an
open area
- Stay away from trees, power
lines, posts and concrete
structures
- Move away from steep slopes
which may be affected by
landslides