LESSON 1: BASIC CONCEPT OF DISASTER RISK AND READINESS

WHAT IS DISASTER?
➢ A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a
community or society and causes widespread human, material, and economic or
environmental losses and impacts that exceed the ability of the affected community to
cope using its own resources.
➢ Any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, or
deterioration of health and health services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an
extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area.
➢ A disaster is an event, man-made or natural, sudden or progressive, causing widespread
human, material, or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of the affected
community to cope using its own resources.

WHAT IS DISASTER RISK?

➢ The potential disaster losses, in lives, health status, livelihoods, assets, and services
could occur to a particular community or a society over some specified future time
period.

WHAT IS DISASTER RISK REDUCTION?

➢ The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze
and reduce the causal factors of disasters. Examples are reducing exposure to hazards,
lessening vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and
environment

TYPES OF DISASTER

➢ NATURAL DISASTERS- are consequences when a natural hazard affects humans

and/or the built environment. Human vulnerability and lack of appropriate emergency
management, lead to financial, environmental, or human impact.
➔ DROUGHT-a deficiency of rainfall over an extended period - a season, a year or
several years.
➔ VOLCANIC ERUPTION - the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge of steam
and volcanic material.
➔ TSUNAMI - a series of waves in a body of water caused by the displacement of a
large volume of water.
➔ PEST INFESTATION - any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates
livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of the land.

➢ MAN-MADE DISASTERS- are events that are caused by humans and occur in or close
to human settlements, a consequence of technological or human hazards.
➔ WAR - a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict nations
between states or nations
 ➔ OIL SPILL -an oil spill is the release of liquid petroleum into the environment,
especially in marine areas
➔ EXPLOSIONS- a release of mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy in a sudden
and often violent manner with the generation of high temperature and usually
with the release of gasses.
➔ ROAD ACCIDENT AND AIR ACCIDENT- an undesirable or unfortunate
happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage,
or loss; casualty

IMPACTS OF DISASTERS
➢ MEDICAL EFFECTS- The medical effects of disasters include traumatic injuries,
emotional stress, indigenous diseases, and epidemic diseases.
➢ 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. (Communication installations, electrical
generating, and transmission facilities, hospitals, water facilities, etc.)
➢ 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. The restricted
mobility of vehicles makes rescue and other emergency operations difficult.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
➢ GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE- There is increasing evidence of a global
climatic change brought about by both human activity and disasters. Although the
long-range consequences are hard to predict, more severe cyclonic storms, an increase
in both flooding and drought, and a trend toward desertification cannot be ruled out. The
changes could result in a wide range of more hazards such as wildfires and mudslides,
reduced productivity in the oceans, and weakened immune systems of people and
animals.
➢ SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPACT- As a large segment of the population in developing
countries consists of the poor, who are the most valuable whenever a disaster strikes,
these counties are most affected. The poor are the most prone to disasters because of
the structures they live in which are unreinforced and poorly built.

LESSON 2: EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

RISK FACTORS
➢ SEVERITY OF EXPOSURE -The amount of exposure to the disaster is highly related to
the risk of future mental problems. The highest risks are those that have gone through
the disaster themselves. Next are those in close contact with victims. The lower risk with
 lasting impact are those who only had indirect exposure such as those who just hear the
news about the severe damage
➢ GENDER AND FAMILY- Almost always, women or girls suffer from more negative
effects than men or boys. Disaster recovery is more stressful when children are present
in the home. Having a family member in the home, who is extremely distressed, is
related to more stress for everyone.
➢ AGE- Adults who are in the age range of 40-60 are likely to be more distressed after
disasters. The thinking is that being in that age range, they have more demands from
jobs and families. Research on how children react to natural disasters is limited. In
general, children show more severe distress after disasters than adults. Higher stress in
the parents is related to the worse recovery of children.
➢ DEVELOPING COUNTRIES-The risk factors can be made worse if the disaster occurs
in a developing country. Disasters in developing countries have more severe mental
health impacts than disasters in developed countries.
➢ LOW OR NEGATIVE SOCIAL SUPPORT- The support of others can be both a risk and
resilient factor Social support can weaken after disasters. This may be due to stress and
the need for members of the support network to get on with their own lives. Sometimes
the responses from others you rely on for support are negative For example, someone
may play down your problems, needs, or pain or expect you to recover more quickly.

RESILIENCE FACTORS
➢ SOCIAL SUPPORT - It is one of the keys to recovery after any trauma, including
disaster. Social support increases well-being and limits distress after mass trauma.
Being connected to others makes it easier to obtain the knowledge needed for disaster
recovery.
➢ Through social support, you can also find
➔ Practical help in solving problems.
➔ A sense of being understood and accepted
➔ Sharing of trauma experiences
➔ Getting comfort that what you went through and how you responded is not
"abnormal"
➔ Shared tips about coping.
➢ COPING CONFIDENCE- Over and over research has found that coping self-efficacy
believing that you can do something is related to better mental health outcomes for
disaster survivors. When you think that you can cope no matter what happens to you you
tend to do better after a test It is not so much feeling like you can handle things in
general Rather it is believing you can cope with the results of c sher that has been found
to help survivors to recover
➢ HOPE - Better outcomes after disasters or mass trauma are likely if you have one or
more of the following:
➔ Optimism (because you can hope for the future) Expecting the positive
➔ Confidence that you can predict your life and yourself
➔ A belief that it is likely that things will work out well as reasonably be expected
 ➔ The belief that outside sources, such as the government, are acting on your
behalf with your welfare at heart
➔ Belief in God
➔ Positive superstitious beliefs, such as "I'm always lucky."
➔ Practical resources, including housing, job, money

EXPOSURE
➢ THE TOTAL VALUE OF ELEMENTS AT RISK.
➢ EXPRESSED AS THE OF HUMAN LIVES, AND VALUE OF THE PROPERTIES THAT
CAN POTENTIALLY BE AFFECTED BY HAZARDS.

ELEMENTS AT RISK
➢ The people, properties, economy, activities, and private and public services are
potentially threatened by a harmful event.
➢ RISK ASSESSMENT involves the identification and mapping of the elements at risk and
the assessment of vulnerability

VULNERABILITY
➢ The physical, social, economic, and environmental factors which increase the
susceptibility to be impacted by hazards
➢ PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY- May be determined by aspects such as population
density levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site, design, and materials used for
critical infrastructure and for housing.
➢ SOCIAL VULNERABILITY- Refers to the inability of people, organizations, and societies
to withstand adverse impacts of hazards
➢ ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY- highly dependent upon the economic status of
individuals, communities, and nations
➢ ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY- Natural resource depletion and resource
degradation are key aspects of environmental vulnerability

CONDITIONS OF VULNERABILITY
➢ Poverty
➢ Rapid Population Growth
➢ Environmental Degradation
➢ Lack of awareness and Information
➢ War and Civil Strife

CAPACITY
➢ It is a combination of all strengths and resources available within a community, society or
organization that can reduce the level of risk of effects of the disaster.
ELEMENTS OF DISASTER
1. Exposure to Hazard
2. Condition of Vulnerability
3. Insufficient Capacity

LESSON 3: BASIC CONCEPT OF HAZARD

WHAT IS HAZARD?
- A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss
of lives, injury or other health impacts, or property damage. Loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
- An event that has the potential to cause harm or loss.
- A Hazard is a threat. A future source of danger. It has the potential to cause harm to
1. People - death, injury, disease and stress
2. Human Activity - economic, educational
3. Property- property damage, economic loss
4. Environment - loss of fauna and flora, pollution, loss of amenities

CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS

NATURAL HAZARDS
- Arise from purely natural processes in the environment. Examples are earthquakes or
floods.

QUASI-NATURAL HAZARDS
- Arise through the Interaction of natural processes and human activities. Examples are
smog or desertification

TECHNOLOGICAL/MAN-MADE HAZARDS
- Arise directly as a result of human activities. Examples are toxicity of pesticides to fauna,
accidental release of chemicals or radiation from a nuclear plant.

NATURAL HAZARDS AND HUMAN INTERVENTION

It is important to understand that:

- Human Intervention can increase the frequency and severity of natural hazards
- Human Intervention may also cause natural hazards where none existed before.
- Human intervention reduces the mitigating effect of natural ecosystems

TYPES OF HAZARDS
NATURAL HAZARDS- A natural process or event that is potentially damaging in that it may
result in loss of life or injury, loss of property, socio-economic destruction or environmental
degradation. Examples are climate and weather-related hazards such as snow avalanches,
drought, lightning, Storms and Tornadoes

ATMOSPHERIC HAZARDS

1.Typhoons or Hurricanes 7. Blizzards

2. Thunderstorm 8. Glaze storm

3. Excessive rainfall 9. Freezing rain.

4. Tornadoes 10. High wind speeds

5. Heavy snowfalls 11. Extreme temperature

6. Hail 12. Lightnings

HYDROLOGIC HAZARDS
1. Floods
2. Wave action
3. Rapid Glacier Avalanche

BIOLOGIC HAZARDS
1. Epidemic in humans
2. Epidemic in plants
3. Epidemic in animals
4. Locusts

GEOLOGIC HAZARDS- A geological state that may lead to widespread damage or risk.
Examples are landslide hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Volcanic Hazards, Coastal Hazards,
Accelerated Erosion.

IMPACTS OF HAZARDS

HAZARDS PROFILING
- Profiling hazards is important in predicting the possible disasters that a certain hazard
can bring. They are useful in planning for a disaster especially if the same impacts are
likely to be brought by a hazard that frequents a certain place. Hazards can be profiled in
different ways; magnitude of event (high-scale or low-scale), frequency (number of times
in a year), duration (short-term or long-term), and causality effects (direct or indirect).

1. Grief and Psychological Trauma

 2. Loss of vital infrastructure
3. Loss of power stations and key transport infrastructures
4. Widespread loss of housing
5. Loss of a harvest or fertile soils and cattle
6. Loss of fishing vessels and equipment
7. Loss of forests and freshwater environments
8. Destruction of houses, bridges, roads, buildings and other infrastructure
9. Erosion of river banks and farm lands
10. Siltation of agricultural fields
11. Crop loss
12. Deaths due to drowning
13. Interruption of services
14. Health Problems
15. Permanent Changes in the River Channel
16. Loss of wildlife habitat

VOLCANIC HAZARD

WHAT ARE VOLCANIC HAZARDS?

- Is the probability that a volcanic eruption or related geophysical event will occur in a
given geographic area and within a specified window of time.

PYROCLASTIC DENSITY CURRENTS

- Are gravity-driven, rapidly moving, ground hugging mixtures of rock fragments and hot
gasses. Deadly effects include asphyxiation, burial, incineration and crushing from
impacts.

PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
- High concentration density flows and are essentially not turbulent and confined to
valleys.

PYROCLASTIC SURGES
- Low concentration density flows which can. expand over hills and valleys like hurricanes.
possible hottest temperature is 900 degrees Celsius

LAHARS
- are part of the family of debris flows that are fluids composed of mixtures of water and
particles of all sizes from clay-size to gigantic boulders.

ASH FALL
- Are less dangerous to human life than to property, traffic and communication because
probable paths can be roughly predicted.
LAVA FLOWS
- Rarely threaten human life because lava usually moves slowly
- Methods for controlling paths of lava flows:
1. Construct barriers and diversion channels
2. Cool advancing front with water
3. Disruption of source or advancing front of lava flow by explosives

TEPHRA FALLS AND BALLISTIC PROJECTILES

- also known as pyroclastic materials, consists of fragments of any size and origin

VOLCANIC GAS
- are glasses given off by active volcanoes.

VOLCANIC HAZARD MAPS

- Usually display the current. or potential extent of dangerous volcanic flows (lava,
pyroclastic or lahar) together with the potential distribution of tephra

VOLCANIC ALERT SYSTEM STAGE

PRECURSORS OF AN IMPENDING VOLCANCERUPTION

1. Increase in the frequency of volcanic quakes with rumbling sounds; occurrence of
volcanic tremors.
2. Increased steaming activity; change in color of steam emission from white to gray due to
entrained ash.
3. Crater glows due to presence of magma at or near the crater.
4. Ground swells (or inflation), ground tilt and ground fissuring due to magma intrusion.
5. Localized landslides, rockfalls and landslides from the summit area not attributable too
heavy rains.

BEFORE

1. Each one should be aware of the dangers that volcanic eruptions pose to lives and be
prepared to face whatever circumstances the eruption may bring

2. Prepare all necessary things to bring once evacuation is needed. Those in danger zones
are warned when to evacuate. Once given the signal refrain from saying you will be all right.
Refusing to evacuate will pose more serious problems

3. Store as much food, water, light sources and batteries that are very useful in case of
emergency

4. Volcanic eruptions have ash falls so be prepared for masks or anything to cover nose and
mouth.

5. Prioritize the safety of kids before other things if you have relatives or friends who are far
from the volcano, take your children there until such time that your place is safe.

DURING

1. Avoid all low-lying places because lava flows and mudflows are more likely to pass here.

2. Seek cover in case of ash falls rock falls

3. Use masks and cover your mouth and nose to avoid breathing in ashes.

4. If you are inside a house; close all doors and windows to avoid ashes from getting inside.

5. Always stay indoors

6. Stay in the evacuation center until further instructions. Do not attempt to leave the place
unless told to do

7. Keep a watchful eye on the kids because they might be tempted to go out and see what's
going on outside.

AFTER

1. Go back to your house but leave the kids behind someone who can take care of them while
you check your house.

2. Clean everything around and check all damages incurred.

3. Use masks while cleaning ash and other debris.

4. Wait for further announcements related to the volcanic activities.

5. Make sure that your house is still safe for all of you.