Module 1: The

Nature of Disaster and

Disaster Risk
Hazard

• It is a threat or harm that has a potential

to cause damage to a community.
Risk

• It is the chance or probability of that

hazard causing harm or damage to
people, properties, and environment.
Examples:
 Injury
Destruction of properties
Environmental degradation
Disaster

• It is any event that causes widespread

human, economic, and environmental
losses or impacts that seriously disrupt the
normal functioning of a community.
• Disasters usually follow hazards that are
not anticipated. When a disaster occurs,
the community affected may lose its ability
to cope with the loss and damage using its
own resources.
• Disasters may be prevented if proper and
effective disaster plans are in place.
• Disaster Risk may be specific to a location
or condition of a community. Usually, if
certain hazards frequent a specific location
or if the present situation of a community
puts it in a dangerous position, the
disaster risk becomes a vital consideration
in defining a safety of the people in that
community.
“We cannot eliminate disaster (hazard), but
we can mitigate the risk. We can reduce
damage and save more lives.”

– Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the

United Nations
• There is no way to escape hazards
because they are part of life. Everyday,
everywhere there is a hazard. Hazard can
be identified but difficult to avoid. Because
hazards can be recognized, a community
that is hazard-prone may increase its
disaster risk especially if it is not equipped
or prepared for the possible disasters
arising from that hazard.
-- A hazard becomes a disaster only when
the community is not prepared for it.
Oral Recitation:
What I have Learned so Far?
1. What is a disaster and how does it differ
from hazards?
2. When is a situation considered a
disaster?
Types of Disaster
Disasters can be foreseeable…
Which ones can, and which
ones can’t?
 What disasters would and
could affect our community?

MANMADE
NATURAL
Natural Disaster

• Natural disasters are devastating

outcomes that result from natural hazards.
Collapsing of houses
from landslide

Incinerated grasslands
from volcanic eruptions.
Man- Made Disaster

• Man-made disasters are also called

technological disasters, are destructions
from man-made hazards.
Bomb explosions Chemical spills

War
Effects of Disasters

• Primary effects are direct situation arising

from the disaster itself.
Example: Typhoon
 flooding
 destruction of houses
 loss of life
Effects of Disasters

• Secondary effects are situations resulting

from the primary effects.
Example: Typhoon
 disruption of electrical and water services
because of the damage and water lines.
Effects of Disasters

• Tertiary effects are those that are not

experienced as a disaster is taking place
but can be felt sometime after the disaster
has occurred.
Assignment: DRRR NB

1. What are the effects of drought in terms

of severity? Identify all three types of
effects.
Affected Components

• People
Affected Components

• Buildings and Infrastructure

Affected Components

• Economy
Affected Components

• Environment
Activity:

1. How do disasters affect people and the

environment?
2. What are the effects of disasters on the
economy of a community?
Perspectives on Disasters
Perspectives on Disasters

• Physical perspective includes the visible or

tangible materials, whether natural or
man-made, which have been affected by a
disaster.
Example: Cracks or fissure
Perspectives on Disasters

• Psychological perspective refers to the

people’s emotional cognitive and
interpersonal reaction to difficulties.
• Catastrophic events can cause shock,
terror, anxiety, disbelief, nightmares,
trauma, social withdrawal and alienation,
or depressions to victims.
Perspectives on Disasters

• Sociocultural perspective centers on the

response of the people, whether victims or
not, to emergency situations and to the
kind of assistance they receive.
• The characteristics of affected families
such as their religions, customs, attitudes,
beliefs, and values can influence their
approach to or their recovery from the
disaster.
• Another important aspect of this
perspective is the degree of cooperation
among the community members. The level
of social support may be made
immediately sufficient and available if the
community is united or has a shared vision
of recovery.
Example: Bayanihan
Perspectives on Disasters

• Economic perspective focuses on the

disruption of economic activities in the
community.
• Disaster loss is usually assessed in terms of
injuries and deaths, destruction of fixed assets
and infrastructure, and disruptions in the flow of
gods and services that can obviously affect
economic factors such as gross domestic
product (GDP) growth rates, indebtedness
levels, and fiscals deficits.
Perspectives on Disasters

• Political perspectives deals with how

government services are used to reduce
loss or damage by preparing for and
preventing disasters.
Perspectives on Disasters

• Biological perspective takes into

consideration the potential for infectious
or communicable diseases after a disaster
takes place.
Risk Factors Underlying Disasters

• Housing and building development. In the

pursuits of addressing the modern-day
needs and wants of people, the
environment is put at risk.
Risk Factors Underlying Disasters

• Presence of physical structures prone to

disaster risks. Some disaster take place
without anyone knowing them because
the sites of disaster are void of any
structure or community.
Risk Factors Underlying Disasters

• Institutional framework and system for risk

reduction and prevention. Some disaster may
not be predicted; they may only be recognized
when they happen.
Thus, standards on building codes, infrastructure
planning and financing, emergency policies,
and other protocols change drastically based
on experiences from a serious disaster.
Example:
- Fire happened in Ozone Disco Club in
Quezon City last March 1996.
-150 people died
-As of November 2014, nine were convicted
in this incident, which includes 7 Quezon
City building officials and 2 of the club
owners.
Assignment: DRRR NB

• Research on Typhoon “Ondoy” that

devastated Metro Manila and its nearby
provinces in 2009. Analyze what
aggravated the disaster by specifying the
risk factors involved.
• Bring 2 oslo and art materials 
 ACTIVITY:
“Just in Case Family Plan”