Disasters mess up how things normally work.

They can break houses, make it hard for people to get what
they need like food and water, and sometimes they even damage nature around us. These bad events can
really hurt how people feel too, making them sad, scared, and sometimes sick.

Why are disaster impacts increasing?

1. Increasing population
2. Climate change
3. Increase Vulnerability due to:
a. Demographic changes
b. Increased concentration of assets
c. Poverty
d. Environmental degradation
e. Unplanned development

Reasons why the Philippines is prone to disaster

1. This is due to its location along the ring of fire, a large pacific ocean region where many volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes occur.
2. The Philippines are exposed to natural hazards because it lies on the pacific typhoon belt.

Types of Disaster
a. Natural. happens when nature goes wild, causing problems for people and property.
i. Earthquakes. is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of
energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
ii. Volcano Eruption. Magmatic eruptions produce juvenile clasts during explosive decompression
from gas release.
iii. Floods. is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry.
iv. Tsunami. is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of
water, generally in an ocean or a large lake.
v. Drought. is a prolonged dry period in the natural climate cycle that can occur anywhere in the
world. It is a slow-onset disaster characterized by the lack of precipitation, resulting in a water
shortage.

b. Man-made. are caused by people's actions.

i. Nuclear Disaster
ii. Terrorism
iii. Bomb blasts
iv. Chemical Disaster
v. War

Disaster Management
Includes such as the development of disaster recovery
plan, (for minimizing the risk of disasters and for handling them
when they do occur) and the implementation of such plans.

Other terms used for disaster management include:

a. Emergency management
b. Civil protection
c. Crisis management
d. Disaster risk reduction
Risk is how likely something bad might happen and how bad it could be if it does. It's a mix of the chance of an
event occurring and the harm it could cause. When we talk about disaster risk, we're looking at the potential for
losses—like lives, health, homes, and services—that might happen in a community over a certain time in the
future.

Disaster risk happens when something dangerous (like a storm or an industrial accident) could cause harm to
a community. How much damage a hazard (like a storm) does depends on how vulnerable the community is.
Vulnerability is how susceptible a place or people are to being
harmed by the hazard.

Element of disaster risk

a. Hazard - how big and how often it is.
b. Exposure - or what elements are at risk, is it people
building, infrastructure, agriculture and etc.
c. Vulnerability - vulnerability to hazard, how does each
exposed element responds to the level of hazard

Difference between a threat, a vulnerability, and a risks?

1. Threat - Something that can damage or destroy an asset.
2. Vulnerability - a weakness or gap to your protection.
3. Risks - where assets, threat, vulnerabilities intersect.

VULNERABILITY is a degree of susceptibility and resilience of community and environment to hazard. Can
determine the ability of a person or a group to predict, cope with, resist and recover from the effects of a
natural or human-induced threat. As vulnerability increases, it means that the population is at greater risk of
suffering from a severe natural danger. To lessen vulnerability means to make the community prepared and
ready for the possible damaging effect of the hazard.
Susceptible: There is a big chance that you will be affected by something you're prone to.
Resilience: This is your capacity to recover quickly from the difficulties. How quickly can we recover?
What is our capacity to recover from certain events? and that is our resilience.

To determine people’s vulnerability, two questions need to be asked:

1. To what threat or hazard are they vulnerable?
2. What makes them vulnerable to that threat or hazard?

Factors affecting vulnerability of one’s community:

1. Population density near a hazard event.
■ refers to the number of individuals living in an area in relation to the size of an area
2. Capacity and efficiency to reduce Disaster Risk.
■ Communities that are less vulnerable have the capacity to reduce disaster risk.

Types of Vulnerabilities
1. Physical Vulnerability. It includes population density levels, place of a settlement, the site design, and
materials used for infrastructure and housing.
2. Social Vulnerability. happens due to inability of people, organization, and societies to prevent severe
effects from hazards. Example during a typhoon the line of communications were cut off. Difficulties in
 the delivery of services such as relief goods and medicines.Therefore, when social elements were
exposed to hazard, these may lead to disruption of normal processes and activities in the community
3. Economic Vulnerability. based on the economic status of individuals, communities, and nations.
Examples in the Covid-19 pandemic wherein the most affected are those who belong to low income
and informal workers. Therefore, the poorer the country, the more vulnerable to disasters because they
lack the funds or budget.
4. Environmental Vulnerability. caused by natural resources depletion and destruction. All living
organisms are dependent on the environment for survival. Therefore, Human activities like
deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, and kaingin affect the natural abilities of the environment to protect
itself from any natural hazard due to absence of trees which may cause landslide and flash floods

Disaster Mitigation
Measures are those that eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards by means of proactive
measures taken before an emergency or disaster takes place. Mitigation is the action of reducing something's
severity, seriousness, or painfulness.

HAZARD is anything that can cause harm to people, property, or the environment. It can be something like
strong winds, earthquakes, chemicals, or unsafe roads. Potentially dangerous occurrence or activity that could
lead to loss of life, injuries, damage to property, disruptions in society, or harm to the environment. is a threat. A
future source of danger. It has the potential to cause harm to:
❖ People: Death, injury, disease, and stress
❖ Human Activity: economic , educational etc.
❖ Property: Property damage, economic loss
❖ Environment: Loss fauna and flora, pollution, loss of amenities

Classification of Hazards
a. Natural hazards might start small, like trees falling due to strong winds, or it can be a big earthquake
that damages homes, businesses, or schools. These natural events have been going on for ages, but
they only become hazards when they affect people in some way.
b. Human-made hazards, unlike natural hazards, these can often be avoided or stopped. For example,
industrial accidents, unsafe buildings, or pollution from factories are human-made hazards that we can
work to prevent.

3 Modes of Hazards
a. Dormant: The situation presents a potential hazard, but no people, property, or environment are
currently affected
b. Armed: Potential harm’s way (people, property, or environment.
c. Active: A harmful incident involving the hazard has occurred.

5 types of Hazards
1. Physical. Conditions or situations that can cause the body physical harm or intense stress.
2. Chemical. Substances that can cause harm or damage to the body, property or the environment.
3. Biological. Biological agents that can cause harm to the human body.
4. Psychological. Created during work related stressful environment.
5. Ergonomic. Problems that can occur when worker’s physical workplace or typical work procedures do
not match up w/ physical size or work position.

Hazards Signs and Symbols

1. Red. Fire protection, prohibition, danger, emergency stops on machines, red cross on medical facilities.
 2. Yellow. Risk, danger or caution, hazards of slipping, falling, striking, etc., flammable liquid storage,
yellow band on safety cans
3. Green. Safety equipment not identified elsewhere, safety board, safe condition.
4. Blue. Warning and information signs, bulletin boards, railroad uses. It indicates a safety color only if
used with a circular sign.
5. White. Housekeeping and traffic markings. Also used as contrast colors.

Impacts of Hazards
1. Physical Impact
■ Destruction and loss of vital infrastructure like transportation system, roads, bridges, power lines
and communication lines.
■ Physical injuries (bone fracture,wounds, bruises)
■ Widespread destruction of housing and buildings
2. Psychological Impact
■ Grief and psychological illness
■ Marital conflict
■ Depression due to loss of loved ones and properties
■ Chronic anxiety
3. Socio-Cultural Impact
■ Displacement of population
■ Loss of cultural identity
■ Forced of adoption of new sets of culture
■ Ethnic conflicts
4. Economic Impact
■ Loss of job due to displacement
■ Loss of harvest and livestock
■ Loss of farms, fish cages and other source of food
■ Loss of money and other valuables
5. Environmental Impact
■ Loss of forest due to forest fires
■ Loss of freshwater due to salinization
■ Disturbance of biodiversity
■ Loss of natural rivers
6. Biological Impact
■ Epidemic to people, flora and fauna
■ Chronic and permanent illness caused by biological agents
■ Spread of various viral illnesses.

Other examples for hazard impacts

Physical: Bruises, Slipped on the stairs
Psychological: Aquaphobia, Witnessing a car accident
Socio -Cultural: Migration of the family, Digital Revolution
Environmental: Expansion of urban areas, Improper disposal of plastic
Economic: Bankruptcy, Inflation
Biological: Bird’s flu, Covid 19
Earthquake Hazard
a very dangerous event, that is why for this week, we will know the different hazards of an earthquake.
For us to be knowledgeable about it, and for us to be safe, calm and survive in case it happens. It is the
shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that
creates seismic waves. “Earthquakes really pose little direct danger to a person.”

There are generally two types of earthquakes.

a. Tectonic earthquakes - generated from a sudden displacement of faults in a solid rigid layer of the earth
b. Volcanic Earthquakes - induced by rising magma or lava beneath the active volcanoes.

Methods of reducing earthquake risks are as follows:

1. Effective recording and interpretation of ground motion.
○ can be done by effective instrumentation in order to determine the location, strength and
frequency of earthquakes
○ Seismograph is an instrument used to detect and record earthquakes. Generally, it consists of
a mass attached(pendulum bob) to a fixed base. The device is used to record the motion of the
ground. Seismologists can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was.
○ Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) a Philippine national
institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and
tsunamis.
2. Constructing seismic hazard maps
○ A seismic hazard map shows the potential hazards in a given area.
○ It serves as a basis for disaster management information like locations for evacuation and
evacuation routes. The anticipated intensity of ground shaking is represented by a number
called the peak acceleration or the peak velocity.
3. Developing resistant structures
○ Able to withstand collapse by redistributing forces caused by seismic waves.
○ Developing engineered structural designs that are able to resist the forces generated by
seismic waves

Other hazards brought by the Earthquake hazards

a. Liquefaction
○ It is a process caused by water pressure which makes soil more compact. It decreases the
ground’s ability to support structures. Liquefied soil becomes less compact and ultimately lose
the ability to support roads, and etc.
b. Landslides
○ A down slope movements of rocks and other debris commonly triggered by strong shaking.
c. Tsunami
○ Destructive waves that are generated by earthquakes
○ A series of waves; waves may be up to 33 feet (10 meters) high, flooding everything in their
path.
d. Fire
○ They can be a serious problem, especially if the water lines that feed the fire hydrants are
broken, too. This ground shaking can break gas and electrical lines, sever fuel lines, and
overturn stoves.
Hazard Map provides important information to help people understand the risks of natural hazards and to help
mitigate disasters. Here indicate the extent of expected risk areas, and can be combined with disaster
management information such as evacuation sites, evacuation routes, and so forth. This kind of a map that
highlights areas that are affected by or are vulnerable to a particular hazard.

They are typically created for natural hazards, such as:

a. Earthquakes,
b. Volcanoes,
c. Landslides,
d. Flooding, and
e. Tsunamis.

Seismic Risk Assessment defined as the evaluation of potential economic losses, loss of function, loss of
confidence, fatalities, and injuries from earthquake hazards.
Seismic Design Categories (SDC) will help us in interpreting an earthquake map.

There are four steps involved in

conducting a seismic risk assessment:
1. an evaluation of earthquake
hazards and prepare hazard zonation
maps;
2. an inventory of elements at risk,
e.g., structures and population;
3. a vulnerability assessment;
4. determination of levels of
acceptable risk.

7 important components of a map

a. Compass rose - This will give
you the proper direction. This is
also called “orientation.”
b. Title - It tells what the map is
about.
c. Symbols - These are pictures
instead of symbols
d. Legend or Key - It explains the
meaning of symbols and color.
e. Color - It highlights the
important information to help interpret
maps.
f. Scale - It shows the proportion
of maps to real life.
g. Grid Reference - These are
intersecting lines to help locate specific
places on the map. In some maps, it is
also called “border.”
Volcanic Hazards
The phenomena arising from volcanic activity that pose potential threat to person or property in a given
area within a given period of time.

Other hazards brought by volcanic hazard

a. Lava Flow are stream-like flows of incandescent molten rock erupted from a crater or a fissure.
When lava is degassed and/or very vicious, it tends to extrude extremely slowly, forming lava
domes. Lava flows rarely threaten human life because lava usually moves slowly - - a few
centimeters per hour for silicic flows to several km/hour for basaltic flows. Most hazards of lava
flows - - burying, crushing, covering, burning everything in their path. Areas affected by lava
flows once solidified are also rendered useless and will not be useful anymore(for agriculture,
etc) for years due to the solid nature of the lava deposit.
b. Ash Fall / Tephra fall showers of airborne fine- or coarse- grained volcanic particles that
threaten to fall out from the plumes of volcanic eruption; ash fall distribution/ dispersal is
dependent on prevailing wind direction.
Effects
1. Can cause poor or low visibility
2. Loss agricultural land
3. Dangerous for aircrafts as the abrasive ash can cause the engines to fail
c. Pyroclastic flows are turbulent masses of ejected fragmented volcanic materials( ash and
rocks), mixed with hot gasses that flow downslope at a very high speed.
Effects
1. Destroy anything on its path by direct impact
2. Burn sites with hot rocks debris
3. Burn forests, farmlands, destroy crops and buildings
4. Deadly effects include asphyxiation( inhalation of hot gasses), burial, incineration
(burn) and crushing from impacts.
d. Lahar is a rapidly flowing thick mixture of volcanic sediments( from the pyroclastic materials)
and it is already mixed with water.
e. Volcanic Gasses these are the gasses and aerosols released into the atmosphere, which
include water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride,
hydrogen fluoride.
f. Debris avalanche is a massive collapse a volcano, usually triggered by an earthquake or a
volcanic eruption
g. Ballistic projectiles some volcanic materials directly ejected from the volcano’s vent with force
and trajectory.

Alert Levels for Volcanic Activities

Modes of Volcanoes
a. Active. had at least one eruption during the past 10,000 years. An active volcano might be erupting or
dormant.
b. Erupting. an active volcano that is having an eruption.
c. Dormant. is an active volcano that is not erupting, but supposed to erupt again.
d. Extinct. has not had an eruption for at least 10,000 years and is not expected to erupt again in a
comparable time scale of the future.

Signs of Impending Volcanic Eruption

1. Increase in the frequency of volcanic quakes with rumbling sounds; occurrence of volcanic tremors
2. Increased steaming activity; change in color of steam from white to gray due to entrained ash
3. Crater glow due to presence of magma at or near the crater
4. Ground swells (or inflation), ground tilt and ground fissuring due to magma intrusion. Magma, gasses,
and other volcanic fluids tend to cause the surface of the Earth to bulge upward (inflate) or spread apart
which can eventually lead to ground fissuring or cracking.
5. Localized landslides, rock falls and landslides from the summit area that are not attributed to heavy
rains
6. Noticeable increase in drying up of vegetation around the volcano's upper slopes
7. Increase in temperature of hot springs, wells (e.g. Bulusan and Canlaon) and crater lake (e.g. Taal)
near the volcano
8. Noticeable variation in the chemical content of springs, crater lakes within the vicinity of the volcano
9. Drying up of springs/wells around the volcano.
10. Development of new thermal areas and/or reactivation of old ones; appearance of solfataras (craters
with sulfur gas)

*** Good Luck ***

Remember, even the most prepared communities face challenges. But with your knowledge, you
can handle whatever this exam throws your way!