Disaster

Readiness and
Risk
Reduction
Lesson 3 – Basic Concept of Hazard
 Introduction
One important key to safety is understanding a particular incident
or phenomenon that may affect people’s life. An ordinary incident or
natural phenomenon may turn into a hazard once it becomes active
and poses harm or danger to life and property. This is the basic
concept of hazard everyone should be aware of.
Definition of Hazards
Hazards are those elements of the physical environment, harmful to man and caused by forces extraneous to
him. (Burton et al 1978)

Standards Australia(2000) defines a hazard as:

“A source of potential harm or a situation with a potential to cause loss.”

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) describes hazard as:

“A natural event that has the potential to cause harm or loss.”
General Classification of Hazards
1. Natural Hazards such as earthquake or floods arise from purely natural
processes in the environment.

2. Quasi-natural hazards such as smog or desertification that arise through the

interaction of natural processes and human activities.

3. Technological (or human-made) hazards such as the toxicity of pesticides

to agricultural lands, accidental leaks of chemicals from chemical
laboratories or radiation from a nuclear plant. These arise directly as a result
of human activities.
 Types of Hazards
ATMOSPHERIC
Single Element Combined Element/Events
• Excess Rainfall • Hurricanes
• Freezing Rain (Glaze) • Glaze storm
• Hail • Thunderstorms
• Heavy Snow falls • Blizzards
• High Wind speeds • Tornadoes
• Extreme temperature • Heat/Cold Stress
HYDROLOGIC
• Floods
• Wave action
• Drought
• Rapid glacier advance
GEOLOGIC
• Mass movement (landslide, mudslides, avalanche)

• Earthquake

• Volcanic Eruption

• Rapid sediment movement

BIOLOGIC
• Epidemic in humans

• Epidemic in plants

• Epidemic in animals

• Locusts
TECHNOLOGIC
• Transportation accident
• Industrial explosions and fire
• Accidental release of toxic elements
• Nuclear accidents
• Collapse of public buildings
• Cyber Terrorism
Impacts of Various Hazards on Different
Exposed Elements
According to the International Center for integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD) the impacts of various hazards vary in severity and
vary in regard to how long they last. In many ways wealth and development
assist in the way people recover from hazards. A more economically
developed country can prepare for and predict hazards more effectively and
they have more resources to support a faster recovery. However there is also a
need for resilience. In many developing countries people who experienced
hardship can often recover more quickly from hazard.
COMMON LONG TERM IMPACTS OF NATURAL HAZARD

Physical Impact

•Death of People

•Destruction and loss of vital

infrastructure like transport system ,
roads, bridges, power, lines and
communication lines.

•Wide spread loss of housing

Psychological impact

• Grief and psychological trauma

• Marital conflicts

• Depression due to loss of loved ones

and properties

• Chronic anxiety among children

severely affected
Socio – Cultural Impact

• Displacement of population

• Loss of Cultural Identity

• Forced adoption of new sets of culture

• Ethnic conflicts
Economic Impact

• Loss of job due to displacement

• Loss of harvest and livestock

• Loss of farms, fish cages, and other sources

of living

• Loss of money and other valuables like

jewelries, furniture and appliances
Biological Impact

• Epidemic to people, flora and fauna

• Chronic and permanent illnesses due to

nuclear radiation

• Mental disorder developed from

consumption of contaminated foods

• Proliferation of different viral and

bacterial diseases
Environmental Impact

• Loss of forest due to forest fires

• Loss of fresh water due to salination (intrusion

of salt water to fresh water sources)

• Disturbance of biodiversity

• Loss of natural rivers and other tributaries

Activity:

Classify the following hazards according to their types:

1. Earthquakes : _____________________
2. Hurricanes : _____________________
3. Flash Floods : _____________________
4. Thunderstorms : _____________________
5. Blizzards : _____________________
6. Drought : _____________________
7. Volcanic Eruptions : _____________________
8. Epidemics : ______________________
9. Nuclear leaks : ______________________
10. Cyber terrorism : ______________________