VULNERABILITY

DRRR - 12
 LESSON OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, you will

be able to:
• describe factors considered to
assess the level of vulnerability

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 LESSON OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, you will be

able to:
• enumerate and recognize
vulnerabilities of different elements
exposed to specific hazards

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Let’s have a short exercise:

In your 1/8 sheet of paper, write

one hazard that you observed
from your previous activity and
explain why it can make the
community vulnerable to a
disaster?
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 Factors affecting vulnerability of one’s
community:

1. Proximity to a hazard event

2. Population density near a hazard event
3. Capacity and efficiency to reduce disaster risk
4. Building codes and disaster policies

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 1. PROXIMITY TO A HAZARD EVENT

• An area frequented by a certain

hazard predisposes it to high
vulnerability

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 1. PROXIMITY TO A HAZARD EVENT

Example:
Earthquake hazard is more likely to happen
in the Philippines than in Brazil because the
Philippines is situated along the Pacific
Ring of Fire.
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 2. POPULATION DENSITY NEAR A
HAZARD

• Population – refers to the number

of individuals inhabiting a
particular space at the same time.

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 2. POPULATION DENSITY NEAR A
HAZARD

• Population Density – refers to the

number of individuals in an area
in relation to the size of that area.

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 2. POPULATION DENSITY NEAR A
HAZARD

• Crowded communities have

high vulnerability to hazards

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 2. POPULATION DENSITY NEAR A
HAZARD

Example:
When fire hazard breaks out in a congested
area, it spreads quickly and easily because of
the lack of spacing in between the houses.

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 3. CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY TO
REDUCE DISASTER RISK

• It includes the accessibility and

availability of services and
facilities that help in preparing
for or during disasters.
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 3. CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY TO
REDUCE DISASTER RISK

• It results in the ability of a community

to anticipate, adapt and respond to
the changes in socio-ecological and
economic impacts that are usually
experienced after a disaster.
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 3. CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY TO
REDUCE DISASTER RISK

Example:
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-
ASA) uses modern equipment and
technology to accurately predict super
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 4. BUILDING CODES AND DISASTER
POLICIES

• Hazard-resistant structures can

lower the vulnerability of the
community, especially if the
features or designs of the
structures are hazard-specific.
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 4. BUILDING CODES AND DISASTER
POLICIES

Example:
Japan inspires many countries in the kind of
technology it uses to lower its vulnerability to
earthquakes and tsunamis. One of Japan’s
approaches to lowering its vulnerability to such
hazards is manifested in its architectural and
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THE
CONCEPT
OF EXPOSURE
The concept of EXPOSURE

Geoscience Australia
defines exposure as “the
elements at risk from a
natural or man-made
hazard event.”
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 CONCEPT OF EXPOSURE

These elements include:

• Individuals, households or communities,
properties, buildings and structures,
agricultural commodities, livelihoods, and
public facilities, infrastructure, and
environmental assets present in an area that
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 CONCEPT OF EXPOSURE

• the more a community is

exposed to hazard factors, the
higher the disaster risk

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 CONCEPT OF EXPOSURE

• a community can be
exposed but is not
necessarily vulnerable.
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 CONCEPT OF EXPOSURE

Example:
• The buildings in Japan are exposed to
earthquakes but they are not necessarily
vulnerable because of their structural
and engineering designs that make them
earthquake resistant.
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ELEMENTS
EXPOSED TO
HAZARDS
THREE MAIN ELEMENTS
CONSIDERED IN THE EXPOSURE
OF A COMMUNITY TO A HAZARD:
1. PHYSICAL ELEMENTS
2. SOCIOECONOMIC
ELEMENTS
3. ENVIRONMENTAL
ELEMENTS
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 1. PHYSICAL ELEMENTS

• these are elements that are

tangible or can be visually seen.
• example: landscapes,
inhabitants, buildings, and
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other structures
 1. PHYSICAL ELEMENTS

• These physical elements may

be altered or entirely
destroyed if they are exposed
during a hazard event
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 1. PHYSICAL ELEMENTS

Example:

• Decrease population density

from a high fatality rate,
resulting from a devastating
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earthquake
 2. SOCIOECONOMIC ELEMENTS

• refers to the manner of

social interactions and not
the individuals or structures
that involved in the system
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 2. SOCIOECONOMIC ELEMENTS

• These comprise the institutional

and government systems that
dictate the kid of well-being and
lifestyle of communities.
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 2. SOCIOECONOMIC ELEMENTS

Example:

• Socioeconomic elements exposed to hazards such

as flooding and storm surge includes systems of
communication, transportation, delivery of basic
facilities, goods and services, network market and
trade, stability of fishing industries and other
livelihoods dependent on aquatic resources, and
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peace and order.
 3. ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS

• these include the

ecosystems and the
natural processes that are
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exposed to hazard events.
 3. ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS

• Organisms (humans,
animals, and plants)
depend on the
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environment for survival.
 3. ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS

Example:
• The absence or reduced number of
trees may aggravate
landslides/flashfloods. The aftermath
of these hazard events may be
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 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:

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 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:
A hazard can lead to a disaster
if:
a. the community is exposed
to it; and
b. the community’s
circumstance or situation
make it vulnerable
 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:
The combination of
exposure and vulnerability
determines the level of
disaster a community will
most likely experience.
 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:
• Quantifying vulnerability is
used in estimating how
much mitigation and
preparedness measures
will be applied.
 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:
• Computation is based on the
previous hazard events and
severity of their effects.

• Vulnerability can be expressed

as: 0 = lowest degree of
vulnerability and
• 1 as the highest degree.
 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:
• Vulnerability of people is
the ratio of casualties or
injured to the total
population.
 RELATIONSHIP OF HAZARD,
EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY:

• Vulnerability of buildings is
expressed as a repair cost
or degree of damage.
 Summary

The Philippines has high vulnerability due to

the following reasons:
•It lies in the Pacific typhoon belt and we are visited by an
•average of 20 typhoons every year.
•Rugged nature of the landscape makes it vulnerable to
landslide, mudflows, and other disasters. 2/8/20XX 41
 Summary

The Philippines has high vulnerability due to the following

reasons:
•It has the longest shoreline in the world at 32,400 km making
•it vulnerable to storm surges.
•It is still a primary agricultural and fishing economy.
•With poor institutional and social capacity to manage,
respond, and recover from natural hazard events. 42
 Summary

The Philippines has high vulnerability due to the

following reasons:
• With high level of poverty
• Aside from typhoon, it is also at risk to volcanic
eruptions, quakes, and floods.
• It is an archipelagic country with many small islands
where some areas are at below sea level. 43
 Thank You!

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