DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

AND MANAGEMENT
AWARENESS
 NSTP 1: Lesson 1 – Calamity and
Disaster Preparedness
Learning Objectives:
Through an interactive discussion, the students are expected to do the following with at least 75%
accuracy:

a. describe the geographic profile of the Philippines;

b. identify the Philippine disasters;
c. explain the Philippine disaster reduction and management act
(RA10121); and
d. discuss the role of the youth in disaster preparedness.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Geographic Profile of the Philippines
We will determine the Philippine Geographic setting
such as: Location, Size and Boundaries.

2. Role of the Youth in Disaster Preparedness

We will discuss the importance of disaster preparedness and the
contribution that the youth can provide.

3. Categories of Disaster
We will identify what are the different categories of disaster.
 LESSON 1:
CALAMITY AND DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS
 ACTIVITY:
A PICTURE IS WORTH A
THOUSAND WORDS
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE
PHILIPPINES
1. Location – The Philippines comprises an archipelago of some 7,107 islands located
in Southeast Asia, between the South China Sea on the west and the Philippine Sea on
the east. The major islands are Luzon in the north, Visayan Islands in the middle and
Mindanao in the south.

2. Size – The total area is about 300,000 square kilometers including about 298,000
square kilometers of land and about 2,000 square kilometers of water.

3. Land Boundaries – The Philippines has no land boundaries. Nearby neighbors are
Taiwan to the north, Malaysia and Indonesia to the south, Vietnam to the west and
China to the northwest.
4. Disputed Territory – The Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam hold
conflicting claims to the portions of the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands, which
are called the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands in the Philippines. The Philippines also
disputes Malaysia’s claim to the state of Sabah.

5. Length of Coastlines – Estimates of the total length of coastline range from 17, 500
square kilometers (official Philippine figure) to 36,298 kilometers (U.S. figure).

6. Maritime Claims – The Philippines claims a territorial sea of up to 100 nautical

miles from the nearest coastline, an area that includes the entire Sulu Sea and the
northern part of the Celebes Sea. A presidential decree in 1978 announced additional
baselines, which in effect extended the territorial sea to claim an area up to 285 nautical
miles in breadth in the South China Sea west of Palawan Island.
7. Topography – The Philippines consists of volcanic islands, including active
volcanoes, with mostly mountainous interiors surrounded by flat lowlands and alluvial
plains of varying widths along the coasts. The elevation ranges from sea level to the
highest point of Mount Apo in Mindanao Island, at 2,954 meters above sea level.

8. Principal Rivers – The lonest river is the Cagayan (Rio Grande de Cagayan) in
Luzon, about 350 kilometers in length. Other principal rivers in Luzon include the
Abra, Bicol, Chico and Pampanga. The Pasig River is only about 25 kilometers in
length but serves as the main waterway, flowing between Laguna de Bay, the largest
freshwater lake in the Philippines, through metropolitan Manila to Manila Bay.
Principal rivers in Mindanao include the Mindanao River (known as the Pulangi River
in its upper reaches), and the Agusan. The St. Paul River in Palawan is an eight-
kilometer-long underground river.
DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT
(DRRM)
is a range of activities (preparedness, mitigation, prevention,
emergency response, recovery) that contribute to increasing
capacities and reducing immediate and long term vulnerabilities to
prevent, or at least minimize, the damaging impact in a community.
As a youth, how or in what way can
we contribute to disaster
preparedness?
ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
YOUTH ROLES
By involving youth in disaster preparedness and recovery efforts,
youth-serving agencies can help to not only increase youths’
awareness of particular hazards, but can also enhance the chance
that they openly discuss how to adequately protect their families
and loved ones and understand how to seek help should their
community be affected according to Lauten (2002).
They may assist communities in mapping their risk and protective
factors or may hold leadership positions within programs. Some
additional roles include:

1. Sharing the message.

2. Acting as change makers – Youth can act as change makers by
sharing information they learned in youth preparedness programs
and helping parents and communities to prepare for disaster, for
example by developing a disaster plan or disaster preparation kit.
3. Bringing creativity – Youth can bring creative and resourceful
ideas to disaster preparedness efforts.
CATEGORIES
OF DISASTER
 NATURAL DISASTERS
refers to those disasters that are triggered by natural phenomena. These phenomena (such as
earthquakes, cyclones, floods, etc.) are known technically as natural hazards. The term
"natural disaster" can be misleading because it implies that the disasters are solely a result of
natural hazards when in fact human endeavors are a major contributing factor in creating a
disaster.
 MAN-MADE DISASTERS
refers to disasters resulting from man-made hazards. Man-made disasters can be divided
into three categories: armed conflict, technological disasters, and disasters that are caused
by natural hazards but that occur in human settlements.
1. ARMED CONFLICT AND CIVIL STRIFE
Disaster management concerns itself with various
aspects of armed conflicts and civil strife, including the
protection and support of displaced persons and
refugees during the conflict; physical and economic
reconstruction; and social rehabilitation in the
aftermath of the conflict. e.g. Mindanao's Abu Sayyaf
and Moro National Liberation Front activities in
Mindanao.
2. TECHNOLOGICAL DISASTERS
These are disasters which are usually a result of accidents or
incidents occurring in the manufacture, transport, or
distribution of hazardous substances such as fuel, chemicals,
explosives, or nuclear materials. The Catastrophic gas leak at
the pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, in 1984 is an example of
this. It may bean indication of future industrial disasters in
Third World nations because they may not be well-equipped to
cope upwith their own rapid development.
3. DISASTERS IN HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Urban fire is the kind of principal disaster of this type. There
can be devastating effect when fires break out in low level
communities or in depressed areas. Flimsy wooden shanties
packed closely together create conditions that allow the fires to
spread quickly and burn virtually out of control. As unchecked
urban growth continues, this threat will be more greater.
COMMON TYPES
OF DISASTER
COMMON TYPES OF DISASTER
The different disasters affecting not only Filipinos but any country
as such are:

1. Earthquake
2. Volcanic eruption
3. Tsunami
4. Tropical cyclone (typhoon, hurricane)
5. Flood
6. Landslide
7. Bushfire (or wildfire)
8. Drought
9. Epidemic
10. Major accident, and
11. Armed conflict and civil unrest
GENERAL EFFECTS OF DISASTER
1. Loss of Life
2. Injury
3. Damage to and destruction of property
4. Damage to and destruction of subsistence and cash crops
5. Disruption of production
6. Disruption of lifestyles
7. Loss of livelihood
8. Disruption of essential services
9. Damage to national infrastructure and disruption of governmental
systems
10. National economic loss, and
11. Sociological and psychological after-effects
WHAT IS YOUR OWN
DEFINITION OF
PREPAREDNESS?
JUSTIFY.
 SUGGESTIONS TO
ENHANCE COMMUNITY
PREPAREDNESS
1. Appreciation of the fact that any disaster can occur with or
without warning,
2. Awareness on the characteristic and corresponding effects
of calamities,
3. Identification of vulnerable and disaster prone areas in the
locality,
4. Readiness in responding to the threats of natural and man-
made hazards,
5. Capability to do what must be done and when to do it
incase disaster strikes, and
6. Application of counter-measures to cushion the impact of
the calamity.
POSSIBLE GENERAL
DISASTER COUNTER
MEASURES
1. Development of possible warning indicators,
2. Land-use regulations,
3. Building regulations,
4. Relocation of communities,
5. Public awareness and education programs,
6. Evacuation plans and arrangements,
7. Fire prevention regulations, and
8. International cooperation in information
campaign.
THE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
 THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. PREVENTION. These are actions designed to impede the occurrence of a disaster or its harmful effects
on communities and key installations.
2. MITIGATION. These are programs intended to reduce the ill effects of disaster.
3. PREPAREDNESS. These are measures, which enable governments, organizations, communities and
individuals to respond quickly and effectively to disaster situations.
4. DISASTER IMPACT. This reminds us that the impact of disasters can vary between different types of
disasters.
5. RESPONSE. These are measures taken immediately prior to and following disaster impact.
6. RECOVERY. This is a process by which communities and organizations are assessed in returning to their
proper level of functioning following a disaster.
7. DEVELOPMENT. This provides the link between disaster-related activities and national development.
 DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS BEFORE
WE GO?
 “At the end of the day, the goals are
simple: SAFETY AND SECURITY."
— Anonymous