EXPOSURE AND

VULNERABILITY
HAZARD – something that poses a threat to life, health, property and environment; the THREAT

RISK – the chance that someone or something will be hurt by that hazard
Vulnerability is the quality of being easily hurt.

; Exposure is a measure of assets exposed to the potential damage

ELEMENTS EXPOSED TO HAZARD
Exposure refers to the “elements at risk” from a natural or man-made
hazard event. Elements at risk include the following:
1. Human beings
2. Dwellings or households and communities
3. Buildings and structures
4. Public facilities and infrastructure assets
5. Public and transport system
6. Agricultural commodities

WHAT IS VULNERABILITY
Vulnerability is defined as “the characteristics and circumstances of a
community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a
hazard. Examples may include poor design and construction of buildings,
inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and awareness,
limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures, and disregard for
wise environmental management.
 REASONS WHY CERTAIN SECTORS OF SOCIETY ARE MORE VULNERABLE
TO DISASTER THAN OTHERS
Vulnerability can be seen as the result of a process in which various different things cause a
population to be more vulnerable.

1. Demographic Factors
• Population density – the more dense the population, the more efficient a response should be.
• Age population – very old and very young population are less mobile and able to respond to
hazard events well.
• Distribution of population – populations may be distributed differently within the hazard area,
e.g. elderly people or lower floors of apartment buildings, or concentrations of highly vulnerable
people in poorer areas of a city.
2. Socio-economic Factors
• Wealth – Low income populations are less likely to be well prepared.
• Education – Education programs such as Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) shake
drill can instruct populations on how to deal with hazard events like the BIG ONE.
• Nature of society – in highly centralized government structures, efficient emergency response
may be the result of careful planning and training of personnel. However, bureaucracy
sometimes set in which affects relief operations during calamities
• Understanding of the area – recent migrants are likely to struggle to cope with hazard effects
compared to established population.
3. Community Preparedness
• Building Codes – Rigorous and applied building codes protect most buildings
from collapse during earthquakes..
• Scientific monitoring and early warning systems – established monitoring
system can prepare people for the onslaught of any kind of disaster.
• Communication networks – countries with good quality and widespread
communication networks allow messages to be quickly shared during disaster
• Emergency planning – Preparation is the key element of prevention.

4. Dealing with the after-effects

• Insurance Cover – another important aspect of preparation is how to deal with the
after effects of a disaster
• Emergency personnel – These are trained for community preparedness. Training
of more emergency personnel as part of disaster risk mitigation, reduction and
management.
• Aid request – Outside help in the form of humanitarian aid is necessary during a
disaster.
 4 TYPES OF VULNERABILITY
1. Physical vulnerability (e.g. wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an
earthquake but are more vulnerable to fire and typhoon)
2. Social Vulnerability – refers to the inability of people, organizations, and
societies to withstand adverse impact to hazards (e.g. when flooding,
children and elderlies may be unable to protect themselves or evacuate if
necessary)
3. Economic vulnerability – level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the
economic status of individuals, communities and nations. (e.g. Poor families
may live in squatter settlements because they cannot afford to live in safer
areas.)
4. Environmental vulnerability –(e.g. wetlands are sensitive to increasing
salinity from sea water and pollution from storm water runoff containing
agricultural chemicals, eroded soils, etc.
 4 TYPES OF VULNERABILITY
1. Physical vulnerability (e.g. wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an
earthquake but are more vulnerable to fire and typhoon)
2. Social Vulnerability – refers to the inability of people, organizations, and
societies to withstand adverse impact to hazards (e.g. when flooding,
children and elderlies may be unable to protect themselves or evacuate if
necessary)
3. Economic vulnerability – level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the
economic status of individuals, communities and nations. (e.g. Poor families
may live in squatter settlements because they cannot afford to live in safer
areas.)
4. Environmental vulnerability –(e.g. wetlands are sensitive to increasing
salinity from sea water and pollution from storm water runoff containing
agricultural chemicals, eroded soils, etc.
 RISK FACTORS People
Risk signifies the possibility of Building
Social
Economic
Business
adverse effects in the future. It Infrastructure
physical

is derived from the interaction

of social and environmental
processes, from the
combination of physical Earthquake
Tsunami
hazards and the vulnerabilities Floods
Landslides
of exposed elements. The volcanoes
following is a discussion of the
three factors of risk presented If any amount of the sides
in a Triagram: increases the amount of
risk also increases.
Philippine Vulnerabilities to Natural Disaster