Disaster Readiness and Risk

Reduction 11
Unit 2:
Exposure and Vulnerability
 What Is Risk?
It is defined as used interchangeably with hazard. However in the field of
disaster management risk is the product of hazards and vulnerability.
What is Hazard:
* Source of potential damage, harm, or adverse
of health effects on something or someone.
Formula: (Hazard) (Vulnerability)=
Risk
What is Vulnerability?
*The characteristics and circumstances of a community,
system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging
effects of hazards.
 Content Standards:

1. elements exposed to hazard:

Physical, Social, Economic, Environmental

2. Vulnerability of Exposed

Learning Outcomes Intended

1. Enumerate elements exposed to hazards.

2. Explain the meaning of vulnerability.

3. Explain why certain sectors of society are more vulnerable to disaster than others.

4. Analyze why certain stuctures are more vulnerable to specifi c hazards than others.
Conti nuati on of The Intended Learning of the Learning

Outcomes
5. Determine elements that are exposed to a particular hazard.
6. Recognize vulnerabilities of different elements exposed to specific hazard.
7. Differentiate hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities and give examples from actual situations.

Lesson Number 1:
Elements. exposed to risk pertain to anything which are susceptible persons or
properties to the danger brought by any disaster.

All objects, persons, animals, activities and process that may be adversely by
hazardous phenomena, in a particular are, either directly or indirectly.
 A. Physical Elements
.These elements comprises aspects of geography, location, place, and place, and physical

structures like infrastructures.

*Buildings *Bridges *Houses (Some Houses are built in cost effectivity that has little concern on
disaster safety)
*Here are some tips on building disaster- safe House:
1. Consult engineers and architects for they are the best people for the job to determine your safety.
2. Install disaster-resistant designs in your houses.
3. Use the right materials.
4. Identify the right location for your home.
B. Social Elements
. This includes demography, social groups, and health well being
1.Demography= Pertains to the diversity of people as to gender, age , health, and others
2.Social Groups
Tourists =Often victimized by man-made disasters 4.sv
Ethnic groups
3. Health and Well being vulnerability
Economic Elements
Environmental Elements
 A. Physical Elements
.These elements comprises aspects of geography, location, place, and place, and physical
structures like infrastructures.
*Buildings *Bridges *Houses (Some Houses are built in cost effectivity that has little
concern on disaster safety)
*Here are some tips on building disaster- safe House:
1. Consult engineers and architects for they are the best people for the job to determine your
safety.
2. Install disaster-resistant designs in your houses.
3. Use the right materials.
4. Identify the right location for your home.
B. Social Elements
. This includes demography, social groups, and health well being
1.Demography= Pertains to the diversity of people as to gender, age , health,
and others
2.Social Groups
Tourists =Often victimized by man-made disasters 4.sv
Ethnic groups
3. Health and Well being vulnerability
Economic Elements
Environmental Elements
LESSON 2:
A. Vulnerability Definition
• The characteristic of community as being susceptible or prone to
hazard or disasters.
B. Due to several characteristics or conditions such as:
*Physical *Social *Economic *Environmental *Economic
 Physical Vulnerability
. Pertains to physical aspect of the community, the people , and the infrastructures.
*Community= Located on low-laying areas
*Aspect= People may pertain to demographic profile

Social Vulnerability
. Incapability of the community to survive the hostile effects of threats of disasters.
. Due to the principles and beliefs of the people in certain locality.
 Social Vulnerability Includes Aspects Related To
1. Awareness of the people to disasters.
2. The existence of emergency-preparedness plan.
3. Access to basic social service.
4. Customs and Traditions.
5. Leadership of government offi cials.
6. Optimism in life.
Example:
Even when the weather bureau
forecasted the possible occurrence of
storm surge, people refused to leave
the locality because of mistrust to the
local government, lack of awareness
about storm surge, and the fear of
losing their sources of livelihood.
 Economic Vulnerability
*Associated with the financial status of a person in a safer place and build a safer home.
• This Situation could be much drawn to people that are in a state of great poverty.
• This Situation can also be applied to countries which are not economically progressive

Examples:
*Poor families or people that live in a squatter settlements
*Poor families or people that live in coastal areas and bridges.
* The country of that is consistently in the ranks among the
poorest countries globally. Due to that state it results to low
standard infrastructures, emergency equipment, supplies, and
reliefs.
Reasons:
Incapacity to sustain a better and safe place due to financial
crisis, cost-of-living crisis, and debt-burdens.
Fluctuations in the stock market, changes in interest rate, fall
in home prices, political issues that affect the state of the
government, and many more.

Environmental Vulnerability
*It refers both susceptibility to the negative socioeconomic Impacts of environmental variability and the degree
to which a community is able to cope, resist, and recover from the impacts of environmental events.

Examples: *Wild Fires

*Deforestation
*Mountains that erode due to heavy rainfall
How to Deal With Risks?
1.Risk Identification
2.Risk Classification
3. Risk Acceptance
4. Risk Avoidance
5. Risk Reduction
6.Risk Transfer

Lesson 3: Vulnerability Of Exposed Elements

1. Vulnerability of Physical Elements:
• May be determined aspects such as population density levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site,
design and materials used for critical infrastructures and for housing.
• To reduce it we can place them in a more strategic place
• Physical component of a community also affects in vulnerability consists: Natural features of the place
and weather , Infrastructure , and People
2. Vulnerability of Social Elements
• Pertains to the overall aspect of the society which a combination of political, cultural, and personal characteristics .
• The behavior of people in a certain community has direct influence to social vulnerability:
1. The Intervention Of Mass Media
2. Trust To The Government
3. Reliance of Governmental Agencies

. However to understand it fully the factors of affecting social vulnerability of community, consider the following:

A. Type of Community
B. The composition of Community
C. Housing Structures

3. Vulnerability of Environmental Elements

. Pertains to the physical aspect of the environment which may be at risk to occurrence disasters.
. Environmental factors may reduce or increase the risk of disasters . However, the capability of the environment to
reduce the impacts of disasters are reduced by:
1st Poor Environmental Practice Like
A. Illegal Logging
B. Dynamite Fishing
C. Illegal Mining Activities

2nd Pollution
D. Water Pollution
E. Soil Pollution

3rd Lack Of Urban Planning That Leads To The Destruction of Our Seas And Mountains
4. Vulnerability of Economic Elements

. Pertain to small, medium, and large enterprises that provides job and manufactured products. These
elements are likewise vulnerable to disasters. In times of natural calamities, there products may be
damaged, production may be lessened and so supply will be affected . There are also instances
wherein disaster can lead to loss of job or loss of business

.To understand the concept of vulnerability of economics we must consider the question:

‘Are we financially capable to reduce the risk of disasters and ultimately cope with effects?’