L1.1: Definition of Terms

• UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Formerly UNISDR
  • Is the United Nations Focal point for disaster risk reduction.
• UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Oversees the implementation of the Sendai Framework for disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 supporting countries in its implementation, monitoring and sharing that works in reducing existing risk & preventing the creation of new risk
• Hazard

  • A process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause:
  • loss of life
  • injury or other health impacts
  • property damage
  • social and economic disruption or environmental degradation
• Vulnerability

  • The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.
• Exposure

  • The situation of:
  • People
  • Infrastructure
  • Housing
  • roduction capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas.
• Capacity

  • The opposite of vulnerability is capacity.
  • It refers to those positive conditions or abilities which increase a community’s ability to deal with hazards.
• Capacity

  • Is the combination of all strengths and resources available within the community, society or organization that can reduce the level of risk or effects of a disaster.
• Disaster

  • A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and impacts
• Key ideas on Disaster

  • What: A serious disruption in the function of the community/society at any scale
  • Why: Hazardous events interacting with exposure, vulnerability & capacity
  • Leads to losses + impacts on: humans, materials, economic or environmental
• Risk

  • The PROBABILITY that a community’s structure or geographic area is to be DAMAGED or DISRUPTED by the impact of a particular HAZARD, on account of their nature, construction, and proximity to a hazardous area.
• Disaster Risk

  • The potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacity
• Nature of Disaster

  • Hazard interacts with Vulnerability, Exposure & Capacity
  • (Hazard x vulnerability x exposure) / Capacity