L2.2 Vulnerability

• 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.
  • is one of the defining components of disaster risk
• Vulnerability

  • It is the human dimension of disaster
  • is often described using a variety of terms - ‘fragility’, ‘weakness’, ‘deficiency’ or ‘lack of capacity’.
• Vulnerability relates to a number of factors, including:

  1. Physical
  2. Social
  3. Economic
  4. Environmental
• Physical

  • may be determined by aspects such as:
  • population density levels
  • remoteness of a settlement
  • the site
  • design and materials used for critical infrastructure and for housing
• Physical

  • e.g. poor design and construction of buildings, unregulated land use planning, etc.
  • In general, buildings with simple geometry in plan have performed well in strong earthquakes. Buildings with re-entrant corners like those U, V, H and + shaped in plan have sustained significant damage.
• Social

  • Refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand adverse impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions, institutions and systems of cultural values.
• Social

  • It is linked to the level of well being of individuals, communities and society.
  • It includes aspects related to:

  1. levels of literacy and education
  2. the existence of peace and security
  3. access to basic human rights
  4. systems of good governance
  5. social equity
  6. positive traditional values
  7. customs and ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational systems (UNISDR).
• Social

  Determinants:

  • Weak family structures
  • Lack of leadership for decision-making & conflict resolution
  • Unequal participation in decision making
  • Weak or no community organizations
  • Discrimination on racial, ethnic, linguistic or religious basis
  • Culture, tradition, local norms & values
  • Political accountability
• Social

  Determinants:

  • Weak family structures
  • Lack of leadership for decision-making & conflict resolution
  • Unequal participation in decision making
  • Weak or no community organizations
  • Discrimination on racial, ethnic, linguistic or religious basis
  • Culture, tradition, local norms & values
  • Political accountability
• Economic

  • The level of vulnerability is dependent upon the economic status of individuals, communities & nations.
  • Can be assessed by determining:
  • How varied its sources of income are
  • The ease of access and control over means of production (e.g. farmland, livestock, irrigation, capital etc.)
  • Adequacy of economic fall back mechanisms
  • The availability of natural resources in the area
• Economic

  Poor people tend to suffer worst from disasters for the following reasons:

  • Living in hazard-exposed areas and are less able to invest in risk-reducing measures.
  • Lack of access to insurance and social protection require the use of their already limited assets to buffer disaster losses, which drives them into further poverty.
• Economic

  Poverty is therefore:

  • Cause
  • Consequence of disaster risk (extensive risk)
• Environmental

  Key Aspects

  • Natural resource depletion: overconsumption of natural resources, decline of risk regulating ecosystem services, climate change, etc.
  • Resource degradation: poor environmental management
• Environmental

  Environmental degradation

  • The reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs.
  • Examples: land degradation, deforestation, desertification, wildland fires, loss of biodiversity, land, water and air pollution, climate change, sea level rise and ozone depletion.
• Environmental

  • Environmental degradation increases disaster risks
  • Degradation of wetlands and mangroves along river courses, results in increased flooding.
  • Deforestation and crop farming on slopes also lead to an increase in flood
• Environmental

  Forest, grasslands or coastal ecosystems like: mangroves, coral reefs, sea-grass

  • Reduce exposure to natural hazards.
  • Contribute to nutrition, income and wellbeing.
  • Can enhance coping capacity in the event of a disaster
• Why does Vulnerability Matter?

  • disaster risk not only depends on the severity of hazard or the number of people or assets exposed, but it is also a reflection of the susceptibility of people and economic assets to suffer loss and damage.
• Why does Vulnerability matter?

  • Levels of vulnerability (and exposure) help to explain why some non-extreme hazards can lead to extreme impacts and disasters, while some extreme events do not.
  • In the context of extensive risk in particular, it is often people’s vulnerability that is the greatest factor in determining their risk.