DRRR UNIT 1

• Disaster is a dangerous situation or threat from natural or man-made events that disrupt the functions of individuals in a community. This could mean death, damage to resources, and loss of property.
• Hazard

  • a threat to life, environment, or property.
  • can be considered a disaster if it poses an actual harm to life and environment.
• Natural Hazards are caused by an abrupt or slow onset of naturally occurring phenomena which can be biological, geological, hydrological, meteorological, and climatological in origin.
• Types of natural hazards: Biological, geological, meteorological, hydrological, and climatological.
• Biological hazard examples are: Disease, epidemic
• Geological hazard examples are: Earthquakes, landslides
• Hydrological examples are: Avalanche, flood
• Meteorological hazard examples are: Storm surges, tornado
• Climatological hazard examples are: Wild fires, drought
• Man-made hazards are caused by human activities and occur near human settlements. Pollution, industrial, and transport accidents, conflicts (war and terrorism), and technological structures are some examples of man-made hazards.
• Man-made disasters examples are: war, pollution, arson
• Disaster risk is defined by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as “the combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences.” This includes severity of hazard, number of damage to people and resources, and their vulnerability to damage.
• Hazard is any phenomenon that can potentially cause damage to life, property, or environment.
• Exposure is any element (people, property, or system) that is present in a hazard and is prone to potential loss.
• Vulnerability is any element (people, property, or system) that is present in a hazard and is prone to potential loss.
• Resilience is the ability of a community to withstand, accommodate, and recover from a disaster
• There are several factors that affect the degree of disaster risk in a community. These factors can intensify or lessen the effects of disaster.

  • Economic Risk Factors
  • Physical Risk Factors
  • Socio-cultural Risk Factors
  • Psychological Risk Factors
  • Biological Risk Factors
• Physical risk factors

  -Structural Integrity of a building

  -Availability of Fire Exits
• Psychological risk factors

  -The general mental state of an individual. (such as their ability to react to certain stimuli)
• Biological risk factors

  -The Flora and Fauna within the environment

  -As well as their general health and list of diseases.
• Socio-cultural risk factors

  -Extensively includes religion, social statuses and traditions withing a community which may vary from country to country.
• Economic risk factors

  -Examples include the quantity and availability of resources found within the community, as well as the various income sources of the people living in said community.
• Primary goals of disaster risk reduction include:

  -To reduce vulnerability to life, property, or environment to an existing hazard

  -To reduce degree of exposure to hazards; and -Increase preparedness through proper mitigation procedures.
• The severity of effects in these aspects are due to several factors: Psychological, food, health, and population
• that disaster is defined as a sudden, calamitous event that can cause damage to property and death. On the other hand, hazard is a natural or man-made event that can potentially harm a population.
• Hazard can be considered a disaster when there are already negative impacts to human life and their properties.
• Hazards are a risk factor in the occurrence of disasters.
• Its impacts can be reduced if proper mitigation procedures are done such as information dissemination and evacuation before the typhoon strikes in a community. This is called a proactive approach to emergency preparedness.
• Always remember that a hazard only becomes a disaster when it impacts human life and damages properties. The greater the number of people in a risky area, the greater chance it will become a catastrophe.
• The Philippines is geographically located at the “Pacific Ring of Fire”. These are countries that are usually hit by disasters like earthquake.
• Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
• Prediction is a statement of probability of hazards to occur based on a number of evidences or observations.
• A warning is a signal that tells of a high probability of occurrence of a hazard.
• Areas with low elevation is more prone to impacts of typhoons and floods.
• areas with poor drainage systems, located near bodies of water can be prone to floods as well.
• Steep landforms with poor vegetation are prone to landslides during typhoons.
• Earthquakes are more prominent in areas near fault lines.