Disaster

• The Philippines is prone to natural disasters, including deadly earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and other natural disasters
• Reasons why the Philippines is prone to disasters:

  • Disaster is defined as a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm, injury, destruction, and devastation to life and property
  • Hazard is a potentially dangerous physical occurrence, phenomenon, or human activity that may result in loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption, or environmental degradation
• Classification of disasters:

  • Natural disasters are caused by natural forces and can be rapid onset or progressive onset, such as droughts leading to famine
  • Man-made disasters are caused by identifiable intentional or non-intentional human actions and are subdivided into technological/industrial disasters, terrorism/violence, and complex humanitarian emergencies
• Risk:

  • Risk is the combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences
  • Disaster risk refers to potential disaster losses in lives, health status, livelihoods, assets, and services over a specified future time period
• Risk factors underlying disaster:

  • Exposure: elements at risk from a natural or manmade hazard event
  • Vulnerability: the condition determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors that increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of a hazard
• • Poorly planned and managed urban development concentrates people, poverty, and disaster risk in cities
  • Weak governance leads to worse outcomes in disaster situations
• Factors which underlie disasters:

  • Climate change can increase disaster risk by altering the frequency and intensity of hazard events
  • Environmental degradation can influence the frequency and intensity of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability
  • Globalized economic development results in increased polarization between the rich and poor on a global scale
  • Poverty and inequality make impoverished people more likely to live in hazard-exposed areas and less able to invest in risk-reducing measures
• The human effect of natural and man-made disasters:

  • Displaced populations face disruptions in healthcare, education, food supplies, and clean water
  • Health risks include waterborne bacteria and malaria from stagnant water after flooding
  • Food scarcity results from destroyed crops and loss of agricultural supplies
  • Emotional aftershocks can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children
• Disaster from different perspectives:

  • Physical perspective: disasters cause physical damage to infrastructure, people, and properties
  • Psychological perspective: victims may suffer from PTSD and other mental health conditions
  • Socio-cultural perspective: Filipinos are known for being resourceful, helpful, optimistic, and prayerful
  • Economic perspective: disasters affect the economic condition by reducing trade and paralyzing transportation systems