NCM 121

• Disasters


  Serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources. Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of a community.
• Types of Disasters


  • Natural disasters
  • Man-made disasters
  • Hybrid disasters
• Natural Disasters


  • Geophysical (e.g. Earthquakes, Landslides, Tsunamis and Volcanic Activity)
  • Hydrological (e.g. Avalanches and Floods)
  • Climatological (e.g. Extreme Temperatures, Drought and Wildfires)
  • Meteorological (e.g. Cyclones and Storms/Wave Surges)
• Man-made Disasters


  Man-made disasters can be intentional or accidental, but they are always caused by human actions or neglect.
• Types of Man-made Disasters

  • Technological Disasters
  • Social Disasters
  • Environmental Disasters
• Technological Disasters


  • Industrial accidents like chemical spills, transportation accidents, and mining accidents
• Social Disasters


  • Warfare, genocide, civil unrest, hyperinflation, and terrorism
• Environmental Disasters


  • Deforestation and climate change
• Chemical Spill


  • The Bhopal disaster in 1984 is considered the worst chemical spill in history. Forty-five tons of the chemical methyl isocyanate leaked from an insecticide plant owned by Union Carbide. Thousands of people were killed immediately from exposure to the gas, and panic ensued as people attempted to flee. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people died and many more suffered long-term health complications.
• Structural Collapse


  • The recent collapse of the Surfside Condominium in Florida shows that these disasters can and do occur: 98 people died when the 12-story tower collapsed.
• Drinking Water Contamination


  • The most significant case of drinking water contamination occurred in Bangladesh. The water sources were contaminated with arsenic, poisoning upwards of 100 million people in the region. The Flint Water Crisis exposed over 100,000 people to lead in the USA. Many children experienced brain damage as a result.
• Transport Disasters


  • Air, rail, road, and water vehicle accidents. These accidents are often too small to be considered disasters. However, there have been many situations where transport accidents led to mass fatalities. Often, these accidents are a byproduct of a natural disaster, such as foggy conditions or icy roads.
• Mining Accidents


  • Miners may get trapped in collapsed mining tunnels, poisonous gas leaks, dust explosions, and many other dangers. The largest non-nuclear explosion disaster occurred recently. In 2020, improperly stored nitrate stored exploded at the Port of Beirut. More than 200 people died, and 6,000 people were injured.
• Nuclear and Radiation Accidents

  • The Chernobyl accident is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history. An explosion and fire occurred due to poorly-trained staff using unsafe practices. Massive amounts of radioactive material were released into the air. Approximately 350,000 people had to be resettled, and the entire area contained.
• Grid Failure


  • The 2021 Texas grid outage is one of the recent largest and most notorious grid failures. However, large-scale grid outages are common and frequently occur around the world.
• Oil Spills


  • The largest accidental oil spill in history is the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Approximately 134 million gallons of oil were released and coated the Gulf Coast. However, the largest oil spill was not an accident. In 1990, during their retreat from Kuwait, Saddam Hussein ordered Iraqi troops to release oil into Kuwait's Sea Island terminal. It's estimated that 380 to 520 million gallons of oil were intentionally spilled.
• In the history of the United States, there have only been 15 years during which the country was not at war. Since WWII ended (the war to "end all wars"), there have been at least 285 armed conflicts.
• Recent Genocides


  • Rohingya genocide
  • Yazidis genocide by ISIS
  • Darfur genocide
  • Effacer le tableau in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Civil Unrest


  • The 1991 LA riots were one of the worst in US history: 53 people were killed, and thousands were injured.
• Hyperinflation


  • During the hyperinflation in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the currency lost value so quickly that people used their worthless money as wallpaper.
• Forms of Terrorism


  • Mass shootings
  • Bioterrorism
  • Hostage-taking
  • Hijacking
  • Bomb attacks
  • Cyberattacks
  • Biological weapons
• Panic, Overcrowding, and Stampedes


  • 100 people died in the Station nightclub in Rhode Island when a fire broke out, and people rushed to leave the building.
• Climate change is considered the "biggest threat" to modern humanity. If climate change goals are not met, researchers predict the widespread displacement of people, famine, and warfare for resources. Climate change also intensifies natural disasters like drought, wildfires, and hurricanes.
• Deforestation can cause other disasters like landslides, mudslides, and flooding. Deforestation also causes habitat loss and increases global warming.
• Pollution isn't usually considered a natural disaster but has a very high death toll. Some reports say pollution kills more people yearly than war, natural disasters, and hunger. Pollution also has a massive economic cost.
• Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

  The reduction and management of condition of hazards, exposure and vulnerability that can prevent losses and alleviate the impacts of disasters.
• Disaster Risk Management (DRM)


  The implementation of DRR, since it describes the actions that aim to achieve the objective of reducing risk.
• Disaster risk is an indicator of poor development, so reducing disaster risk requires integrating DRR policy and DRM practice into sustainable development goals.
• Disaster Risk Reduction


  • Identifying and reducing the underlying drivers of risk
  • Addressing these underlying risk drivers will reduce disaster risk, lessen the impacts of climate change and, consequently, maintain the sustainability of development
• Disaster Risk Reduction is an integral part of sustainable development, involves every part of society, government, non-governmental organizations and the professional and private sector.
• Disaster Risk Management avoids the construction of new risks, addresses pre-existing risks, and shares and spreads risk to prevent disaster losses being absorbed by other development outcomes and creating additional poverty.
• Activities in Disaster Risk Management

  • Prevention
  • Mitigation
  • Transfer
  • Preparedness
• Prevention


  Activities and measures to avoid existing and new disaster risks (often less costly than disaster relief and response). For instance, relocating exposed people and assets away from a hazard area.
• Mitigation


  The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters. For instance, constructing flood defences, planting trees to stabilize slopes and implementing strict land use and building construction codes.
• Transfer


  The process of formally or informally shifting the financial consequences of particular risks from one party to another whereby a household, community, enterprise or state authority will obtain resources from the other party after a disaster occurs, in exchange for ongoing or compensatory social or financial benefits provided to that other party. For instance, insurance.
• Preparedness


  The knowledge and capacities of governments, professional response and recovery organizations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions. For instance, installing early warning systems, identifying evacuation routes and preparing emergency supplies.
• RA 10121 in the Philippines provides a comprehensive, all-hazard, multi-sectoral, inter-agency, and community-based approach to disaster risk management through the formulation of the National Disaster Risk Management Framework.
• RA 10121 covers the formulation, development and implementation of the National Disaster Risk Management Plan (NDRMP), which is a master plan that will provide the strategies, organization, tasks of concerned agencies and local government units, and other guidelines in dealing with disasters or emergencies.
• RA 10121 promotes the development of capacities in disaster management at the individual, organization, and institutional levels, and calls for the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in physical and land-use planning, budget, infrastructure, education, health, environment, housing, and other sectors.
• RA 10121 recognizes local risk patterns and trends and decentralization of resources and responsibilities, and encourages the participation of NGOs, private sectors, community-based organizations, and community members in disaster management.