Differentiating Risk Factors Underlying Disaster

• Risk Factors

  1. Exposure - elements at risk from a natural or man-made hazard event.
  2. Hazard - a potentially damaging physical event.
  3. Vulnerability - the condition determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes.
• Risk Factors

  • processes or conditions, often development-related, that influence the level of disaster risk by increasing levels of exposure and vulnerability or reducing capacity.
• Additional Risk Factors

  1. Severity of exposure - which measures those who experience disaster first- hand which has the highest risk of developing future mental problems.
  2. Gender and Family - the female gender suffers more adverse effects.
  3. Age - adults in the age range of 40-60 are more stressed after disasters but in general, children exhibit more stress after disasters than adults do.
  4. Economic status of country - severe mental problems resulting from disasters are more prevalent in developing countries
• Factors which underlie disasters:

  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Degradation
  • Globalized Economic Development
  • Poverty and Inequality
  • poorly-planned and Managed Urban Development
  • Weak Governance
• Climate Change

  • altering the frequency and intensity of hazards events, affecting vulnerability to hazards, and changing exposure patterns.
• Environmental Degradation - changes to the environment can influence a frequency and intensity of hazards, as well as our exposure and vulnerability to the hazards.
• Globalized Economic Development - It results in an increased polarization between the rich and poor on a global scale.
• Poverty and Inequality - Impoverished people are more likely to live in hazard-exposed areas and are less able to invest in risk-reducing measures.
• Poorly planned and Managed Urban Development - A new wave of urbanization is unfolding in hazard-exposed countries
• Weak Governance - weak governance zones are investment environments in which public sector actors are unable or unwilling to assume their roles and responsibilities in protecting rights, providing basic services and public services.