basic concept of exposure and vulnerability

• Disaster


  Event becomes disaster when there are losses to community
• Losses in a disaster

  • Death
  • Injuries
  • Damage structure/agricultural lands/flora,fauna
• Hazard does not always lead to disaster
• Chance of disaster


  Dependent on danger and intensity level
• Hazard, Exposure, Disaster


  • H - Banana Peel
  • Ex - Person walking
  • D - Slip and Fall
• Two factors to make hazard more likely

  • Exposure - presence of people and property within area of hazard
  • More people involved = bigger disaster
• Measure of exposure


  • # of people/assets in area
  • Value of money in exposed things
• Questions to ask about exposure

  1. What might be lost in case hazard becomes a disaster

  2. What is the amount of things/people exposed
• Elements of exposure

  • Physical - people and property/infrastructure
  • Social - psychological wellbeing and social relationships
  • Economic - effect on livelihood and work
  • Environmental - natural environment can be adversely affected by hazards
• Aspects of exposure


  • Amount/quantity of elements that are exposed
  • Amount of time hazard stays
  • Space and Area
• Longer occurrence of hazard = more exposure
• Size and diameter of a hazard exposes more people/property
• Exposure is influenced by economic needs, livelihood and business, poverty drives people to dangerous areas for cheap
• Vulnerability


  Conditions that increases possibility of hazard turning into a disaster
• Types of vulnerability


  • Human vulnerability - lack of capacity of person to anticipate and work through impact of hazard
  • Structural/Physical vulnerability - extent to which a structure/service is likely to be damaged/disrupted by a hazard event
  • Community vulnerability - elements at risk are in the path/area of hazard and is susceptible to damage
• Hazard + vulnerability = disaster
• Magnitude of disaster


  Related to intensity of hazard and vulnerability of exposed elements
• Big disaster occurs when hazard is strong and high vulnerability
• Highest vulnerability - exposed are very weak
• When vulnerability of exposed elements is minimized, magnitude of impact is reduced
• Risk reduction and disaster management is focused on reducing and controlling vulnerability
• Vulnerable elements

  • Treeless and bare mountain slopes
  • Houses located on slopes of denuded hills/mountains
  • Structures not designed to resist strong winds
  • Communities near coastal areas without early warning systems and disaster mitigation structures
  • Communities in low lying areas
• Elements of vulnerability

  • Physical - conditions and characteristics of structures and infrastructures
  • Political - deal with the human aspects of vulnerability
  • Economic - financial capability limits options for poor for living conditions
  • Social - involves those related to how individuals and communities relate to each other
  • Environmental - natural resource depletion and resource degradation are key aspects
• One characteristic/condition is not the same vulnerability for different hazards
• Vulnerability and the conditions surrounding exposure are not constant and can change over time
• Low vulnerability can increase over the years because of other factors impact on these conditions and circumstances
• Population characteristics and demographics constantly change due to socio-economic factors