disaster

• Stephen Hawking: 'Life on earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster we have not yet thought of'
• Disaster


  Catastrophic situation in which normal pattern of life or ecosystem has been disrupted and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives and or the environment
• The United Nations defines disaster as the occurrence of sudden or major misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric and normal functioning of the society or community
• Disaster


  • Sudden, catastrophe, mishap
  • Calamitous event
  • Seriously disrupt the functioning of a community
  • Causes human, material, economic, or environmental losses, and destruction
• Causes of disaster

  • Natural cause
  • Human-induced or man-made cause
• Natural hazard


  Occurrences beyond man's control but the damages caused by these disastrous events can be minimized by proper planning and preventive measures
• Human-induced hazard


  Are induced entirely or predominantly by human activities and choices, including aerial disaster, maritime, road transportation, fires and explosion, structural and infrastructure failures, environmental disasters, and miscellaneous
• Disaster damage


  Occurs during and immediately after the disaster, measured in physical units and describes the total or partial destruction of physical assets and the disruption of basic services and damages to sources of livelihood in the affected area
• Disaster impact


  The total effect, including negative effects (economic losses) and positive effects (economic gain), and includes economic, human and environmental impacts such as deaths, injuries, disease, and other negative effects on human physical, mental, and social well-being
• Types of disaster

  • Small-scale disaster (only affecting local communities which require assistance beyond the affected community)
  • Large-scale disaster (affecting a society which requires national or international assistance, including natural disasters like hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, drought)
• Frequency of disasters

  • Frequent disasters
  • Infrequent disasters (major earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, asteroid impacts)
  • Slow-onset disaster (e.g. drought, desertification, sea-level rise, epidemic disease)
  • Sudden-onset disaster (e.g. earthquake, volcanic eruption, flash flood, chemical explosion, critical infrastructure failure, transport accident)
• Common disasters in the Philippines

  • Typhoon
  • Earthquake
  • Volcanoes
  • Landslides
• Disaster risk management


  The organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular, preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters
• Disaster management

  • Prevention
  • Mitigation
  • Preparedness
  • Response
  • Recovery
  • Rehabilitation
• The Philippines has gradually shifted its approach from reactive to proactive risk management with a significant focus on preparedness and resilience building
• Disaster management cycle

  • Mitigation (public education, hazard & vulnerability assessment, improved infrastructure)
  • Preparedness (emergency response plans, training & exercise, sirens)
  • Response (life safety, incident stabilization, property preservation, evacuation & shelters, mass care)
  • Recovery (economic recovery, debris management, housing, health & social services)
• Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)


  Working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sector organizations of the government of the republic of the philippines established by Republic Act 10121 of 2009, administered by the office of civil defense under the department of National Defense, responsible for ensuring the protection and welfare of the people during disasters or emergencies
• DRRM stakeholders

  • Community (first responder in case of disaster, plays pivotal role in mitigation and preparedness)
  • Media (forges direct link between the public and emergency organizations)
  • Non-governmental organization (most effective means of achieving an efficient communication link between the disaster management agencies and the affected community)
  • Private sector (help to provide skilled services in form of technical manpower or in-kind donations of goods or services for preparedness and emergency response phase of disaster management)
  • Educational institutions (prime responsibility is to spread awareness on natural disasters, provide preventive action needed to minimize damage due to disasters as well as ensure immediate relief and rescue)
  • International agencies (provide international disaster assistance)
• example of natural hazard

  • tsunami
  • tropical cyclone
  • volcano activities
  • earthquakes
  • floods
• examples of human-induced hazard

  • aerial disaster
  • maritime road transportation
  • fires
  • structural and infrastructural failures
  • environmental disasters
  • miscellaneous
• example of slow-onset disaster

  • drought
  • desertification
  • sea-level rise
  • epidemic disease
• disaster management act, 2005

  • means a continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating, and implementing measure which are necessary
• Mitigation

  • Public education 
  • Hazard & vulnerability Assessment
  • Improved infrastructure
• Preparedness

  • Emergency response plans
  • Training & exercise 
  • Sirens
• Response

  • Life safety
  • Incident stabilization
  • Property preservation
  • Evacuation & shelters
  • Mass care
• Recovery

  • Economic recovery
  • Debris management
  • Housing
  • Health & social services