Disaster

• Disaster


  A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and impacts
• Disaster Risk


  The potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, and capacity
• A disaster is a sudden, catastrophic event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community's or society's ability to cope using its own resources
• Types of Disaster


  • 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)
  • Biological (e.g. Disease Epidemics and Insect/Animal Plague)
• Man-made disaster


  Have an element of human intent, negligence, or error involving a failure of a man-made system, as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards
• Natural disaster


  A major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes
• Natural Disasters


  • Hurricanes and tropical storms
  • Landslides & debris flow
  • Thunderstorms and lighting
  • Tornadoes
  • Tsunamis
  • Wildfire
  • Winter and ice storms
  • Sinkholes
• Four Phases of Disaster Management

  • Mitigation
  • Preparedness
  • Response
  • Recovery
• Mitigation


  The effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters
• Preparedness


  Based on a sound analysis of disaster risks and good linkages with early warning systems, and includes such activities as contingency planning, the stockpiling of equipment and supplies, the development of arrangements for coordination, evacuation and public information, and associated training
• Response


  The assistance and intervention during or immediately after an emergency. Focus is on saving lives and protecting community assets
• Recovery


  The restoration of an organization following any impacts from a disaster
• Global warming


  The rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• Climate change


  The increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns
• Effects of Disaster


  • Displaced population
  • Health Risk
  • Emotional Aftershock
  • Food Scarcity
• Human factors that affect the influence the severity of disaster

  • Wealth
  • Education
  • Governance
  • Technology
  • Gender
• Exposure


  The situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas
• Vulnerability


  The inability to resist a hazard or to respond when a disaster has occurred
• Types of Vulnerability


  • Physical Vulnerability
  • Agricultural vulnerability
  • Structural vulnerability
  • Social vulnerability
• Factors that affect Vulnerability


  • Children
  • Senior citizen
  • Gender
  • Socioeconomic STATUS
  • Education
• Disaster governance


  An emerging concept in the disaster research literature that is closely related to risk governance and environmental governance. Disaster governance arrangements and challenges are shaped by forces such as globalization, world-system dynamics, social inequality, and sociodemographic trends
• Hazard


  Any source of potentials for damage to man and environment that may result from the occurrence of natural events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and storm surge
• Types of Hazards


  • Biological hazards
  • Radioactive hazard
  • Chemical hazard
  • Physical hazard
• Biological hazards


  May include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans. These sources can cause a variety of health effects ranging from skin irritation and allergies to infections, cancer and so on
• Radioactive hazard

  Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome ("radiation sickness"). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease
• Non-ionizing radiation


  A type of low-energy radiation that does not have enough energy to remove an electron (negative particle) from an atom or molecule
• Ionizing radiation


  A form of energy that acts by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of materials that include air, water, and living tissue. Ionizing radiation can travel unseen and pass through materials
• Chemical hazard


  The risks involved with using a chemical, including health hazards where workers and other personnel are exposed to hazardous chemicals through inhalation, absorption through the skin, or ingestion and swallowing
• Examples of hazardous chemicals

  • paints
  • drugs
  • cosmetics
  • cleaning chemicals
  • degreasers
  • detergents
  • gas cylinders
  • refrigerant gases
• Types of Chemical Hazards in the Workplace

  • Asphyxiants
  • Corrosive
  • Irritant
  • Sensitizing agents
  • Carcinogens
  • Mutagens
  • Teratogens
• Physical hazard


  An agent, factor or circumstance that can cause harm with contact. They can be classified as type of occupational hazard or environmental hazard. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards, radiation, heat and cold stress, vibration hazards, and noise hazards
• Ergonomic hazards


  Workplace situations that cause wear and tear on the body and can cause injury. These include repetition, awkward posture, forceful motion, stationary position, direct pressure, vibration, extreme temperature, noise, and work stress
• Noise


  One of the most common physical hazards present in the occupational setting. Inadequate hearing protection or prolonged exposure to noise can result in either temporary or permanent hearing loss
• Hazard Classes


  • Explosives
  • Gases
  • Flammable and Combustible Liquids
  • Flammable Solids
  • Oxidizing Substances, Organic Peroxides
  • Toxic Substances and Infectious Substances
  • Radioactive Materials
  • Corrosives
  • Miscellaneous materials
• Hazard symbols or warning symbols


  Recognizable symbols designed to warn about hazardous or dangerous materials, locations, or objects, including electric currents, poisons, and radioactivity
• Earthquake hazard


  Anything associated with an earthquake that may affect the normal activities of people, including surface faulting, ground shaking, landslide, liquefaction, tectonic deformation, tsunamis
• Earthquake generates a large enough shaking intensity, structures like buildings, bridges and dams can be severely damaged, and cliffs and sloping ground destabilized
• Liquefaction


  Takes place when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the surface lose their strength and stiffness in response to strong ground shaking, causing major damage to buildings and other structures
• Hazard classes of hazardous materials

  • Class 8: Corrosives
  • Class 9: Miscellaneous materials
• The use of hazard symbols is often regulated by law and directed by standards organizations