week 2

• Disaster


  A crisis situation that exceeds the capabilities
• Hazard


  A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihood & services, social & economic disruption or environmental damage
• Exposure


  The degree to which the element at risk are likely to experience hazard events of different magnitude
• Vulnerability


  The characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard
• Capacity


  The combination of all strengths and resources available within the community, society or organization that can reduce the level of risk or effects of a disaster
• Disaster = (Vulnerability + Hazard) / Capacity
• The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries, located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific and the Pacific Ring of Fire
• The Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons yearly, with 7 being destructive
• The Philippines has 22 active volcanoes, with 5 being the most active
• Critical concerns to assess preparedness

  • Does your institution have an existing disaster response team/safety committee?
  • Do we conduct emergency/disaster drills regularly?
  • Do we have emergency response plan?
  • Do we have a preparedness/contingency plan in the event of any disaster?
  • Are there personnel/employees trained in first aid, fire fighting or rescue?
  • Does the institution have any rescue equipment and other emergency paraphernalia?
  • Do we have an institutionalized warning system?
  • Are there identified evacuation areas within the premises of the institution?
• The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (RA 10121) emphasizes a shift from disaster management to disaster risk management
• What must be done to reduce risk


  1. Institutionalize local DRRM office

  2. Establish early warning system

  3. Formulation of communication protocol

  4. Formulation of evacuation procedures at the community level and establishments

  5. Organize local DRRMC and define the functional roles and responsibilities of members and task units

  6. Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs)

  7. Hazard awareness through community-based trainings and seminars

  8. Integrate disaster risk reduction into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and land use planning

  9. Integrate hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment into the development plan

  10. Cluster approach on recovery program

  11. Good working relationship with warning agencies and the local media

  12. Installation of rain gauges on mountain slopes

  13. Strengthening of the LGU capabilities on disaster management

  14. Updating hazard profile of all municipalities and to analyze data on human induced disasters for public safety studies

  15. Effective flow of communication system to ensure that accurate flow of information before, during and after disaster