RECOGNIZING VULNERABILITY OF EXPOSED weaken and deteriorate.

Similarly, structures
ELEMENTS with light foundation may also be pulled from
the ground.
Recognizing vulnerability is the same as
identifying the weakness of exposed 4. Building content and furnishings-
elements. Exposed elements may vary from equipment, cabineta, racks, and decorative
individuals, residential households and items should be anchored and restrained.
communities, commercial establishments, Improper location of heavy equipment, doors
public facilities, transport systems, and windows may create vulnerable
agricultural products or environmental assets. situations.
These are some factors that make an exposed
5. Hazardous materials- improper storage and
element vulnerable to a hazard:
unattended usage of flammable materials can
1. Structure location and elevation- cause accidents. They may also cause serious
structures built on soft soil are more problems if control devices (valves) are not
vulnerable to liquefaction, earthquake- installed. They should also be properly
induced landslides or tsunami run-off. restrained to prevent accidents.
Structures built on coastal areas are
6. Population of marginalized people- this
vulnerable to storm surge and tsunami while
includes the poor, ethnic and religious
those in mountain-sides are susceptible to
minorities, children, elderly, and other
landslides. Elevated structures are less
vulnerable sectors.
vulnerable to flooding but may have increased
vulnerability to other hazards due to difficulty 7. Literacy rate and lack of awareness-
in evacuation or more severe effects of the people with lower literacy rate and low level
hazard. Patterns created by location of land of knowledge and awareness may have
forms, establishments and settlements may reduced capacity to respond and recover from
increase wind speed (funnel effect) during disaster.
typhoons, producing greater damage.
8. Family type- the number of people living in
2. Number of structures in a system or a household may influence their vulnerability.
locality and between- adjacent structures are A nuclear family may have limited manpower
vulnerable to domino effect in during fire or to respond to disaster compared to those
collapse during earthquakes. Proximity to high with extended families but could also be
tension cables can ignite fires. Narrow independent enough to respond on their own.
entrance and exit for evacuation may further Extended families may or may not may have
increase negative effects of disaster. enough capacity to respond and recover from
disaster.
3. Number of storeys, building materials,
structure shape and symmetry- vulnerability HAZARD, EXPOSURE, VULNERABILITY AND
of a building may increase with its height but DISASTER RISK
this can be negated by proper engineering
design and quality control. Type of material Hazard is a natural or man-made process,
may influence its vulnerability Rigid materials event or activity that that may cause loss of
may withstand earthquake that may cause life, injury, property damage, disruption of
difficulty of evacuation in other types of livelihood or environmental disturbance and
hazard. Complex shapes and asymmetry may destruction. A hazard is characterized by
have unequal stress distribution, leading to its location, intensity, frequency, and
collapse Light-weight materials such as wood likelihood of occurrence. It poses as a threat
are vulnerable its several hazard as they easily because it is a disaster with a high probability
of happening. Hazard assessment can provide
information on what could happen and when elements. Recognizing vulnerability is the
it could happen. same as identifying the weakness of exposed
elements.
Exposure refers to the situation of anything
located in an area that is prone to hazard. 1. Physical Elements
Anything that is exposed to a possible hazard
- Poorly planned and constructed
is considered an element at risk. It can be
infrastructures such as roads and bridges.
tangible or intangible such as
infrastructures, population of different - Establishments such as schools, hospitals,
members of society, business activities or the office buildings, residential houses made of
environment itself. substandard materials.
Vulnerability is the susceptibility of a person, - Faulty wiring, gas and water leaks
community, asset or system to the impacts of
hazards. An exposed element can have high 2. Societal Elements
or low vulnerability, depending on physical, - Inadequate knowledge and lack of
social, economic, and environmental factors training of people on disaster preparedness
and processes.
- Population of vulnerable age groups
Disaster risk is the possible death, injury (children and the elderly), persons with
or destruction to property that could disability (PWD), homeless, urban poor etc.
happen to a community or system in any
time period, predicted in consideration of - Lack of insurance or social protection
hazard, exposure of elements at risk and 3. Economic Elements
vulnerability. Variations in hazard, exposure
and vulnerability determine disaster risk. It - Unsustainable livelihood or business
can be illustrated in the equation below:
- Poor accessibility to work - Ban on tourism
Disaster Risk = Hazard x Vulnerability x activities
Exposure
- Unstable price of raw building materials
Reduction of any factor, whether
4. Environmental Elements
occurrence of hazard, vulnerability of
exposed elements, or number and types of - Possible leakage of harmful substances to
elements at risk, will also lessen disaster risk. the environment
If the hazard does not occur, there is no risk.
- Introduction of invasive species
Similarly, if there are no exposed elements, or
the exposed elements have low vulnerability, - Habitat destruction
there is no or low disaster risk. In order to
VULNERABILITY MONITORING AND
reduce disaster risk, a community should
ASSESSMENT
address and prioritize the safety of exposed
elements with high vulnerability. This can be There are categories and associated data
done by recognizing vulnerability of exposed that can be used to recognize vulnerability.
elements and employing prevention, These vulnerability categories are the
mitigation and adaptation measures. following:
RECOGNIZING VULNERABILITY 1. Populations of Concerns
Exposed elements may be tangible or This refers to the populations who need more
intangible and can be classified as physical, intervention, most especially during and after
societal, economic or environmental the disaster. They are the persons with
disability, children and elderly, pregnant 6. Education
women, and population in poverty. They
The access to formal and non-formal
should be prioritized because they are the
educational system should be addressed
ones with the least capability to deal with the
accordingly. This includes the enrollment rate,
effects of disaster themselves.
capability of learners to sustain education
Population growth and its distribution may whether online or face to face, availability of
also affect vulnerability as some areas may be learning materials, classrooms, etc.
densely populated and have limited escape
7. Communication
routes.
This refers to the availability of and access to
2. Gender Concerns
communication facilities. It includes available
Gender-based differences relative to network providers, functionality of
accessibility of opportunities, services, communication lines, etc.
resources, and positions in economic and
8. Transportation
political structures should be considered
when disaster strikes. This may include The availability of and access to
population of single parents, ratio of female transportation networks and facilities includes
to male labor participation and gender traffic density in roads and highways, distance
representation in government institutions. To of airports and seaports, accessibility of travel
reduce the impacts in this aspect, within and across areas, etc.
opportunities should be provided to make
their needs accessible. 9. Environmental Pressures

3. Health Outcomes This refers to the changes in the environment

due to human activities. Associated data
This refers to the population’s status of include decrease in forest area, conversion of
general health. This includes data on mortality forests to agricultural lands, etc.
rate, recovery rate, mental health stability of
certain population, etc. REDUCING DISASTER RISK

4. Health Services 1. Prevention - aims to completely avoid or

eliminate the hazard or the exposure to its
This refers to the capacity and availability of effects. Some examples include immunization
healthcare including medical doctors, nurses, to eliminate possible cases of disease,
other medical personnel, medical facilities ordinances that prohibit human or business
and equipment. It includes the population of settlement in dangerous areas, and
medical personnel per city or province, as well construction of dams along major rivers to
as the capacity of hospitals (especially control flood.
government hospitals) to accept patients.
2. Mitigation – aims to reduce, lessen and
5. Water and Sanitation limit the hazard or the exposure to its effects
through external intervention methods. As
This refers to the general state and quality of
there are instances where exposed elements
potable water, and the state of sewage
cannot be removed, mitigation measures are
disposal. People should have access to
carried out to make them less vulnerable.
potable water and be informed about
Some examples include putting up of flood
schedules of service maintenance for them to
walls or barriers, reforestation along steep
be able to prepare. Alternative sources of
slopes, and construction of retaining walls in
water can also be considered for the
the mountain side.
vulnerable areas.
3. Adaptation – also aims to reduce, lessen
and limit the hazard or the exposure to its
effects. Unlike mitigation measures,
adaptation is more inclined to changes in
human behavior to reduce exposure and
vulnerability. Examples include avoiding
octopus connection for electrical devices, and
practicing cough etiquette to prevent spread
of disease.
 VULNERABILITY different traits that can influence the disasters
possible to happen.
EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF VULNERABILITY

Vulnerability can determine the ability of an

person or a group to predict, cope with, resist
and recover from the effects of a natural or
human-induced threat. As vulnerability
increases, it means that the population is at
greater risk of suffering from a severe natural
danger.

Vulnerability Defined

Vulnerability is a state of being at risk.

According to Republic Act 10121 also known
as ‘Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Act of 2010’, vulnerability is
defined as the characteristics and
circumstances of a community, system or
resource that make it susceptible to the
damaging effects of a hazard. With all the
identified hazard at home, there is a
possibility that some family members might
be susceptible or prone to the accident due to
the presence of hazard.

Vulnerability is also situation specific. This

means that if a specific province is prone to
earthquake, it does not mean that all localities
on that province is vulnerable to it. The
vulnerability of different towns or cities or
even provinces differ in the way they prepare
for the hazard and the amount and type of
resources they have in order prevent and
manage it. To lessen vulnerability means to
make the community prepared and ready for
the possible damaging effect of the hazard.
This further means that to make the
community less vulnerable, it must be
resilient. So, to develop resiliency at home,
you should first identify the hazards and be
prepared all the time for the possible
outcome and respond immediately.

Moreover, it is also hazard specific. A

community that is vulnerable to earthquake
hazard does not necessarily mean that it is
also vulnerable to typhoons. Hazards have