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DRRR Reviewer

Disasters are sudden occurrences causing significant harm and disruption, classified into natural and man-made categories. Risk factors underlying disasters include exposure, hazard, and vulnerability, influenced by elements like age, gender, and economic status. Additionally, factors such as climate change, environmental degradation, and weak governance exacerbate disaster risks.

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10 views

DRRR Reviewer

Disasters are sudden occurrences causing significant harm and disruption, classified into natural and man-made categories. Risk factors underlying disasters include exposure, hazard, and vulnerability, influenced by elements like age, gender, and economic status. Additionally, factors such as climate change, environmental degradation, and weak governance exacerbate disaster risks.

Uploaded by

justinlhei432
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

Disaster - is "a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm, injury, destruction, and
devastation to life and property”.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2008) - disaster is “a serious
disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human,
material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using its own resources”.

Classification of Disasters:

A. Natural Disasters – a natural phenomenon is caused by natural forces, such as


earthquakes, typhoon, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and extreme
temperatures.

B. Man-made - Disasters caused by man are those in which major direct causes are
identifiable intentional or non-intentional human actions.

Man-made disaster is subdivided into three categories:

1. Technological/industrial disasters – Unregulated industrialization and inadequate safety


standards increase the risk for industrial disasters.

2. Terrorism/Violence - the threat of terrorism has also increased due to the spread of
technologies involving nuclear, biological, and chemical agents used to develop weapons of
mass destruction.

3. Complex humanitarian emergencies - the term complex emergency is usually used to


describe the humanitarian emergency resulting from an international or civil war.

Risk - is defined as “the combination of the probability of an event and its negative
consequences” (UNISDR, 2009).

Disaster risk - refers to the potential disaster losses, in lives, health status, livelihoods,
assets, and services which could occur in a community or society over some specified future
time period.

Extra:

Typhoon - Type of tropical cyclone, or severe tropical storm.

Ring of fire - A path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent
earthquakes.
Differentiating Risk Factors Underlying Disaster
RISK FACTORS:

1. Exposure - the “elements at risk from a natural or man-made hazard event (Quebral,
2016).

2. Hazard - a potentially dangerous physical occurrence, phenomenon or human activity that


may result in loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption, or
environmental degradation.

3. Vulnerability - the condition determined by physical, social, economic and environmental


factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazard
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United nation, FAO 2008).

The following are also taken into consideration when risk factors underlying disaster are
involved:

●​ Severity of exposure - which measures those who experience disaster first- hand
which has the highest risk of developing future mental problems, followed by those in
contact with the victims such as rescue workers and health care practitioners and the
lowest risk are those most distant like those who have awareness of the disaster only
through news.
●​ Age – adults in the age range of 40-60 are more stressed after disasters but in general,
children exhibit more stress after disasters than adults do.
●​ Gender and Family – the female gender suffers more adverse effects. This worsens
when children are present at home.
●​ Economic status of country – evidence indicates that severe mental problems
resulting from disasters are more prevalent in developing countries like the
Philippines.

Factors which underlie disasters:

1. Climate Change - can increase disaster risk in a variety of ways – by altering the
frequency and intensity of hazards events, affecting vulnerability to hazards, and changing
exposure patterns.

2.Environmental Degradation – changes to the environment can influence the frequency


and intensity of hazards, as well as our exposure and vulnerability to these hazards.

3. Globalized Economic Development – It results in an increased polarization between the


rich and poor on a global scale.

4. Poverty and Inequality – Impoverished people are more ikely to live in hazard- exposed
areas and are less able to invest in risk-reducing measures.
5. Poorly planned and Managed Urban Development – A new wave of urbanization is
unfolding in hazard-exposed countries and with it, new opportunities for resilient investment
emerge.

6. Weak Governance – weak governance zones are investment environments in which


public sector actors are unable or unwilling to assume their roles and responsibilities in
protecting rights, providing basic services and public services.

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