Disaster

A disaster is a sudden, catastrophic event that causes significant disruption, damage, or loss of life, overwhelming the
affected community’s capacity to cope using its own resources. Disasters can be classified into natural (result from natural
processes of the Earth and atmosphere) and man-made (or human-induced; caused by human activities, accidental or
intentional) events.
Examples of Disasters
Natural Disasters Man-Made Disasters
Earthquakes Industrial Accidents
Hurricanes/Typhoons Oil Spills
Floods Terrorist Attacks
Wildfires Wars and Conflicts
Volcanic Eruptions Deforestation and Environmental Degradation
Tsunamis Transportation Accidents

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Definitions
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is the systematic approach to minimizing disaster risks by addressing their root
causes. It involves analyzing and reducing the factors that lead to disasters. DRR protects vulnerable communities by
reducing the severity, frequency, and impact of both natural and human-induced disasters while enhancing resilience. It
focuses on three key dimensions: exposure to hazards, vulnerability and capacity, and hazard characteristics (UNESCO;
Concern Worldwide).

Concept
Disaster risk reduction is a matter of decision. Each decision and action people make are determinants as to
whether they are vulnerable to disaster or more resilient to them.
Disaster risk reduction is about choices. Reducing exposure to hazards, lessening vulnerability of people and
property, wise management of land and the environment, and improving preparedness and early warning for adverse
events are all example of disaster risk reduction.
Disaster risk reduction is everyone’s business. Disaster risk reduction involves everyone in society, government,
and various sectors working together to minimize the impact of disasters and promote sustainable development.

Importance
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) plays a crucial role in protecting lives, strengthening communities, and ensuring
long-term stability. Effective disaster management enhances emergency response, saving lives and improving
resilience by equipping communities with the necessary skills and resources to handle crises. It also mitigates the spread
of diseases by ensuring access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare, thereby promoting disease prevention and
improving health. DRR helps reduce poverty by securing basic needs before disasters strike, reducing economic
losses, and supporting post-disaster recovery. Additionally, it fosters social stability by rebuilding infrastructure,
strengthening security, and promoting trust between communities and governing institutions. By integrating
environmental protection and resource conservation, DRR also safeguards natural ecosystems, ensuring long-term
sustainability. Ultimately, DRR promotes a safer, healthier, and more resilient society capable of withstanding future
crises.

How to Measure Disaster Risk

Measuring disaster risk involves evaluating the three components of disaster:
Hazard – A natural, technical, or man-made threat to people, property or the environment.
Exposure – How likely that the hazard will occur. This includes an estimate of its severity and frequency.
Vulnerability – How susceptible people, property or the environment are to the hazard.
To measure disaster risk, you estimate the probability of hazard, assess the exposure of specific risk objects, and
calculate their vulnerability. Some events, such as volcano eruptions, have low probability but high impact. In addition,
disaster risk can increase or decrease. Disaster risk is complex and continually changing, influenced by factors such as or
economics.

Strategic steps in implementing DRR

 Mitigation
a. Definition
○ Mitigation is the sustained effort to reduce or eliminate long-term risks to people and property from natural
hazards. It involves proactive actions at all levels—federal, state, local, and individual—to lessen disaster
impacts on lives, communities, and the economy. By analyzing, reducing, and insuring against risks, mitigation
minimizes human and financial losses, ensuring greater resilience before disasters occur.
b. Importance
○ Disaster Mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management.It’s the ongoing effort to lessen the
impact disasters have on people and property.
○ Effective mitigation requires that we all understand local risks, address the hard choices, and invest in long-term
community well-being. Without mitigation actions, we jeopardize of our safety, financial security, and self-
reliance.
○ Mitigation planning aims to develop long-term policies and actions that reduce disaster risks and future
losses. It serves as the foundation for a community’s strategy to break the cycle of disaster damage,
reconstruction, and repeated loss. Equally important as the plan itself, the planning process establishes a risk-
based framework for decision-making, ensuring the protection of lives, property, and the economy from future
disasters.

c. Mitigation practices
○ Mitigation measures strengthen homes, businesses, and critical facilities to better withstand natural hazards like
floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. By reinforcing structures, businesses can avoid damage and remain
operational, while hospitals and emergency services can continue functioning or reopen quickly after a disaster.
Additionally, mitigation reduces losses and suffering, decreasing the need for financial and resource assistance
in the aftermath of disasters.
○ Promoting sound land use planning based on known hazards
○ Buying flood insurance to protect your belongings
 ○ Relocating or elevating structures out of the floodplains
○ Securing shelves and water heaters to nearby walls.
○ Having hurricane straps installed to more securely attach a structure’s roof to its walls and foundation.
○ Developing, adopting, and enforcing effective building codes and standards
○ Engineering roads and bridges to withstand earthquakes
○ Using fire-retardant materials in new construction
○ Developing and implementing a plan in your business or community to reduce your susceptibility to
hazards

 Preparedness
a. Definition
○ Disaster preparedness involves proactive measures by governments, organizations, communities, and
individuals to improve response and recovery after disasters, whether natural or human-induced. Its goal is to
minimize loss of life and livelihoods through actions like search and rescue training, early warning systems,
contingency planning, and stockpiling supplies. As a continuous and integrated process, disaster
preparedness relies on collaboration across various sectors, including logistics, healthcare, and institutional
development.

b. Importance
○ Being prepared for a crisis can mean the difference between loss and survival.
○ From natural disasters to catastrophic accidents to terrorist attacks, emergencies and disasters fill our world.
While many find it uncomfortable to consider such difficult situations, ignoring their existence can increase the
likelihood that they will occur and the consequences that follow. There’s no benefit in ignoring risks and hoping
you can figure things out after disaster strikes. But there are plenty of benefits to emergency preparedness.
○ Preparation Can Limit or Prevent Certain Disasters
 Disaster preparedness includes measures like fireproofing, earthquake-resistant building codes, flood
control, security checkpoints, and emergency plans to prevent or reduce disaster impacts. By constructing
resilient buildings and implementing proper planning, communities—especially vulnerable populations—can
minimize structural damage and improve survival rates during catastrophic events.
○ Preparation Can Save Lives
 Emergency preparedness is critical for individuals, businesses, and governments, as it can mean the
difference between life and death. Measures such as evacuation routes, emergency shelters, and
stockpiled supplies help communities survive and recover from disasters. However, preparedness must be
tailored to specific threats, as strategies for fires, floods, or earthquakes differ. It must also account for
vulnerable populations, including the homeless, elderly, and disabled. A comprehensive approach—
covering prevention, response, and recovery—ensures communities can effectively manage crises and
minimize loss.
○ Preparation Can Reduce Fears
 Disasters' psychological impact affects both victims and responders, but proper planning can reduce
suffering and uncertainty. While trauma cannot be entirely prevented, clear emergency procedures and
preparedness measures help minimize fear, provide direction, and ensure quicker access to safety, easing
emotional distress during crises.

○ Preparation Can Make It Easier to Recover

 Minimizing losses in disasters is a key goal of emergency preparedness, as some loss of life or property is
often unavoidable. To prevent catastrophic impacts, individuals, businesses, and governments must have
backup plans, including securing important documents, establishing leadership succession, creating wills,
and identifying relocation options. Effective planning ensures faster recovery and continuity after a disaster.

c. Practices
○ Getting informed - Learn about the hazards that may strike your community, the risks you face from these
hazards, and your community’s plans for warning and evacuation.
 Hazards, warning system and signals, evacuations, emergency plans for schools and workplaces
○ Emergency planning and checklists - prepare by creating a disaster plan. Begin the process by gathering
family members and reviewing the information obtained like hazards, warning systems, evacuation routes and
community and other plans. Disaster plan should address the following:
 Escape routes. Draw floor plan, where to meet near home, nearby areas
 Family communications.
 Utility shut-off and safety. Gas, water, electric
 Insurance and vital records. Obtain insurance, important documents and money.
 Special needs.
 Caring for animals.
 Saftey Skills. First aid and CPR, fire extinguisher
○ Assembling disaster safety kit
 Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
 3-day non-perishable food supply (Avoid foods that will make you thirsty, high liquid content canned
goods, whole grain cereals, dry mixes, special dietary needs)
 3-day water supply (1 gallon per person, per day)
 Portable, battery-powered radio and extra batteries
 Flashlight and extra batteries
 First aid kit and manual
 Sanitation and hygiene items
 Matches and waterproof container
 Whistle
 Extra clothing
 Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils
 Photocopies of credit, identification cards, and important documents
 Special needs items (prescription medicine, eye glasses, contact lens solution, hearing aid batteries)
 Items for infants
 ○ Shelter - Taking shelter is critical in times of disaster. Sheltering is appropriate when conditions require that you
seek protection in your home, place of employment, or other location where you are when disaster strikes.
Sheltering outside the hazard area would include staying with friends and relatives, seeking commercial lodging,
or staying in a mass care facility operated by disaster relief groups in conjunction with local authorities.
○ Hazard-specific preparedness - seeking a safe shelter during a tornado, reducing property loss from a
hurricane/typhoon.
○ Practicing and maintaining plan - Once the plan have developed,it needs to be practiced and maintained. For
example, ask questions to make sure your family remembers meeting places, phone numbers, and safety rules.
Conduct drills such as drop, cover, and hold on for earthquakes. Test fire alarms. Replace and update disaster
supplies.
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/basic_preparedness.pdf

 Response
a. Definition
○ Disaster response encompasses relief, early recovery, and recovery efforts across all sectors to support affected
communities. It focuses on addressing immediate and short-term needs, often referred to as disaster relief.
Effective response depends on risk-informed preparedness and the readiness of individuals, communities,
organizations, and governments to act swiftly and efficiently in times of crisis.

b. Importance
○ Disaster response is a crucial component of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) because it minimizes the immediate
impact of disasters and lays the foundation for recovery and future resilience. Effective response ensures that
lives are saved, suffering is reduced, and communities can recover more efficiently. Below are key reasons why
response is essential in DRR:
○ Disaster response plays a crucial role in minimizing the immediate impact of disasters and ensuring long-term
resilience. Immediate life-saving actions such as medical care, search and rescue, and emergency relief
protect survivors from further harm. A swift response also helps in the prevention of secondary disasters,
mitigating risks like disease outbreaks, food shortages, and infrastructure failures. Restoring essential services
such as power, water, communication, and transportation is critical to preventing prolonged disruption. Special
attention is given to the protection of vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, people with
disabilities, and low-income communities, ensuring their needs are prioritized. Beyond immediate relief, disaster
response strengthens long-term resilience by integrating disaster-resistant measures during recovery and
rebuilding efforts. It also contributes to economic stability and business continuity, reducing financial losses
and maintaining key economic activities. Lastly, disaster response prepares for future disasters by improving
early warning systems, enhancing emergency preparedness, and refining DRR strategies, making communities
more resilient over time.

c. Practices
○ Response actions may include activating the emergency operations center, evacuating threatened
populations, opening shelters and providing mass care, emergency rescue and medical care, fire
fighting, and urban search and rescue.
○ For rapid and efficient response, following task should be implemented:
 Mobilization
 Assessment
 Requirement analysis
 Rescue and evacuation
 Emergency assistance

 Recovery
a. Definition
○ Disaster recovery begins after the immediate threat has passed, focusing on restoring critical community
functions and stabilizing affected areas. It aims to repair physical, social, and economic damage while restoring
basic services. Recovery efforts also seek to rebuild and improve livelihoods, infrastructure, and systems in
alignment with sustainable development and “build back better” principles to reduce future disaster risks.

b. Importance
○ Recovery is a vital phase of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as it restores communities, strengthens resilience,
and prevents future disasters. It goes beyond immediate relief by rebuilding infrastructure, reviving economies,
and ensuring long-term safety. Below are the key reasons why recovery is essential in DRR:
○ A disaster recovery plan (DRP) outlines steps to minimize disruptions and restore critical systems, applications,
and data after a disaster. It ensures business continuity by maintaining essential functions during and after
crises. A well-structured DRP enhances resilience, allowing organizations to adapt effectively and recover faster.
Additionally, many industries require disaster recovery plans for compliance, reinforcing operational reliability
and commitment to customer service.

c. Practices
○ Typical recovery actions include debris cleanup, financial assistance to individuals and governments,
rebuilding of roads and bridges and key facilities, and sustained mass care for displaced human and
animal populations.

Prevention is better than recovery

Strengthening DRR requires an integrated approach that combines urban planning, community engagement, and
technological advancements. Sustainable and resilient strategies will help communities better adapt to future
challenges.
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