Tragedies come in different forms: The Different Perspectives of

tsunami, landslides, fires, and Disaster

typhoons, floods, earthquakes,
1.Physical perspective
droughts, and volcanic eruptions,
Calamities are phenomena that
shipwreck, forest fire, epidemic,
cause great physical damage in a
pandemic, and even explosions
community infrastructure, its people
Imminent hazards are associated and their properties, e.g. houses
with disasters threat in health, and environmental sources of living.
physical danger, and emotional These cited effects of a disaster can
concerns be easily measured and the most
common.
Damage to properties, death, and
other fears that the victims see, hear Natural disasters generally affect
and experience. Countless times, the physical infrastructural facilities,
we have watched disasters all agricultural productivity and even
around us; we knew its effects; we lead to loss of life and cause
understand the horror that it has; we damage to property. Various factors
shed tears for others; we prayed for influence the effects of a disaster on
some; we might had helped a mass, a country among them are the
trying moments like this, to be a magnitude of the disaster, the
man for others---really is a MUST geography of the area affected, and
the recovery efforts directed towards
Therefore, disasters must be
reducing the immediate effects of a
foreseen and forecasted; it must be
disaster.
anticipated for everyone to be
prepared; its effect on human and
society must be planned and
considered; to save lives and
properties and preserve social order
Effects of Physical Disasters -hopelessness
-emotional effects
-Injuries
-dependence/insecurities
-Physical disabilities or illness
-grief/withdrawn
-Sanitation
-isolation
-Damage in infrastructure
-helplessness
2. Psychological Perspective 3. Socio-cultural Perspective
Victims of disasters may suffer from Filipinos are generally known as
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder “matiisin”, resourceful, helpful,
(PTSD) and other serious mental optimistic, and prayerful. These
health conditions, which are not characteristics are manifested in the
being given much attention to by the country’s recent fight against
authorities or even by the victims, COVID19. Due to the National
themselves. (This may be sensitive Health Emergency, Enhanced
statement) Community Quarantine (ECQ)
prevailed in the whole country. A lot
Disasters are mostly unpredictable,
of people temporarily lost their jobs,
which leave the victims in a state of
some people stranded in different
shock. They tend to deny the loss
regions, repatriated OFWs were
and try to escape from reality. Being
held in different quarantine facilities
in a denial state makes the victims
in Metro Manila, and all people were
more vulnerable to stress, anxiety,
restricted to go out of their homes
and other different maladaptive
for months. As a result, most Filipino
reactions. Death of a closed one
families would rely on government’s
also leaves the victim in a state of
help for them to get by. However,
insecurity because the sense of
limited resources and aids from the
love, attachment and belongingness
government make people find
are deprived
possible ways to survive amid the
Psychological effects of a Disaster: pandemic. These traits help a lot of
-distress Filipinos to survive the challenge of
-intrusion/avoidance COVID19 in the country. To people
- hatred/revenge who are used to natural calamities
-physical effects like typhoons, flash floods, and
-interpersonal effect volcanic eruptions most citizen
-guilt feeling would find contentment with what
- lack of trust they have at the moment.
The culture of “malalampasan din - loss of crops
natin ‘to..” belief and“ bahala na ang - loss of public infrastructure
Diyos” syndrome give hope to most
5. Political Perspective
Filipino in the midst of a disaster.
Such perspective helps a lot Natural disasters are commonly
especially those who belong to the thought to be less politically
marginalized sector to be hopeful argumentative than armed conflicts,
and continue fighting against any yet a closer look shows that both the
challenge at hand. Their belief that a effects of a natural disaster and the
help from someone or from God resulting distribution of humanitarian
would arrive at a time they most aid are profoundly linked to politics
needed. It also helps most people
survive a lot of oddities in life.
Socio-Cultural Effect of Disasters
-change in individual roles
-disruption of social relationships
and personal connections
4. Economic Perspective Political Effects of a Disaster
Disasters affect the economic - People who have trust in political
condition of a community because institution will assess the
they reduce local and international government’s risk assessments as
trade. It can also partially or totally credible and accept their hazard
paralyze a country’s transportation policies (Johnson 1999)
system, just like what happened in - Low level of trust in public
the COVID19 pandemic. institutions therefore means that
Implementation of a partial and total citizens may ignore the
shut down of local business recommendations and disregard the
operations result to a lot of people information provided by these
losing means of living. institutions (McCaffey 2004)
- If individuals are confident that
Economic Effects of Disasters
they will receive sufficient aid from
- loss of life the government when a disaster
- unemployment occurs, they might not be motivated
- loss of property to take measures on their own (King
-loss of household articles and Kang 2000)
6. Biological Perspective Biological disasters can wipe out an
The disturbing effects caused by a entire population at a short span of
prevalent kind of disease or virus in time. Example of it is the COVID19
an epidemic or pandemic level is pandemic which infected millions in
known as biological disaster. less than a month and left
(a) Epidemic Level: Biological thousands of deaths in the same
disaster affects large numbers of duration. Viral respiratory infections
people within a given community or can lead to anything from a mild
area. Ex: Dengue cough that lasts a few weeks or
months to full blown persistent
wheezing or asthma (Martin, 2020).
once outside of one’s home, and
boosting one’s immune system. He
added that when there is a severe
respiratory infection, recovery can
be prolonged with a general
increase in shortness of breath—
even after normal lung function
returns. Since COVID19 is a
Components of Blood respiratory disease, the public is
advised by health authorities to do
health precaution to prevent social
contamination. Examples are:
observing physical distancing,
appropriate washing of the hands,
wearing of mask at all times once
outside of one’s home, and boosting
one’s immune system. COVID19
(b) Pandemic Level: Biological patients who have strong immune
disaster affects a much large region, system can likely soon recover from
sometime spanning entire the disease. Also, those who follow
continents or the globe. EX: COVID- the health precaution strictly have
19 less chance of being infected. As
such, the effects of a biological
disaster can be reduced.
Effects of Biological Disasters
-loss of lives
-negative economic effect
-unemployment
-hunger