Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
Schools Division of Calbayog City
CALBAYOG CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SCHOOL ID: 313801
P2 Brgy. Hamorawon, Calbayog City, Western Samar 6710 . Tel Nos. PLDT-(055) 209-1535
Email: [email protected], [email protected]

CHAPTER 2: EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

• AGE OF POPULATION – Very old and very young

EXPOSURE refers to the ‘elements at risk’ from a natural populations are less mobile and are not able to
or man-made hazard event. respond to hazard events well. This makes them
Elements at risk include the following: more vulnerable compared to others, this
1. Human Beings; requires more attention from the government
2. Dwellings or households and communities; and other support agencies especially during
3. Buildings and structures; emergency evacuation relocation.
4. Public facilities and infrastructure assets; • DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION - Regardless of
5. Public and transport system; density, populations may be distributed
6. Agricultural commodities ; and differently within the hazard area, e.g., elderly
7. Environmental assets people on lower floors of apartment buildings, or
Elements at risk can also refer to tangible such as concentrations of highly vulnerable people in
economic activities and infrastructure networks. poorer areas of a city. This must be seriously
considered in human settlement planning and
VULNERABILITY is defined as “the characteristics and relocation activities of the government.
circumstances of community, system or asset that make
it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard”. As 2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
indicated by United Nations International Strategy For • WEALTH – Low income populations are
Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), “there are many aspects of less likely to be well prepared. Part of
vulnerability arising from various physical, social, preparations is having a Survival Kit that includes
economic, and environmental factors. tools to be used, emergency food stock and
water that could last for at least 3 to five days.
Examples: Poor families will find a hard time to do such
1. Poor design and construction of buildings preparation due to lack of money to spend.
2. Inadequate protection of assets • EDUCATION – Education programs such as the
3. Lack of public information awareness Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA)
4. Limited official recognition of risks and preparedness shake drill can instruct populations on how to
measures deal with hazard events, like the “Big One” –
5. Disregard for wise environmental management anticipated 7.8 magnitude earthquakes that may
strike Metro Manila anytime.
Reasons why certain sectors of society are more • NATURE OF SOCIETY – In highly centralized
vulnerable to disaster than others: government structures, efficient emergency
response may be the result of careful planning
Vulnerability can be seen as the result of a process in and training of personnel. However, it can also
which various different things cause a population to be lead bureaucracy and a lack of autonomous
more vulnerable. These can be split into demographic decision making, which slow down distribution
and socio-economic. These can also be discussed of relief goods and emergency response efforts
through the level of community preparedness and the in case of extreme emergency.
ability of a community to manage the after effect of a 3. COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS
hazard event. • BUILDING CODES - Rigorous and
applied building codes protect most buildings
1. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS from collapse during earthquakes. This should
• POPULATION DENSITY – The more be seriously considered by the government in
dense the population, the more efficient a the issuance of building permits and licenses for
response should be, considering the number of land development.
people that might be affected by a disaster. • SCIENTIFIC MONITORING AND EARLY
Densely populated cities like manila and quezon WARNING SYSTEM –. Established monitoring
city require some amount of education on system can prepare people for the onslaught of
disaster preparedness, government support and any kind of disaster. The coming of super
relief operations in the event of a disaster. Typhoon Yolanda was forecasted by PAGASA.
 • COMMUNICATION NETWORK - Countries with 2. SOCIAL VULNERABILITY
good quality and widespread communication • Refers to the inability of people, organizations
networks allow messages to be quickly shared. and societies to withstand adverse impacts to
Communication plays a very important and hazards due to characteristics inherent in social
crucial role in times of disaster. Communication interaction, institutions and system of cultural
Plan is a very salient component of Emergency values.
Planning that should not be left out. • When flooding occurs some citizens, such as
• EMERGENCY PLANNING - Preparation is the key children, elderly and persons with disability
element of prevention. Preparation for a disaster (PWD) may be unable to protect themselves or
is embodied in an Emergency Plan. Where evacuate if necessary. Educated and well
monitoring and communication are in place, the informed are more likely to survive when
emergency planning is likely to prepare a person disaster strikes. There would be lesser casualty
or a group (Family) for such events and take in communities, with emergency plans backed
action based on data, rather than prediction. up by emergency personnel as compared to
4. DEALING WITH THE AFTER-EFFECTS those without.
• INSURANCE COVER – Another important 3. ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY –
aspect of preparation is how to deal with the • The level of vulnerability is highly dependent
after effects of a disaster. Disasters, like upon the economic status of individuals,
earthquakes and typhoons, normally inflict communities and nations. The poor are usually
damages to life, property and even to more vulnerable to disaster because they lack
environmental sources of living. Part of their the resources to build sturdy structures and put
preparation, individuals purchase insurance other engineering measures in place to protect
policies to mitigate their losses, thus preparing themselves from being negatively impacted by
them better for similar future events. disaster.
• EMERGENCY PERSONNEL – These are trained for • Poorer families may live in squatter settlements
community preparedness. The availability of because they cannot afford to live in safer (more
such personnel will vary depending on the time expensive) areas. In Metro Manila the so-called
of day and location of the hazard event. The “urban poor” build their shanties or improvised
Philippines, being a developing country and houses along river banks and esteros, making
prone to different types of disaster should take them prone to flash floods. Light materials that
into consideration the training of more build their homes make them exposed to fire
emergency personnel as part of disaster risk hazards as well.
mitigation, reduction and management. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY
• AID REQUEST - Outside help in the form of • Natural resource depletion and resource
humanitarian aid is necessary during a disaster. degradation are key aspects of environmental
However, it should be fast and efficient. vulnerability. This is one aspects that both
Inefficiency and mismanagement of aids, communities and government must be sensitive
especially foreign aids, will possibly result to about.
further deaths and loss of property. Foreign aids • Wetlands, such as Agusan Marsh, are sensitive to
in the form of monetary and material aid poured increasing salinity from sea water, and pollution
in immediately after the onslaught of typhoon from storm water runoff containing agricultural
Yolanda. chemicals, eroded soils, etc. Deforestation of
mountains due to illegal logging is the main
According to the UNISDR, there are four types of cause of landslides and mudflows like what
vulnerability: happened in Ormoc, Leyte (1994) and in Infanta,
Quezon (2011).
1. PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY – May be determined by
aspects such as population density levels, remoteness of
a settlement, the site, design and materials used for
critical infrastructure and for housing United Nations
International Strategy For Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
• Wooden homes are less likely to collapse in an
earthquake, but are more vulnerable to fire.
Houses built with light materials may not be a
problem during an earthquake, but maybe
totally damaged by a super typhoon.