EXPOSURE AND

VULNERABILIT
Y
Many climate change adaptation efforts aim to address the
implications of potential changes in the frequency, intensity, and
duration of weather and climate events that affect the risk of extreme
impacts on human society. That risk is determined not only by the
climate and weather events (the hazards) but also by exposure and
vulnerability to these hazards. Therefore, effective adaptation and
disaster risk management strategies and practices also depend on a
rigorous understanding of the dimensions of exposure and
vulnerability, as well as proper assessment of changes in those
dimensions.
I. Areas and Locations Exposed to Hazards

Natural disasters affect human life in different

dimensions. Disasters can cause displacement of
population, health risks, food scarcity, and emotional
aftershocks.
I. Areas and Locations Exposed to Hazards
I. Areas and Locations Exposed to Hazards
II. DISASTER FROM DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES
A disaster is a result of a vast ecological
breakdown in the relation between human; a
serious or sudden event on such a scale that the
stricken community needs extraordinary efforts to
cope with it, often with outside help or
international aid.
II. DISASTER FROM DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES
Disaster is analyzed from different perspective as
follows:
• Physical Perspective
• Psychological Perspective
• Socio-cultural Perspective
• Economic Perspective
• Political Perspective
• Environmental Perspective
PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE
From this view disasters is defined as a phenomenon that
can cause damage to the physical elements such as
buildings, infrastructures, including people and their
properties, e.g. houses and environmental sources of living.
Physical effects are the most visible and quantifiable
effects of a disaster.
PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE
Assessment of disaster is focused on the following
questions:

• How many families are affected? (displacement, injury,

death)
• How many houses are damaged or washed out? (in case of
super typhoons)
• How many buildings collapsed or are damaged? (in case of
an earthquake)
• How many roads, bridges, dams and other infrastructures
are damaged? (in case of floods, lahar flows and
earthquakes)
• What is the extent of damage in agricultural industry?
(crop, losses, damaged fish cages, wash out rice fields,
etc.)
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Psychological research has shown that disasters can cause

serious mental health consequences for victims. These
consequences take the form of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) and a variety of other disorders and
symptoms which have been less investigated. The more
stress, defined in a variety of ways, within the disaster, the
more likely there are to be emotional consequences.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Other psychological effects of a disaster are the following:
• Emotional effects: Shock, terror, irritability, blame, anger,
guilt, grief or sadness, numbing, helplessness, loss of pleasure
derived from familiar activities, difficulty feeling happy,
difficulty feeling loved.
• Cognitive effects: impaired concentration, impaired decision-
making ability, memory impairment, disbelief, confusion,
nightmares, decreased self-esteem, decreased self-efficacy,
self-blame, intrusive thoughts, memories, dissociation,
(e.g.,tunnel vision, dreamlike or ‘spacey’ felling).
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

• Physical effects: fatigue, exhaustion, insomnia, cardiovascular

strain, startle response, hyper arousal, increased physical pain,
reduced immune response, headaches, gastrointestinal upset,
decreased appetite, decreased libido, vulnerability to illness.
• Interpersonal effects: Increased relational conflict, social
withdrawal, reduced relational intimacy, alienation, impaired
work performance, decreased satisfaction, distract,
externalization of blame, externalization of vulnerability,
feeling abandoned.
SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

What the people living at risk know and do about natural

hazards and disaster risks is mediated by a range of factors
including social conditions (such as age, gender, wealth,
ethnicity) and cultural settings (language, beliefs,
traditions, customs).

People’s socio-cultural background may affect their

response to disasters at the different stages of disaster
management.
SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Hence, from the socio-cultural point of view, a disaster is

analyzed based on how people respond having as
parameter their social conditions and cultural settings.
These two factors are important determinants of the degree
of risk, resilience and vulnerability of those affected. That
is why some ethnic groups can easily cope with disasters
compared to other groups.
ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
From an economic perspective, a natural disaster can be
defined as a natural event that causes a perturbation to the
functioning of the economic system, with a significant
negative impact on assets, production factors, output,
employment, and consumption.

One salient component of assessing the impact of disaster

impact from this view is defining direct economic cost and
indirect losses.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Politics are deeply wedded to both the impact of a natural
disaster and the subsequent delivery f humanitarian
assistance.

Political considerations before, during, and after a natural

disaster can determine who is most at risk, who can
intervene, what actions will be taken, and who will benefit
from those actions.

Some case studies demonstrate that economic, social, and

political factors can significantly amplify the devastating
impact of natural disaster.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Governmentality or deliverance of government services to constituents
can be plus or minus factor in disaster risk reduction and management.

Government interventions should be present in the following phases of

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management:

1) Prevention
2) Mitigation
3) Preparedness and
4) Recovery

Failure to do so adversely affects the capacity and opportunities of

those affected to cope with and recover from the impacts of disaster.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
Disasters are not random an do not occur by accident.
They are the convergence of hazards and vulnerable
conditions. Disasters not only reveal underlying social,
economic, political, and environment problems, but
unfortunately contribute to worsening them. Such events
pose serious challenges to development, as they erode
hard-earned gains in terms of political, social and
educational progress, as well as infrastructure and
technological development.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
The Millennium Declaration recognizes the risk to
development stemming from disasters and calls on the
global community to “intensify our collective efforts
to reduce the number and effects of natural hazards
and man-made disasters”. Several studies have
recently highlighted the fact that investments in
development are in jeopardy unless precautionary
action is taken toward reducing disaster risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Yet few development organizations adopt a

precautionary approach in the design and
management of projects and fewer still recognize
the role of environmental management in reducing
disaster risk.
III. VULNERABILITY
The severity of the impacts of disasters and other
extreme weather and climate events depends
strongly on the level of vulnerability and exposure
to these events.
III. VULNERABILITY
Vulnerability is defined as “the characteristics and
circumstances of a community, system or asset that make
it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard”. As
indicated by United Nations International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), “there are many aspects
of vulnerability arising from various physical, social,
economic, and environmental factors.
III. VULNERABILITY
Examples may include poor design and construction of
buildings, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public
information and awareness, limited official recognition
of risks and preparedness measures, and disregard for
wise environmental management”
III. VULNERABILITY
1. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Population Density – the more dense the population, the more

efficient a response should be, considering the number of people that
might be affected by a disaster.

Age of Population – very old and very young populations are less
mobile and able to respond to hazard events well. This makes them
more vulnerable compared to others, and this requires more attention
from the government and other support agencies especially during
emergency evacuation or relocation.
III. VULNERABILITY
1. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Distribution of population – regardless of density, populations may

be distributed differently within hazard area, e.g. elderly people on
lower floors of apartment buildings, or concentrations of highly
vulnerable people in poorer areas of a city.
III. VULNERABILITY
2. SOCIO-ECONOMOC FACTORS

Wealth – low income populations are less likely to be well prepared. Part
of the preparation is having a Survival Kit that includes tools to be used,
emergency food stock and water that could last for at least 3 to 5 days.
Poor families will find a hard time to do such preparation due to lack of
money to spend.

Education – Education programs such as the Metro Manila Development

Authority’s (MMDA) shake drill can instruct populations on how to deal
with hazard events, like the “Big One”- the anticipated 7.8 magnitude
earthquake that may strike Metro Manila anytime.
III. VULNERABILITY
2. SOCIO-ECONOMOC FACTORS

Nature of Society – In highly centralized government structures, efficient

emergency response may be the result of careful planning and training of
personnel. However, it can also lead to bureaucracy and a lack of autonomous
decision making, which slows down distribution of relief goods and
emergency response efforts in case of extreme emergency.

Understanding of the area - Recent immigrants are likely to struggle to cope

with hazard effects compared to established population. Understanding the
area is salient factor to be considered in Disaster Preparedness Planning, and
this will give greater advantage to the established or original settlers in a
particular area affected by disaster.
III. VULNERABILITY
3. COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS

Building Codes – Rigoruos and applied building codes protect most buildings
from collapse during earthquakes. This should be seriously considered by the
government in the issuance of building permitsand licenses for land
development.

Scientific monitoring and early warning systems – Establised monitoring

system can prepare people for the onslaught of any kind of disaster
III. VULNERABILITY
3. COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS

Communication works – Countries with good quality widespread

communication networks allow messages to be quickly shared.
Communication plays a very important and crucial role in times of disaster.
Communication Plan is a very salient component of Emergency Planning that
should not be left out.

Emergency Planning – Preparation is the key element of prevention.

Preparation for a disaster is embodied in an Emergency Plan. Where
monitoring and communication are in place, the emergency planning islikely
to prepare a person or a group (family) for such events and take action based
on data, rather tha prediction.
III. VULNERABILITY
4. DEALING WITH AFTER EFFECTS

Insurance cover – Another important aspect of preparation is how to deal with

the after effects of a disaster. Parts of their preparation, individuals purchase
insurance policies to mitigate their losses, thus preparing them better for
similar future events.

Emergency Personnel – These are trained for community preparedness. The

availability of such personnel will vary depending on the time of day and
location of the hazard event
III. VULNERABILITY
4. DEALING WITH AFTER EFFECTS

Aid Request – Outside help in the form of humanitarian aid is necessary

during disaster. However, it should be fast and efficient. Inefficiency and
mismangement of aids, especially foreign aids, will possibly result to further
deaths and loss of property. Foreign aids in the form of monetary andmaterial
aid poured in immediately after the onsluaght of Typhoon Yolanda.
THANK YOU!