Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary related to disaster readiness and risk reduction.

Disaster

A sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society.

Calamity

An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction, more severe than a disaster.

Risk

The potential of gaining or losing something of value.

Hazards

Potentially damaging physical events or phenomena that cause loss or damage.

Vulnerability

The inability to resist a hazard or respond when a disaster occurs.

Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

A plan outlining the actions to be taken in response to an emergency.

Preparedness

Activities and systems that exist before an emergency to support disaster response.

Response

Programs and activities designed to address immediate effects of a disaster.

Recovery

Long-term activities planned to return systems to normal after a disaster.

Mitigation

Activities designed to alleviate the effects of a disaster or emergency.

Weak Governance

Investment environments where public sector actors fail to protect rights and provide basic services.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)

Agency in the Philippines that provides weather and climate-related information.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)

Agency in the Philippines tasked with preparing for and responding to natural calamities.

Geological Hazards

Extreme natural events in the Earth's crust that pose threats to life and property.

Earthquake

A sudden shaking of the ground caused by seismic waves.

Tsunami

A series of waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of water.

Seiche

A standing wave in an enclosed body of water.

Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS)

A system used in the Philippines to warn of impending storms.

Lahar

A violent type of mudflow or debris flow from a volcano.

Pyroclastic Flow

A dense, fast-moving flow of solidified lava pieces and volcanic ash.

Liquefaction

A phenomenon where soil loses strength due to shaking during an earthquake.

Bayanihan Spirit

The communal spirit of helping one another, especially during disasters.

Population Density

A measurement of the number of people in an area.

Emergency Management Cycle

A process aiming to reduce potential losses from hazards.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)

Agency in the Philippines that studies volcanoes and earthquakes.

Low Pressure Area (LPA)

A region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of its surroundings, often leading to rain.

Climate Change

Changes in global or regional climate patterns attributed largely to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Environmental Degradation

The deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Strategies to minimize the damage caused by natural hazards.

Factors of Vulnerability

Demographic and socio-economic factors that determine a community's resilience to disasters.

Hazard Mapping

The process of identifying and displaying hazards in a geographical area.

Resilience

The ability of a community to absorb and recover from disaster.

Recovery

Efforts to restore a community after the immediate disaster response is over.

Intensity

The measure of the effects of an earthquake at different locations.

Seismogram

A record of the seismic waves from an earthquake.

Natural Hazards

Hazards that occur naturally in the environment, like earthquakes and hurricanes.

Human-induced Hazards

Hazards resulting from human actions, such as pollution.

Disaster Response Teams

Groups specially trained to respond to disasters effectively.

Poverty and Inequality

Factors that increase vulnerability and risk in disaster situations.

Department of Science and Technology

DOST

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

PHIVOLCS

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

NDRRMC

Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office

MDRRMO

Emergency Action Plan

EAP

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration

PAGASA

Low Pressure Area

LPA

Public Storm Warning Signal

PSWS

Climate Change

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

Environmental Degradation

It is both a driver and consequence of disasters, reducing the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological needs.

PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

PERSPECTIVE ON DISASTERS

Demographic Factor

include age, sex, income level, race, employment, location, homeownership, and level of education

Socio-Economic Factors

include occupation, education, income, wealth and where someone lives.

Mitigation

Activities designed to alleviate the effects of a major disaster/emergency or long-term activity minimizing the potentially adverse effects of future disaster in affected areas.

Geological Hazard

It is an extreme natural event in the crust of the Earth that pose a threat to life and property, for example, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis (tidal waves) and landslides.

Mercalli Scale

based on observable earthquake damage

Richter Scale

measures the energy released by an earthquake using a seismograph.

Seismogram

is a record of the seismic waves from an earthquake.

Liquefaction

is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by earthquake shaking or other rapid loading.

Surface rupture

is the visible offset of the ground surface

Seiche

is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water