Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering basic concepts, categories of hazards, vulnerability elements, risk assessment, disaster definitions, and management frameworks from the DRRM lecture.

Hazard

A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity, or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihood and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.

Geological Hazards

Geological processes or phenomena that may cause loss of life, injury, or environmental damage, such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, mass movements, landslides, rockslides, surface collapses, debris or mud flows, and tsunamis.

Hydro-meteorological Hazards

Processes or phenomena of an atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic nature, including tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes), thunderstorms, hailstorms, tornados, blizzards, heavy snowfall, avalanches, coastal storm surges, floods, drought, and heat waves.

Biological Hazards

Processes or phenomena of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors, such as pathogenic micro-organisms, toxins, bioactive substances, disease epidemics, plant or animal contagions, insect plagues, and haze or smoke from forest fires.

Technological Hazards

Dangers originating from technological or industrial conditions, including accidents, dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures (such as nuclear power plant or dam failures), industrial pollution, and toxic wastes.

Socio-economic, Political, and Security Hazards

Threats originating from human conflict and societal instability, including bomb threats, kidnapping threats, hostage taking, and civil disorder.

Rapid Onset Hazards

Hazards that occur quickly and give virtually no advance warning, such as earthquakes, landslides, and flash floods.

Slow Onset Hazards

Hazards that develop gradually over a long period or provide advance warning, such as droughts, desertification, environmental degradation, or disasters with several hours or days of notice.

Exposure

An essential element of vulnerability that is determined by where and how people live and work relative to a hazard.

Susceptibility

An essential element of vulnerability that refers to the lack of ability to keep safe from hazards, influenced by physical, environmental, economic, and political factors.

Risk Assessment

The process of taking actions to determine the nature and extent of risk by analyzing potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that could harm exposed people, property, or the environment.

Risk Analysis Process

A three-part procedure consisting of: (1) reviewing technical characteristics of hazards, (2) analyzing exposure and vulnerability, and (3) evaluating the effectiveness of coping capacities.

Disaster

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or society involving widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses that exceeds the affected community's ability to cope using its own resources.

Disaster Risk Management

The systematic process of using administrative decisions, organization, and operational skills to implement strategies to lessen or transfer the adverse effects of hazards through prevention, mitigation, and preparedness.

Risk Identification

The systematic use of available information to estimate the geographic extent, intensity, probability of occurrence, and related consequences of a hazard.

Risk Reduction

Activities aimed at reducing the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of a community to existing hazards.

Risk Transfer

The process of formally or informally shifting the financial consequences of particular risks from one party to another, such as through insurance policy purchases.

Hyogo Framework for Action

A United Nations-endorsed framework adopted in 2005 to achieve substantial reduction of disaster losses in lives and social, economic, and environmental assets.

The Risk Management Process

A six-stage process involving: 1. Assessing risks, 2. Prioritizing risks, 3. Figuring out risk profile, 4. Choosing risk strategies, 5. Executing risk strategies, and 6. Measuring residual risk.

Unified DRRM in Basic Education Framework

A Department of Education framework organized into three pillars: Safe Learning Facilities, School Disaster Management, and DRR in Education, covering Prevention & Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery & Rehabilitation.