Drrr L2

Hazard

These are unavoidable events or situations that can harm people, property, and the environment, occurring at varying intensities across time and space. While they cannot be prevented, their potential to cause disasters can be reduced through effective risk reduction programs.

• Natural Hazards

• Man-made hazards

2 Types of Hazards

Natural hazards

Caused by physical, chemical, and biological processes in the environment and are events that humans cannot control. They become hazardous when the energy they release can harm people, property, or the environment, such as earthquakes.

Other examples include tsunamis, landslides, tornadoes, wildfires, and typhoons.

Man-made hazards

Caused by human activities or actions, often occurring in or near settlements. They result from human error, negligence, intentional acts, or technological failures, such as bomb explosions, chemical spills, toxic or radioactive emissions, and war.

Takeaway

The Philippines is known to be hazard-prone because of its location on Earth.

These hazards are natural and inevitable.

It is, in fact, one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

• Magnitude

• Frequency

• Duration of impact

• Causality of events

The impacts of a hazard

Magnitude

Refers to the extent or size of impact based on

quantitative measurements from scientific instruments, which are often translated into qualitative terms for easier understanding

Frequency

Refers to how often a hazard occurs in a specific area. It influences the level of impact, is often linked to geographic or topographic conditions, and helps identify historical patterns that are essential for disaster preparedness.

Duration of impact

Refers to how long a hazard affects an area. In events like earthquakes, longer shaking and aftershocks can increase psychological stress and structural damage, influencing how preparedness measures and post-disaster plans are designed.

Causality of events

Refers to how interconnected and exposed elements contribute to disaster impacts. Because these elements are often not immediately visible and are interrelated, a hazard can trigger chain reactions that cause varying levels of effects across society.

Physical elements

Infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings and even billboards, are affected by hazards. People are not spared.

Volcanic activities that produce explosions, tremors, or fire can destroy any material or person in various ways. Ground movement can cause cracks, fissures, or total damage.

Socioeconomic elements

While it is obvious that hazards can affect livelihood, health, and safety of people, there could be some positive impacts of certain hazards. Especially if communities become adapted or used to a frequent hazard, new habits, practices, systems, or values may be formed. This reflects the resiliency and recovery capacity of these communities. On the contrary, the negative impacts usually will be associated with suffering from loss or break from work which translates to reduced income during the period of recovery from a disaster. Some may not even be able to return to their work due to impairment or constrained resources.

Environmental Elements

Just like other exposed elements, perhaps the initial impact of a hazard on the ecosystems and other living organisms in it may be disastrous.

However, in some cases, again due to adaptation, or since natural hazards are natural events and, hence, part of natural cycles on Earth, the occurrence may benefit certain components of Earth.

It has been studied many times, for instance, that ashes from volcanic eruptions can make the land more fertile.

• Physical Hazards

• Socioeconomic Hazards

• Environmental Hazards

THE IMPACT OF HAZARDS ON DIFFERENT EXPOSED ELEMENTS