1ST QTR: DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

Disaster

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

RA 10121

A law in the Philippines that pertains to disaster risk reduction and management.

Philippines

An archipelago in Southeast Asia, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt of the Western North Pacific Basin.

Disaster Risk

The likelihood of loss of life, injury, or destruction and damage from a disaster in a given period of time, calculated as Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability / Capacity.

Vulnerability

The diminished capacity of an individual or group to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard.

Exposure

The element or risk from a natural or man-made hazard event.

Hazards

Threats that have the potential to cause harm to people, human activity, property, and the environment.

Natural Hazards

Hazards that arise from purely natural processes in the environment.

Technological Hazards

Hazards that are directly caused by human activities.

Biological Hazards

Hazards that involve exposure to pathogenic microorganisms, toxins, and bioactive substances.

Geological Hazards

Hazards that arise from geological processes or phenomena.

Hydrometeorological Hazards

Hazards that involve atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic processes or phenomena.

Risk Assessment

The process of evaluating hazards and their socio-economic impacts, including the vulnerability of the community.

Prediction

A statement of probability that an event will occur based on scientific observation.

Forecasting

Short-term prediction of weather-related phenomena in terms of magnitude, location, date, and time of an event.

Early Warning

A statement indicating a high probability of a hazardous event, prompting alterations to normal routines to deal with imminent danger.

Earthquake

A sudden movement along fault and plate boundaries that can cause significant ground shaking and damage.

Seismic Waves

Waves generated by earthquakes that travel through the Earth's interior or along its surface.

Magnitude

A measure of earthquake size that remains unchanged with distance from the earthquake.

Intensity

Describes the degree of shaking caused by an earthquake at a given location, decreasing with distance from the epicenter.

Ground Rupture

Displacement of the earth’s surface along an active fault resulting in visible fracturing or cracking.

Ground Shaking

Disruptive vibrations of the ground during an earthquake.

Liquefaction

A phenomenon where sediments behave like liquid during an earthquake, similar to quicksand.

Tsunami

A series of waves caused commonly by an underwater earthquake, but can also be triggered by meteorites or underwater landslides.

Oplan Metro Yakal Plus

A contingency plan detailing protocols and procedures for responding to a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines.

Emergency Preparedness Plan

A plan created with family members to prepare for emergencies, including an emergency supply kit and evacuation plans.