Disaster and Disaster Risk Notes

Earthquakes are caused by a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, creating seismic waves.
Seismic activity refers to the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes in an area over time.
Effects include damage to infrastructure and disruption of community functions like transportation, housing, and healthcare.

A natural event becomes a hazard if it poses a threat to people.
A hazard becomes a disaster if it hits a vulnerable, populated area.
Disasters are caused by natural or man-made events that cause severe danger, loss of life and property, disruption to social structure, and essential community functions.
Disasters are emergencies that require outside assistance.

Virus: Community infection disrupting businesses, transportation, healthcare, schools, and church services.
Oil Spill: Water pollution and imbalanced ecosystems that disrupt fishing livelihoods.
Dynamite Fishing: Destroys coral reefs and imbalanced ecosystems, disrupting fishing livelihoods.
Illegal Logging: Causes deforestation and imbalanced ecosystems, impacting industries relying on natural resources.
Improper Garbage Disposal: Leads to air, water, and land pollution, affecting public health.

Disaster risk refers to the probability of suffering from the effects of a disaster.
It describes potential losses in lives, health, livelihood, assets, and services.

Risk assessment estimates a hazard's impact on people, services, facilities and structures.
$DISASTER RISK = HAZARD \times EXPOSURE \times VULNERABILITY$

Hazard: An event with the potential to cause harm.
Exposure: People, property, or systems present in hazard zones.
Vulnerability: Characteristics increasing the chances of suffering from a disaster.
Capacities: Strengths and resources within a community to handle disasters.