summative

DISASTER & DISASTER RISK - dhdrvec

⭐ MUST KNOW DEFINITIONS

Disaster

• A serious disruption of a community/society.

• Involves widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses and impacts.

• Exceeds the community's ability to cope using its own resources.

Hazard

• A potential source of danger/harm.

A hazard ≠ automatically a disaster.

Disaster Risk

• The likelihood/chance that a disaster will happen.

Vulnerability

• Susceptibility to harm.

Exposure

• People, systems, or elements located within a hazard zone.

Capacity

• Strengths, attributes, and resources available to cope with hazards, reduce risk, prepare, mitigate, and recover.

“There is no such thing as a natural disaster”

Remember:

Natural phenomenon → hazard
Hazard + exposed/vulnerable community → possible disaster

Natural Hazard

Anthropogenic Hazard

Examples of natural hazards:

• Earthquake

• Typhoon

• Volcanic eruption

Examples of human-induced/anthropogenic hazards:

• Nuclear accident

• Toxic chemical spill

• War

• Terrorist attack

Most Devastating typhoon: TYPHOON YOLANDA (HAIYAN) IN 2013

• Over 95 Billion Philippine Pesos in Damages

• About 7,000 deaths and 30,000 missing

6 EFFECTS/PERSPECTIVES OF DISASTERS

PH PSY SC E P B

1. Physical Perspective

2. Psychological Perspective

3. Sociocultural Perspective

4. Economic Perspective

5. Political Perspective

6. Biological Perspective

Know the examples:

Physical
→ damaged buildings, infrastructure, land

Psychological
→ PTSD, depression, anxiety

Sociocultural
→ displacement, cultural loss, destruction of historical/cultural heritage

Economic
→ loss of livelihood, disruption of services, economic decline

Political
→ erosion/loss of trust in government

Biological
→ injuries, diseases, deaths, food scarcity

⭐ 4 RISK-FACTOR CATEGORIES (n-e-s-h)

1. Natural Factors

2. Environmental Factors

3. Socioeconomic Factors

4. Human Factors

Natural
→ location, climate, occurrence/frequency of hazards

Environmental
→ environmental degradation, resource management, climate change

Socioeconomic
→ population density, demographics, poverty, inequality, infrastructure, economic status, age(40-60)

Human
→ regulations/policies, awareness, preparedness, governance

⚠ Test distinction

If the question mentions poverty/population density → think SOCIOECONOMIC

If it mentions lack of preparedness/awareness/regulations → think HUMAN

If it mentions climate/environmental degradation → think ENVIRONMENTAL

WEEK 2: VULNERABILITY & EXPOSURE

Vulnerability - Refers to the conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards

⭐ 4 TYPES OF VULNERABILITY

MEMORIZE:

1. Physical Vulnerability

2. Social Vulnerability

3. Economic Vulnerability

4. Environmental Vulnerability

Physical
→ buildings, infrastructure, location, materials, population density

Social
→ people, organizations, institutions, social relationships, culture

Economic
→ money, poverty, resources, ability to recover

Environmental
→ environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources

Physical = structures
Social = society
Economic = money
Environmental = environment

⭐ VULNERABLE SECTORS

Know these:

• Farmers

• Urban poor

• Laborers

• Indigenous people

• PWDs

• Women

• Children

Less vulnerable:

• Professionals

• Small entrepreneurs

• Others at higher social levels

⭐ FACTORS AFFECTING VULNERABILITY

1. Demographic factors

2. Socioeconomic factors

3. Preparedness

4. Ability to manage after-effects

Important examples:

Population density
→ More people = greater need for preparedness, government support, relief operations.

Age
→ Very young and very old may have less mobility and need more attention during evacuation.

Wealth
→ Low-income populations generally have fewer resources for preparation and recovery.

Emergency supplies
→ Food and water for at least 3–5 days.

Education
→ Helps people learn appropriate disaster responses.

🟨 BUILDING CODES

Identification:

Building codes
→ Regulations governing the design, construction, alteration, and maintenance of buildings.

Purpose:

→ Establish minimum requirements for the health, safety, and welfare of occupants.

Test question:

How can building codes reduce vulnerability?

→ By helping ensure structures are designed and constructed to better withstand hazards.

🟨 SCIENTIFIC MONITORING & EARLY WARNING

Early warning

Purpose:
→ Gives people time to prepare, evacuate, protect property, and respond.

Yolanda example ⭐

PAGASA forecasted Typhoon Yolanda, but the magnitude of the storm surge was not effectively predicted because of limitations in monitoring/technology.

👉 This is a potential application/MCQ question.

🟨 ELEMENTS AT RISK

MEMORIZE ALL 4:

1. People

2. Properties

3. Economic activities

4. Private and public services

⭐ EXPOSURE VS VULNERABILITY

This is VERY IMPORTANT.

Exposure

➡ Are you in the hazard zone?

Vulnerability

➡ How susceptible are you to harm?

Example:

Two houses are beside a river.

Both houses = EXPOSED

Poorly constructed house = MORE VULNERABLE

🧠 Remember:

Exposure = WHERE you are
Vulnerability = HOW susceptible you are

🟨 VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS

MEMORIZE ALL 6:

1. Hazard map

2. Transect walk

3. Seasonal calendar

4. Livelihood analysis

5. Institutional/social network analysis

6. Problem tree

Quick identification:

Hazard map
→ identifies hazard-affected areas

Transect walk
→ physically observes/walks through an area

Seasonal calendar
→ examines seasonal patterns

Livelihood analysis
→ examines livelihoods

Institutional/social network analysis
→ examines organizations/social relationships

Problem tree
→ examines causes and effects of problems

QUANTIFYING VULNERABILITY

Scale:

0 → lowest vulnerability

1 → highest vulnerability

People:

→ Ratio of casualties/injured to total population

Buildings:

→ Repair cost or degree of damage

⭐ WAYS TO REDUCE VULNERABILITY

1. Implement building codes

2. Insurance/social protection

3. Knowledge/awareness raising

4. Preparation measures

CAPACITY

Definition

Capacity = strengths, attributes, and resources available to cope, reduce disaster risk, prepare, mitigate, and recover.

⭐ 6 CATEGORIES OF CAPACITY

1. Socio-economic

2. Political

3. Ideological/cultural

4. Physical

5. Organizational

6. Leadership

Examples of capacity:

• Adequate income

• Financial savings

• Adequate food

• Local knowledge

• Family/community support

• Land ownership

• Safe location/construction of home

CAPACITY ASSESSMENT

Definition:

Process of determining how people cope during crises and identifying coping strategies/resources for readiness, mitigation, and prevention.

5 CAPACITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS:

1. Historical profile/timelines

2. Seasonal calendar

3. Livelihood analysis

4. Gendered resource mapping & gendered benefit analysis

5. Institutional/social network analysis

⚠ Don't confuse this with the 6 vulnerability assessment tools.

WEEK 3: HAZARD

A hazard is any dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity, or condition that could:

• Kill

• Injure

• Cause sickness

• Damage property

• Cause loss of livelihoods/services

• Cause social/economic disruption

• Cause environmental damage

⭐ 3 PROPERTIES OF HAZARDS

MEMORIZE:

1. Magnitude

2. Frequency

3. Hazard zones

Magnitude → Size of the hazard or degree of its impact.

Examples:

• Typhoon → wind speed

• Earthquake → seismic energy released

• Flood → extent/depth

• Fire → fire alarm levels

Frequency → How often a hazard occurs in an area.

100-year flood = 1% chance/year

5-year flood = 20% chance/year

⚠ A “100-year flood” does NOT mean it happens only once every 100 years.

Hazard zone → Area directly affected by a hazard.

For landslides:  Hazard is greater downslope.

🌪 TROPICAL CYCLONE CLASSIFICATION

MEMORIZE THESE NUMBERS.

Also:

• STS = 48–63 knots

• TY = 64–99 knots

• STY = >100 knots

• Philippines: about 18–20 typhoons/year

🚨 Number trap

185 kph exactly?

The module states Super Typhoon = more than 185 kph, so pay attention to the wording “>185.”

5 TYPES OF HAZARDS

ENUMERATION

1. Biological

2. Geological

3. Hydro-meteorological

4. Socio-natural

5. Technological

🦠 Biological

Think:

LIVING ORGANISMS / BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

Includes:

• Pathogenic microorganisms

• Toxins

• Bioactive substances

Examples:

• Epidemic disease outbreaks

• Plant/animal contagion

• Insect/animal plagues

• Infestations

🌋 Geological

Think:

EARTH'S GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES

Examples:

• Earthquakes

• Tsunamis

• Volcanic activity/emissions

• Mass wasting/landslides

🌧 Hydro-meteorological

Think:

ATMOSPHERIC + WATER/OCEAN PROCESSES

Examples:

• Tropical cyclones

• Thunderstorms

• Hailstorms

• Tornadoes

• Avalanches

• Coastal storm surges

• Floods

• Drought

🌱 Socio-natural

⭐ This one is easy to confuse.

It involves the interaction of geological/hydro-meteorological hazards with overexploited or degraded land/environmental resources.

Examples:Flooding, Land subsidence, Landslides, Drought, Fires

Natural process + environmental degradation/human interaction = socio-natural

🏭 Technological

Think: TECHNOLOGY / INDUSTRY

Examples:

• Industrial pollution

• Nuclear radiation

• Toxic wastes

• Dam failures

• Transportation accidents

• Factory explosions

• Fires

• Chemical spills

🚨 MOST LIKELY ENUMERATION TO MEMORIZE

1. Six disaster effects

Physical, Psychological, Sociocultural, Economic, Political, Biological

2. Four risk factors

Natural, Environmental, Socioeconomic, Human

3. Four vulnerability types

Physical, Social, Economic, Environmental

4. Six vulnerability assessment tools

Hazard map, Transect walk, Seasonal calendar, Livelihood analysis, Institutional/social network analysis, Problem tree

5. Six capacity categories

Socio-economic, Political, Ideological/cultural, Physical, Organizational, Leadership

6. Five capacity assessment tools

Historical profile/timelines, Seasonal calendar, Livelihood analysis, Gendered resource mapping & gendered benefit analysis, Institutional/social network analysis

7. Three hazard properties

Magnitude, Frequency, Hazard zones

8. Five hazard types

Biological, Geological, Hydro-meteorological, Socio-natural, Technological

9. Four elements at risk

People, Properties, Economic activities, Private and public services

10. Tropical cyclone wind speeds

STS = 87–117
TY = 118–184
STY = >185 kph