Disaster
Readiness and
Risk Reduction
Building Resilient
Communities Together
DISASTER
"a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great
harm, injury, destruction, and devastation to life and
property”. It disrupts the usual course of life, causing
both physical and emotional distress such as an
intense feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
A preceding definition of disaster stresses that two
elements are affected – life (whether human or
animal) and property. The effects vary – it maybe a
minor damage (like broken windows and doors), major
damage (like torn rooftops, collapsed walls), total
destruction (like completely destroyed houses and
structures rendering them useless and inhabitable)
and the worst scenario, it can lead to death. (Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center, ADPC, 2012)
DISASTER
According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO, 2008), disaster is “a serious
disruption of the functioning of a community or a
society involving widespread human, material,
economic or environmental losses and impacts,
which exceeds the ability of the affected
community or society to cope using its own
resources”.
Any adverse episode or phenomenon can exploit a
vulnerability in the affected population or
community to create damage and this awareness
will form the basis for an adequate intervention.
DISASTER
Meanwhile, the United Nations International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines disaster as
a serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society involving widespread
human, material, economic or environmental
losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of
the affected community or society to cope using
its own resources.
DISASTER
Disasters are often a result of the combination of:
the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of
vulnerability that are present; and insufficient
capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the
potential negative consequences.
Its impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease
and other negative effects on human physical,
mental, and social wellbeing, together with
damage to properties, destruction of assets, loss
of services, social and economic disruptions, and
environmental degradation.
Classification of Disasters
A. Natural Disasters
B. Man-made
Natural Disasters
a natural phenomenon is caused by natural
forces, such as earthquakes, typhoon,
volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados,
and extreme temperatures. They can be
classified as rapid onset disasters and those
with progressive onset, such as droughts that
lead to famine. These events, usually sudden,
can have tremendous effects.
Man-made
Disasters caused by man are those in which
major direct causes are identifiable intentional
or non-intentional human actions.
1. Technological /
industrial disasters
Unregulated industrialization and inadequate
safety standards increase the risk for
industrial disasters.
EXAMPLE: leaks of hazardous materials;
accidental explosions; bridge or road
collapses, or vehicle collisions; Power cuts
2. Terrorism/Violence
the threat of terrorism has also increased due
to the spread of technologies involving
nuclear, biological, and chemical agents used
to develop weapons of mass destruction.
EXAMPLE : bombs or explosions; release of
chemical materials; release of biological
agents; release of radioactive agents; multiple
or massive shootings; mutinies
3. Complex humanitarian
emergencies
usually used to describe the humanitarian
emergency resulting from an international or
civil war. In such situations, large numbers of
people are displaced from their homes due to
the lack of personal safety and the disruption
of basic infrastructure including food
distribution, water, electricity, and sanitation,
or communities are left stranded and isolated
in their own homes unable to access
assistance.
3. Complex humanitarian
emergencies
EXAMPLE: conflicts or wars and Genocide the
deliberate killing of a large group of people,
especially those of a particular ethnic group
or nation
Risk
Risk has various connotations within
different disciplines. In general, risk is
defined as “the combination of the
probability of an event and its negative
consequences” (UNISDR, 2009). The term
risk is thus multidisciplinary and is used in a
variety of contexts. It is usually associated
with the degree to which humans cannot
cope (lack of capacity) with a situation (e.g.
natural hazard).
Disaster Risk
The term disaster risk refers to the potential (not
actual and realized) disaster losses, in lives, health
status, livelihoods, assets, and services which could
occur in a community or society over some
specified future time period.
Disaster risk is the product of the possible damage
caused by a hazard due to the vulnerability within a
community. It should be noted that the effect of a
hazard (of a particular magnitude) would affect
communities differently (Von Kotze, 1999:35).
Disaster Risk
It can also be determined by the presence of three
variables: hazards (natural or anthropogenic);
vulnerability to a hazard; and coping capacity linked
to the reduction, mitigation, and resilience to the
vulnerability of a community.
Natural or Man-Made?