Module 5

Disaster Management

Self-Assessment
In a scale of 1-10 as ten is the highest, how are you going to rate your preparedness
during a calamity such as typhoon and earthquake? Justify your answer.
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Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, the learner is expected to:
1. Define disaster and disaster management
2. Identify disaster preparedness and mitigation
3. Recognized the ways to prepare in times of disasters

Lesson Proper

Topics

Discussion
What is a Disaster?

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society
and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or
society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have
human origins.

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A disaster occurs when a hazard impacts on vulnerable people.

The combination of hazards, vulnerability and inability to reduce the potential negative consequences of
risk results in disaster.

(VULNERABILITY+ HAZARD ) / CAPACITY = DISASTER

Natural hazards are naturally occurring physical phenomena caused either by rapid or slow onset events
which can be geophysical (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic activity), hydrological
(avalanches and floods), climatological (extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires), meteorological
(cyclones and storms/wave surges) or biological (disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues).

Technological or man-made hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts, famine, displaced populations,

industrial accidents and transport accidents) are events that are caused by humans and occur in or close to
human settlements. This can include environmental degradation, pollution and accidents. Technological or
man-made hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts, famine, displaced populations, industrial accidents
and transport accidents)

There are a range of challenges, such as climate change, unplanned-urbanization,

under-development/poverty as well as the threat of pandemics that will shape humanitarian assistance in
the future. These aggravating factors will result in increased frequency, complexity and severity of
disasters.

Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness,
response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.

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Philippines: A country prone to natural disasters

The Philippines has suffered from an inexhaustible number of deadly typhoons, earthquakes, volcano
eruptions and other natural disasters. This is due to its location along the Ring of Fire, or typhoon belt – a
large Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. Annually,
approximately 80 typhoons develop above tropical waters, of which 19 enter the Philippine region and six to
nine make landfall, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

The Philippines is in fact the country most exposed to tropical storms in the world. Violent tropical storms,
such as the latest Haiyan typhoon, can generate 10 times as much energy as the Hiroshima bombing.

Here is a list of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, cyclones and other natural disasters the
Philippines has had to cope with during the past decade - leaving thousands of people dead and the
country's infrastructure and economy in tatters.
Bohol earthquake, October 2013

In the early morning hours of October 15, 2013 the island province of Bohol, located in Central Visayas in
the Philippines, was disrupted by the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23 years. The earthquake
lasted 34 seconds and had a magnitude size of 7.2. The Bohol earthquake had an impact on the entire
Central Visayas region. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) 222 people died, 976 were injured, and more than 73,000 houses were damaged or destroyed.
It has been estimated that the energy the quake released was equivalent to 32 Hiroshima bombs.

Guinsaugon Landslide
The village of Guinsaugon, on the southern part of Leyte island, was buried when an entire mountainside
collapsed on 17 February, 2006 – 1,126 people were killed in the disaster. A school, along with 500 homes
were wiped out when a rapid flow of mud made its way down the mountain slope. The disaster occurred
after torrential rains of up to 200 centimeters (78 inches) dumped down on the region within 10 days.
Locals blame deforestation, caused by illegal logging, to be a contributing factor in the disaster.

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Taal Volcano Eruption (Janauary 2020)

On January 12, 2020 Taal Volcano in Batangas erupted. Sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions,
volcanic earthquakes, ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and
threaten areas within Taal Volcano Island (TVI) and along its coast. At least 584,000 people have been
affected in Batangas, Quezon, Laguna, and Cavite. There are over 6,100 people staying in evacuation
centers, and at least 194,000 people are served outside the evacuation centers. The eruption of Taal
Volcano was a phreatomagmatic eruption from its main crater that spewed ashes across Calabarzon,
Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of school
classes, work schedules, and flights in the area.[2][3] The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS) subsequently issued an Alert Level 4, indicating "that a hazardous explosive
eruption is possible within hours to days.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

 The enactment of Republic Act 10121 otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Act of 2010 has laid the basis for a paradigm shift from just disaster preparedness and
response to disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).The National DRRM Plan serves as the
national guide on how sustainable development can be achieved through inclusive growth while building
the adaptive capacities of communities; increasing the resilience of vulnerable sectors; and optimizing
disaster mitigation opportunities with the end in view of promoting people’s welfare and security towards
gender-responsive and rights-based sustainable development.

Over the past several years, the country has gained a lot of attention and momentum in the area of
disaster risk reduction. Numerous projects and activities have been undertaken by various Philippine
stakeholders and agencies in DRRM. However, sustaining the positive results and scaling them up to effect
rippling positive changes in the lives of the people have been constant challenges. Threats remain.
Disasters and people’s risk to disasters are still present. This is because the underlying cause of people’s
vulnerability has yet to be fully recognized and addressed. For years, DRR has focused more on efforts
around disaster preparedness and response and not so much in identifying the hazard-prone areas and
other factors which contribute to people’s exposure to disasters; incorporating risk analysis to development
plans; building people’s capacities towards sustainable livelihood options; and the like. Although DRR has
been gaining attention among peoples and institutions, complete paradigm shift from “disasters as an
immediate product of hazards” to “disasters as a function of people’s vulnerability” has not yet fully
happened.

In accordance with the NDRRMF, through the NDRRMP, the country will have “Safer, adaptive and
disaster resilient Filipino communities towards sustainable development.”This will be achieved through the
four distinct yet mutually reinforcing priority areas, namely, (a) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; (b)
Disaster Preparedness; (c) Disaster Response; and (d) Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation. Each priority
area has its own long term goal, which when put together will lead to the attainment of our country’s over
goal/vision in DRRM.

The priority area on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation provides key strategic actions that give
importance toactivities revolving around hazards evaluation and mitigation, vulnerability analyses,
identification of hazard-prone areas and mainstreaming DRRM into development plans. It is based on
sound and scientific analysis of the different underlying factors which contribute to the vulnerability of the
people and eventually, their risks and exposure to hazards and disasters.

Disaster Preparedness provides for the key strategic actions that give importance to activities
revolving around community awareness and understanding; contingency planning; conduct of local drills
and the development of a national disaster response plan. Risk-related information coming from the
prevention and mitigation aspect is necessary in order for the preparedness activities to be responsive to
the needs of the people and situation on the ground. Also, the policies, budget and institutional
mechanisms established under the prevention and mitigation priority area will be further enhanced through
capacity building activities, development of coordination mechanisms. Through these, coordination,
complementation and interoperability of work in DRRM operations and essential services will be ensured.
Behavioral change created by the preparedness aspect is eventually measured by how well people
responded to the disasters. At the frontlines of preparedness are the local government units, local chief
executives and communities.
 Disaster Response gives importance to activities during the actual disaster response operations
from needs assessment to search and rescue to relief operations to early recovery activities are
emphasized. The success and realization of this priority area rely heavily on the completion of the activities
under both the prevention and mitigation and preparedness aspects, including among others the
coordination and communication mechanisms to be developed. On-the-ground partnerships and the
vertical and horizontal coordination work between and among key stakeholders will contribute to successful
disaster response operations and its smooth transition towards early and long term recovery work.
The Rehabilitation and Recovery priority area cover areas like employment and livelihoods,
infrastructure and lifeline facilities, housing and resettlement, among others. These are recovery efforts
done when people are already outside of the evacuation centers.

The Objectives of the Philippine disaster risk reduction and management system
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Survival Kit List for a Natural Disaster

When building your emergency supply kit, start with the right container. Choose something that is
waterproof and easy to carry, like a plastic tote or waterproof duffle bag. For your home kit, you may need
multiple containers.
Here are the basics of what you need to make it through three days:
Water
At a minimum, keep one gallon of water per person per day. That means if your family consists of five
people, you want 15 gallons of water. If you can store more, do so. Those who’ve been faced with an
emergency situation have said that the gallon a day is hard to stretch when it comes to drinking water,
cleaning yourself and your surroundings, and cooking – especially if and when medical treatment needs to
be administered.
Make sure that any water you use for drinking, washing or preparing food, cleaning dishes, brushing your
teeth, or making ice is not contaminated. Anything with a bad odor or taste should be avoided, as it may
cause diseases like dysentery, cholera, typhoid, or hepatitis.
Food Supplies
Non-perishable goods such as canned vegetables, soups, and powdered milk provide your family with
nutrients when the possibility of cooking or preparing food is minimal. Strive to have around 2,000 calories
per person per day to consume, with some to spare. Keeping a variety of foods in stock, including
vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and meat will give you a balanced diet and keep everyone healthy and
well-fed.
First-Aid Supplies
If you end up in an emergency situation, there’s a good chance you’ll have to do some level of first aid on
someone. While it may be as simple as putting a bandage on a toddler's knee, it could also be as stressful
as stitching a wound on that same child’s head.
For your emergency disaster kit, include more than just bandages and creams. Have syringes, splints, and
a suture kit to ensure you’re prepared no matter what happens. You never know when you’ll end up
needing to render first aid to not only family, but also friends, neighbors, or even strangers who stumble
upon your disaster sanctuary. Include a week’s worth of any and all prescription medications you and other
family members take, as well as things like ibuprofen, antihistamines, and antibacterial creams.
If you have infants, young children, elderly parents, or disabled family members, keep their needs in mind
as you pack and prepare your emergency disaster kit. Things like diapers, formula, insulin, and a walker
can mean the difference between keeping things calm and controlled and swimming in absolute chaos.
Utensils
If you have your stockpile of food and water, but no can opener or pot to heat things up, you’ll be in a bit of
trouble. That’s why it’s important to have utensils included in your disaster kit. Anything you need to
prepare and eat meals, include it. Better to be over prepared than under.
Safety Items
Almost as important as first-aid supplies, safety supplies are essential. Include emergency blankets,
equipment to start fires, flashlights, a multi-tool, a knife, and a whistle. A NOAA weather radio keeps you
updated on weather alerts and helps you stay prepared.
Documents
In your emergency kit, keep copies of all your important documents. These include your insurance cards
(medical, house, auto, and life), birth certificates, passports, social security cards, marriage licenses, state
identification or driver’s licenses, and your emergency disaster plan – which includes the contact
information for everyone in your family, as well as out-of-state family, emergency services in the area, and
anything else you might need. Keep these inside a waterproof container within your disaster kit.
Other Items
The list doesn’t stop there. Here are more items you should have in your kit to ensure you get through an
emergency or disaster.
 Personal care items like toothpaste and shampoo
 A battery-operated or crank-style radio
 Extra batteries of all sizes
 A small amount of cash, preferably in small bills
 Spare credit card
 Map of the local area
 Extra set of car and house keys
 A list of things that should be done before you leave and how to do them
 Emergency contact list, including names, phone numbers, and addresses
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Guided Practice
Activity 1
Form a group consists of 5 members. Each group must prepare a 5-minute role play on the objectives of
the PDRRMS such as:
[Link] prevention and mitigation
2. disaster rehabilitation and recovery
3. disaster preparedness
4. disaster response

Activity 2

Rate your self-preparedness in the occurrence of a natural disaster such as typhoon and earthquake by
filling out the table below. Put a check on the numerical rating of 1-5 wherein 5 is the highest. Discuss to
the class your level of preparedness.

Survival Kit 1 2 3 4 5
List
Water

Food Supplies

First-Aid
Supplies
Utensils

Safety Items

Documents

Other Items

Crime and Crime Prevention

What is crime?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines crime simply as: ‘An action or omission which constitutes an
offence and is punishable by law’. The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines crime in a more complex
way: ‘an offence which goes beyond the personal and into the public sphere, breaking prohibitory rules or
laws, to which legitimate punishments or sanctions are attached, and which requires the intervention of a
public authority.’
The Philippine National Police is committed to ensuring public safety and reducing the fear and the
incidence of crime in the community. But there are many things each and every community member can do
to reduce his or her chances of becoming a victim or prevent the incidence of crime from happening. Below
are crime prevention tips for your home, your business, yourself and your family. We urge you to familiarize
yourself with the information contained in this section and to make crime prevention, awareness and
education a part of your everyday life.
Crime Prevention Tips
1. Get to know your neighbors and all those residing in your street. They will be your partners in
watching the activities in your block.
2. Organize a Street Watch composed of neighbors as members. Be concerned and cooperate in
watching activities on the block and reporting unusual or suspicious behavior to the police and the
Street Watch Officer.
3. Exchange names, home and work telephone numbers among members. Prepare diagram of the
block or neighborhood where you belong for easy identification of households in case an
emergency or crime incident occurs. The diagram should contain the house number, telephone
numbers and occupants' names. The emergency and police department telephone numbers should
be included in the diagram.
4. Look after you neighbor’s house when he is away and ask him to look after yours. This includes
collecting your mail, newspapers and other deliveries which would indicate at a glance that no one
is home.
5. Attend meetings called by your Street Watch Officer. Find out about the crime situation in your area
and what you can do about them. Share information and experiences with your neighbors.
6. Get to know your police chief and members of the police station in your area. Write down the
station’s emergency hotline number in a place you can easily see in case you will need police
advise or assistance. Use your police force – they are ready, willing and able to keep you, your
family and your neighborhood safe and sound.

Keeping the family Safe

1. Make sure you and members of your family know the whereabouts of everyone for the day. Place a
“whereabouts” board in the kitchen or family room where family members can post their schedules
or destinations for the day.
2. Instruct all family members and household help not to entertain strangers at the gate or on the
phone. Children should be especially trained not to converse with strangers on the phone.
Transactions, if any, should be done outside the gate. This will prevent closer observation of your
premises or the household layout.
3. Teach your family and household helps to verify the identity of phone callers before identifying
themselves.
4. Never give out information on the whereabouts of family members to just anyone on the phone.
Friends or relatives should be politely asked to call again so they can personally talk to the person
they are looking for. Should the unknown caller insist on asking to speak to each and every family
member, ask for his name and politely say the message will be relayed and that he should call
back again. Call the police for assistance if you
5. repeatedly receive anonymous phone calls.
6. Instruct family members and your house help that designated family member must be contacted in
an emergency or if there are dubious characters at your door or on your phone. List the important
phone numbers in the front or back page of your directory for easy access.
 7. Be aware of phone swindlers who call in and report that one family member has been in an
accident and is asking for the family member or household help to bring cash or other valuable to a
certain place. Verify with another family member before acting on this.
8. Verify the identity of callers at your gate before opening the door. Use peepholes provided on gates
and doors for this purpose. Should the stranger be a repairman, electrician or the like, verify his
identity by calling the service office.
9. Advise your children to refrain from playing/loitering on streets outside your residence where they
are highly vulnerable to abduction. Advice your children never to leave home without telling you of
their destination and expected time of arrival.
Securing your Home and your Belongings
There are three things you can do to help reduce burglary:
1. Make your home burglar-proof.
2. Mark your belongings that burglars are most likely to steal.
3. Be alert to report suspicious persons and unusual activities to the police before a crime may occur.
What can you do?
1. Ensure all doors and windows have locks in working condition. Keep only that is used to enter the
house open, all other entry points to your household should be securely locked to prevent
unnoticed entry into your home.
2. Make it a habit to check that all doors and windows are locked at night before going to sleep. The
dark of night is a most ready camouflage for robbers and other criminals.
3. Outside your home: Prune lower tree limbs – don’t provide the thief with a natural ladder into
second floor windows. Keep the view to your house open – criminals love to hide behind tall fences
or overgrown bushes while breaking into your home.
4. Keeps porches, yards, and all entrances to your house and garage well lighted. Leave lights on
inside your house when you go out for the evening.
5. Keep a record of the important information (especially make, model number, serial number) of all
household facilities and equipment, such as TV, radio, video cassette recorder, refrigerator, VCR,
washing machine. Have an inventory of your jewelry and other precious items and documents like
birth, baptismal and marriage certificates.
6. Store cash and other valuable in the bank. Hiding them inside locked drawers does not guarantee
that they will be safe from the knowing eyes and practiced moves of robbers.
7. Bring in all outdoor equipment (bicycles, garden hose, mower, etc.) at night. Leaving these
valuables out in the garden or street is an open invitation to robbers and thieves.
8. Protect your house from prying eyes by using curtains or drapes.
9. Provide family members with their own keys to the house. This is safer than leaving the key in a
“secret” place, one that can be discovered by any person who takes the time to watch your
movements when you leave your home and come back at night.
10. If you and your family are going on a vacation, ask a neighbor to watch your home, or ask a
relative to stay in your home while you are away. An empty house is a prime target for criminal
elements.
If you are under threat…
If there are suspicious sounds or shadows in your home, try to contract the police quietly so as not to let the
intruders know that you are aware of their presence. Most robbers are after the property inside your home,
and are more prone to working swiftly and quietly to avoid any physical or violent encounters.
If you awake to the sound of an intruder, you have several options:
1. Lie quietly to avoid attracting attention to yourself, hoping that they will leave you undisturbed.
 2. You may choose to open lights and make noise by moving around thereby warning them that you
are awake, and scaring them into leaving your home. Even if you are alone in the house, you may
speak loudly to an imaginary companion.
3. If you see signs of a break-in or suspicious persons inside your home, do not attempt to go in as
the robbers may still be inside. Go to your nearest neighbor and call the police for immediate
assistance.
4. Remain calm and do not panic. Although a robber would prefer to avoid confrontation, they are
easily agitated and more prone to uncalled for abuse or violence.
5. Try to talk it out with the robbers. If you are up to it. This will delay them, and allow for alternative
action on your part, if the situation allows.
6. Note all peculiarities and mannerisms of the robbers, if you come face-to-face with them. Tattoo
marks, physical defects, moles and speech mannerisms will help in giving the police a more solid
description of the robbers.
Safety Tips on the Streets
1. Day or night, do not walk in dark streets, alleys and unsafe shortcuts.
2. Stay away from dark isolated places or vacant lots at night. These areas are hangouts of criminals.
Do not take chances.
3. Do not walk between parked cars in parking lots. Avoid walking alone in unlit and uncertain places.
At night, wait for buses, taxicabs or jeepneys in well-lighted areas.
4. When going to economically depressed areas (slums/squatter’s area) communities, do not wear
expensive jewelry and carry substantial cash. If you decide to go to such places, remove your
jewelry; this may save your life or limbs.
5. Do not flash a lot of cash around when travelling. Money attracts the “bad eggs.”
Commuter Safety
1. When in a bus or jeepney, do not extend your hand out the window; your watch/jewelry could be
snatched or your hand injured by another vehicle.
2. When you ride a cab, take the habit of getting the name of the cab, its plate number, and the cab
driver’s name. This will be handy in case you leave something in the cab or if the driver tries to hurt
or rob you.
3. Be careful with what you carry when riding on a crowded bus. If you are to carry so many things,
take a cab home and check the cab well before alighting.
4. If you are to visit someone, call him/her for your expected time of arrival. This will be helpful in case
an accident happens on the way. It is also advisable to always inform your relatives or neighbors
where you are going and for how long you will be away.
Safety in Commercial Centers
1. Never try to buy something from the sidewalks; instead, go to a department store. The goods may
be a little more expensive there but it is safer since you avoid thieves, pickpockets and sidewalk
hawkers.
2. Never grab a bargain sold gold watch, diamond ring or anything from the sidewalk. You are likely to
be gypped with a stolen good and could be later on charged with theft.
3. Never exchange your wrist watch, expensive pen or gold ring for “a found diamond ring”. Never
bargain or argue with strangers in the streets. Ignore them and just leave.
4. Never go with a stranger to get a bargain article. You may be robbed or gypped at the
5. back street.
Tips for Women
1. If someone is talking you, seek the help of security guards (when inside a building) and then call or
go to the nearest police block/station in your area.
 2. Do not ride a jeepney if there are no female passengers inside, wait for the next vehicles. It is safer
to take a bus if you are commuting alone at night. Sit near the driver if passengers are
predominantly male.
3. Do not hitch a ride with a person you do not know very well. It is always safer to take the bus,
jeepney or taxicab.
4. Avoid watching movies alone; always take someone with you – a relative or trusted friend.
5. Ask somebody to accompany you when traveling, especially if night will overtake you.
6. Always carry in your bag a whistle or anything that may be used to sound alarm when in danger.
Scream or shout for help when you are in danger of being attacked.

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Guided Practice
Activity
Using a sketch pad or any digital drawing tool, prepare and present a graphical illustration (drawing, digital
presentation) on how to prevent crimes. Provide a short slogan to your work.