DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
or environmental
RISK FACTORS degradation.
UNDERLYING
Vulnerability
DISASTERS
the condition deter-
mined by physical, so-
RISK FACTORS cial, economic and en-
Disaster risk as vironmental factors or
defined in the first processes, which in-
module, has three crease the susceptibil-
important elements ity of a community to
such as: the impact of hazard
(Food and Agriculture
Exposure
Organization of the
the elements at risk
United nation, FAO
from a natural or
2008).
man-made hazard
event (Quebral, Reduction of the
2016).
level of vulnerability
and exposure is possi-
Hazard
a potentially danger- ble by keeping people
ous physical occur- and property as dis-
rence, phenom- tant as possible
enon or human from hazards. We can-
activity that may re- not avoid natural
sult in loss of life or events from occurring,
injury, property but we can concen-
damage, social and trate on addressing
economic disruption, the reduction of risk
and exposure by de-
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
termining the factors workers and health
causing disasters. care practitioners and
the lowest risk are
Risk Factors are those most distant like
processes or those who have
awareness of the
conditions, often
disaster only through
development-related, news.
that influence the level
of disaster risk by Gender and Family
increasing levels of the female gender
suffers more
exposure and
adverse effects. This
vulnerability or
worsens when
reducing capacity.
children are present
The following are also at home. Marital
taken into relationships are
consideration when placed under strain.
risk factors
Age
underlying disaster adults in the age
are involved: range of 40 to-60 are
more stressed after
Severity of exposure disasters but in
which measures those general, children
who experience disaster
exhibit more stress
firsthand which has
after disasters than
the highest risk of
developing future adults do.
mental problems,
Economic status of
followed by those in
country
contact with the
victims such as rescue
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
evidence indicates exposure patterns.
that severe mental For most people, the
problems resulting expression "climate
from disasters are change" means the
more prevalent in alteration of the
developing countries world's climate that
like the Philippines. we humans are
Furthermore, it has causing such as
been observed that burning of fossil fu-
natural disasters els, deforestation
and other prac-
tend to have more
tices that increase
adverse effects in
the carbon foot-
developing countries
print and con-
than do man caused
centration of
disasters in
greenhouse gases in
developed
the atmosphere.
countries.
2. Environmental
Factors Which Degradation
Changes to the environ-
Underlie ment can influence
Disasters: the frequency and in-
tensity of hazards, as
1. Climate Change well as our exposure
can increase disas- and vulnerability to
ter risk in a variety these hazards. For in-
of ways by altering stance, deforestation
the frequency and in- of slopes often
tensity of hazards leads to an increase
events, affecting
in landslide hazard
vulnerability to haz-
and removal of
ards, and changing
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
mangroves can in- and poor on a global
crease the damage scale. Currently in-
caused by storm creasing the expo-
surges (UNISDR, sure of assets in
2009). It is both a hazard prone areas,
driver and conse- globalized economic
quence of disasters, re- development pro-
ducing the capacity vides an opportunity
of the environment to to build re-
meet social and eco- silience if effectively
logical needs. Over managed. By partici-
consumption of natu- patingin risk sensitive
ral resources results in en- development strate-
vironmental degradation, gies such as investing in
reducing the effec- protective infrastruc-
tiveness of essential ture, environmental
ecosystem services, management, and up-
grading informal
such as the mitigation
settlements, risk can be
of floods and land- reduced. Dominance and
slides. This leads to in- increase of wealth in
creased risk from disas-
certain regions and
ters, and in turn, natu-
cities are expected to
ral hazards can fur-
have increased hazard
ther degrade the exposure (Gencer, 2013).
environment.
4. Poverty and
3. Globalized
Inequality
Economic
Impoverished peo-
Development
It results in an in- ple are more likely
creased polarization to live in hazard ex-
between the rich posed areas and are
less able to invest
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
in risk-reducing increase in popula-
measures. The lack tion density (in
of access to insurance cities) can lead to
and social protection creation of risk,
means that people in especially when ur-
poverty are often banization is rapid,
forced to use their al- poorly planned and
ready limited as- occurring in a con-
sets to buffer disas- text of widespread
ter losses, which
poverty. Growing
drives them into fur-
concentrations
ther poverty. Poverty is
therefore both a cause 6. Weak Governance
and consequence of weak governance
disaster risk (Wisner zones are
et al., 2004), investment
5. Poorly planned and environments in
Managed Urban which public sector
Development actors are unable or
A new wave of ur- unwilling to assume
banization is unfold- their roles and
ing in hazard-ex- responsibilities in
posed countries and protecting rights,
with it, new opportu- providing basic
nities for resilient in- services and public
vestment emerge. services. Disaster
People, poverty, and risk is
disaster risk are disproportionately
increasingly concen- concentrated in
trated in cities. The lower-income
growing rate of ur- countries with weak
banization and the
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION – WEEK 2
governance (UNISDR,
2015).