BASIC CONCEPT
OF DISASTER AND
DISASTER RISK
OBJECTIVES
• The learners
• Explain the meaning of disaster
• Differentiate the risk factors underlying
disasters
• Describe the effects of disaster in one’s life
• Explain how and when an event becomes a
disaster.
• Why is the Philippines one of the most
disaster-prone countries?
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
Photo credit: [Link]
PACIFIC TYPHOON BELT
Photo credit: [Link]
EXPORTER OF TYPHOONS
Tracks of
Tropical
Cyclones in
the Western
North Pacific
Period from
1948 to
2010.
Reference: Japan Meteorological Agency (n.d.) as cited by Godillano
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE CHANGE IN THE PROPERTIES OF THE
CLIMATE THAT PERSISTS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD DUE TO
NATURAL VARIABILITY OR AS A RESULT OF HUMAN ACTIVITY.
GLOBAL WARMING IS ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE, WHICH IS THE RISE IN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF
THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. Photo credit: [Link]
PROJECTED IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Global temperature change (relative to pre-industrial)
0°C 1°C 2°C 3°C 4°C 5°C
Food Falling crop yields in many areas,
particularly developing regions
Possible rising yields in some Falling yields in many
high latitude regions developed regions
Water Small mountain glaciers Significant decreases in water
availability in many areas, including Sea level rise
disappear – water
supplies threatened in Mediterranean and Southern Africa threatens major cities
several areas
Ecosystems
Extensive Damage to Rising number of species face extinction
Coral Reefs
Extreme
Weather Rising intensity of storms, forest fires, droughts, flooding and heat waves
Events
Risk of Abrupt and
Increasing risk of dangerous feedbacks and abrupt,
Major Irreversible
large-scale shifts in the climate system
Changes
8
Reference: “Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change” as cited in “Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy: Operationalizing the People’s Survival Fund” (2013)
NATURAL HAZARDS
✓ TYPHOONS
✓ FLOODS
✓ STORM SURGES
✓ EARTHQUAKES
✓ TSUNAMIS
✓ VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
✓ LANDSLIDES
✓ DROUGHT
HUMAN-INDUCED HAZARDS
✓ FIRE
✓ MARITIME ACCIDENTS
✓ AIRCRAFT CRASH
✓ LAND ACCIDENTS
✓ INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
✓ POLLUTION
✓ CIVIL DISTURBANCE
✓ TERRORISM
✓ ARMED CONFLICT
Volcanic eruption
(Mt Pinatubo: 1991)
Photo-credit:
Landslide
(Guinsaugon Landslide: 2006)
Photo-credit:
TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA (2013)
Animated enhanced
infrared satellite loop of
Typhoon Haiyan from peak
intensity to landfall in the
Philippines
Storm Surge
(TY “Yolanda”: 2013)
Photo-credit:
Tropical Storm
(TS“Ondoy”: 2009)
Photo-credit:
Monsoon Rains
(SW Monsoon in NCR: 2012)
Photo-credit:
Human-Induced Disaster
(Zamboanga Crisis: 2013)
Photo-credit: [Link]
Earthquake
(7.2 M EQ in Bohol: 2013)
Photo-credit:
Typhoon
(TY “Ruby”: 2014)
Photo-credit:
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
•A proactive approach
being adopted
whenever disaster
occurs where risks are
reduced and
managed.
EFFECTS OF DISASTERS
✓ HUMAN TOLL
✓ Dead, injured and missing
✓ Families displaced
✓ Lost livelihood
✓ DAMAGE and LOSSES
✓ Productive Sectors
✓ Social Sectors
✓ Infrastructure
✓ Cross Sectoral
✓ SLOWS ECONOMY
✓ HAMPERS DELIVERY OF SERVICES
R= HxVxE
C
WHERE
R = Risk
H = Hazard
V = Vulnerability
E = Exposure
C = Capacity
WORLD RISK INDEX
REPORT 2014
9th in 2009
6th in 2010
3rd in 2011
3rd in 2012
3rd in 2013
In 2014, the
Philippines ranked as
2nd country at risk
WORLD RISK INDEX REPORT 2022
• pertains to potentially
damaging physical
event, phenomenon or
HAZARD human activity which
may cause the loss of
life or injury, property
damage, social and
economic disruption or
environmental
degradation.
DISASTER
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.
DISASTER
• The term “DISASTER” owes its origin to
French word “Disastre”, which a
combination of two words “Des” meaning
“Bad” and “Aster” meaning “Star” thus the
term disaster refers to “Bad or Evil Star”.
In earlier days disasters were considered to
be an outcome of some unfavorable star.
Which figures show a disaster? Why?
No disaster
Event/
Natural Vulnerable
Phenomena/ Population
Hazard
DISASTER
Event/ Natural Vulnerable
Phenomena/ Population
Hazard
VULNERABILITY
• Is a condition
determined by
factors or
processes which
increase the
susceptibility of
a community to
the impact of
disasters.
ELEMENTS AT RISK
•Include persons,
buildings, crops and
other components
exposed to known
disaster hazards
and which are likely
to be adversely
affected by the
impact of these
hazards.
CAPACITY
•Is a combined
strength of a
community
that can help
in reducing
and
managing
disaster risks
.
DISASTER RISK
• Is “the probability of
harmful consequences
or losses (deaths,
injuries, livelihoods,
assets , services)
resulting from
interactions between
natural or human-
induced hazards and
vulnerable
conditions.”
HAZARD EXPOSURE
DISASTER
RISK
VULNERABILITY
DISASTER RISK FACTORS
Disaster Risk factors are variables that either aggravate or mitigate the
effects of hazards, affecting the degree or scope of a disaster.
• (1) Physical factors would pertain to tangible objects or infrastructure
• (2) Psychological factors include state of mental capacity and health
• (3) Socio-cultural factors include religion, social status, traditions,
perception by society, etc.
• (4) Economic factors include assets and liabilities, income, economic
class, etc.
• (5) Political factors include government structure, diplomatic issues,
etc.
• (6) Biological factors include flora and fauna in environment, health,
diseases, etc.
FOUR DRRM THEMATIC AREAS
Disaster Preparedness
Disaster Response
Establish and strengthen
capacities of communities Provide life preservation
to anticipate, cope and and meet the basic
recover subsistence needs of
affected population based
from the negative
on acceptable standards
impacts of emergency
during or immediately
occurrences and disasters Safer, adaptive after a disaster
and disaster
resilient
Filipino Disaster Rehabilitation
and Recovery
Disaster Prevention and
communities
Restore and improve
Mitigation towards facilities and living
Avoid hazards and mitigate sustainable conditions and capacities
their potential impacts by of affected communities,
reducing vulnerabilities and development and reduce risks in
exposure and enhancing accordance with the
capacities of communities “building back better”
principle
DISASTER
PREVENTION & MITIGATION
• Development of alarm and
early warning systems
• Nationwide flood
forecasting and monitoring
• Geo-hazard mappings
• Implementation of safety
standards
• Engineering interventions
• Flood control structures
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
• Contingency planning
• Prepositioning of
equipment
• Enhancement of operation/
coordination centers
• Organizing, training and
equipping responders and
volunteers
• Conduct of training and
drills
DISASTER RESPONSE
• Conduct of Pre-Disaster Risk
Assessment
• Issuance of advisories and
situation reports
• SRR operations using ICS
• Humanitarian assistance
• Activation of Clusters
• Provision of financial assistance
• Management of evacuation
centers
DISASTER REHABILITATION
& RECOVERY
• Conduct of Post-Disaster
Needs Assessment
• Review of DRRM plans
• Reconstruction and
improvement of houses,
buildings, facilities (“build
back better”
• Resettlement
• Provision of new sources of
livelihood
Photo credit: Google Images
REFLECTION
• Natural and human-induced hazards
abound in the country.
• Vulnerabilities (physical, social,
environment, economic) further
increase disaster risks
• Filipinos are exposed to disasters given
the geographic location of the country.