Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk
Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk
Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk
Disaster
• is a dangerous situation or threat from natural or man-
made events that disrupt the functions of individuals in a
community.
• This could mean death, damage to resources, and loss of
property. Thus, a community under disaster might need
assistance to recover.
Disaster
• Disasters occur when a hazard is exposed to a vulnerable
community.
Hazard
•Is a threat to life, environment, or property. A
hazard can be considered a disaster if it poses
an actual harm to life and environment. It can be
classified based on its origins: natural and
man-made.
Hazard
• Natural hazards are caused by an abrupt or slow onset of
naturally occurring phenomena which can be biological,
geological, hydrological, meteorological, and climatological in
origin.
• Man-made hazards are caused by human activities and
occur near human settlements. Pollution, industrial, and
transport accidents, conflicts (war and terrorism), and
technological structures are some examples of man-made
hazards.
We can
encounter
different types of
natural and man-
made hazards.
▪ The failure to withstand the impacts of
hazards is called vulnerability.
▪ The impacts of a disaster can be
reduced if proper mitigation measures
are done. Mitigation refers to
precautionary activities to prevent or
reduce the effects of a disaster.
Remember:
➢Disasters occur when hazards bring
harmful impacts to the human
population.
➢Natural disasters are of natural
processes origin while man-made
disasters are produced from human
activities.
Assessment: ¼ answer the following
questions.
1.Explain what is meant by “Buildings
kill people, not Earthquakes”.
2.Is the large magnitude of a natural
hazard a guarantee for a disaster?
Why or why not?
Which town has a higher A landslide?
chance of surviving a tsunami? Why?
LESSON 2: RISK FACTORS UNDERLYING
DISASTERS
Disaster Risk
➢is defined by the United Nations International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as “the combination of the
probability of an event and its negative consequences.”
This includes severity of hazard, number of damage to
people and resources, and their vulnerability to damage.
▪ Hazard – any phenomenon that can
potentially cause damage to life,
property, or environment.
Factor Underlying
Situation Disaster
Depletion of the ozone layer and combustion from automobiles causing
extreme air pollution
An increase in heavy precipitation (heavy rain and hail) increase in the
proportion of violent tropical cyclones.
Women and children with lack of access to healthcare after a disaster.
Weaknesses of disaster response leads to delays in the immediate
aftermath of the disaster, hence the response is often fragmented,
inefficient and ineffective leading to increased number of casualties and
deaths.
Poor solid waste management can cause blockage to storm water and
sewage networks that can lead to waterlogging and flooding.