LESSON 1:

Concepts, Nature, and Effects of Disasters

Overview
Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of
disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact on
vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.

Disaster preparedness provides a platform to design effective, realistic, and coordinated

planning, reduces duplication of efforts, and increases the overall effectiveness of National
Societies, household, and community members disaster preparedness, and response efforts.
Disaster preparedness activities embedded with risk reduction measures can prevent disaster
situations and save maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation, enabling the
affected population to get back to normalcy within a short period.

Disaster preparedness is a continuous and integrated process resulting from a wide range
of risk reduction activities and resources rather than from a specific sectoral activity by itself. It
requires the contributions of many different areas, ranging from training and logistics to health
care, recovery, livelihood, and institutional development.

Preliminary Activity
Let us see how much you have known about the disaster by doing this exercise. Write at least
five words that come into your mind when you hear the word catastrophe?

Let us talk about the concepts and nature of disasters and how can we prepare ourselves with its
effects. Read the discussion below.

Disaster
According to the United
Nations International
Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNIDSR), a
disaster is a consequence of
hazards leading to serious
destruction of the
functioning of a society.
Disasters cause widespread
human, material, or
environmental losses that
exceed the affected
society's ability to cope
based on its resources and capacities. A natural disaster is any catastrophic event brought about
by the biological processes of the earth.
Natural disasters could be described as strong earthquakes, cyclones, floods, and drought,
bringing corresponding risks. Disaster risk entails potential losses in lives, health status,

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livelihoods, assets, and services due to a certain disaster, which could occur to society over some
specified period (NDRRMP). Risk is the expected losses of lives, persons injured, property
damaged, and economic activity disrupted due to a particular hazard for a given area and
reference pperiod. The unit of measure of risk could be a number of fatality or value of the
damaged property (UNIDSR) using this formula:
Risk = Hazard x Elements at Risk x Vulnerability
Risk Factors of Disaster:
Hazards refer to the probability of occurrence of a potentially damaging phenomenon within a
given period and geographic area. It is mathematically expressed as the probability of occurrence
or frequency of occurrence of a given magnitude of event (UNISDR). Natural hazards are
produced by nature or natural processes like an earthquake while some are hazards resulting
from human activities such as floods.
Exposure/Elements at Risk consists of the people, buildings and structures, infrastructure,
economic activities, and public services exposed to hazards in a given area and period (NEDA).
Vulnerability refers to conditions that define how elements exposed to risk are affected by a
hazard. It is mathematically expressed as the degree of loss (from 0 to 100 percent) resulting
from a potentially damaging event (UNISDR). For example, the most vulnerable population to
flooding are those residents living near rivers who have experienced poverty.
Capacities/Resiliency is the quality of the affected entity that reduces the vulnerability of people
and property (UNISDR). Resiliency is the capacity to prevent losses, maintain normal living
conditions when damage occurs, and manage recovery from the impact (Buckle et al., 2000).
According to SOPAC, it is the ability to resist or recover from damage.
EFFECTS OF DISASTERS
Filipinos have been affected by the loss of lives, injury, and other health impacts,
property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage, and the negative effects have been aggravated. For instance, during the
ten years (1997-2007), 84 tropical storms entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility leaving
13,155 casualties and more than 51 million affected families (NDRRMP). But the communities,
towns, and cities have become more susceptible to the damaging effects of hazards (NDRRMP).
The effects of hazards can be classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary effects
result from hazardous processes such as water pollution during a flood or collapse of buildings
during an earthquake, landslide, or typhoon. On the other hand, secondary effects arise when a
primary effect has caused the emergence of events like fires and water unavailability problems as
a result of an earthquake, flood, or typhoon, or landslide. Tertiary effects are long-term effects
due to a primary effect which include loss of habitat caused by a typhoon, changes in the river
channel by flood or crop failure due to a volcanic eruption (Nelson, 2015)
NATURE OF DISASTERS
Natural hazards act as triggers to disasters and areas at risk. A natural disaster results
when a natural hazard causes serious disruption, resulting in human, material, economic or
environmental losses that exceed the ability to cope by that affected entity (NEDA). Several
strong typhoons hit the country such as Ondoy that killed people and damaged properties and
livelihood in the affected areas causing them to suffer difficulty to recover. The severity of a
disaster is measured in terms of lives lost, economic loss, and the ability of the population to
rebuild in the case of a flood in a populated area. Events that occur in unpopulated areas are not
considered disasters.
VULNERABLE AREAS
Among the countries in the world, the Philippines is the most prone to natural hazards
because of its geographic landscapes. It comprises 7, 107 islands having a long coastline which

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makes it vulnerable to sea-level rise. The archipelago is also geographically located along the
Pacific Ring of Fire, making it vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic hazards for
having 220 volcanoes, 22 of which are classified as active. It lies along the Western Pacific
Basin, a center of different extreme climatic conditions such as monsoons, thunderstorms,
intertropical convergence zones, typhoons, and El Niño. The Philippines recorded 373 disaster
events triggered by natural hazards from 1905 to 2006 or about 4 incidents per year
(OFDA/CRED, 2006). Hence, the Philippines is exposed to both natural and human-induced
hazards due to geological, meteorological, hydrological, oceanic, biological, and technological
sources, sometimes acting in combination (NDRRMP). Specifically, vulnerability at the local
level depends on proximity to a hazard, high population density in the affected area, scientific
knowledge of the hazard, public education and awareness about the hazard, early-warning
systems and communication system, presence and readiness of emergency infrastructure,
construction and building codes/standards and public response to warnings (Nelson, 2015).
HOLISTIC VIEW ON DISASTERS
Socio-Cultural and Psychological Aspect
Disasters cause the loss of lives and damage to property. There is an increase in deaths
from natural disasters in 1990 and 2000-2006 compared to the record of 1980. A significant
number of deaths are caused by tropical cyclones hitting the country. The National Disaster
Coordinating Council (NDCC) has estimated that an average of 500 people is killed each year
due to solid tropical cyclones from 1970 to 2002. Earthquakes caused many deaths in the 90s in
Luzon and 1991 in Mt.Pinatubo eruption with 2,000 and 6,200 casualties, respectively. The
NDCC recorded 36 019 deaths brought about by natural disasters from 1980 to 2006. These
disasters created trauma and acculturation in the communities due to poverty and conflict on
limited resources.
Economic Aspect
The average cost of direct damage from natural disasters from 1970 to 2006 is estimated at Php
15 billion from crops, public infrastructure, and private homes. The damage in 1978 with 15
disasters turned in the highest with Php70 billion. The major disasters with high direct damage
are the Luzon earthquake in 1990 (about Php66 Billion), the Mt.Pinatubo eruption in 1991 (about
Php33 Billion), and the droughts in 1984 and 1987. This resulted in the decline in the gross
domestic product (GDP) at an estimated value of (a) 1.2 percent due to the 1990 Luzon
earthquake; (b) 0.9 percent due to the Pinatubo eruption; and (c) 0.5 percent average due to
typhoons every year. Based on the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan or
NDRRMP, between 1990 and 2006, the annual direct damages caused by disasters amounted to
Php20 billion every year or roughly 0.5% of the GDP on the average, according to the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). However, the losses caused by
tropical storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng in 2009 are estimated to be about 2.7% of that year's
GDP (NDRRMP).
Physical Aspect
Infrastructures, residential areas, commercial buildings, and agricultural structures are
being damaged by floods, typhoons, landslides, and earthquakes. Disasters damage roads and
bridges used for transportation. Communications are also affected by the damages on the antenna
and wires and loss of electricity. Residential areas with human settlements may be affected by
the floodwaters, strong winds, and strong intensity and magnitude of earthquakes. Many will lose
their houses and properties leaving them homeless. Commercial and agricultural structures will
also be not functional in the presence of disasters. These physical structures will be damaged,
some will be permanently lost.
Political/Institutional Aspect
Institutions that are organized groups in the society are affected if a certain disaster hits
the local communities. Disasters may affect the civil society and the government's customs,

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traditions, values, and policies. There will be imbalances in power or authority that will cause
chaos in the community due to the unequal distribution of information and resources. Disasters
can erode the country’s development gains by the direction of funds. For example, the provision
of programs and services intended to improve the living conditions of communities.
The budget for pursuing planned development interventions is instead devoted to disaster
response, rehabilitation, and reconstruction activities. Thus, institutions may reduce their
capacity to cope with the immediate and emergent needs of the community.
Biological Aspect
Disasters can cause changes in the country’s aquatic resources, including the freshwater
and marine ecosystems. The species will be affected by the loss of their habitats. More species
will not survive from the aggravated human causes of deforestation as one of the reasons for
their degraded habitats. Life forms, plants, and animals may die due to landslides and soil
erosion, and devastating forests and polluted waters due to typhoons. There will be vast mortality
of fishes and other aquatic organisms because of the low amount of oxygen in the water brought
about by siltation, sedimentation, or pollution. Disasters are a serious phenomenon causing the
population of various life forms to decline due to the difficulty of copying or adapt.

Activity 1
Match Column A and Column B. Write the letter of your answer on the space provided before
each number.

_____1. Poor people, young individuals and elderl A. economic aspect of

disasters

_____2. Government, NGO’s and private companies B. resiliency

_____3. Landslides, earthquakes, typhoons C. socio-cultural effect of

disaster

_____4. Fatality, damaged houses, D. disaster

buildings and infrastructures

_____5. Good governance, financial viability E. institutional cooperation

_____6. Species extinctions and habitat change F. hazards

_____7. Conflict and trauma G. occur along steep slopes

during heavy rains

_____8. Financial support from government and NGOs H. elements at risk

_____9. Consists of risks and negative impacts I. characterized by strong

winds and thunderstorms

_____10. Disaster risks J. vulnerability

_____11. Typhoons K.loss of lives and properties

_____12. Landslides L.biologicaleffect of disaster

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_____13. Opposite of resiliency M.mostvulnerablepopulation

Activity 2
1. List down five primaries, five seconds, a nd five tertiary effects of flooding.

2. List down five primary, secondary, and tertiary hazards of a typhoon.

Reference:

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Relox, R. & Vedra, S. Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction, Diocesan Printing Press and
Publishing, Inc. Rizal St., Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines

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