DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION LESSON 1

IT’S A DISASTER
Disaster is "a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm, injury, destruction, and
devastation to life and property”. It disrupts the usual course of life, causing both physical and
emotional distress such as an intense feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. A preceding
definition of disaster stresses that two elements are affected – life (whether human or animal)
and property. The effects vary – it maybe a minor damage (like broken windows and doors),
major damage (like torn rooftops, collapsed walls), total destruction (like completely destroyed
houses and structures rendering them useless and inhabitable) and the worst scenario, it can lead
to death. (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, ADPC, 2012)
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2008), 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”. 13

Any adverse episode or phenomenon can exploit a vulnerability in the affected population or
community to create damage and this awareness will form the basis for an adequate intervention.
Meanwhile, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines disaster as
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.
Disasters are often a result of the combination of: the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of
vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the
potential negative consequences.
Its impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human physical,
mental, and social wellbeing, together with damage to properties, destruction of assets, loss of
services, social and economic disruptions, and environmental degradation.
Classification of Disasters:
Disasters can be divided into 2 large categories:
A. Natural Disasters – a natural phenomenon is caused by natural forces, such as
earthquakes, typhoon, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and extreme temperatures.
They can be classified as rapid onset disasters and those with progressive onset, such as droughts
that lead to famine. These events, usually sudden, can have tremendous effects.
B. Man-made - Disasters caused by man are those in which major direct causes are
identifiable intentional or non-intentional human actions.
Subdivided into three categories:
 1. Technological/industrial disasters - Unregulated industrialization and inadequate
safety standards increase the risk for industrial disasters.
EXAMPLE: leaks of hazardous materials; accidental explosions; bridge or road
collapses, or vehicle collisions; Power cuts
2. Terrorism/Violence - the threat of terrorism has also increased due to the spread of
technologies involving nuclear, biological, and chemical agents used to develop weapons of
mass destruction.
EXAMPLE : bombs or explosions; release of chemical materials; release of biological
agents; release of radioactive agents; multiple or massive shootings; mutinies
3. Complex humanitarian emergencies - the term complex emergency is usually used
to describe the humanitarian emergency resulting from an international or civil war. In such
situations, large numbers of people are displaced from their homes due to the lack of personal
safety and the disruption of basic infrastructure including food distribution, water, electricity,
and sanitation, or communities are left stranded and isolated in their own homes unable to access
assistance.
EXAMPLE: conflicts or wars and Genocide the deliberate killing of a large group of people,
especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation
The damage caused by disaster cannot be measured. It also differs with the kind of geographical
location, climate, earth’s specific characteristics, and level of vulnerability. These determining
factors affect generally the psychological, socio – economic, political, and ethnical state of the
affected area.
Risk and Disaster Risk
Risk has various connotations within different disciplines. In general, risk is defined as “the
combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences” (UNISDR, 2009). The
term risk is thus multidisciplinary and is used in a variety of contexts. It is usually associated
with the degree to which humans cannot cope (lack of capacity) with a situation (e.g. natural
hazard).
The term disaster risk refers to the potential (not actual and realized) disaster losses, in lives,
health status, livelihoods, assets, and services which could occur in a community or society over
some specified future time period.
Disaster risk is the product of the possible damage caused by a hazard due to the vulnerability
within a community. It should be noted that the effect of a hazard (of a particular magnitude)
would affect communities differently (Von Kotze, 1999:35).
It can also be determined by the presence of three variables: hazards (natural or anthropogenic);
vulnerability to a hazard; and coping capacity linked to the reduction, mitigation, and resilience
to the vulnerability of a community.