Disaster Readiness and Risk The primary consideration is not the population

Reduction size but the population density.

2. Capacity and efficiency to reduce Disaster Risk:
Community that is less vulnerable has the
capacity to reduce disaster risk because;
VULNERABILITY
a. It can provide accessibility and availability of
services and facilities during and after
disaster.
VULNERABILITY b. It has the ability to anticipate, adapt, and
Vulnerability is a state of being at risk. According to respond to possible disaster,
Republic Act 10121 also known as 'Philippine Disaster Risk Is it appropriate to say that The Philippines is
Reduction and Management Act of 2010', vulnerability is less vulnerable to typhoon? Nowadays, our
defined as the characteristics and circumstances of a country has advanced technology to predict
community, system or resource that make it susceptible to super typhoon and several municipalities
the damaging effects of a hazard. With all the identified already provided evacuation centers to provide
hazard at home, there is a possibility that some family temporary housing for victims when disaster
members might be susceptible or prone to the accident due occur.
to the presence of hazard. Vulnerability is also situation VULNERABILITIES OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS ARE
specific. This means that if a specific province is prone to DETERMINED DUE TO ITS EXPOSURE TO PARTICULAR AND
earthquake, it does not mean that all localities on that SPECIFIC HAZARD.
province is vulnerable to it. The vulnerability of different
towns or cities or even provinces differ in the way they PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY
prepare for the hazard and the amount and type of resources
includes population density levels, place of a
they have in order prevent and manage it.
settlement, the site design, and materials used for
To lessen vulnerability means to make the infrastructure and housing When hazardous events occur,
community prepared and ready for the possible damaging normally physical elements are severely damaged.
effect of the hazard. This further means that to make the
For example, UP Visayas buildings were totally destroyed
community less vulnerable, it must be resilient. So, to develop
during the super typhoon Yolanda in 2008 leaving the
resiliency at home, you should first identify the hazards and
structure totally damaged. Another example is the decreased
be prepared all the time for the possible outcome and
in population density like what happened in Baguio during the
respond immediately Moreover, it is also hazard specific. A
1990 earthquake in North Luzon when a lot of people were
community that is vulnerable to earthquake hazard does not
injured and died.
necessarily mean that it is also vulnerable to typhoons.
Hazards have different traits that can influence the disasters SOCIAL VULNERABILITY
possible to happen.
happens due to inability of people, organization, and
FACTORS AFFECTING VULNERABILITY OF ONE’S societies to prevent severe effects from hazards because of
COMMUNITY: the expected behavior in social interactions, institutions and
system of cultural values. For example, during typhoon the
1. Population density near a hazard event.
line of communications were cut off when cell sites shutdown
Population differs from population density.
or disruption of transport system due to inability of small
Population refers to the number of individuals
vehicles to pass through the flooded areas or unpassable
inhabiting in a particular space at the same time.
roads and bridges. With some difficulties in the delivery of
If people are well distributed, there is lesser
services such as relief goods and medicines, a lot of problems
effect of disaster.
occurred like shortage of food and spread of infectious
Population density refers to the number of
diseases. Therefore, when social elements were exposed to
individuals living in an area in relation to the size
hazard, these may lead to disruption of normal processes and
of an area. If population density is high, it means
activities in the community.
that the number of individuals is high but the
space is very small. In that case, if fire broke in
that area, there is little space for the population
to escape quickly and easily. So, crowded
communities have higher vulnerability to
hazards.
LEVEL OF ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY FACTORS AFFECTING VULNERABILITY OF ONE’S
COMMUNITY:
is based on the economic status of individuals,
communities, and nations. The poorer the country, the more The Philippines, has high vulnerability due to the following
vulnerable to disasters because they lack the funds or budgets reasons:
to build sturdy structures and put other engineering
It lies in the Pacific typhoon belt and we are
measures in place which protect them from being affected by
visited by an average of 20 typhoons every year
disasters. So, we can say that Philippines is more vulnerable
Rugged nature of the landscape makes it
to an event such as earthquake compared to Japan. Though
vulnerable ta landslide, mudfows, and other
both countries are exposed to earthquake hazard because
disasters
both are located in the Pacific ring of fire, but due to
It is an archipelagic country with many small
differences in economic status, Japan is more resilient
islands where some areas are at below sea level.
because of its ability to afford changes in architectural and
It has the longest shoreline in the world at
engineering designs of building and infrastructures to make
32,400 km making it vulnerable to storm surges.
them less vulnerable to earthquake. Another example is the
It is-still a primary agricultural and fishing
Covid-19 pandemic wherein the most affected are those who
economy.
belong to low income and informal workers.
With poor institutional and social capacity to
(Social and Economic Vulnerability can be combined also manage, respond, and recover from natural
known as SOCIOECONOMIC VULNERABILITY.) hazard events.
With high level of poverty
ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY
Aside from typhoon, it is also at risk to volcanic
is caused by natural resources depletion and eruptions quakes, and floods.
destruction. Organisms like humans, animals, and plants are
all dependent on the environment for survival Human
activities like deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, and kaingin
affect the natural abilities of the environment to protect itself
from any natural hazard due to absence of trees which may
cause landslide and flashfloods. Sometimes the effects are
irreversible.

QUANTIFYING VULNERABILITY

is used in estimating how much mitigation and

preparedness measures will be applied. Computation is based
on the previous hazard events and severity of their effects
Vulnerability can be expressed as: 0 - lowest degree of
vulnerability and 1 as the highest degree, Vulnerability of
people is the ratio of casualties or injured to the total
population. Vulnerability of buildings is expressed as a repair
cost or degree of damage.
DEFINING HAZARD, VULNERABILITY AND RISK Exposure to hazards can make a community
vulnerable. However, not all communities that are exposed to
hazards can be considered vulnerable. Vulnerability depends
HAZARD on the preparedness and readiness for a hazard in the
community. It depends mostly on how they mitigate, respond,
is a harmful condition, substance, human behavior, and recover. If a certain community can reduce the
or condition that can cause loss of life, injury or other health vulnerability by reducing the risk, the said community is
effects, harm to property, loss of livelihood and services, already considered less vulnerable or resilient.
social and economic interruption, or damage to the
environment. Any imminent risk is a threat.

EXPOSURE

is the presence of elements at risk or chance of being

harmed from a natural or man-made hazard event. Elements
include individuals, households or communities, properties,
buildings and structures, agricultural commodities,
livelihoods, public facilities, infrastructures, and
environmental assets present in an area that is subject to
potential damage or even losses. The more a community is
exposed to hazard factors, the higher the disaster risk or the
higher the chance of disaster occurrence.

VULNERABILITY

means the characteristics and circumstances of a

community, system, or asset, that make it susceptible to the
damaging effects of a hazard and inability of a community to
prevent, mitigate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous
events.

RISK
Disaster mitigation measures are those that
implies the probability of possible adverse effects. eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards using
This results from the interaction of social and environmental proactive measures taken before an emergency or disaster
systems, from the combination of physical danger, and takes place. Mitigation is the action of reducing something's
exposed item vulnerabilities. severity, seriousness, or painfulness.
DISASTER

is a serious disruption to the functioning of a

community or society that causes widespread human,
material, economic, or environmental losses that exceed the
capacity of the community or society concerned to cope with
the use of their resources. It results from the mix of hazards,
risk conditions, and inadequate capability or measures.

EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

on the other hand, are distinct. A certain community

can be exposed but it does not mean that it is vulnerable.
Buildings and structures in Japan are exposed to earthquakes,
but they are not vulnerable to their architecture. and
engineering designs are earthquake-proof or resistant
However, to become vulnerable, it must be exposed to
hazards first.
 NATURAL HAZARDS SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

HAZARD AND IT’S TYPES

HAZARDS CAN BE CATEGORIZED INTO DIFFERENT TYPES:

1. NATURAL HAZARDS
arise from natural processes in the environment e.g.
earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic
eruptions, and floods.
2. QUASI-NATURAL HAZARDS
arise through the interaction of natural processes QUASI-NATURAL HAZARDS SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
and human activities e.g. pollution or desertification,
smog, and fog. AIR TOXICITY
3. TECHNOLOGICAL (OR MAN-MADE) HAZARDS
These arise directly as a result of human activities.
e.g. accidental release of chemicals, toxic and
pesticides to floral and fauna.

HAZARDS SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

These signs and symbols with corresponding

meanings below help people to be extra cautious, aware, and
observant of their surroundings. Each picture is designed to
become recognizable to anyone as a signal word like "danger"
or "warning". AQUATIC TOXICITY

FLAME

Flammable
Self-heating
Emits Flammable Gas
Pyrophoric

HEALTH HAZARD

Reproductive toxicity
Respiratory sensitizer
Target organ toxicity
Aspiration toxicity

EXPLODING BOMB

Explosives
Self-reactive
Organic Peroxides

SKULL AND CROSSBONES

Fatal or Toxic
Acute Toxicity
THE ELEMENTS OF FIRE TRIANGLE REMOVING THE HEAT

The goal here is to lower the temperature which is

usually accomplished by adding water as an extinguishing
FIRE
agent. Other extinguishing agents include chemical and
Ancient Greeks considered fire as one of their major mechanical foams.
elements like water, earth, and air. Unlike water, earth, and
REMOVING OF THE FUEL
air, fire is known to be just an event that happened when
matter changes from one form to another. In most cases, removing the fuel from the fire is not
a practical way of extinguishing fire except when dealing with
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the
flammable liquid fires, valves can be shut off and storage
exothermal chemical process of combustion, releasing heat,
vessels pumped to safe areas to help eliminate the supply of
light, and various reaction products. The diagram below
fuel to the fire.
demonstrates the fire triangle.
REMOVE THE OXYGEN

Air is mainly 21% oxygen and this is sufficient to

support combustion in most fire situations. Removal of the air
or oxygen can be accomplished by separating it from the fuel
source or by displacing it with other gases like carbon dioxide,
nitrogen, and steam. Examples of separation would be foam
on a flammable liquid fire, a wet blanket on a trash fire, or a
tight-fitting lid on a skillet fire. Foam does not only lower
FUEL temperature but also removes oxygen.

It is any material that can be burned such as solid,

liquid, or gas. Combustion takes place when fuel is converted
into a gaseous state as moisture is removed. This happens
when vapor is escaping from any combustible material.

HEAT

It is an energy that flows through an object. Enough

amount of heat would free the vapor from solid and liquid
forms of fuel. The lowest temperature needed to, form an
ignitable mixture in air near the surface of the liquid is called
the flash point. The higher the flashpoint, the more difficult it
is to ignite the material. The ignition of fire to solid and liquid
fuels varies. Most solid combustible materials ignite
immediately. Other solid combustible materials take time to
ignite due to their density.

OXYGEN

It is released and serves as an oxidizing agent for

combustible materials. Without an oxidizing agent like
oxygen, there will be no fire even if heat and fuel are present.

The theory of fire extinguishment is based on

removing any of the elements in the fire triangle to suppress
the fire.
 HEATERS

ANALYZE DIFFERENT CAUSE OF FIRES Portable heaters can cause fire when it is placed near
objects that can easily burn like curtains and laundry clothes.

SMOKING IN BEDROOMS
Fire may start due to natural causes or human-made
incidents. A cigarette that is not put out properly can cause fire
as the cigarette butts can continuously burn in a few hours. It
Natural causes of fire such as:
can also immediately cause fire when coming in contact with
LIGHTNING flammable materials.

that strikes any combustible material can set trees CANDLES

on fire and might eventually result in forest fires or wildfires.
It is not a hazard but when left unattended it can
This is the most common natural cause of the fire.
easily burst into flames and cause fire.
VOLCANIC ACTIVITIES
CURIOUS CHILDREN
could also cause fire. During volcanic activity, it
Kids can sometimes cause fire out of curiosity, so
spews hot gases, ash, and lava, and when these hot materials
they wanted to see what would happen if they set fire to an
come in contact with flammable materials it might start a
object.
wildfire.
FAULTY WIRING
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Homes with insufficient wiring can cause fires from
is another natural cause of fire. This happens when a
electrical hazards. Signs that you can observe if you have
hydrocarbon substance unexpectedly creates fire without
faulty wirings are: lights dim if you use another appliance; for
apparent cause. Pyrophoric substances ignite spontaneously
an appliance to work, you have to disconnect another; and
in air at or below 54C or within 5 minutes after getting into
fuse blows or trips, the circuit breaker frequently.
contact with air. Examples of pyrophoric substances are iron
sulfide, plutonium, and uranium. BARBEQUES

Sometimes, it is also due to the combustion of dry This is a great outdoor activity or one of the famous
fuel such as sawdust, dried leaves, and grasses. Spontaneous street foods in the Philippines. Avoid doing this activity near
combustion can arise in the presence of substances with low tablecloths, trees, or even plants.
ignition temperature (requires a not-too-high temperature to
FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
be ignited) like hay, straw, and other types of grasses. When
these dried grasses are stacked together, they release heat Petrol, kerosene, or other methylated substances are
and in the presence of oxygen and moisture or even bacterial the most common flammable liquids found at home that can
fermentation will spontaneously produce fire. cause fire if not properly stored. Always store in a cool, dry
place.
HUMAN MAN-MADE CAUSES OF FIRE
LIGHTING
are those products of human errors or machine
failures. Wildfires or forest fires caused by human activities Lamp shades and light fittings can build heat. if they
such as machinery sparks when cutting logs in the forest, cast- are very close to light bulbs. Too much heat can eventually
away cigarette butts in dried grasses, and sometimes due to ignite the materials and result in fire incidents.
kaingin or even arson (human-inflicted fire by directly setting
the area to burn).

A house fire is a fire incident that is generally caused by

human and machine error. The following are common
causes of housefire:

COOKING EQUIPMENT

Pots and pans can be overheated when a person gets

distracted while cooking or leaves cooking unattended. This is
the most common cause of housefire.