DISASTER READINESS

AND RISK REDUCTION

Exposure and Vulnerability

WEEK 4
MODULE 4

Most Essential Learning Competency:

1. Determine the elements that are exposed to a particular hazard and recognize
vulnerabilities of different elements exposed to specific hazards DRR11/12-Id-11-12
2. Differentiate among hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities and give examples from actual
situation DRR11/12-Id-13
Learning Competency

Determine the elements that are exposed to a particular hazard and recognize
vulnerabilities of different elements exposed to specific hazards DRR11/12-Id-11-12

Learning Experience

Vulnerabilities of different elements are determined due to its exposure to particular and
specific hazard.
Physical vulnerability may be determined by aspects such as population density
levels, remoteness of a settlement, the site design and materials used for infrastructure and
for housing. During hazardous event, physical elements can be totally damaged or altered.
For example, UP Visayas buildings were totally destroyed during the Yolanda super
typhoon in 2008 leaving the structure no longer functional. Another example is the
decreased in population density in Baguio during the 1990 earthquake in North Luzon
when a lot of people were injured and died.
Social vulnerability refers to the inability of people, organization and societies to
withstand adverse impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions,
institutions and system of cultural values. For example, social elements exposed to hazard
during typhoon is the line of communications when cell sites shutdown or absence of
transportation due to inability of small vehicles to pass through the flooded areas. With
some difficulties in the delivery of services such as relief goods and medicine, a lot of
problems occurred like shortage of food and spread of infectious diseases. In short, when
social elements were exposed to hazard, it may lead to disruption of normal processes and
activities.
Level of economic vulnerability is highly dependent on the economic status of
individuals, communities and nations. The poor are usually more vulnerable to disasters
because they lack the resources to build sturdy structures and put other engineering
measures in place to protect themselves from being affected by disasters. So, we can say
that Philippines is more vulnerable to an event such as earthquake compared to Japan.
Though both countries are exposed to earthquake hazard because both are located in the
Pacific ring of fire, but due to difference in economic status, Japan is more resilient because
the country was able to afford changes in architectural and engineering designs of building
and infrastructures to make them less vulnerable to earthquake.
Environmental vulnerability is due to natural resources depletion and resource
degradation. Organisms like humans, animals and plants are all dependent on the
environment for survival. Human activities like deforestation, burning of fossil fuels,
kaingin affects the natural abilities of the environment to protect itself from any natural
hazard. Lack of trees, for example may cause landslide and flashfloods. Effects of these
hazard can be sometimes impossible to reverse.
 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.
Philippines have high vulnerability due to the following reasons:
 It lies in the Pacific typhoon belt and we are visited by an average of 20
typhoons every year.
 Rugged nature of the landscape makes it vulnerable to landslide, mudflows and
other disasters.
 It is an archipelagic country with many small island wherein some areas are at
below sea level.
 It has one of the longest seashore in the world at 32,400 km maling it vulnerable
to storm surges.
 It is still a primary agricultural and fishing economy.
 With poor institutional and social capacity to manage, respond and recover from
natural hazard events.
 With high level of poverty
 Aside from typhoon, it is also at risk to volcanic, quakes and floods.

Activity 1
Observe the picture then answer the questions.

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=608&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=XK6lXNzWEs3mw
QPWqZTQDA&q=mountain+rocks+landslide+in+community&oq=mountain+rocks+landslide+i
n+community&gs_l=img.3...4450.6275..6386...0.0..0.703.703.6-1......1....1..gws-wiz-
img.xPl6wQQsHkQ#imgrc=0_aMgmWW4RDa8M:
 Questions:
1. What is the impending danger shown in the picture?
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

2. Is there a probability that the boulder will fall?

_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

3. If the boulder detached from the mountain and roll towards the residential buildings,
what part of the community will be most affected?
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

4. What part will be least affected?

_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

5. Having a boulder on top of the mountain and being part of the community, what
would you feel?
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Learning Competency

Differentiate among hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities and give examples from actual
situation DRR11/12-Id-13

Objectives

 Explain the difference among hazards, exposure and vulnerabilities.

 Give examples from actual situation.

Learning Experience

The Relationship of Hazards, Exposure and Vulnerabilities

Hazards are possible threats that may come unexpectedly or otherwise. A
hazard can lead to a disaster in a community if (a) the community is exposed to it and (b)
the community’s circumstance or situation make it vulnerable to the hazard. These two
determinants of disaster risk must be controlled in order to minimize or prevent the disaster.
 The combination of exposure and vulnerability determines the level of disaster that a
community will most likely experience. This, along with high exposure and high
vulnerability, can cause extreme disaster even if the hazard is deemed as a small scale.
To illustrate the relationship of these concepts, let us take for example a coastal
community that is frequented by storms. This would probably mean that the community is
located within the typhoon belt or that compared with other communities, it receives more
rain and typhoons in a year. If that community has high exposure to a typhoon and is
deemed to have high vulnerability to the same hazard, it is more likely to experience
disaster. Study the following table for some key questions regarding the elements that are
exposed to that hazard.
Physical Elements Socioeconomic Elements Environmental Elements
About how many people live Does the community Are the community members
in the community? What interact with other dependent solely on the
bodies of water and/or communities? how will this natural resource they get
landforms can be found near interaction be affected if a from their surroundings?
the community? Are there typhoon hits the What would happen to plants
structures (e.g., breakwater, community? What products and animals when a typhoon
seawall) found in the and services may be destroys their habitats?
community that may collapse affected? What is the major
or fall due to a typhoon? livelihood of the
community? How will this
be affected?

Given the coastal community’s high exposure to typhoons, let us now assess its
level of vulnerability.
 Proximity to Disaster: If the community is directly and frequently hit by
typhoons, then its vulnerability to disaster associated with them is high. The fact
that the community is located in a coastal area makes it more vulnerable because
it will experience two hazards: typhoon and storm surge.
 Population density: If the community has a large number of population in exposed
areas, the impact of the hazards will be more severe. In a community with large
population size, most members would not be well sheltered, making them become
more vulnerable to the hazards. The hazards can also lead to outbreaks of
infectious diseases. Disease outbreaks may result from overcrowded evacuation
shelters with limited access to food and safe water.
 Capacity and efficiency to minimize disaster risk: If the community does not have
any community disaster preparedness plans in place, it becomes more difficult to
face the hazard without expecting any disaster. Lack of knowledge and practice of
disaster management is like going to a battle unarmed. Hence, the community has
high vulnerability to disasters.
  Building codes and disaster policies: Houses built on coastal areas are usually
made of light materials. If a typhoon hits the community, a large number of
houses may be unroofed. The location of the houses and other structures in the
community must also be considered. These structures should be built at a certain
distance away from the shore, considering the intrusion of water during high tide
and storm surges.
Considering all these things together can help a community assess its level of
exposure and vulnerability to a particular hazard.

Activity 2: Explore

Read about the Yolanda super typhoon in the internet and take note of some details.

Guide questions:
1. What was the situation of Tacloban before the typhoon?
2. Is there an existing DRRM in Tacloban?
3. Is Tacloban frequently visited by typhoon? If yes, were there precautionary measures
that are being practiced by the province?
4. After the super typhoon Yolanda, how’s the response and recovery of the province?
5. Who do you think is to blame for the devastating effects of the disaster?
6. In this situation, how will you relate exposure, hazard and vulnerability?
Activity 3: Explain

Look at the picture carefully and define the terms given below in your own words (based
on how you interpret the picture).

1. Exposure
___________________________________________________________

2. Hazard
___________________________________________________________

3. Risk
___________________________________________________________

4. Vulnerability
___________________________________________________________

5. Disaster
___________________________________________________________
Explanation

Hazard is a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or

condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property
damage, loss of livelihood and services, social and economic disruption, or
environmental damage. Any impending danger is hazard.

Exposure is the presence of elements at risk or chance of being harmed

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

. While 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 earthquake, but they are not
vulnerable since their architectural and engineering designs are earthquake
proof or resistant. However, to become vulnerable, it must be exposed to hazard
first.

Exposure to hazard can make a community vulnerable. But not all

communities that are exposed to hazard can be considered vulnerable.
Vulnerability depends on the preparedness and readiness to a particular hazard
of the community. It depends mostly on how they mitigate, respond and recover.
If a certain community has the ability to reduce the vulnerability by reducing the
risk, the said community is already considered as less vulnerable or resilient.
 Reflection

What can you say about the picture?

References

Burton, I. And Kates, R.W. (1964) The perception of natural hazards in resource
management, Natural Resources Journal 3, 412-41

DIWA Senior High School Series: Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction Module
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO (2008) Disaster Risk
Management Systems Analysis: A Guide Book.

Ivars Peterson, “Liquid Sand,” Science News, Vol. 128, 12 October 1985, p. 235.
Committee on Earthquake Engineering, George W. Housner, Chairman,
Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research
Council, Liquefaction of Soils during Earthquakes (Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press, 1985), pp. 25, 27.

Quebral, Villamor S. (2016) Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

Remando, Rolly E.,et.al., Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction,DepEd

 Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

Rimando, R. E. (2015) Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

First ed. Rex Bookstore.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (n.d.).Terminology-unisdr. Retrieved

from http://www.unidsr.org/we/inform/terminology

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (n.d.).Terminology-unisdr. Retrieved

from http://www.unidsr.org/we/inform/terminology

http://www.britannica.com/place/Mayon-Volcano

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/27/18/mount-mayon-belches-ash-still-under
moderate-unrest-level

https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Mayon/32923351-020_caption.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/2z0li7/a_pickup_truck_fless_fr
m_the_pyroclastic_flows/
https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs027-00/

https://monstrouslandslides.weebly.com/types-of-landslides.html
https://www.eartheclipse.com/natural-disaster/causes-effects-and-types-of-
landslides.html

www.google.com
www.shakeout.org/schools/resources/.
https://www.3dgeography.co.uk/earthquakes
https://www.3dgeography.co.uk/earthquake-worksheets
http://www.shakeout.org/downloads/LACOEScienceResources.pdf
http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/
?vgnextoid=1b08f655c099b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/Liquefaction9.html
http://coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/geologic-hazards/ground-subsidence/
https://www.ducksters.com/science/earth_science/tsunamis.php
https://www.earthquakeauthority.com/Prepare-Your-House-Earthquake-Risk/Geologic-
Hazards/Earthquake-Induced-Landslide
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrA33v-
9AvSaAqevovoy7y3BrQpX7UYGkGqY6QhwfT0MTX3nXU
https://ptwc.weather.gov/faq.php#1
https://ourealife.wordpress.com/tag/ground-rupture/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07cN_QG72bY
https://prezi.com/neqkfwu8rpy5/potential-earthquake-hazards-and-its-effects/
https://www.thoughtco.com/free-earthquake-printables-1832385
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/hazards/earthquakes/activities/BoundariesA
ndFaults.html
https://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Our-Science/Natural-Hazards/Earthquakes
UNISDR (2009) (adapted by Philippines DRR Law, 2010):

https://www.google.com/search?q=Debris+Avalanche+or+volcanic+landslide&source=ln
ms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_4YuQr7jhAhXWc3AKHWcUB7oQ_AUIDigB&biw
=1366&bih=657#imgrc=YM6MYNX6k_CrpM: