C.

Disaster Risk (3 hrs)

Disaster risk is expressed as the likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and damage from a disaster in
a given period of time.

What is disaster risk (https://www.preventionweb.net/)

Disasters are sometimes considered external shocks, but disaster risk results from the complex interaction
between development processes that generate conditions of exposure, vulnerability and hazard. Disaster risk is
therefore considered as the combination of the severity and frequency of a hazard, the numbers of people and
assets exposed to the hazard, and their vulnerability to damage (UNISDR, 2015a). Intensive risk is disaster risk
associated with low-probability, high-impact events, whereas extensive risk is associated with high-probability, low-
impact events.

Disaster risk has many nature / characteristics. In order to understand disaster risk, it is essential to understand that
it is:

 Forward looking the likelihood of loss of life, destruction and damage in a given period of time
 Dynamic: it can increase or decrease according to our ability to reduce vulnerability
 Invisible: it is comprised of not only the threat of high-impact events, but also the frequent, low-impact
events that are often hidden
 Unevenly distributed around the earth: hazards affect different areas, but the pattern of disaster risk
reflects the social construction of exposure and vulnerability in different countries
 Emergent and complex: many processes, including climate change and globalized economic development,
are creating new, interconnected risks

Disasters threaten development, just as development creates disaster risk.

The key to understanding disaster risk is by recognizing that disasters are an indicator of development failures,
meaning that disaster risk is a measure of the sustainability of development. Hazard, vulnerability and exposure are
influenced by a number of risk drivers, including poverty and inequality, badly planned and managed urban and
regional development, climate change and environmental degradation (UNISDR, 2009a, 2011, 2013 and 2015a).

Understanding disaster risk requires us to not only consider the hazard, our exposure and vulnerability but also
society's capacity to protect itself from disasters. The ability of communities, societies and systems to resist, absorb,
accommodate, recover from disasters, whilst at the same time improve wellbeing, is known as resilience.

Risk assessments are produced in order to estimate possible economic, infrastructure, and social impacts arising
from a particular hazard or multiple hazards (GFDRR, 2014b). The components of assessing risk (and the associated
losses) include:

 Hazard is defined as the probability of experiencing a certain intensity of hazard (eg. Earthquake, cyclone
etc) at a specific location and is usually determined by an historical or user-defined scenario, probabilistic
hazard assessment, or other method. Some hazard modules can include secondary perils (such as soil
liquefaction or fires caused by earthquakes, or storm surge associated with a cyclone).
 Exposure represents the stock of property and infrastructure exposed to a hazard, and it can include
socioeconomic factors.
 Vulnerability accounts for the susceptibility to damage of the assets exposed to the forces generated by the
hazard. Fragility and vulnerability functions estimate the damage ratio and consequent loss respectively,
and/or the social cost (e.g., number of injured, homeless, and killed) generated by a hazard, according to a
specified exposure.
Effects of Disasters (https://www.va.gov/)

Every year, millions of people are affected by both human-caused and natural disasters. Disasters may be
explosions, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, or fires. In a disaster, you face the danger of death or physical
injury. You may also lose your home, possessions, and community. Such stressors place you at risk for emotional and
physical health problems.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Enrichment Activity/ies

1. Watch the uploaded video of a disaster

Answer/s
 Agricultural diseases & pests.
 Damaging Winds.
 Drought and water shortage.
 Earthquakes.
 Emergency diseases (pandemic influenza)
 Extreme heat.
 Floods and flash floods.
 Hail.
Give your reflection or insight to the lesson in 40-50 words.
The potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system,
society or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function
of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacity. Disaster risk is expressed as the likelihood of loss
of life, injury or destruction and damage from a disaster in a given period of time.

Assessment

1. Explain in your own idea on the effects of disaster. 15 -20 words each.

Answer/s
- You may lose your home, possessions, and community. Such stressors place you at risk for
emotional and physical health problems

2. How can the natures of disaster affect people? 40-50 words

Answer/s
- In a disaster, you face the danger of death or injury. You may also lose your home,
possessions, and community. Such stressors place you at risk for emotional and
physical health problems. Stress reactions after a disaster look very much like the
common reactions seen after any type of trauma.

3. Why is there a need to study the effects of disaster? Explain in 20 – 30 words.

Answer/s
- Disaster education aims to provide knowledge among individuals and groups to take
actions to reduce their vulnerability to different disasters. 

Suggested Readings: Read the related topic on the books listed below or you can surf in the internet.
1. https://samples.jblearning.com/0763758442/58448_CH01_0001.pdf
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-019-0223-z
Assignment: Research and explain in your own idea the elements that can be exposed to hazard.
- Exposure refers to the elements at risk from a natural or man-made hazard event. This
could include: individuals; dwellings or households and communities; buildings and
structures; public facilities and infrastructure assets; agricultural commodities;
environmental assets; and business activity. Vulnerability – the likelihood that
assets will be damaged/destroyed/affected when exposed to a hazard. For example, a
building with multiple floors may be more vulnerable to shaking from an earthquake and
more likely to collapse than a one-story building. The importance of this is By identifying
the hazards, assessing the risks involved and then controlling or eliminating these risks,
the consequences and/or likelihood of illness, injury and death are reduced.