JULIUS A.

MARTILLANA
Teacher
Understanding
Disasters
Disasters are emergencies that cannot be handled by those
affected without outside assistance. They are caused by
natural or manmade events wherein communities
experience severe danger and incur loss of lives and
properties causing disruption to their social structure and
to all or some of the affected communities’ essential
functions. Disasters are inevitable. They are caused by
unsustainable development that has not taken account of
possible hazard impacts in that location. They can be less
damaging if the population has better understanding of
locally-experienced hazards and implements preventive or
mitigating measures against them.
 Overview of Disaster Risk Management

In disaster risk management a whole range of

elements need attention depending on the nature
of the hazards in that location. These include:
Risk Reduction. Vulnerability and hazards are not
dangerous if taken separately. They become risk
and disaster factors when they unite. Risks can be
reduced or managed, and measures can be
employed to ensure that hazards will not result in
disasters if people reduce the weaknesses and
vulnerabilities to existing hazards in the location.
• Risk management is needed for disaster prevention to
ensure sustainable development so that people can lead
a good, healthy, and happy life without creating damage
to the environment.

Risk management includes identifying health and safety

hazards, determining probability of their occurrences,
estimating their potential impacts to the schools and the
communities at risk, enumerating and implementing the
following risk reduction measures: hazard mapping;
vulnerability analysis; potential losses estimation; and
strategic disaster prevention / mitigation development.
Essential Components in Determining Risk
The following are essential components in the determination of
risk, each of which should be separately quantified:
• Hazard occurrence probability is the likelihood of experiencing a
natural or technological hazard at a given location or region.
Quantifying hazard probability involves assessing not only the
probability of occurrence but the probability of magnitude.
• Elements at risk. Identifying and making an inventory of people
or school buildings or other elements which would be affected by
the hazard if it occurs, and when required,
estimating their economic value.
• Vulnerability of the elements at risk. How affected the school
buildings or school children or other elements would be if they
were to experience some levels of hazard impact. Vulnerability is
the relationship between the severity of hazard impact and the
degree of damaged caused. Each element is affected differently by
hazards of different severity.
Loss Management
These are the pre and post disaster actions designed to keep
the losses at the minimum in human, structural and economic
aspects.
• Pre-disaster loss management are activities focusing on
reducing the community vulnerability to hazards. Actions
include improving the resistance of physical structures such as
school buildings, developing improved safety plans for the
occupants, and increasing / diversifying the network of social
support mechanism available to communities in threatened
areas.
• Post-disaster loss management focuses on improving the
emergency response and broadening the range of support
given to victims that includes facilitation of relief delivery and
stimulating a rapid recovery.
Control of Events
This is the most critical element of disaster risk
management. Control is maintained through the following
measures:
• Anticipation of disaster and the cause effect relationship
generated by each type of event;
• Mitigation or reduction of the risk of disaster;
• Disaster preparedness;
• Accurate information collection and assessment;
• Balanced response;
• Timely actions;
• Effective leadership; and
• Discipline among those handling the relief and disaster
management.
Equity of Assistance
Disaster assistance should be provided in an equitable
and fair manner. Fairness should be the basis of relief
and reconstruction policies in order to ensure that
disaster victims receive equal treatment and are able to
obtain adequate access to resources available. The
special needs of women, children, and the elderly are
catered for.
Resource Management
In order to meet all competing needs and demands of a
post disaster environment, resource management
becomes essential. The use of available resources should
be maximized to the greatest advantage. Affordable
locally available resources are preferred.
Impact Reduction

Disasters can have impact far beyond the

immediate human, physical or economic losses
Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation
Prevention and mitigation are actions taken to make
sure that the impact of a hazard is lessened.
We cannot stop natural hazards from happening but
we can reduce the damages if we institute prevention
and mitigation measures. Taking measures in order to
avoid an event turning into a disaster is prevention,
which includes planting trees in order to prevent
erosion, landslides and drought. On the other hand,
measures that reduce vulnerability to certain hazards
is mitigation which includes for instance improved
building practices and standard designs to ensure that
school buildings are constructed in risk free school
sites, houses and hospitals can withstand earthquake
or a typhoon.