Basic Concept of Disaster and Disaster Risk

Basic Concept of Disaster and
Disaster risk
What is Disaster?
A sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great
damage or loss of life.
What is Disaster risk?

Disaster risk is defined as “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, and capacity”.
Disaster risk can be determined by the presence of four

variables:
 HAZARD(natural or anthropogenic)
 Exposure
 Vulnerability
 Capacity
HAZARD
A hazard is any agent that can cause harm or damage to humans, property, or the environment. Risk is
defined as the probability that exposure to a hazard will lead to a negative consequence, or more simply,
a hazard poses no risk if there is no exposure to that hazard.
Natural hazard
A natural disaster is a natural event, such as an earthquake, flood, or hurricane, which negatively affects
society, either through damage to property or through loss of life. A natural hazard is a disaster that has not
yet occurred.
Anthropogenic hazard
Anthropogenic hazards are hazards caused by human action or inaction. They are contrasted with
natural hazards. Anthropogenic hazards may adversely affect humans, other organisms, biomes and
ecosystems. The frequency and severity of hazards are key elements in some risk analysis
methodologies.
FIVE TYPES OF HAZARD

 Safety-Safety hazards encompass any type of substance, condition or object that can
injure workers. In many types of workplaces they can include spills on floors, walkways
blocked by cords or boxes, falls from heights, machinery with moving parts, confined
spaces and electrical hazards such as frayed cords.
 Chemical-Workers can be exposed to chemicals in liquids, gases, vapors, fumes and
particulate materials. Chemical hazards include acids, pesticides, carbon monoxide,
flammable liquids, welding fumes, silica dust and fiberglass fibers.
 Biological-Employees who work with other people, with animals or with infectious
materials can be exposed to biological hazards such as blood, fungi, mold, viruses and animal
droppings.
 Physical-A physical hazard can injure workers with or without contact. These types of
hazards include radiation, working in extreme heat or cold, spending hours under the sun or
being constantly exposed to loud noise.
 Ergonomic-Ergonomic related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for 33% of
all employee injury and illness cases. These types of hazards occur when repetitive work, the
type of work, or a certain position strains the body. These are the most difficult hazards to spot
because problems build up over time
EXPOSURE
Exposure is defined as “the situation of people, infrastructure, housing,
production capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone
areas”. As stated in the UNIDRR glossary, “measures of exposure can include the
number of people or types of assets in an area.
VULNERABILITY
Vulnerability is formally defined as “the characteristics of a person or group and their situation that influences
their capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from the impact of a natural hazard.
FOUR TYPES OF VULNERABILITY
PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY
The physical vulnerability of an area also depends on its geographic proximity to the
source and origin of the disasters e.g. if an area lies near the coast lines, fault lines,
unstable hills etc. it makes the area more vulnerable to disasters as compared to an area
that is far away from the origin of the disaster. Physical vulnerability includes the difficulty
in access to water resources, means of communications, hospitals, police stations, fire
brigades, roads, bridges and exits of a building or/an area, in case of disasters.
Furthermore, the lack of proper planning and implementation in construction of
residential and commercial buildings results in buildings that are weaker and vulnerable
in earthquakes, floods, landslides and Other hazards.
ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY
Economic vulnerability of a community can be assessed by determining how varied its sources
of income are, the ease of access and control over means of production (e.g. farmland, livestock,
irrigation, capital etc.), adequacy of economic fall back mechanisms and the availability of natural
resources in the area.
Social Vulnerability
A socially vulnerable community has weak family structures, lack of leadership for decision making
and conflict resolution, unequal participation in decision making, weak or no community organizations,
and the one in which people are discriminated on racial, ethnic, linguistic or religious basis. Other
social factors such as culture, tradition, religion,local norms and values, economic standard,
and political accountability also play a vital role determining the social vulnerability of a
community. Social vulnerability to natural phenomena is greatest among the poorest people in
developing countries owing to a lack of information and resources with which to take the appropriate
measures. Within this group, children, women and the elderly are considered to be the most
vulnerable. To reduce social vulnerability, all of the above factors must be addressed but this requires
knowledge and understanding of the local conditions, which can – in most cases – only be provided
by local actors.
Attitudinal Vulnerability
A community which has negative attitude towards change and lacks initiative in life resultantly become
more and more dependent on external support. They cannot act independently. Their sources of
livelihood do not have variety, lacks entrepreneurship and do not possess the concept of collectivism.
This brings about disunity and individualism in the society. Thus, they become victims of conflicts,
hopelessness and pessimism which reduces their capacity of coping with a disaster.
CAPACITY
Capacity refers to all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a community, organization or
society to manage and reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience.

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Basic Concept of Disaster and

What is Disaster risk?

Disaster risk can be determined by the presence of four

FIVE TYPES OF HAZARD

FOUR TYPES OF VULNERABILITY

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