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Disaster Readiness and Risk Reductio1
Disaster Readiness and Risk Reductio1
Hazard – a phenomenon or situation that has the potential to cause disruption or damage to
people, their property, services, and the environment.
Casualties – there is death
Disaster – the serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human,
material, or environmental causes, which exceed the ability of the affected people to cope using
their resources
- Either man-made or natural, sudden or progressive causing widespread human, material, or
environmental losses.
Vulnerability – conditions or sets of conditions that reduce people’s ability to prepare for, withstand, or
respond to a hazard.
Natural Disasters - these originate from the different forces of nature. Natural disasters such as
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and cyclones affect many countries in Asia, particularly the
Philippines.
Agricultural Diseases and Pests, Storm Surge, Drought and Water Shortage, Earthquake, Hurricanes and
Tropical Storm, Landslide and Debris Flow, Thunderstorms and Lightning, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Wildfires,
Sinkholes, Emergency Diseases, Extreme Heat, Floods and Flash Floods, La Nina.
Human-made – these disasters occur due to people’s actions against humans, materials, and the
environment. These include transport and industrial accidents, such as air and train crashes, chemical
spills and building collapses. Terrorism is also categorized as a human-made disaster.
Hazardous Material, Power Service and Disruption and Blackout, Nuclear Power Plant and Nuclear Blast,
Radiological Emergency, Chemical Threat and Biological Weapons, Cyber Attacks, Explosion, and Civil
Unrest.
Risk Factors Underlying Disasters:
Severity of Exposure
Gender and Family
Age
Developing Countries
Low or Negative Social Support
Other factors specific to the survivor’s background and resources are important for recovery
from disasters.
Recovery is worse if survivors:
- We are not functioning well before the disaster
- Have had no experience dealing with it
- Must deal with other stresses after the disaster
- Have poor self-esteem
- Think they are uncared for by others
- Think they have little control over what happens to them
- Lack the capacity to manage stress
- Displaced Population
- Health Risks
- Food Scarcity
- Emotional Aftershocks
- Emotional effects: terror, shock, irritably, blame, anger, guilt, grief, or sadness
- Cognitive effects: impaired concentration, impaired decision-making, ability, memory
impairment, disbelief, confusion, nightmares, decreased self-esteem.
- Physical effects: fatigue, exhaustion, insomnia, cardiovascular strain, increased physical pain,
reduced immune system response, headaches, gastrointestinal upset, decreased appetite,
decreased libido, and vulnerability to illness
- Interpersonal effects: increased relational conflict, social withdrawal, reduced relational
intimacy, alienation, impaired work performance.
3. Socio-Cultural Perspective – what the people living at risk know and do about natural hazards
and disaster risk is mediated by a range of factors including social conditions (such as age,
gender, wealth, ethnicity) and cultural setting (language, beliefs, traditions, customs).
4. Economic Perspective – a natural disaster can be defined as a natural event that causes a
perturbation to the functioning of the economic system, with a significant negative impact on
assets, production factors, output, and employment.
5. Political Perspective – natural disasters are commonly thought to be less politically contentious
than armed conflicts. Yet, a closer look reveals that politics are deeply wedded to both the
impact of a natural disaster and the subsequent delivery and the subsequent delivery of
humanitarian assistance.
6. Environmental Perspective – disasters not only reveal underlying social, economic, political, and
environmental problems but unfortunately contribute to worsening them. Such events pose
serious challenges to development, as they erode hard-earned gains in terms of political, social,
and educational progress, as well as infrastructure and technological development.
Wealth – low-income populations are less likely to be well prepared. Part of the preparation is
having a survival kit that includes tools to be used, emergency food stock, and water that could
last for at least 3 to 5 days.
Education – education programs such as the Metro Manila Development Authorities (MMDA)
shake drill can instruct populations on how to deal with hazardous events, like the Big One, the
7.8 magnitude earthquake.
Disaster Management is an applied science that seeks systematic observation and analysis of
disasters to improve measures relating to the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency
response, and recovery.
Stages:
- Prevention
- Preparedness
- Emergency Response
- Recovery = Rehabilitation
Response – initial actions taken as the event takes place. It involves efforts to minimize the hazards
created by a disaster.
Recovery - returning the community to normal. Ideally, the affected areas should be put into a condition
equal to or better than it was before the disaster took place.
Structural Mitigation – construction projects which reduce economic and social impacts. E. g dams,
windbreaks, terracing, and hazard-resistant buildings.
Non- Structural Activities – policies and practices which raise awareness of hazards or encourage
developments to reduce the impact of disasters.
Strategies: various mitigation strategies or measures. For instance, varieties of crops that are more
wind, flood, or drought resistant can often be introduced in areas prone to floods, drought, cyclones,
and economic diversification.
Step 2: Preparedness
Measure = Intervention
Preparedness plans
Emergency exercises/ training
Warning systems
Emergency communication systems
Evacuations plans and training
Resource Inventories emergency
Personnel/contact list
Mutual aid agreements
Public information/education
- It forms the action plan to be implemented before, during, and after disasters.
- The IFRCRCS (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) defines
risk reduction as physical measures to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of
infrastructure to natural hazards as well as to provide coping and adaptive infrastructure
in case of a disaster event.
- Target Groups: specific residential groups
- SKA: skills, knowledge, attitude
Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)
Notification (recognition)
Search and Rescue
Triage
Medical care of disaster victims
Disaster Communications
Record Keeping (documentation of what happened)
Transportation and Evacuation
Debriefing/ CISD (critical incident stress debriefing)
Limitations (weaknesses)
Limited Capacity
Limited experience and planning
Lack of large-scale sectoral ability
Lack of coordination on large scale
Lack of large-scale finding
Lack of monitoring
Limited ability to address prevention and preparedness
Strengths:
Large-scale assistance
Expertise in Disaster
Limitations:
Duplications of services
Draws from local capacity building
Non-sustained funding and dependency
Culturally and socially problematic
Lack of standardization of NGO response
Difficult to coordinate and monitor
Unrealistic expectations of donor assistance
Local partners over-loader
Poorly conceptualized plan
Evacuation/Relocation – involves the relocation of individuals and members of the affected community
from the risk zone to a safer location.
Earthquake Hazards
What is an Earthquake?
The perceptible shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the
Earth’s crust creates seismic waves (United States Geological Science – USGS)
Convergent – towards
Divergent - away
Transform – sliding
Earthquake Hazard
Measures:
- No one knows, the return period of an earthquake is 200-400 years and large
earthquakes have happened in the West Valley Fault since the 1700s. The last one was
1608 years ago.
2. Ground Rupture and Fissuring – the creation of new or renewed movements of old
fractures, oftentimes with the two blocks on both sides moving in opposite directions.
3. Liquefaction – a process that transforms the behavior of a body of sediment from that of a
solid to that of a liquid.
Causes of Tsunami:
Earthquake
Volcanic Eruption
Ice Fall
Heavy Rainfall
Cosmic Impact
Landslides
1. Animal Behavior – zoologists hypothesize that some animal species like elephants can sense
subsonic Rayleigh waves from an earthquake or a tsunami.
2. Drawback
3. Sound Similar to an Incoming Train
Before:
During:
Duck/drop, cover, and hold on a firm surface or go to the corner of the room
Cover the occipital area (cognitive sight)
Hold position until the shaking stops
Do not immediately proceed to the door, some doors will cause injury
If outdoors:
Volcanic Hazards:
- Volcanic ash consists of fragments of pulverized rock, minerals, and volcanic glass,
created during volcanic eruptions
- Also refer to all explosive eruption products
- Can pose significant disruption and damage to water, buildings, transportation, power
supply, communications equipment, and agriculture.
Pyroclastic Flow
1. Collapse of the eruption column
2. Boiling over from eruptive vents
3. Collapse of lava domes or flows
Volcanic Gasses
- Carbon Dioxide
- Sulfur Dioxide
- Hydrogen Sulfide
- Hydrogen Halides
Lava-flows: the speed at which the lava moves across the ground depends on several factors such as:
CPR – emergency life-saving medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest.
- life support with the use of special equipment (e.g: airway, endotracheal tube,
defibrillator).
Definition of Cardiac Arrest – the loss of cardiac function, breathing, and loss of
consciousness.
Defibrillation = restart
- Blood could be collected from the arteries (pulses) because it carries the oxygenated
blood
- 7.45 and up is alkalosis
4T
1. Cardiac Tamponade (heart)
2. Tension Pneumothorax (lungs)
3. Thromboembolism (clot that could cause stroke)
4. Toxicity (overdose)