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    Vulnerability is defined as the diminished capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from hazards. It is influenced by factors like poverty, social isolation, gender, age and others. Vulnerability varies between individuals and groups. Counteracting vulnerability requires reducing hazard impacts, building coping capacities, and addressing root causes like poverty and inequality. When hazards interact with vulnerable individuals or communities, disasters can occur.

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    Vulnerability is defined as the diminished capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from hazards. It is influenced by factors like poverty, social isolation, gender, age and others. Vulnerability varies between individuals and groups. Counteracting vulnerability requires reducing hazard impacts, building coping capacities, and addressing root causes like poverty and inequality. When hazards interact with vulnerable individuals or communities, disasters can occur.

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    13 views6 pages

    Factors Affecting Vulnerability

    Uploaded by

    tarishimalik123
    Vulnerability is defined as the diminished capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from hazards. It is influenced by factors like poverty, social isolation, gender, age and others. Vulnerability varies between individuals and groups. Counteracting vulnerability requires reducing hazard impacts, building coping capacities, and addressing root causes like poverty and inequality. When hazards interact with vulnerable individuals or communities, disasters can occur.

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    of 6

    Unit 4

    Factors affecting Vulnerability


    Vulnerability in this context can be defined as the diminished capacity of an individual or group to anticipate,
    cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard. The concept is relative and
    dynamic. Vulnerability is most often associated with poverty, but it can also arise when people are isolated,
    insecure and defence less in the face of risk, shock or stress.
    People differ in their exposure to risk as a result of their social group, gender, ethnic or other identity, age and
    other factors. Vulnerability may also vary in its forms: poverty, for example, may mean that housing is unable
    to withstand an earthquake or a hurricane, or lack of preparedness may result in a slower response to a disaster,
    leading to greater loss of life or prolonged suffering.
    The reverse side of the coin is capacity, which can be described as the resources available to individuals,
    households and communities to cope with a threat or to resist the impact of a hazard. Such resources can be
    physical or material, but they can also be found in the way a community is organized or in the skills or
    attributes of individuals and/or organizations in the community.
    Counteracting vulnerability requires:
    • reducing the impact of the hazard itself where possible
    (through mitigation, prediction and warning, preparedness);
    • building capacities to withstand and cope with hazards;
    • tackling the root causes of vulnerability, such as poverty, poor governance, discrimination, inequality
    and inadequate access to resources and livelihoods.

    Physical, economic, social and political factors determine people’s level of vulnerability and the extent of their
    capacity to resist, cope with and recover from hazards. Clearly, poverty is a major contributor to vulnerability.
    Poor people are more likely to live and work in areas exposed to potential hazards, while they are less likely to
    have the resources to cope when a disaster strikes.
    In richer countries, people usually have a greater capacity to resist the impact of a hazard. They tend to be
    better protected from hazards and have preparedness systems in place. Secure livelihoods and higher incomes
    increase resilience and enable people to recover more quickly from a hazard.
    Disasters jeopardize development gains. Equally, development choices made by individuals, households,
    communities and governments increase or reduce the risk of disasters.
    Examples of potentially vulnerable groups include:
    • displaced populations who leave their habitual residence in collectives, usually due to a sudden impact
    disaster, such as an earthquake or a flood, threat or conflict, as a coping mechanism and with the intent
    to return;
    • migrants who leave or flee their habitual residence to go to new places, usually abroad to seek better
    and safer perspectives;
    • returnees – former migrants or displaced people returning to their homes;
    • specific groups within the local population, such as marginalized, excluded or destitute people;
    • young children, pregnant and nursing women, unaccompanied children, widows, elderly people without
    family support, disabled persons.
    In a disaster, women in general may be affected differently from men because of their social status, family
    responsibilities or reproductive role, but they are not necessarily vulnerable. They are also resourceful and
    resilient in a crisis and play a crucial role in recovery. Gender analysis can help to identify those women or
    girls who may be vulnerable and in what way.
    A Disaster Occurs When Hazards and Vulnerability Meet
    Disasters are caused by the interaction of vulnerability and hazards. There are many
    different factors that determine vulnerability. Hazards can also be called 'Trigger
    Events'. When one hazard meets with a vulnerable community a disaster is likely to
    occur. E.g. Poverty will have people build houses with weaker materials and in more
    dangerous areas. A landslide will cause a disaster for these poor people because the
    house will not have the CAPACITY to withstand it and it will collapse. People will die,
    and even if they survive they may not have the CAPACITY to build again.

    A disaster occurs when hazards and vulnerability meet

    VULNERABILITY DISASTER HAZARD

    appropriate skills Volcanic eruption


    Economic systems local investments Vulnerability

    DISASTER
    Technological accident

    environment degradation
    Factors of Vulnerability
    Underlying causes
    • Poverty
    • Limited access to - power structures
    - resources
    - information
    • Ideologies
    • Economic systems
    • Age sex
    • Illness & disabilities

    Dynamic pressures
    • Lack of - local institutions
    - education
    - training
    - appropriate skills
    - local investments
    - local markets
    - services
    - freedom of information
    • Macro-forces: - population expansion
    - urbanisation
    - environment degradation
    Underlying causes
    • Fragile physical environment - dangerous locations
    - dangerous buildings
    • Fragile local economy - low levels of income
    Vulnerability Indicators

    VULNERABILITY INDICATORS

    1. Physical: geography, environment, infrastructure, hazardous industries, etc.

    2. ‘Emergency management’: plans, equipment, trained people, etc.

    3. Demographic: numbers, density,structure, minorities, etc.


    4. Health: patterns of disease and services, disabilities, etc.

    5. Economic: income, production & productivity, insurances, employment, etc.

    6. Communications: public education, information & warning systems, media, etc.

    7. Psychological: experience, stress, acceptance, bravado, etc

    8. Societal/cultural: coping strategies,cohesion, language, leaders, beliefs, etc.

    9. Organisational: Government & NGO services, logistics, policies,


    laws, etc.
    Vulnerability Evaluation

    Principal vulnerable elements

    Tangibles Intangibles

    Floods Everything located in flood Social cohesion,


    plains or tsunami areas. Crops, community structures
    livestock, machinery,
    equipment, infrastructure. Weak
    buildings.
    Earthquake Weak buildings and their Social cohesion,
    occupants. Machinery and community structures
    equipment, infrastructure.
    Livestock. Contents of weak
    buildings.
    Volcanic eruption Anything close to volcano. Crops, Social cohesion,
    livestock, people, combustible community structures
    roofs, water supply.

    Land instability Anything located on or at base Social cohesion,


    of steep slopes or cliff tops, community structures
    roads and infrastructure,
    buildings on shallow
    foundations.
    Strong winds Lightweight buildings and roofs. Social cohesion,
    Fences, trees, signs: boats community structures
    fishing and coastal industries.

    Drought/ Crops and livestock. Disruption of populations.


    desertification Agricultural livelihoods. Destruction of the
    Peoples’ health. environment. Cultural
    losses.

    Technological Lives and health of those Destruction of the


    disasters involved or in the vicinity. environment. Cultural
    Buildings, equipment, losses. Possible population
    infrastructure, crops and disruption.
    livestock.

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