HAZARD

- Is a phenomenon that poses threat to people, structure or economic assets

WHAT IS A NATURAL HAZARD?
• A natural hazard is a natural event or process which affects people causing loss of
life or injury, economic damage, disruption to peoples’ lives or environmental
degradation
WHEN DOES A HAZARD BECOME A DISASTER?
•A disaster happens when the probable destructive agent, the hazard, hits a
vulnerable populated area
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF NATURAL PROCESSES THAT SHAPE AND
CHANGE OUR ENVIRONMENT?
1. Plate Tectonics
- mountain building, volcanism, ocean formation
2. Atmospheric Processes
- cloud formation, precipitation, wind
3. Biological Accumulation
-reef building, colony formation, forestation
4. Human Activities
-urbanization, extracting resources, geoengineering

NATURAL HAZARD
-naturally-occurring physical phenomena caused either by biological, geological
and hydrological events.

A. Biological Hazard
-process of organic origin expose to pathogenic micro- organisms, toxins and
bioactive substances
e.g. disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues

B. Geological Hazard
-natural process originates from the solid earth-geosphere.
e.g. earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions

C. Hydro-meteorological Hazard
-natural process involved with the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
Eg. Avalanches, floods, drought, wildfire, cyclones, storms, wave surges

MAN-MADE AND TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS

Originates from technological or industrial conditions, including accidents,
dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures, or specific human activities.
-e.g. conflicts/war
-famine
-displaced populations’
-industrial accidents
-transport accidents
-environmental degradation
-pollution
WHEN IS AN EVENT A DISASTER?
- At least 20% of the population are affected and in need of emergency assistance
or those dwelling units are destroyed.
- A great number or at least 40% of the means of livelihood such as bancas, fishing
boats are destroyed.
- Major roads and bridges are destroyed and impassable for atleast a week, thus
disrupting the flow of transport and commerce.
- Widespread destruction of fishponds, crops, poultry and livestock, and other
agricultural products.
- Epidemics

DISASTER RISK
→expressed as a function of hazard, exposure and vulnerability
RISK = HAZARD X EXPOSURE X VULNERABILITY
- According to this formula, if there is no hazard, then the risk is null (the
same if population or vulnerability is null.)
DISASTER RISK
→likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and damage from a disaster in a
given period of time.
HAZARD
→is any agent that can cause harm or damage to humans, property, or the
environment.
EXPOSURE
→refers to people and properties that are affected by hazards.

VULNERABILITY
→explains how people and the differences among them contribute to the situation
or context wherein they operate.
Types;
 1. SOCIAL VULNERABILITY
- Lack of inclusion of women Migrants or those who are new to a community
2. PSYCHOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY
- Pertains to the trauma of loss that may translate to an unhealthy condition.
3. PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY
- Includes assets such as money and houses
4. ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY
- The level of vulnerability is highly dependent upon the economic status of
individuals, communities and nations.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY
- Natural resource depletion and are resource degradation key aspects of
environmental vulnerability.

COPING CAPACITY
→manner in which people and organizations use existing resources to achieve
various beneficial ends during unusual, abnormal, and adverse conditions of a
disaster event or process.
Disaster Risk = (Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability) / Coping Capacity

Disaster Risk Characteristics

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

DISASTER RISK FACTORS

1. Physical factors
- Objects or infrastructure
2. Psychological factors
- State of mental capacity

The following are psychological risk factors;

a. Severity of exposure – amount of exposure to the disaster.
b. Gender and Family – Women or girls suffer more negative effects.
c. Age – age range of 40–60 are likely to be more distressed.
d. Developing countries – more severe mental health impact than do
disasters.
e. Low or negative social support- social support can weaken after
disasters

3. Socio-cultural factors
- Religion, social status, Traditions.
4. Economic factors
- Assets and liabilities, income, economic class.
5. Political factors
- Government structure, diplomatic issues.
6. Biological factors
- Flora and fauna in environment, health, diseases.
FACTORS WHICH UNDERLIES DISASTERS
1. Climate Change – increase in weather and climate hazards
2. Environmental Degradation – can influence the frequency and intensity of
hazards.
3. Globalized Economic Development – increased polarization between the
rich and poor.
4. Poverty and Inequality – poor people live in hazard-exposed areas, risk-
reducing measures.
5. Poorly planned and Managed Urban Development – Urbanization and higher
population density in cities can create risks.
6. Weak Governance – places where governments don’t do their job,
investments can be risky.

COMMON EFFECTS
1. DISPLACED POPULATION – disasters cause people to be forced to leave
their homes.
2. MEDICAL EFFECTS – Disasters hurt people physically and emotionally.
3. FOOD SCARCITY – Bad weather makes it hard to get food.
4. ECONOMIC LOSS – Disasters can hurt economies, causing businesses to
close and countries to lose money.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES – Disasters harm the environment, slow
down development, and make life worse for people.
6. EMOTIONAL AFTERSHOCKS – Disasters can cause death, injuries, loss
of homes, belongings, and community, risking health problem.

TYPES OF DISASTER EFFECTS

1. Primary effects are those coming directly from the incident itself.
Example: Water pipe\ damages due to floods, or collapsed structures due to
earthquakes
2. Secondary effects stems from the primary lines and water pipes can be
damaged as well.
 3. A long-term effect of a hazard is called tertiary effect.

PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE
From this point of view, disaster is framed according to the extent of damage to
physical properties or the alteration of the natural environment or changes in the
weather or climate pattern.
Example(s):
a. The collapse of buildings due to structural damage done by an earthquake
b. The collapse of a slope of a mountain due to heavy rains

PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
This perspective could manifest emotional effects, cognitive effects, physical
effects and even interpersonal effects.
Example(s):
a. A child is grieving after witnessing the death of his/ her parents due to fire.
b. Soldiers who have fought in combat zones are usually debriefed or scheduled
to undergo counseling for their recovery.

SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
When a disaster strikes a community, the values of those living in it are often
tested. Social and cultural activities of people living in some unique communities
are altered whenever an introduced element is brought in.
Example(s):
f. Urban communities that are prone to flooding cope by owning a boat
or raft which they use to evacuate

POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
When the government cannot completely help communities, which have been
exposed to disasters and hazards, politics play a role in fostering unity or disunity
among political players.
Often, political considerations play a role in the speedy dispatch of
humanitarian assistance. When government operations are paralyzed, it can be
vulnerable to attacks from hostile nations.
Example(s):
a. Preparedness of the government for disaster.
b. Recovery
ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
Disasters do not only reveal underlying social, economic, political and
environmental problems, but unfortunately contribute to worsening them. These
events pose serious challenge to development.
Example(s):
a. Depletion of natural resources due to disaster
b. Sudden change of livelihood

EARTHQUAKE
→is a feeble shaking to violent trembling of the ground produced by the sudden
displacement of rocks or rock materials below the earth’s surface.

TYPES OF EARTHQUAKES
 1. TECTONIC EARTHQUAKES
- are those generated by the sudden displacement along faults in the solid and rigid
layer of the earth.
2. VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKES
– Earthquakes induced by rising lava or magma beneath active volcanoes.

FAULT
→refers to a fracture, fissure or a zone of weakness where movement or
displacement has occurred or may occur again

HAZARD
→A dangerous phenomenon (substance or human activity) that may cause loss of
life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihood and
services, social and economic environmental damage disruption

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS
→earthquake agents which have the potential to cause harm to a vulnerable targets
which can either be humans, animals or even your environment.

EFFECTS OF AN EARTHQUAKE
A. PRIMARY EFFECTS are permanent features an earthquake can bring
out.
Examples include fault scarps, surface ruptures, and offsets of natural or human-
constructed objects.
 B. SECONDARY EFFECTS happen when ground movement results to
other types of destruction.
Examples include landslides, tsunami, liquefaction and fire

GROUND SHAKING
→disruptive up-down and sideways movement or motion experienced during an
earthquake.
- Strong ground shaking can cause objects to fall, break windows among
others. Strong ground shaking can also result to minor damages to buildings
and worse, cause collapse of a structure.

GROUND RUPTURE
→displacement on the ground due to movement of fault
- This will be experienced by areas where fault passes through (note not all
cracks on the ground that people see after a strong earthquake are faults,
some may just be superficial cracks because of ground failure)
-
TSUNAMI
- A huge sea wave triggered by a violent displacement of the ocean floor.
- As it approaches a shallow coastline, its speed decreased, but the height of
the tsunami increases drastically, bringing so much damage to nearby
communities. Tsunamis can also overwhelm sewage systems, destroy
structures and kill people.
Natural signs of an impending tsunami;
1. Feel an earthquake. Severe ground shaking from local earthquakes may
cause tsunamis..
 2. See ocean water disappear from beach, bay, river. Water may recede from
the coast, exposing the ocean floor, reefs and fish before returning as a fast-
moving wall of water (tsunami). This is called “drawback.”
3. Hear an unusual roaring sound. Abnormal ocean activity, a wall of water,
and an approaching tsunami can create a loud “roaring” sound similar to that
of a train or jet aircraft.
4.
LIQUEFACTION
→Earthquake motion can turn loosely packed, water- saturated soil to liquid-
“liquefaction.”
- Liquefied soil becomes less compact and ultimately lose the ability to
support roads, buried pipes, and, of course, houses. It is caused by vibration
or saturation with water which causes the soil to decrease in density.
LANDSLIDES
- Can have devastating effects like floods, blocking of rivers, death, and
damage to land and natural resources.
- Landslides can be prevented by reinforcing slope material, modifying the
pathway for surface and underwater and by putting piles and retaining walls.
-
FIRES
→Earthquakes cause fires. Even moderate ground shaking can break gas and
electrical lines, sever fuel lines, and overturn stoves.
- To further complicate things, water pipes rupture, so it would be impossible
to extinguish the fire.
-
COMMONLY USED METHODS OF REDUCING EARTHQUAKE RISKS
1. Effective recording and interpretation of ground motion
- This can be done by effective instrumentation in order to determine the
location, strength and frequency of earthquakes. This assists in providing alerts and
warnings especially to high-risk or vulnerable areas for preparation and emergency
response
2. Constructing seismic hazard maps
- A seismic hazard map shows the potential hazards in a given area. In many
regions in our country, seismic expectancy maps or hazard maps are now available
for planning purposes. It serves as basis for disaster management information like
locations for evacuation and evacuation routes.