DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing

and reducing the risks of disaster. It aims to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to
disaster as well as dealing with the environmental and other hazards that trigger them.
Disaster risk reduction is the responsibility of development and relief agencies alike. It
should be an integral part of the way such organizations do their work, not an add-on or
one-off action. Disaster risk reduction is very wide-ranging: Its scope is much broader and
deeper than conventional emergency management. There is potential for Disaster risk
reduction initiatives in just about every sector of development and humanitarian work.
Disaster risk is an indicator of poor development, so reducing disaster risk requires
integrating DRR policy and DRM practice into the sustainable development goals. We need
to manage risks, not just disasters.

The most commonly cited definition of DRR is one used by UN agencies such as the
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and UNDP is that “The conceptual framework of
elements considered with the possibilities to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks
throughout a society, to avoid or to limit the adverse impacts of hazards, within the broad
context of sustainable development.

• Disaster risk reduction is about choices.

Disaster risk reduction is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through
systematic efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters. Reducing exposure
to hazards, lessening vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and
the environment, and improving preparedness for adverse events are all examples of
disaster risk reduction.

• Disaster risk reduction is everyone's business.

 Disaster risk reduction includes disciplines like disaster management, disaster
mitigation and disaster preparedness, but DRR is also part of sustainable development. In
order for development activities to be sustainable they must also reduce disaster risk. On
the other hand, unsound development policies will increase disaster risk - and disaster
losses. Thus, DRR involves every part of society, every part of government, and every part
of the professional and private sector.

• There is no such thing as a 'natural' disaster, only natural hazards.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) aims to reduce the damage caused by natural hazards
like earthquakes, floods, droughts and cyclones, through an ethic of prevention.

Disaster risk has many characteristics. In order to understand disaster risk, it is

essential to understand that it is:

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

Disasters threaten development, just as development creates disaster risk.

The key to understanding disaster risk is by recognizing that disasters are an indicator
of development failures, meaning that disaster risk is a measure of the sustainability of
development. Hazard, vulnerability and exposure are influenced by a number of risk
drivers, including poverty and inequality, badly planned and managed urban and
regional development, climate change and environmental degradation (UNISDR, 2009a,
 2011, 2013 and 2015a). Understanding disaster risk requires us to not only consider
the hazard, our exposure and vulnerability but also society's capacity to protect itself
from disasters. The ability of communities, societies and systems to resist, absorb,
accommodate, recover from disasters, whilst at the same time improve wellbeing, is
known as resilience.

COMPONENTS OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

1. Mitigation:

▪ Mitigation refers to the action that are to be taken before the occurrence of an event.
▪ Mitigation phase is for reducing the overall risk and impacts. It includes the steps like:
▪ Vulnerability assessment
▪ Risk assessment
▪ Hazard assessment
▪ Mitigation involves promoting multi sector approach in disaster risk management and integration
of DRR in all the development activities.
▪ Also includes maintenance of public infrastructure.

2. Preparedness:

▪ Preparedness is also done before the occurrence of an event/disaster

▪ All kinds of plan like vulnerability management plans, emergency preparedness plans, evacuation
plans etc., are prepared.
▪ It includes actions like:
▪ Preparation of disaster relief plan
▪ Conduction of awareness and education programs for general public
▪ Sharing of the risk portfolio with the related partners and the institutions
▪ Development of early warning system

3. Response:

▪ Refers to the activities that are done after the event or disaster has occurred
▪ Saving human life is major concern at this stage
▪ Response actions include:
▪ Evacuation
 ▪ Emergency services (food, shelter, medical attention, etc.)
▪ Provision for medical help
▪ Coordination action between the local and international actions
▪ National and international support
▪ Proper mobilization of aids and grants provided

4. Recovery:

▪ Recovery is a post disaster action

▪ It includes activities like:
▪ Create emergency relief fund
▪ Rehabilitate the victims
▪ Reconstruction of the damages properties or make arrangement (through loans)
▪ Psychological counseling.

CONCEPTS OF DISASTER RISKS

➢DISASTER
A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving
widespread human, materials, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which
exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources -
United Nation Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of several things: the exposure to
a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to
reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences. Disaster impacts may include loss of
life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human, physical, mental and social well-being,
together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and economic
disruption and environmental degradation (Margallo, 2018).

World Health Organization (WHO) definition of disaster: “A disaster is an occurrence

disrupting the normal conditions of existence and causing a level of suffering that exceeds
the capacity of adjustment of the affected community.
 The linguistic definition of the world disaster is “a sudden calamitous event bringing
great damage, loss, or destruction.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines disaster as “An occurrence

that has resulted in property damage, deaths, and/or injuries to a community. FEMA 1990”.

International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) added another factor to the definition: “A
disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a
community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses
that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.” Though
often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins

A situation or event, which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to

national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden
event that causes great damage destruction and human suffering. Such happenings are
result of disasters which are external and out of human control.

CLASSIFICATION OF DISASTERS:

Through classifying of different disasters, people get to see some benefit in such.

1. It helps people to understand the disaster and interchange knowledge and

information regarding the disaster in some detail.
2. Planning of the said disaster, processes, and preparedness in response to each
category.
3. Due to the occurrence of previous same disaster, people get to response adequately
from the knowledge and training they’ve been through.
1.1 NATURAL HAZARDS: naturally occurring phenomena caused by nature and men have
no control over.
➢ Earthquakes
➢ Tsunamis
➢ Floods
➢ Landslide
➢ Hurricanes
 ➢ Wildfire
➢ Droughts
➢ Volcanic eruption

Such disasters cause massive loss of life, property, and many other miseries.

1.2 TECHNOLOGICAL (man-made-made): caused by humans. Man-made disasters are less

disastrous and easier to control.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE SPEED OF ONSET

Two types: Rapid onset disasters and Slow onset disaster.

RAPID ON SET DISASTER - Hazards that arise suddenly, or whose occurrence cannot be
predicted far in advance, trigger rapid-onset disasters. Earthquakes, cyclones and other
windstorms, landslides and avalanches, wildfires, floods, and volcanic eruptions are usually
categorized as rapid-onset events. The warning time ranges from seconds or at best a few
minutes in the case of earthquakes and many landslides, to several days in the case of most
storms and floods. Some volcanic eruptions may be preceded by weeks or months of
activity, but predicting volcanoes’ behavior remains very difficult and the warning time for
the eruption itself may be only days or hours. Most disasters are rapid-onset events.

SLOW ONSET DISASTER - Most discussion of slow-onset disasters concentrates on one

hazard: drought. It can take months or sometimes years for the results of drought to
become disastrous, in the form of severe water and food shortages and, ultimately, famine.
Other examples are pollution of the environment, and human activities that degrade the
environment and damage ecosystems (deforestation for instance) also contribute to
disasters. Their cumulative impact may not be felt for decades, although the hazards that
they make more likely, such as flash floods and landslides, may be sudden-onset events.

CLASSIFICATION ACCOEDING TO SEVERITY AND WHO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE.

Level I disaster is one in which local emergency response personnel and

organizations can contain and effectively deal with the disaster and its aftermath.
 Level II disaster requires regional efforts and mutual aid from surrounding
communities.

Level III disaster is of such a magnitude that local and regional assets are
overwhelmed, requiring statewide or federal assistance and may even need
international help.

This classification reflects a tiered response, which is a fundamental principle of the

National Response Framework, a component of national disaster response planning in the
United States.

➢RISK
Risk is the possibility of something bad will happen. Risk involves uncertainty about the
effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as
health, well-being, wealth, property or the environment), often focusing on negative,
undesirable consequences.

A risk is the chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually cause somebody harm
and it may be neutralized through preemptive actions.

Examples:

• Anna is working alone away from her home.

The risk in the situation given is that a danger while going home is very high.

• John is trying to save the dog that have been trapped because of the earthquake.

The risk in the situation above is the John might not survive while saving the dog.

Difference between Disaster and Risk:

A clear distinction between disaster prediction and risk assessment is necessary for
effective disaster reduction. Disaster prediction models objects that face hazard, damage,
or loss, while risk assessment models the likelihoods of the scene in future adverse
incidents.

Disaster Risk - is expressed as the likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction

and damage from a disaster in a given period of time.

Examples of Disaster Risk:

• Poor design and construction of building.

• Inadequate protection of assets.

• Lack of public information and awareness.

• High levels of poverty and education.

• Limited official recognition of risk and preparedness measures.

• Disregard for wise environmental management.

➢HAZARD
Hazard is a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition
that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of
livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
When we refer to hazards in relation to occupational safety and health, the
most commonly used definition is ‘A Hazard is a potential source of harm or adverse
health effect on a person or persons’.
• Two types of Hazards:
o Natural Hazards
When we say Natural Hazards, these hazards are the reasons why dangerous
phenomenon happens by human activity or some environmental damages.
Examples of Natural Hazards are Volcanic Eruption, Storm Surge, Typhoon,
Earthquake, Tsunami, etc.
o Anthropogenic Hazards
 And then next is the Anthropogenic Hazards. This hazards are those hazards caused
directly or indirectly by human action or inaction that may adversely affect humans, other
organisms and biomes, and ecosystems.
Examples of Anthropogenic Hazards are Armed-conflict, Oil Spill, Fire, Sea and Air
Incident, Pollution, and Toxic Waste Disposal.

Two types of Natural Hazards:

➢ Geological Hazards
➢ Hydro-meteorological Hazards

When we say Geological Hazards, this includes the internal earth processes. For
instance, Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions, Tidal Waves, and Landslides.
Hydro- meteorological Hazards means the Natural processes of atmospheric,
hydrological or oceanographic nature. Hydro-meteorological hazards include tropical
cyclones (also known as typhoons and hurricanes), thunderstorms, hailstorms, tornados,
blizzards, heavy snowfall, avalanches, coastal storm surges, floods including flash floods,
drought, heat waves and cold spells. Hydro-meteorological conditions also can be a factor
in other hazards such as landslides, wild land fires, locust plagues, epidemics, and in the
transport and dispersal of toxic substances and volcanic eruption material.

➢EXPOSURE

What is Exposure?

Refers to the presence of people, livelihood, environmental services and resources,

infrastructure and other tangible assets in places that could be adversely affected by
physical events and which are subjected to potential future harm, loss and damage.

What Drives Exposure?

People and economic assets become concentrated in areas exposed to hazards

through processes such as population growth, migration, urbanization and economic
development (UNISDR, 2009b). Previous disasters can drive exposure by forcing people
from their lands and to increasingly unsafe areas. Consequently, exposure changes over
time and from place to place.

How do we measure exposure?

Measures of exposure can include the number of people or types of assets in an area.
These can be related with the specific vulnerability and capacity of the exposed elements to
any particular hazard to estimate the quantitative risks associated with that hazard in the
area of interest (UNISDR, 2017).

How do we reduce exposure?

It is not possible to avoid exposure to events, land use planning and location
decisions must be accompanied by other structural or non-structural methods for
preventing or mitigating risk.

Examples of Exposure

• People are exposed in air pollution.

• People who live near the sea are exposed to tsunami and tidal waves.
• People who live in low-lying areas are exposed to floods.

➢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. It
includes infrastructure, institutions, human knowledge and skills, and collective attributes
such as social relationships, leadership and management (UNISDR, 2017).

• To measure capacity, we have capacity assessment

- is the process by which the capacity of a group is reviewed against desired goals,
where existing capacities are identified for maintenance or strengthening and capacity gaps
are identified for further action. (UNISDR, 2017).

- it emphasize here the words existing capacity and capacity gaps. Wherein existing
capacity is the preparedness and capability of individuals to face and cope up with the
disaster. It has been applying whenever there’s a calamities, for example when the weather
forecaster are informing us about the upcoming typhoon, we are doing the necessary things
to be ready for the possible outcomes but it’s still need to be enhance. While capacity gaps
is about the things that need more attention, like when the local official are asking for the
people to evacuate immediately but they are refusing.

• Entry point for capacity assessment

1) Enabling environment referred to as the ‘societal’ or ‘institutional’ level, capacities at
the level of the enabling environment relate to the broader system within which
individuals and organizations function (UNDP, 2009).
2) Organizational level relates to the internal structure, policies, systems and procedures
that determine an organization's effectiveness and ability to deliver on its mandate and
allow individuals to work together (UNDP, 2009).

Individual level relates to the skills, experience and knowledge of people that allow them
to perform. Written report

➢VULNERABILITY
• Vulnerability is one of the concepts of Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management. Vulnerability is the characteristics and circumstances of a
community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effect of a
hazard.
• Vulnerability is the characteristics and weaknesses of a person, object or place
that may increase the likelihood of being harmed by the hazards around them.
The vulnerability of a person or place is influenced by geographical conditions,
proximity to hazards and standard of living. Vulnerability also refers to people,
places and infrastructure that are at high risk of being affected by a hazard.

It may rise from various physical, social, economic and environmental factors
such as:

• Poor design and construction of buildings

 • Inadequate protection of assets,
• Lack of public information and awareness,
• Limited official recognition of risk and preparedness measures and;
• Disregard for wise environmental management.

Some examples of vulnerability are:

• Social inequity poverty

• Unsafe housing design and construction
• Lack of education.

In some situations, an example of this is that people living along rivers and estuaries
are more vulnerable to flooding and disease compared to people living far away from those
rivers and estuaries. People living in huts or made in poor materials are more vulnerable to
storm winds compared to people living in houses made of stone.