Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

NAME: LIZADA, RONELINE C. WEEK: _____5________

What’s In:
1) The hazard is the triggering effects of Typhoon Ompong to the occurrence of landslide in a mining
community in Otogon, Benguet. Due to the sleek slope of the area, the hazard is heightened and severed
its effects and possible effects on the community and its residents.
2) The area exposed in the hazard is the community where the mining activity lies. It is the residents that
live near the said area are he one to be affected. However, those who live at the foot of the mountain will
be severely affected due to the slope of the mountain place.
3) The landslide occurs due to the mining activity. There are holes in the land and the strong typhoon
triggered it. The strong and heavy rain moisturized and moistened the soil. Having no tree roots to hold
them in place, the soil has no support and caused that part of the mountain to slide down way.
4) The community on the left will be severely affected, especially those who live at the foot of the
mountain. All of that soil will be washed away to them since they were living in the lowest pint. The
possibility of having them covered by the soil that slide from the part of the mountain is really high. Due
to these, possible effects are heightened and cannot just destroy properties but also take away lives.
5) Those who love far from the part or side of the mountain will likely to be least affected since they have a
better distance towards the incident. The community on the left side will also be less affected by the
sliding of that part of the mountain.

What’s New:
Situation 1
1) The 2-storey house might collapse due to the flood or might be washed out by the flood itself. Being
trapped is possible since the water level is eventually rising. Communication and interaction on the
outside world was also unavailable. I can’t swim and do the things can do since I have a baby to take
care of. Having no husband to help and support you in this situation was hard to cope with. I can’t just
go down to the first floor since that is a store. There might be broken glasses or sharp things on the water
and I can’t put my life at risk since I have a baby to take care of.
2) First, we should have prepared ourselves some first-aid and emergency kits since we leave near the
Laguna de Bay. We should have prepared for the possibilities of disasters and thought for the worst case
scenario. We should have kept a contact with the Local Government Units, so that it won’t be hard to
communicate and ask for help in situations like this. An escape plan should have prepared also.
Situation 2
1) There is a possibility that one of the friends has the virus or interacted with someone who has the virus.
Due to these, the virus will spread even more. I will also be infected, and when I go home, my family’s
lives will also be put at risk.
2) We should just listen to the authorities. We should follow the safety and health protocols. If possible, we
should have stay at home if the reason of going out was not necessary. When going out, always wear a
mask and a face shield, practice social distancing at all cost, and frequently wash your hands with soap
or apply alcohols and sanitizers. Get away from people who likely to have symptoms, it is better to get
away from the possibilities. Take your vitamins, drink 8 to 12 glasses of water every day, and eat a
healthy, balanced diet, together with proper rest and sleep. Perform indoor exercises. Live a responsible
and safe life.

What’s More:
1) Based on the picture, I was able to depict that the man was struggling on how to fix or do his job. This
means that he has no enough and sufficient knowledge to do this task. In short, he was not prepared
enough to do this duty. This situation can be compared to disasters. The quote explains that being
unprepared of something and having not enough preparations for the disaster is even more dangerous
than the disaster itself. Being unprepared is compared to an untrained electricians, while the disasters are
similar to electric shocks. Only these problems and disasters can be cope up with and can be survived
through safer, better, and responsible preparations.
2) The hazard in the picture shows that an electrician is struggling to do his work. This explains that the
electrician has no enough knowledge and was unprepared of the situation of doing is task. If he failed
and even make a single mistake, his life and those who are near him, can be put at risk.
3) The picture states that being unprepared of something, like a disaster, is a bigger problem that the
problem itself. It’s not solving the problem but instead, it raises the impact of the disaster, putting the
lives more at risk.
 4) He was at risk since he will be the one to be exposed to the hazard. He will be the one that will
experience the impacts of the hazards first hand. Therefore, his life will be more at risk due to the effects
of hazard.
5) The hazard is being unprepared on having insufficient enough knowledge for the electrician to do his
task. In one single, tiny mistake, his life and his workmates lives will be put at risk. He will be exposed
since he was the one who experience the effect of the hazard first hand, when the wires and connection
will be tested if it was properly working. Those who are near him can also be exposed, especially if they
are touching wires connected to his work. He was more vulnerable since he has no preparations; he has
no safety gears or anything that can protect him from electric shocks.

What I Have Learned:

Vulnerability is the community’s system’s or asset’s characteristics and circumstances that render it
vulnerable to the harmful effects of a threat, as well as the community’s ability to avoid, minimize, plan, for and
react to hazardous events. Exposure refers to people, property, structures, and other elements present in hazard
zones that are exposed to potential losses, while hazards is defined as the potential source of harm; substances,
incidents, or situations when nature allows them to cause harm to health, life, property, or any other valuable
interest, even if only a theory or possibility. Hazard may be caused by natural environmental factors or may
trigger by irresponsibility of human and their behaviours. However, its impact can be lessened and can be
mitigated through eliminating and reducing the impacts and risks of hazard through proactive measures;
planning and zoning, floodplain rules, capital improvement projects, open space, protection, and storm water
management. In short, we should be prepared and ready to take the battle against the hazard.

The difference between, exposure, and vulnerability among each other is hazard refers to the
potential harm and when an individual is exposed to a hazard, he will be at risk. Being more exposed to it
without preparation increases the rate of vulnerability of the individual or group of people, since it depends on
the preparedness and readiness to face the impacts of the hazards. It is significant to understand hazards,
exposure, and vulnerabilities because the new learning can be applied in real life-situations. This knowledge
can be a key to save more lives and reduces the impact of hazards in the near future.

Assessment:
1. b 6. c 11. d
2. c 7. a 12. d
3. a 8. d 13. c
4. d 9. d 14. c
5. a 10. d 15. c

Additional Activities:

As a Batang Kagawad, my first project will focus more on the environment. I will held tree
planting activities to replace the trees cut and burned due to road construction and widening on the
mountain. I will also propose to change the tree planting activities. Some trees, after the tree planting
die because they do not receive proper care. They just planted them, but do not visit or water the
regularly. So, after tree planting activities, there should be a scheduled survey and monitoring days
of the growth of the trees to ensure that they will really grow healthy and we do not just wasted our
time on nothing.

I will also establish a Clean and Green Program alongside with encouraging every household
to practice proper waste disposal. I will change the way how waste from household are collected.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, there is a garbage truck that collects the wastes from every
household. However, I propose to change the waste disposal program, because even if the residents
do proper waste segregation, all wastes are still collected by the same truck. I propose to change it
through having this truck collects wastes of the different kind on a scheduled day. This will also help
and encourage others to do the proper waste segregation. I focused more in the environmental
aspects, since the residents of our barangay are irresponsible. Most of that irresponsibleness
triggered those hazards like flood, landslide, fire, and other. Thus, in order to lessen the impact, I
should make the community ready, prepared, and resilient at all cost. Reduction and prevention is
the best way in mitigating the effects of

What I Can Do: