Disaster Readiness

and Risk Reduction

Disasters and Its Effects
 • A disaster is a damaging event that occurs suddenly
and involves loss of life and property. It can be of
two types, natural and man-made.
• Natural disasters can destroy a whole community in
an instant. Examples of natural disasters are
DISASTE volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and
typhoons which are destructive to people's lives.

R • Man-made disasters on the other hand are caused

by human beings. Some of the man-made disasters
are bomb explosions, terrorism, wars, leakage of
poisonous chemicals, pollutions, industrial
accidents, and epidemics. They are identified as
man- made disasters because they happen due to
human actions and not by natural forces.
What is the • A hazard is a dangerous situation or event
that carries a threat to humans. A disaster is
difference an event that harms humans and disrupts
between the operations of society. Hazards can only
be considered disasters once it affected
hazard and humans. If a disaster happened in an
disaster? unpopulated area, it is still a hazard.
 1. Displaced Populations
One of the most immediate effects of natural disasters is
population displacement. When countries are ravaged by
earthquakes or other powerful forces of nature, many people
The Human need to abandon their homes and seek shelter in other regions.
A large influx of refugees can disrupt accessibility of health care
Effect of and education, as well as food supplies and clean water.

Natural and 2. Health Risks

Man-Made Aside from the obvious immediate danger that natural disasters
present, the secondary effect can be just as damaging. Severe
Disasters flooding can result in stagnant water that allows breeding of
waterborne bacteria and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Without
emergency relief from international aid organizations and others,
death tolls can rise even after the immediate danger has passed.
 3. Food Scarcity

The Human The aftermath of natural disasters affects the food supplies. Thousands of people
around the world are hungry because of destroyed crops and loss of agricultural
supplies, whether it happens suddenly in a storm or gradually in a drought. As a result,
Effect of food prices rise reducing families’ purchasing power and increasing the risk of severe
malnutrition or worse. The impacts of hunger following an earthquake, typhoon or

Natural and
hurricane can be tremendous, causing lifelong damage to children’s development.

Man-Made
4. Emotional Aftershocks
Natural disasters can be particularly traumatic for young children. Confronted with
scenes of destruction and the deaths of friends and loved ones, many children develop
Disasters post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a serious psychological condition resulting from
extreme trauma. Left untreated, children suffering from PTSD can be prone to lasting
psychological damage and emotional distress.
Great damage caused by a disaster can be
reduced if everyone will take responsibility in
anticipating its effects.
 • 1. Check for hazards at home.
• 2. Identify safe place indoors and outdoors
Here are • 3. Educate yourself and family members
some ways • 4. Have Disaster kits/supplies on hand.
• 5. Develop an emergency communication
on how to plan.
plan ahead • 6. Help your community get ready.
of a disaster: • 7. Practice the Disaster Preparedness Cycle
Direction: Consider yourself as a friend to the following people. Given
their situations and the fact that they are suffering from a previous
disaster, state the impact / effects of the disasters they are experiencing
and what tips, advice or words can you give them to help them
recover? Put your answer on a clean sheet of paper.
1. Dale Marc is a 16-year-old student. He lives in Taal, Batangas, together with his family.
Fishing is their primary source of income. They found out that the Taal volcano had erupted in
Taal Batangas. What are the possible effects / effects of this condition on their family, and
what advice are you going to give him?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
2. Anna is a primary school teacher in Cainta, Rizal. She used to be the mother of two
beautiful children. Their community was hit by a Super Typhoon submerging and washed
away their homes and properties. It
is noticeably clear to her mind how her two children tried to hold their hands tightly, but their
hands slipped away. What would be the potential effect / effects of the Super Typhoon
teacher Anna is experiencing? How do you think can she be helped in coping up from the
tragedy?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
3. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe
acute coronavirus 2 respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in
Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019 and resulted in a continuing pandemic.
The first confirmed case in Hubei dates back to 17 November 2019. The virus
arrived in the Philippines on 30 January 2020 when the first case of the disease
was confirmed in Metro Manila. After more than a month without recording any
cases, the Philippines confirmed its first local transmission on 7 March 2020. Since
then, the virus has spread to the country with at least one case recorded in the 17
regions of the country. During this pandemic situation, Nurses serves as a
“frontliner” to help COVID patients obtain good health and recover from their
current situation. What could be the potential effect / impact of the increasingly
confirmed cases of COVID patients on Nurses in the Philippines?
Disasters from Different Perspectives
Direction: Think about the scenario below. Write YES if it is a disaster;
NO if not a disaster. Write your answer on a separate sheet.
_____ 1. A landslide in a mountain resort.
_____ 2. A typhoon traversing a remote and uninhabited island.
_____ 3. A volcano erupting 15 km away from a city.
_____ 4. A mudslide towards a hill foot community.
_____ 5. A strong earthquake in the city proper of Calamba.
What’s New

Direction: Read the poem below then list down what you feel after
interpreting the poem.
 Disasters
(JMF)
Tragedies come in different forms
Tsunami, landslides, fires, and typhoons
Floods, earthquakes, droughts, and volcanic eruptions
Shipwreck, forest fire, epidemic, pandemic, and even explosions
Imminent hazards are associated with disasters
Threat in health, physical danger, and emotional concerns
Damage to properties, death, and other fears
That the victims see, hear and experience.
Countless times, we have watched disasters all around us;
We knew its effects; we understand the horror that it has;
We shed tears for others; we prayed for some; we might had helped a mass,
Trying moments like this, to be a man for others---really is a MUST!
Therefore, disasters must be foreseen and forecasted;
It must be anticipated for everyone to be prepared;
Its effect on human and society must be planned and considered;
To save lives and properties and preserve social order.
The Different Perspectives of Disaster
1. Physical perspective

Calamities are phenomena that cause great physical damage in a community infrastructure, its people and their
properties, e.g. houses and environmental sources of living. These cited effects of a disaster can be easily measured
and the most common.
Natural disasters generally affect the physical infrastructural facilities, agricultural productivity and even lead to loss
of life and cause damage to property. Various factors influence the effects of a disaster on a country among them
are the magnitude of the disaster, the geography of the area affected, and the recovery efforts directed towards
reducing the immediate effects of a disaster.
“Effects of a natural Disasters on a Country Essay”, Ivy Panda Free Study Hub, January 20, 2020,
https://ivypanda.com/essays/effects-of-a-natural-disaster-on-a-country/
Effects of Physical Disasters
- Injuries
- Physical disabilities or illness
- Sanitation
- Damage in infrastructure
The Different Perspectives of Disaster
2. Psychological Perspective

Victims of disasters may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other serious mental health conditions, which are not
being given much attention to by the authorities or even by the victims, themselves. (This may be sensitive statement)
• Disasters are mostly unpredictable, which leave the victims in a state of shock. They tend to deny the loss and try to escape from
reality. Being in a denial state makes the victims more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and other different maladaptive reactions.
Death of a closed one also leaves the victim in a state of insecurity because the sense of love, attachment and belongingness are
deprived.
• Makwana, Nikunj Disaster and its impact on mental health: A narrative review, October 31, 2019
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6857396/
• Psychological effects of a Disaster:
• distress hopelessness
• intrusion/avoidance emotional effects
• hatred/revenge cognitive Effects
• dependence/insecurities physical Effects
• grief/withdrawn/isolation interpersonal effect
• guilt feeling helplessness
• lack of trust
The Different Perspectives of Disaster
3. Socio-cultural Perspective

Filipinos are generally known as “matiisin”, resourceful, helpful, optimistic, and prayerful. These characteristics are
manifested in the country’s recent fight against COVID19.Due to the National Health Emergency, Enhanced Community
Quarantine (ECQ) prevailed in the whole country. A lot of people temporarily lost their jobs, some people stranded in
different regions, repatriated OFWs were held in different quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, and all people were
restricted to go out of their homes for months. As a result, most Filipino families would rely on government’s help for them
to get by. However, limited resources and aids from the government make people find possible ways to survive amid the
pandemic.
These traits help a lot of Filipinos to survive the challenge of COVID19 in the country. To people who are used to natural
calamities like typhoons, flash floods, and volcanic eruptions most citizen would find contentment with what they have at
the moment. The culture of “malalampasan din natin ‘to..” belief and “ bahala na and Diyos” syndrome give hope to most
Filipino in the midst of a disaster. Such perspective helps a lot especially those who belong to the marginalized sector to be
hopeful and continue fighting against any challenge at hand. Their belief that a help from someone or from God would
arrive at a time they most needed. It also helps most people survive a lot of oddities in life.
Socio-Cultural Effect of Disasters
➢ change in individual roles
➢ disruption of social relationships and personal connections
The Different Perspectives of Disaster

4. Economic Perspective
Disasters affect the economic condition of a community because they reduce local and international
trade. It can also partially or totally paralyze a country’s transportation system, just like what happened in
the COVID19 pandemic.
Implementation of a partial and total shut down of local business operations result to a lot of people
losing means of living.
Economic Effects of Disasters
- loss of life
- unemployment
- loss of property
loss of household articles
- loss of crops
- loss of public infrastructure
The Different Perspectives of Disaster

5. Political Perspective
Natural disasters are commonly thought to be less politically argumentative than armed conflicts, yet a closer
look shows that both the effects of a natural disaster and the resulting distribution of humanitarian aid are
profoundly linked to politics.
Just as vulnerability to disasters is mediated by the political system of a country, disasters can have major
consequences for political stability and political legitimacy (Hörhager, July 2017. Since agencies of government
have a significant role to play in directing disaster preparedness, prevention and recovery. Social systems establish
vulnerability to natural disasters and governments are often considered to be responsible for the disaster effects.
Political Effects of a Disaster
- People who have trust in political institution will assess the government’s risk assessments as credible and
accept their hazard policies (Johnson 1999)
- Low level of trust in public institutions therefore means that citizens may ignore the recommendations and
disregard the information provided by these institutions (McCaffey 2004).
- If individuals are confident that they will receive sufficient aid from the government when a disaster occurs, they
might not be motivated to take measures on their own (King and Kang 2000).
The Different Perspectives of Disaster
6. Biological Perspective
The disturbing effects caused by a prevalent kind of disease or virus in an epidemic or pandemic level is known as biological disaster.
(a) Epidemic Level: Biological disaster affects large numbers of people within a given community or area. Ex: Dengue.
(b) Pandemic Level: Biological disaster affects a much large region, sometime spanning entire continents or the globe
ex. Swine Flue
Biological disasters can wipe out an entire population at a short span of time.
Example of it is the COVID19 pandemic which infected millions in less than a month and left thousands of deaths in the same duration. Viral respiratory
infections can lead to anything from a mild cough that lasts a few weeks or months to full-blown persistent wheezing or asthma (Martin, 2020). He added
that when there is a severe respiratory infection, recovery can be prolonged with a general increase in shortness of breath— even after normal lung function
returns. Since COVID19 is a respiratory disease, the public is advised by health authorities to do health precaution to prevent social contamination. Examples
are: observing physical distancing, appropriate washing of the hands, wearing of mask at all times once outside of one’s home, and boosting one’s immune
system.
COVID19 patients who have strong immune system can likely soon recover from the disease. Also, those who follow the health precaution strictly have less
chance of being infected. As such, the effects of a biological disaster can be reduced.
Effects of Biological Disasters
➢ loss of lives
➢ public demobilization
➢ negative economic effect
➢ unemployment
➢ hunger