• At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Describe the effects of disaster on one’s life.
Differentiate primary, secondary, and tertiary effects of
a disaster.
• Classify disaster-related events to different
perspectives (physical, psychological, socio-cultural,
economic, political, and biological).
• Conduct a simple survey of family members’ disaster
experiences and perceptions.
• Guide Questions:
• 1. What kind of disaster is represented in the
picture?
• 2. What would be the possible effects of disaster
based on your given answer above? Give at
least one for each.
• 3. What aspects of your life and society are
affected by these disasters
What are the Effects of Disaster?
• Disasters whether natural or man-made in origin
affect the usual way society acts and the people’s
lives directly and indirectly. Physical losses,
damages to structures, creation of mitigation
structures and materials are direct effects.
Increasing material costs and expenses,
psychological effects are indirect effects.
•1. Primary effects are those that
come directly from the incident or
disaster itself, such as the
collapse of a building during an
earthquake, landslide, or
hurricane and water damage
during a flood
• Secondary effects are the result that comes
from the primary effects. They will only occur
because a primary effect has caused them.
Examples of secondary effects include
power outages due to fallen trees or
damaged buildings and fires from broken gas
lines. In these examples, the fallen trees and
the damaged
• Tertiary effects are the long-term effects that are
set off because of a primary event. These include
things like loss of habitat, changes in the
landscape and natural features caused by a flood,
permanent changes in the position of river channel
caused by flood, crop failure or reduction due to
cooler temperatures or other interferences caused
by a volcanic eruption-like the recent Taal volcano
eruption that has displaced thousands of
individuals residing along with
•How do Disasters
Affect the Different
aspects of our Life and
Society?
•Disaster in
Different
Perspectives
• 1. Physical The presence of tangible objects and
infrastructure affects people and the environment.
Physical factors refer to structures such as
evacuation centers, sea and river walls, fire exits,
fire hydrants, and objects such as signages that
could help people during a disaster. On the
contrary, it also refers to objects and structures
which could contribute to harming and disrupting
people’s life and intensify the effect of a disaster
such as hanging debris, exposed wirings, etc.
• The intensity of the destruction of a
disaster depends on the presence and
quantity of objects and infrastructures
to mitigate the disaster or contribute to
its complexity
•As the country experience
different types of disaster
several advancements in
technology have been done
such as:
• The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for
instance have utilized doppler radars in Baras,
Catanduanes and other areas of the country.
• Flood/flashflood hazards map to mitigate the risks from
severe winds and floods.
• The Department of Science and Technology started
disaster science research and development to use
technologies for innovative information services to support
the government's disaster prevention and mitigation
efforts.
2. Psychological
• The strength of a disaster is usually measured through the
extent of physical destruction than the mental well-being of
people. Assuming that people have been hit by typhoons,
earthquakes, floods, and fire the mental health is affected
as well. Stressors caused by a certain type of disaster can
persist longer than the physical effects. Facing grief, fear
and unexpected intrapersonal and societal changes can be
tough for people.
• Efforts must be done to lessen the panic and fear
when facing threats of disasters. The Disaster
Risk Reduction Management Plan 2011-2028
included disaster preparedness in schools and the
community through: a. Advocacy
• b. Information
• c. Education
• d. Communication such as capability buildings,
drills and symposiums, and curricular inclusions.
• The Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS) has strategized
the plan “Volcano,
Earthquake, and Tsunami
Disaster Risk Reduction
Program,” which includes
seminars, workshops,
trainings, lectures, and drills
for various individuals
3. Sociocultural
• Sociocultural Culture and tradition are rarely seen to change
because of the occurrence of disasters but various socio-
cultural actions and disaster risks are related. Socio-cultural
factors of disaster include religion and faith, societal traditions,
perceptions, and social standings. In some situations, culture
has become a factor for communities’ survival from disasters
whereas in some situations culture has acted as a barrier for
effective risk reduction activities. Filipinos are known for their
resiliency amidst calamities. They remain steady and positive
to face challenges that come each day
These are various coping strategies that most Filipinos do to
respond to demands from unexpected or terrifying events.
• Familial support
• Faith Based
• Resiliency
• Positivity
• Flexibility
• Sense of humor
4. Economic
• Physical damages on assets, machineries, and
livestock in addition to property loss, environmental
damage, trauma, health, loss of lives, and
disruption of communities can severely affect
economic activity in periods depending on the
extent of the damage. The figure below shows a
disaster’s economic impact.
5. Political
• Politics can be affected in the time of a disaster. Government structure
and political actions can change depending on the need. Political
actions during and after a disaster can be ways to update existing laws,
rules, and physical aspects of the government. Resources and funds
can be realigned to focus on building local resilience and for
rehabilitation and reconstruction. People turn to their leaders on how
they respond to the needs of the society during catastrophic events on
the other hand differences in political views can also result to conflicts.
6. Biological
• Disaster can affect plant and animal habitats
which can change the way our biosphere
work. Our environment heals itself as it has
faced several disasters long before we existed
on this planet. Moreover, studies have shown
that most causes of disasters came from man-
made activities.
• On the other hand, When the environment is
sustainably managed, it can contribute to the
physical and economic aspects of the
community. Plants and animal can be
sources of food, medicine, and even building
materials for shelter. Furthermore, it could
also be a source of income such as tourism.
Thereby decreasing the consequences of a
disaster.
