Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
LESSON 1: Overview of Disaster Risk Reduction
Understanding Disasters
Disasters are emergencies that cannot be handled by those affected without outside assistance. They are caused by natural or manmade events wherein communities experience severe danger and incur loss of lives and properties causing disruption to their social structure and to all or some of the affected communities’ essential functions. Disasters are inevitable. They are caused by unsustainable development that has not taken account of possible hazard impacts in that location. They can be less damaging if the population has better understanding of locally-experienced hazards and implements preventive or mitigating measures against them.
Overview of Disaster Risk Management
In disaster risk management a whole range of elements need attention depending on the nature of the hazards in that location. These include:
• Risk Reduction. Vulnerability and hazards are not dangerous if taken separately. They become risk and disaster factors when they unite. Risks can be reduced or managed, and measures can be employed to ensure that hazards will not result in disasters if people reduce the weaknesses and vulnerabilities to existing hazards in the location.
• Risk management is needed for disaster prevention to ensure sustainable development so that people can lead a good, healthy, and happy life without creating damage to the environment.
Risk management includes identifying health and safety hazards, determining probability of their occurrences, estimating their potential impacts to the schools and the communities at risk, enumerating and implementing the following risk reduction measures: hazard mapping; vulnerability analysis; potential losses estimation; and strategic disaster prevention / mitigation development.
Essential Components in Determining Risk
The following are essential components in the determination of risk, each of which should be separately quantifi ed:
• Hazard occurrence probability is the likelihood of experiencing a natural or technological hazard at a given location or region. Quantifying hazard probability involves assessing not only the probability of occurrence but the probability of magnitude.
• Elements at risk. Identifying and making an inventory of people or school buildings or other elements which would be affected by the hazard if it occurs, and when required, estimating their economic value.
• Vulnerability of the elements at risk. How affected the school buildings or school children or other elements would be if they were to experience some levels of hazard impact. Vulnerability is the relationship between the severity of hazard impact and the degree of damaged caused. Each element is affected differently by hazards of different severity
Loss Management
These are the pre and post disaster actions designed to keep the losses at the minimum in human, structural and economic aspects.
• Pre-disaster loss management are activities focusing on reducing the community vulnerability to hazards. Actions include improving the resistance of physical structures such as school buildings, developing improved safety plans for the occupants, and increasing / diversifying the network of social support mechanism available to communities in threatened areas.
• Post-disaster loss management focuses on improving the emergency response and broadening the range of support given to victims that includes facilitation of relief delivery and stimulating a rapid recovery.
Control of Events
This is the most critical element of disaster risk management. Control is maintained through the following measures:
• Anticipation of disaster and the cause effect relationship generated by each type of event;
• Mitigation or reduction of the risk of disaster;
• Disaster preparedness;
• Accurate information collection and assessment;
• Balanced response; • Timely actions; • Effective leadership; and
• Discipline among those handling the relief and disaster management.
Equity of Assistance
Disaster assistance should be provided in an equitable and fair manner. Fairness should be the basis of relief and reconstruction policies in order to ensure that disaster victims receive equal treatment and are able to obtain adequate access to resources available. The special needs of women, children, and the elderly are catered for.
Resource Management
In order to meet all competing needs and demands of a post disaster environment, resource management becomes essential. The use of available resources should be maximized to the greatest advantage. Affordable locally available resources are preferred.
Impact Reduction
Disasters can have impact far beyond the immediate human, physical or economic losses. Disasters represent a loss of opportunity not only to individuals but also to the entire education community. They can also be a setback to the development program of the country which in effect can erode whatever gains the education sector envisions to achieve. Hence, disaster preparedness must be undertaken to reduce their impact to the minimum and to accomplish recovery quickly so that efforts contribute to the overall development of the country and its citizens.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
Prevention and mitigation are actions taken to make sure that the impact of a hazard is lessened. We cannot stop natural hazards from happening but we can reduce the damages if we institute prevention and mitigation measures. Taking measures in order to avoid an event turning into a disaster is prevention, which includes planting trees in order to prevent erosion, landslides and drought. On the other hand, measures that reduce vulnerability to certain hazards is mitigation which includes for instance improved building practices and standard designs to ensure that school buildings are constructed in risk free school sites, houses and hospitals can withstand earthquake or a typhoon.
Prevention and mitigation in schools begins with:
• Knowing which hazards and risks the school is exposed to (hazard mapping);
• Meeting with all stakeholders in education and making plans to reduce those hazards and risks; and
• Implementing plans to reduce vulnerabilities.
Hazard
is an event or occurrence that has the potential to cause harm to life and damage property and the environment.
Risk
is the probability of harmful consequences, or expected loss of lives, people injured, livelihoods, disruption of economic activities and damages to the environment as a result of interactions between natural or human induced hazards and vulnerable / capable conditions.
Vulnerability
comprises conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community, school, or certain area in a locality to the impact of hazards.
Capacities
are those positive resources and abilities which are helpful to individuals, families and community in mitigating, preparing for, responding to and recovering from the hazard impact.
