SHS DISASTER READINESS & RISK REDUCTION Q1 Ep2: Disaster and Disaster Risk

Summary

This video lesson, led by a teacher in disaster readiness and risk reduction, explores the concept of disaster risks and how they occur. It defines key terms like hazards, vulnerability, exposure, and capacity, emphasizing that disasters arise from unaddressed risks. The lesson discusses factors that can increase or mitigate disaster risks, such as physical, psychological, socio-cultural, economic, political, and biological elements. It ends with a short activity to reinforce understanding and an assignment on disaster preparedness, encouraging learners to apply their knowledge and think critically about disaster readiness.

Takeaways

• 📚 Disasters happen when we fail to act on natural or man-made hazards, which lead to disaster risks.
• 🌍 According to UNISDR, disaster risk refers to potential disaster losses in lives, health, and assets over time due to hazards.
• ⚠️ Disaster risk is a combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences.
• 🌪️ Hazard refers to a potentially damaging event that may cause loss of life, injury, property damage, or environmental harm.
• 🏚️ Vulnerability is the state of being at risk due to circumstances that make a community more susceptible to hazard impacts.
• 👥 Exposure is the likelihood that a community will experience hazard events, such as people living in flood-prone or landslide areas.
• 💪 Capacity refers to a community's ability to manage and cope with disasters when they occur.
• 🧠 Disaster risk is affected by physical, psychological, socio-cultural, economic, political, and biological factors.
• 🔄 Reducing disaster risk involves lowering vulnerability and exposure while increasing the capacity to manage hazards.
• 📝 To prepare for disasters, individuals should take specific actions to mitigate risks, such as spreading awareness and ensuring readiness in case of emergencies.

Q & A

What is disaster risk according to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)?

Disaster risk refers to the potential disaster losses in lives, health, livelihoods, assets, and services that could occur in a community or society over a specific future time period. It is the product of possible damage caused by a hazard.

How does disaster risk come about?

Disaster risk comes about due to a combination of hazards, vulnerability, exposure, and insufficient capacity to reduce negative impacts. It occurs when hazards are not addressed properly and vulnerabilities are high.

What is the difference between a natural disaster and a natural hazard?

A natural hazard is a potentially damaging physical event, such as an earthquake or flood. A natural disaster occurs when that hazard leads to significant loss of life or property, often because of exposure and vulnerability.

How can disaster risk be reduced?

Disaster risk can be reduced by lowering vulnerability and exposure to hazards. This can be achieved by keeping people and property distant from hazards and improving capacity to manage risks.

What is the equation used to define disaster risk?

The disaster risk equation is DR = Hazard x Vulnerability / Capacity. It highlights the relationship between hazards, vulnerability, and capacity in determining risk levels.

What are some examples of hazards mentioned in the script?

Examples of hazards include earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, droughts, tsunamis, and forest fires.

What are the key factors that influence the level of disaster risk?

The key factors include physical factors (infrastructure, fire exits), psychological factors (mental capacity, fear), socio-cultural factors (social status, traditions), economic factors (income, assets), political factors (government structure), and biological factors (flora and fauna, diseases).

How does vulnerability contribute to disaster risk?

Vulnerability refers to the characteristics and circumstances that make a community or system more susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard, increasing the potential for disaster.

What is exposure in the context of disaster risk reduction?

Exposure refers to the degree to which a community is likely to experience hazard events of different magnitudes. This includes factors like living in flood-prone areas or near factories with chemical risks.

What should be done to prepare for disasters, according to the assignment given in the lesson?

The assignment suggests listing five important things to prepare for disasters, such as emergency kits, evacuation plans, first aid supplies, knowing the safest areas, and securing important documents. This preparation helps lessen possible dangers when a disaster strikes.