The main difference between hazard and disaster is that hazard is a dangerous situation or event that poses a threat to humans while disaster is an event that actually harms human’s life, property and thus disrupts social activities. Therefore, a hazard can lead to a disaster that will completely disrupt the life conditions of the victims. However, both hazard and disaster bear potential threat to humans since both can result in loss and damage to life and property. A disaster is more critical in nature than a hazard, which might turn into a disaster in extreme circumstances. What is a Hazard? Hazard is a general occurrence that is risky or dangerous to the affected people. Therefore, they are naturally occurring situations in the world, which cannot be avoided. Furthermore, they pose a threat to our lives. There are two types of hazards as geophysical and biological. Some geophysical hazards are earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, and some biological hazards are disease, infection, etc. Based on their severity and the place of occurrence, hazards can be classified as disasters or not. Hazards have the potential to disrupt the living conditions of the humans; however, necessary precautions to avoid dangerous results can be taken before the hazard aggravates into a disaster. Therefore, it can be assumed that hazard can also be a precursor to a disaster. Therefore, we can avoid the worse outcomes of a disaster that might follow a hazard if we take good disaster management steps. What is a Disaster A disaster has more negative consequences, unlike a hazard. Disaster is a degree of a hazard that has become more threatening. Therefore, a disaster can be defined as an occurrence that completely disrupts the normal life pattern of victims. In brief, a disaster is more catastrophic in nature. Furthermore, unlike a hazard, a disaster is more sudden and thus severe. Disasters can also be categorized as natural disasters such as tsunami, tornadoes, volcanic eruption, etc., and man-made disasters like the consequence of technological hazards (for example, fires, transport accidents, industrial accidents, oil spills and nuclear explosions/radiation etc.) However, an occurrence like a tornado in an uninhabited area will be termed as a hazard, and not as a disaster since though it still has destructive properties. This is because even though the severity of the tornado is still there, it did not cause any damage or loss to human life and property as it occurred on an inhabited area.

1. DISASTER
READINESS AND
RISK
REDUCTION
LOREN MARIE L. ACEBO
SHS-SCIENCE TEACHER

2. Introduction to
Different Types
of Disasters

3. OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson,the learners will be
able to:
 Explain what a hazard is;
 Define the two main categories of hazards.
 Identify the impact of hazards common in
their environment.

4. WHAT IS
HAZARD
AND
DISASTER
MEANS?

5. Hazard- A dangerous phenomenon,
substance, human activity or condition that
may cause:
 loss of life,
 injury or other health impacts,
 property damage,
 loss of livelihoods and services,
 social and economic disruption,
 or environmental damage.

6. Disaster - A serious disruption of
the functioning of a community
or a society involving
widespread human, material,
economic, or environmental
losses and impacts which
exceeds the ability of the
affected community or society to
cope using its own resources.

7. Two main categories of
hazards
NATURAL
HAZARD
MAN MADE
HAZARD

8. 1. Natural Hazards - are those
resulting from an adverse
interaction between a natural
process and human society or
its man-made environment.
 Natural hazards that may be
faced by a community are
dictated largely by the climate,
geography, geology, and land
use practices of that community.

9. Natural hazards are further defined by
the following categories:
1.Tectonic (Seismic) Hazards – These hazards are associated
with the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. They include:
a. earthquakes,
b. volcanoes, and
c. Tsunamis
2.Mass-Movement Hazards – These are hazards associated
with rapid gravity-induced downward debris movements, or by the
non-seismic expansion or subsidence of the Earth. Mass-
movement hazards include:
a. debris movements such as landslides, rock falls, debris
flows, and avalanches,
b. land subsidence such as sinkholes, and
c. soil expansion

10. 3.Hydrologic Hazards – These hazards are characterized by a severe
excess or lack of water, including:
 floods,
 drought,
 desertification,
 coastal erosion, and
 soil erosion
4.Meteorological Hazards – These are hazards related to atmospheric
patterns or conditions and are generally caused by weather factors such
as precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and humidity. Meteorological
hazards include:
 tropical cyclones such as hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones,
monsoons, tornadoes,
 waterspouts,
 ice storms, severe winter storms,
 extreme cold or heat,
 windstorms, sandstorms,
 wildfires, thunderstorms, fog,

11. 5.Biological / Health-Related
Hazards – These are hazards that
cause or are related to disease of
plants, animals, and humans.
Biological hazards include:
 human, animal (livestock), and
plant (agricultural) epidemics,
and
 other unique natural hazards
that do not fit neatly into a
single category, such as
meteors and, poisoning.

12. 2. Man Made and Technological Hazards
Technological or 'man-made' hazards are
an inevitable potentiality of technological
innovation, and can occur after the failure
of an existing technology. These tend to
be less understood than natural hazards
due to the scope of technological
expansion.
The most common technological hazards
result from various components of
transportation, infrastructure, and
industry.

13. 1.Transportation Hazards – These
involve land, sea, and air transportation
systems and include the infrastructure
that supports such systems. Examples
of transportation hazards include:
roadway, aviation, nautical, and
railway accidents,
transportation systems failures or
shutdowns, and
any impediment to travel.

14. 1. Infrastructure Hazards – These are
hazards related to government-critical
utilities and other public service systems.
Hazards of infrastructure include:
failures of power, telecommunications,
computer network, water, sewer, and
gas distribution systems,
dam failure,
food shortage,
overburdened public health resources,
and
economic failure.

15. 1. Industrial Hazards – These
hazards result from industrial
processes such as:
 hazardous materials
accidents,
 raw material extraction
(mining) accidents,
 and structural (building)
fires and failures.

16. Impact of hazards common in our environment
1.Loos of life, injury, disruption, and human activity.
2.Disruption of essential services.
3.Damage of property, damage to infrastructure.
4.Damage to crops and trees.
5.Loose of livelihood, economic loss of the community.
6.Psycho-social traumatic effects.
7.Alteration of geological settings.

17. SUMMARY:
HAZARD - A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human
activity or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other
health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental
damage.
DISASTER - A serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society involving widespread human, material,
economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds
the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its
own resources.

18. TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF HAZARDS:
Natural Hazards - Natural hazards are those resulting
from an adverse interaction between a natural process
and human society or its man-made environment.
Man Made and Technological Hazards - Technological
or 'man-made' hazards are an inevitable potentiality of
technological innovation, and can occur after the failure
of an existing technology. These tend to be less
understood than natural hazards due to the scope of
technological expansion.

19. EVALUATION:
Give what is ask in a given question:
1.What are the 2 main categories of hazards and explain each
category.
2.Explain what is hazards means.
3.Give at least 5 common impacts of hazards in our environment.