This document defines vulnerability and discusses it from different perspectives. Vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of individuals, communities, or systems to harm from hazards. It is determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. The document outlines four main types of vulnerability: physical, economic, social, and environmental. Understanding vulnerability is important for assessing disaster risk. Approaches to reducing vulnerability include building codes, insurance, economic diversity, awareness raising, and preparedness measures.

1. DISASTER
VULNERABILITY
DEFINITION & CONCEPT

15. VULNERABILITY IN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
According to the International Federation of Red
Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (2019) vulnerability in this context
can be defined as the diminished capacity of an individual
or group to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from
the impact of a
natural or man-made hazard.
Vulnerability refers to the inability (of a system or a
unit) to withstand the effects of a hostile environment
(Wikipedia,2019).
The characteristics determined by physical, social,
economic and environmental factors or processes which
increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community,
assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.

16. WHAT IS VULNERABILITY?
Vulnerability describes the characteristics and circumstances of a
community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a
hazard. There are many aspects of vulnerability, arising from various physical,
social, economic, and environmental factors.

17. WHAT IS VULNERABILITY ?
According to UNESCO/UNDRO (1982) Definitions of Hazard &Risk
Terminology-
Vulnerability (V) is the degree of loss to a given element or set of
elements at risk resulting from the occurrence of a hazardous phenomenon of a
given magnitude. It is expressed on a scale from 0 (no damage) to 1 (total loss).

18. KEY CONCEPT OF VULNERABILITY?
Vulnerability = Exposure + Resistance + Resilience
Exposure: at risk property and population
Resistance: Measures taken to prevent, avoid or reduceloss
Resilience: Ability to recover prior state or achieve desired
post-disaster state

19. EXAMPLE OF VULNERABILITY?
Philippines are more vulnerable
The people of the Eastern part of
to
typhoons becauseof:
-High Exposure ofTyphoon
-Low Resistance (lack of proper
management)
-Low Resilience (Economic limitation)

20. WHAT MAKES PEOPLE VULNERABLE?
Some definitions of vulnerability have included exposure in
addition to susceptibility to harm. However, it is now understood that
exposure is separate to the ‘susceptibility’ element of vulnerability
since it is possible to be exposed, whilst at the same time not
susceptible to natural hazards.
Despite some divergence over the meaning of vulnerability,
most experts agree that understanding vulnerability requires more than
analysing the direct impacts of a hazard. Vulnerability also concerns
the wider environmental and social conditions that limit people and
communities to cope with the impact of hazard (Birkmann, 2006).

21. TYPES OR SECTORS OF VULNERABILITY ?
There are four (4) main types of vulnerability:
1. Physical Vulnerability:
Meaning the potential for physical impact on the physical environment – which can be
expressed as elements-at-risk (EaR). The degree of loss to a given EaR or set of EaR
resulting from the occurrence of a natural phenomenon of a given magnitude and expressed
on a scale from 0 (no damage) to 1 (total damage)”.
May be determined by aspects
such
levels,
as population density
remoteness of a
settlement, the site, design and
materials used for critical
infrastructure and for housing
(UNISDR).

22. TYPES OR SECTORS OF VULNERABILITY ?
2.Economic Vulnerability:
The potential impacts of hazards on economic assets and processes (i.e. business
interruption secondary effects such as increased poverty and job loss) Vulnerability
of different economic sectors.
The poor are usually more vulnerable to disasters because they lack the
resources to build sturdy structures and put other engineering measures in place to
protect themselves from being negatively impacted bydisasters.

23. TYPES OR SECTORS OF VULNERABILITY ?
3.Social Vulnerability:
Refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to withstand adverse
impacts to hazards due to characteristics inherent in social interactions, institutions
and systems of cultural values. It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and
education, the existence of peace and security, access to basic human rights,
systems of good governance, social equity, positive traditional values, customs and
ideological beliefs and overall collective organizational systems (UNISDR).
Example- When flooding occurs some citizens, such as children, elderly and
differently-able, may be unable to protect themselves or evacuate ifnecessary.

24. TYPES OR SECTORS OF VULNERABILITY?
4. EnvironmentalVulnerability:
Natural resource depletion and resource degradation are key aspects of
environmental vulnerability. Example: Wetlands, such as the Caroni Swamp,are
sensitive to increasing salinity from sea water, and pollution from storm water
runoff containing agricultural chemicals, eroded soils, etc.

25. WHY DOES VULNERABILITY MATTER?
By including vulnerability in our understanding of
disaster risk, we acknowledge the fact that disaster risk not
only depends on the severity of hazard or the number of
people or assets exposed, but that it is also a reflection of
the susceptibility of people and economic assets to suffer
loss and damage.

26. HOW DO WE REDUCE VULNERABILITY?
Approaches to vulnerability reduction include:
 Implementing building codes
 Insurance and social protection (risk )
 Emphasising economic diversity and resilient livelihoods
 Knowledge and awareness raising
 Preparedness measures

27. Cooperative and Group Learning Activity Activity
#2 – Role Play
Students will be grouped into four groups. Each
group will select an element (physical, social,
economic and environmental). They will present
a role play that relates these elements to a
particular hazard.
Presentation of group outputs:
Each group will be given 5 minutes to
conceptualize and 5 minutes topresent their
output and the teacher will see to it that each
presentation is evaluated properly.

29. EVALUATIONN

30. ENRICHMENT
Find an article in the newspaper that talks
about hazards or other related issues.
Determine if the elements that are exposed
to a particular hazard is present or not
present in the scenario. Make a reaction
paper.

31. WHAT IS RISK ?
The probability that a community’s
structure or geographic area is to be damaged
or disrupted by the impact of a particular
account of their nature,
and proximity to a hazardous
hazard, on
construction,
area.
Risk is a function of threats exploiting
vulnerabilities to obtain, damage or destroy
assets. Thus, threats (actual, conceptual, or
inherent) may exist, but if there are no
vulnerabilities then there is little/norisk.

32. KEY CONCEPTOFRISK
Hazard Vulnerability
x
Disaster Risk
Capacity
=