MODULE 3

“Disaster Awareness
Preparedness and
Management”
LESSON 1 :

Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management (DRRM)
Introduction:

 No country in the world is exempt from some form of natural or man-

made disaster, yet what can set countries apart is the response of
the government and citizenry to return their communities to a level of
normalcy as quickly and effectively as possible.
 Disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) is a practice that
does not merely seek to provide aid after a calamity has occurred,
but to prepare citizens should one occur. This means providing
constant education, resources to obtain information, and facilities
that can capacitate individuals to prevent, prepare for, and minimize
the impact that disasters can have on their community
For this activity, we are going to look at all the ways that Humans and Nature are the same. Inside the respective
circles, list down the ways Humans and Nature are different. In the middle, list down the ways in which Humans
and Nature are the same. The aim of the activity is to gain introspection on the ways that we are alike, and yet
unique as well, from our environment.

Activity

Nature

Both
Venn
Diagram: Human
Contrast and
Comparison
Analysis
1. Do you think Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
concepts and lesson should be known by all and not just
professional emergency responders? Why?
This graph better illustrates the concept of Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management
RA 10121
 In the Philippines, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
was adopted as a nationwide practice and enacted into law in
2010 through R.A. 10121, also known as the Philippine Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Act of 2010.
 As defined in R.A. 10121, Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management is the “systematic process of using administrative
directives, organizations, and operational skills and capacities to
implement strategies, policies and improved coping capacities in
order to lessen the adverse impacts of hazards and the
possibility of disaster.” It aims to bring together different public
and private stakeholders to spread education, increase mindful
practices, and create a culture of preparedness with regards to
facing disasters.
There are the five Priorities for Action outlined in the
Hyogo Framework:

 Governance – Ensure disaster risk reduction is a national and local

priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
 Risk Assessment & Early Warning – Identify, assess, and monitor
disaster risks and enhance early warning.
 Knowledge Management & Education – Use knowledge, innovation,
and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
 Risk Management & Vulnerability Reduction – Reduce the
underlying factors.
 Disaster Preparedness – Strengthen disaster preparedness for
effective response at all levels. (Source: Hyogo Framework for
Action,undrr.org)
The NDRRMC
The NDRRMC’s primary role is to be the lead actor in disaster response and
mitigation as outlined in RA 10121, and additional roles include:

 Developing the NDRRM Framework; which is the country’s

“comprehensive, all- hazards, multi-sectoral, inter-agency and
community-based approach” to DRRM. It shall serve as the
principal guide to DRRMC efforts in the country and reviewed every
five years or as necessary in order that it stays relevant to the
changing needs of the times.
 Advising the nation’s President on the status of national disaster
preparedness programs and management plans, disaster
operations, and rehabilitation efforts;
 It is also the recommending body in cases of declaring a state of
national calamity and release of national calamity funds as needed.
 The NDRRMC’s responsibilities are
cascaded down to regional, provincial, city,
and municipality levels through the
formation of the Local Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Office in each
local government unit.
Basic Disaster Concepts:

Disaster
 According to Republic Act 10121 Section 3-h, a disaster
is 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.” It is the result of a
combination of exposure to hazard; the conditions of
vulnerability that are present; and not enough resources
to prepare for or recover from the negative event.
Hazard
 As defined in Republic Act 10121, Section 3-v, a
Hazard is a “dangerous phenomenon, substance,
human activity or condition that may cause loss of
life, injury or other health impacts, property
damage, loss of livelihood and services, social and
economic disruption, or environmental damage.”
 Hazards may be natural, human-induced, or a
combination of both.
NATURAL
 TYPHOON
 EARTHQUAKE
 VOLCANIC ERRUPTION
 TSUNAMI
 FLOODS
 STORM SURGES

HUMAN-INDUCED
 FIRE
 POLLUTION
 OIL SPILL
 INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
 ARMED CONFLICT
 ACCIDENTS

COMBINATION OF BOTH
 FLOOD AND FIRE
Vulnerability

 The law refers to it as the characteristics and

circumstances of a community which makes it
prone to the damaging effects of a hazard. It
explains why people, livelihoods, and properties
located in areas where hazards occur can suffer
damage and loss. In the country, vulnerabilities
largely stem from poverty. Poverty causes and
worsens vulnerabilities due to lack of capacity to
prepare essential tools in preparing for disasters.
The inability of a community to cope when a
hazard occurs is called vulnerability.
Exposure

 Refers to “the degree to which a community is

likely to experience hazard events of different
magnitudes.” RA 10121 refers to the physical
location (e.g. on the foot of a volcano, proximity to
a body of water, low- lying area), characteristics
(type of soil, topography, temperature), and
population density (overpopulation, congestion) of
a community that “exposes” it to hazards.
Capacity

 According to Republic Act 10121 Section 3-b,

Capacity “is a combination of all strengths and
resources available within a community, society or
organization that can reduce the level of risk, or
effects of a disaster.” The law further adds that this
may include “infrastructure and physical means,
institutions, societal coping abilities; as well as
human knowledge, skills and collective attributes
such as social relationships, leadership and
management.” Capacity is also described as
capability.
Disaster Risk
 It is the potential for loss of lives, health status, livelihood,
assets and services, which can happen to a particular
community over some specified future time period.
 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
has stated that “the combination of hazards, vulnerability,
and inability to reduce the potential negative consequences
of risk results in disaster,” highlighted in the equation.
Hazard Mapping: For this activity, identify the possible hazards in your community. Also note the capacity of
the structures in your area to survive disasters. Are the houses and buildings sturdy? Is there enough
preparation and mitigation against flooding, earthquakes, fire, etc? List your answers below to gain a clear
picture of the hazard mapping in your communities.

Hazard Vulnerability Exposure Capacity

LESSON 2

“GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE
OF THE PHILIPPINES”
Introduction

 For all of its abundance of natural resources and

generally great tropical climate, the beauty that
the Philippines possesses comes at a price: the
country’s geographic location places it in the
path of typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural
disasters; while its topography wherein its
regions are dotted by volcanoes also makes it
prone to eruptions and the damages these can
cause to human life, properties, and livelihoods.
Explanation:
Activity
• Each student will identify regions on the
map where the majority of volcanoes and
coastal areas are located, as well as the
economic situation of the specific location.

“Seek and You Shall Find” • The student will also need to identify the
primary means of livelihood and the
economic standing of the region. Are the
communities near volcanoes or coastal
areas prosperous or impoverished?

• The aim of the activity is to see how natural

wonders (the coast, volcanoes, etc) and the
communities located near it are affected by
disasters not just by their location, but their
economic standing as well.
Analysis

1. Does the presence of these natural

hazards combined with the vulnerabilities
of the community make it very prone to
the lasting effect of disasters?
Abstraction

 An archipelagic nation comprised of more than 7,

000 islands and islets located in Southeast Asia,
the Philippines is characterized by its three
largest islands: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao;
with a total land area covering approximately
300,000 km2. (Status Report on Disaster Risk
Reduction in the Philippines, 2019)

 It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, and shares

maritime borders with China, Japan, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Palau. (World
Atlas, 2019)
 The country also consists of volcanic islands
wherein some are active volcanoes, and
“mostly mountainous interior” (US Library of
Congress, 2006) which is typically
surrounded by flat lowlands and plains of
differing widths by the coastlines. The US
Library of Congress in its profile on
countries lists the sea level elevation at 2,
954 meters above sea level from the highest
point of Mount Apo on Mindanao Island.
 Depending on the region, the country has
either exclusively coastal regions
mountainous regions, wetlands, or flat
stretches of open land; or a combination of
all mentioned. The Philippines does not
have desert terrain.
Application

1. Describe the area where you live. Is it

mountainous, near the sea, or urban
zone? What are the most common
emergency situations/ natural disasters
that can occur in your area? Cite an
experience. Write your answer on the
space provided.
Lesson 3

“Disaster Risk Profile of

the Philippines”
Introduction
 While every Philippine region is unique in its
culture, language, and people; the ties that bind all
Filipino people are our likelihood of exposure to
disasters and the urgency with which we must be
prepared for them. Whether landlocked, coastal, or
mountainous, our communities are more often than
not only one disaster away from major deaths,
further economic downfall, and difficulty to restore
to a sense of normalcy. As a nation, we must
understand the various risks present in our
communities; whether natural or man-made, and
prepare accordingly so that future generations will
also have in them a culture of preparedness
Barangay Hazard Mapping

Activity In the activity for Lesson 1, you listed the

hazards you observed in your barangays. For
this activity, plot on a MAP of your barangay
where those hazards you listed exist.

The aim of the activity is to help you identify,

through your own research and application,
the various hazards you have observed in
your areas and its specific location in your
barangay.
Abstraction

 In a study conducted by the UN Office for

the Coordination of Human Affairs, they
cited a 2018 World Risk Report which
found that the Philippines is ranked third
among all of the countries with the highest
disaster risk, with an index value of
25.14%.
 Much of these risks can be attributed to the
country’s location and geographical makeup,
wherein extensive miles of coastline covered by
the Pacific Ocean places the country at an
extreme likelihood of being hit by tropical
depressions, tsunamis, storm surges, rising sea
levels, and other coastal hazards. Adding to the
fact that the country also sits along the Pacific
Typhoon Belt, the Philippines is “visited by an
average of 20 typhoons every year,” according to
the Asian Disaster Risk Reduction Center.
 The study further states that climate change affects the
country’s disaster risk in two ways: first, by increasing
the weather and climate hazards, and secondly,
through increasing the vulnerability of communities to
natural hazards, particularly through degradation of the
ecosystem, reductions in water and food availability,
and changes to livelihoods.

 Additionally, the country is also located along the

Pacific Ring of Fire, also known as the Circum-Pacific
Belt, where the majority of the Earth’s volcanoes and

earthquakes take place; often resulting in volcanic

eruptions as well.
Davao Region at Risk

 Davao Region, is located in the southeastern portion of

Mindanao and bounded on the north by the provinces of
Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon; in the east by
the Philippine Sea; and in the west by the Central Mindanao
provinces; is often characterized by “good climate” and
supposedly lies outside the typhoon belt, with maximum
rainfall observed from November to January . The
 region also has average temperatures of 28 - 29˚C.
(Regional Profile, davao.da.gov)
 Yet it in recent years, the once famously dubbed
‘typhoon free’ Davao region is becoming
increasingly affected by these changes; with
Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) ravaging Davao Oriental
and parts of Davao de Oro in 2012, and most
recently, Tropical Depression Chedeng making a
beeline for Davao region in March 2019, with the
state weather bureau dubbing it a “rare tropical
cyclone track.” (Macapagat, F. 2019, PIA) This has
also led to notably increased rainfall in the region,
where average rainfall for the whole year is
1,673.3 mm to 1,941.8mm based on climatological
data of Davao City. (Regional Profile,
davao.da.gov)
Application

1. Interview an older relative or guardian on

their experiences of what Davao was like
before. Did they experience frequent,
strong typhoons? Was flooding more
common now than it was back then? In
the space provided below, you may draw
your conversation in comics form below.