Introduction to Hazards, Disasters, and Risk

Introduction to Hazards, Disasters, and Risk By Nishan Sakalasooriya

Senior Lecturer in Geography and Development Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka

Hazard: “A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency. A hazardous situation that has come to pass is called an incident. Hazard and possibility interact together to create risk.” CDC 2002

A natural hazards… • …is a naturally occurring event that might have a negative effect on people or the environment. • Natural hazard events can be grouped into two broad categories. 1. Geophysical hazards: encompass geological and meteorological phenomena such as earthquakes, coastal erosion, volcanic eruption, cyclonic storms, and drought. 2. Biological hazards can refer to a diverse array of disease and infestation. Other natural hazards such as floods and wildfires can result from a combination of geological, hydrological, and climatic factors

Anthropogenic hazards or Human induced hazards… …are those hazards caused directly or indirectly by human action or inaction. They can be contrasted with natural hazards. Anthropogenic hazards may adversely affect humans, other organisms and biomes and ecosystems

• Natural and Human Induced Disasters

Source: Emmanuelle Bournay; UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Hazards are…… sometimes classified into three modes: Dormant —The situation presents a potential hazard, but no people, property, or environment is currently affected. For instance, a hillside may be unstable, with the potential for a landslide, but there is nothing below or on the hillside that could be affected.

Armed —People, property, or environment are in potential harm's way.

Active—A harmful incident involving the hazard has actually occurred. Often this is referred to not as an "active hazard" but as an accident, emergency, incident, or disaster.

What is risk? • Risk is potential of losing something of value. Values (such as physical health, social status, emotional wellbeing or financial wealth) can be gained or lost when taking risk resulting from a given action, activity and/or inaction, foreseen or unforeseen. Risk can also be defined as the intentional interaction with uncertainty. • Uncertainty is a potential, unpredictable, unmeasurable and uncontrollable outcome; risk is a consequence of action taken in spite of uncertainty.

The concept of risk RISK = HAZARD X VULNERABILITY Hazard = natural processes capable of causing death and/or destruction; Vulnerability = social or economic sensitivity to the effects of hazards

Disasters: “A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.”

WHO, 1998

Disaster Profile of Sri Lanka People affected by different disasters in Sri Lanka (1974-2004)

Source: Ministry of Disaster Management of Sri Lanka

Disaster Management Policy Disaster Management Act