5. Understanding Disaster and Vulnerability
The chapter discusses the complex nature of disasters, focusing on the interrelated concepts of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. It emphasizes the importance of social, economic, physical, and environmental factors that contribute to the overall risk and impact of disasters on communities. Key themes include the definition of vulnerability and the conditions that affect it, such as socio-economic status and community resilience, ultimately framing disasters as serious disruptions requiring effective capacity and adaptation measures from communities.
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What we have learnt
- Disasters are defined by the combination of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability.
- Vulnerability is influenced by social, economic, physical, and environmental factors.
- The capacity of communities to cope with disasters significantly affects their resilience and recovery.
Key Concepts
- -- Hazard
- A potential source of harm or adverse event causing impact on human life and property.
- -- Vulnerability
- A condition determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors that increase susceptibility to the impact of hazards.
- -- Exposure
- The presence of people, property, livelihoods, and resources in areas that could be adversely affected by hazards.
- -- Disaster
- A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or society causing widespread human, material, economic, and environmental losses.
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