1.4. Formal Definition of Disaster

So, hazard that may cause some kind of impact on human life and property does not only define the disaster, it also matter that how many people when they are exposed to that hazard. But that is not only enough, it also depends on what and what types of people, what are their characteristics, what are their features, who are exposed to that disaster, so to define disaster so, the question is why is so? We consider this is a vulnerability, that vulnerability is one of the critical conditions to define that the degree of disasters.

This chunk emphasizes that to define a disaster, it is not sufficient to only consider the hazards themselves. Instead, you must also look at the number of people affected and their specific characteristics. This leads to the concept of vulnerability, which helps in understanding how different groups of people might be differently impacted by the same hazard.

Imagine a flood hitting two neighborhoods: one is affluent with proper infrastructure and emergency services, while the other is impoverished with poorly built homes. The same flood will affect these two places differently, demonstrating that while the hazard (flood) is the same, the disaster's impact varies based on the vulnerability of each community.

Now, we define vulnerability as the condition, that determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or process which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazard.

Vulnerability is described as a condition that arises from various factors, including physical (like infrastructure), social (like community support structures), economic (like wealth), and environmental (like living in high-risk areas). These factors determine how susceptible a community is to the impacts of a hazard.

Think of vulnerability like a person's ability to withstand stress. An athlete is likely to cope better with physical challenges than someone who leads a sedentary lifestyle. Similarly, communities with better infrastructure and resources can handle hazards (like storms) more effectively than those without.

So, which places are more vulnerable to a hazard; which geographical region, socio-economic class etc., who are the vulnerable people like which kind of households or individuals are and what should be done like, what kind of capacity or adaptation, capacity building or adaptation measures, preventive measures we can take.

This segment discusses how vulnerability can vary based on geographical and socioeconomic factors, suggesting that specific actions must be taken to enhance community resilience. It implies that understanding these vulnerabilities helps in developing strategies for preparedness and response to disasters.

Consider two cities in the same country: one is located in a floodplain and has a robust emergency response framework, while the other is isolated in a mountainous area with limited access to resources. The first city can develop adaptation measures effectively due to its awareness of its geographical vulnerability, while the second may struggle without similar resources.

So, these also define that what extent people are at risk, so as I said that, there are different conditions that define the vulnerability. We have the social vulnerability like, coping ability, resistance or resilience or we could have some social empowerment like, age, gender, ethnicity, household type as I said that younger people are when a society is comprising only by elder people, the society is considered to be more vulnerable than when there are younger people also.

Social vulnerability is characterized by factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and household types, which can influence an individual's or community's ability to cope with disasters. For instance, older populations or marginalized ethnic groups may face higher risks due to fewer resources and less social support.

In a retirement community prone to hurricanes, seniors may not respond as quickly as younger individuals due to mobility issues or limited access to information. This can make the community collectively more vulnerable during such events.

And females are compared to be more vulnerable because they have many less socio-economic opportunities, political opportunities, so than the male counterpart, so they are considered to be more vulnerable in a male-dominated society. It is also depends on what kind of ethnicity these are exposed to disasters when a mainstream ethnic community or majority of ethnic community they are exposed; they are less vulnerable than a minority community or minority ethnic races.

Economic factors play a crucial role in determining vulnerability. Women and minority ethnic groups often have fewer socio-economic opportunities, making them more susceptible to the impacts of disasters. This highlights the intersectionality of social factors that contribute to increased risks during disasters.

In many countries, women often have lower-paying jobs than men, which can leave them with less financial security. If a disaster strikes, they may not be able to recover as quickly as their male counterparts, highlighting how economic inequality exacerbates vulnerability.

So, we have this model of disaster, defining disaster vulnerability, we will talk this one later on. But this is just for as a reference; we can have also physical factors of disaster vulnerability. Like, the land use and this mainly came from land use and engineering architectural perspective to define the physical vulnerability of disaster and also like the which locations the building are there, what are their conditions so, these all defined the buildings of vulnerability.

Physical vulnerability is determined by land use, building design, and the condition of infrastructure. Areas that are poorly planned or constructed can increase risk during disasters, influencing the severity of their effects on a community.

Think of a house built on the edge of a cliff. If a landslide occurs, the poorly designed house is more likely to be impacted than a well-constructed home further away from the edge. This physical placement and construction quality define how vulnerable that house is to natural disasters.

So, hazard, exposure and vulnerability these 3 components are important to understand disaster risk. We will later on also discuss about disaster vulnerability in a more broader perspective. But, here is the definition of disaster that is hazard, exposure and vulnerability; that is defining the disaster.

This summation highlights the three key components—hazard, exposure, and vulnerability—that must be understood to grasp the concept of disaster risk fully. Recognizing how these elements interact helps in preparing for and mitigating disasters.

You can think of disaster risk as a cake. The ingredients—hazard (the cake itself), exposure (the icing), and vulnerability (the decorations)—are all necessary to create the final product. Without one, the cake isn't complete, just as an understanding of disaster is incomplete without recognizing all three factors.

And it is a formal definition given by United Nations, ISDR as disaster is a function of the risk process, it results from the combination of hazards, condition of vulnerability and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce the potential negative consequence of risk. So, a disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic, environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected communities or society to cope using its own resources.

The formal definition of disaster posits that it is the outcome of various risk factors and results from a combination of hazards and vulnerabilities, alongside a lack of resources for coping. This framework informs how we understand the severity of disruptions caused by disasters.

For instance, when an earthquake hits a city, the extent of the disaster depends on the earthquake's magnitude (hazard), how many buildings are damaged (exposure), and whether the government has emergency services available (capacity). If a city lacks the services to deal with the destruction, it represents a disaster, as the community cannot cope with the aftermath.

--