Whether you live in a town or in a village environment, you and your family can be vulnerable and at risk disaster due to various hazards or threats, both manmade and natural. However, the impact that leads to disaster will depend on the capacity of the family or the community to reduce the risk of disaster.

In order to avoid disaster, each family must identify the various threats and vulnerabilities and assess the risk that each member may face and build up the capacity to reduce risk. However, in order to be effective in minimizing the risks of disaster, a good understanding of each factor would be necessary. What do we mean by the terms “hazard” (or threats), “Vulnerabilities”, Capacity,  Risk and  Disaster”?

What is a disaster?

A Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that bring great loss, damage, death and destruction to life and property. A major disaster can completely disrupt the normal day to day life in a community or a country. It breaks down regular emergency systems and impacts access to food, shelter and health depending on the intensity and severity of the disaster.

To best explain each term, consider for example, two households, each with 7 family members including, mother, father, child, teenage daughter, adult son, grandmother and grandfather, with one family living in a house in a valley in the village, and the other living in an urban town house. The family in the village lives mainly on a farming income, while the family in town has a small home business enterprise as its main income generation.

The potential hazards that a member can have may include floods, landslides, drought, cyclone, diseases such as dengue, HIV/Aids and diabetes, road accidents, accidents at home such as burns, choking, injuries from falls, electrocution, major illnesses, man made hazards such as burglaries and robberies at home and on the road , violence due to drug addiction, sexual violence among others. These are potential threats or hazards one may face anywhere in the world.

Then the vulnerability of each member can be identified (high medium or low) against the potential threat in order to assess and minimize the risks, and by increasing the capacity to minimize hazards and reduce vulnerability, thus reducing the risk of disaster.

Once the risks are identified, the family needs to identify means of reducing the threat and the vulnerability in order to reduce the risk disaster.

For example, if the threat of landslides due to heavy rains is high in the village area and the house is placed directly below such a threat, introduce possible means of reducing the threat by planting trees and avoid forest clearance above. Reduce the vulnerability by monitoring the weather patterns and being ready to evacuate at short notice. If the threat of water shortage or drought in high, identify means of reducing family vulnerability by providing an emergency water collection source and reduce the risk to life and livelihood.

However, if the family income is low, the capacity of the family to reduce their vulnerability by moving to higher ground or safer place will be low, thus remaining in a vulnerable situation.

On the other hand, for example, for the family living in the urban town area, the threat of landslides is likely to be low. However, if the potential for burglars to enter the house is high due to other burglaries in the town area, then the family can reduce the vulnerability by identifying access routes and increase safety and security, or introduce deterrents such as having a pet dog or having night lights, ensure valuables are kept in secure inaccessible places among others.  In addition, could reduce the threat by informing the Police or forming neighborhood watch schemes where neighbors collectively remain alert. Even if the threat of floods is high in the area, if the house is situated in high ground, the vulnerability is low and risk to family members while in the house, but vulnerability while outside maybe high, thus increasing the risk.

Below is a matrix with examples for each family.

Family in Village Matrix     (H – Hazard      V -Vulnerability   R- Risk =  H x V)

 

Family member

Flood/landslide/ drought

Dengue/Illnesses/ Malnutrition

HIV/Drug addiction

Robberies/ Accidents at home, snake bite/poison

Road accidents/ Robberies/ violence

H

V

R

H

V

R

H

V

R

H

V

R

H

V

R

Mother

H

H

H

M

M

M

L

L

L

H

H

H

L

L

M

Father

H

M

M

M

M

M

L

L

L

M

L

M

M

L

M

Child

H

H

H

H

H

M

L

L

L

H

M

M

L

L

L

Daughter

H

M

M

H

M

M

H

H

H

L

H

M

H

H

H

Son

H

M

M

H

M

M

H

H

H

L

H

M

H

H

H

Grand m

H

H

H

H

H

H

L

L

L

M

M

M

L

L

L

Grand f

H

H

H

H

H

H

L

L

L

M

M

M

L

L

L

H = high  (8-10 marks)  M=medium (4-7 marks)   L= Low (0-3 marks)

The capacity of the family will depend on various factors including income, physical strength, health, or other social factors for the ability to reduce vulnerability. A higher  capacity to reduce threats or vulnerably when effectively used can reduce the risk of disaster.

Family in Urban Town Matrix     (T – Threat      V -Vulnerability   R- Risk =  T x V)

 

Family member

Flood/ landslide/ drought

Dengue/ Illnesses/ Malnutrition

HIV/ Drug addiction

Robberies/ Accidents at home, snake bite/poison

Road accidents/ Robberies/ violence

T

V

R

T

V

R

T

V

R

T

V

R

T

V

R

Mother

H

L

L

M

M

M

L

L

L

H

H

H

L

H

M

Father

H

L

L

M

M

M

L

L

L

M

H

H

M

H

M

Child

H

L

L

H

H

H

L

L

L

H

H

H

L

L

L

Daughter

H

L

L

H

M

M

H

H

H

L

H

M

H

H

H

Son

H

L

L

H

M

M

H

H

H

L

H

M

H

H

H

Grand m

H

L

L

H

H

H

L

L

L

M

L

L

L

L

L

Grand f

H

L

L

H

H

H

L

L

L

M

L

L

L

L

L

H = high  (8-10 marks)  M=medium (4-7 marks)   L= Low (0-3 marks)

The matrix will show that all members are not equally vulnerable and at risk. For example, those living inland is not vulnerable to a tsunami and is at a low risk. Yet if family members’ occupation takes them to the beach and seashore, this increases their vulnerability.

Disaster risk reduction therefore entails first the identification of threats and each members vulnerability to identified hazards or threats. Then address the areas of high risk and device ways to reduce the threat and vulnerability. Early warning is an effective way of reducing the impact of any threat. However, without early action, the risk of disaster will remain high. In addition, the family can build their capacity to overcome the identified risks.

Accidents in the home or workplace are also a major factor that results in family disasters. These include burns, falls, choking, drowning, snake bites, poisoning among others. Due to changes in lifestyles, illnesses such as such as  heart disease, and cancer has become prevalent and a major threat. Therefore families could address risk factors such as obesity and adjust accordingly.

Families can also consider reasons why accidents happen. These could include:

1. People taking short cuts. This may be like using incorrect tools, broken tools or incorrect use. Children usually get injured playing with knives or fire crackers.
2. Lack of skills or training to ensure that a job is done safely. Accidents falling off ladders or trees, or from unsafe structures.
3. Ignorance of potential risk, such as walking in isolated, unlit areas at night, being in open areas during lightening strikes, working with electrical apparatus or connections without proper safety measures. It is also important know the financial risk to a family when a breadwinner is made disabled or the cost of longer term medical attention.
4. Lack of planning and preparation, such as identifying potential illnesses and the need for emergency services, and
5. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This could mean being knocked down by a passing vehicle, an accident due to another driver’s negligence, a tree falling on a parked car or a natural disaster striking without warning.

Given that the threat of accidents in the home or at the work place cannot be eliminated altogether, a good way to reduce any impact would be to increase the capacity. A target would be to have at least one family member in each home or office to a trained in first Aid.

As a family, each member must be knowledgeable about disaster risks, be prepared and act accordingly and remember that “First Aid saves life”.

Industrial development and Technological advancements while bringing social well-being has also contributed to Climatic change, where the negative attributes have major impacts on developing countries such as Sri Lanka.

With changes in weather patterns, farming communities have become the most vulnerable to economic threats. Droughts, flooding and untimely rain patterns have brought in devastating consequences to their harvests. Marginal increases in temperature have resulted in major increases in the spread of communicable diseases and vector borne diseases into new areas.

Conflicts of opinion only become hazards when escalated into violence and armed conflict. Threat of family violence has a major negative impact on the capacity to overcome disaster. Resistance and reluctance to change leading to lower capacity can be due to social, physical and attitudinal factors. Lower income families can remain in poverty due to ignorance or cultural beliefs.

With the development of more and more technological sophistication, armed conflict has led to more civilian casualties. However, the root cause for armed conflict can be due to a lack of mutual respect or understanding of each other’s cultural values. Therefore understanding the risk of escalating violence and other hazards and taking preventive action at home or at the workplace can lead to the elimination of disaster.