Chapter 2

Exposure and Vulnerability

SECTION 2.1 VARIOUS ELEMENTS THAT MAY BE
EXPOSED TO HAZARDS: ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL,
AND ECONOMIC
Learning Objectives:
1. Differentiate the various types of elements at risk.
2. Explain differences in exposure to hazards.
3. Describe or quantify exposure of the elements at risk to hazards.
Lack of awareness about the range of consequences of a hazard event
is the big reason why many take natural hazards for granted. People are
not the only ones who can be affected by hazards. Can you name other
things which might be affected? For some, this might not be an easy
task as disasters do not happen everyday. One should however try to
think in terms of who and what might be affected if something goes
wrong. There is no better place to start than at home
The overheating of electric fans left unattended can cause fire that may
result in loss of lives and valuable belongings such as books and
documents.
Elements at Risk and Exposure
Elements at risk are the people, properties, economic activities, and private
and public services potentially threatened by a harmful event.

Risk assessment involves the identification and mapping of the elements at

risk and the assessment of vulnerability. In order to reduce risk, most of the
focus is on reducing vulnerability. Do you know the reason why this is so?
Understanding the elements at risk exposed to each type of hazard is the first
step in reducing vulnerability. Do you know the reason why this is so?
Understanding the elements at risk exposed to each type of hazard is the first
step in reducing vulnerability.
As the risk model (Risk = Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability) shows, risk
is also a function of hazard. Hazard refers to the probability of
occurrence at a given magnitude. In the next chapter, the subjects of
hazards will be discussed in more detail. Exposed element can refer to
the number of people or structures within the exposed area. Figures for
these two types of elements at risk are the most reliable and least
subjective. The combination of both hazard and exposed population
provides the physical exposure:
PhExp = Hazard x Exposure
Where:
PhExp = physical exposure for the affected area
Hazard = probability of occurrence of an event at a given magnitude.
Exposure = total population living in the affected area of each event.
(Model and variable definition after Peduzzi et al., 2009)
Social, Environmental, and Economic Dimensions of Exposure and Vulnerability
When a disaster strikes, casualties (deaths, missing persons, and injured people)
and property losses and damages are the first to be reported in tri-media. Long
after a disaster, the effects to the other elements assume greater attention. These
are the consequences that cannot be measured or quantified as easily as property
losses or damages. Tangible and intangiable losses fall under social,
environmental, and economic categories.
Social. The social dimension of exposure and vulnerability covers a wide
range of concerns (including migration, social groups, health and well-
being, education, culture, institutions, and governance aspects) but
demography is the most important aspect. Population density maps are
excellent indicators of exposure and vulnerability. Can you tell how such
maps can be used for disaster reduction?
Environmental. The physical aspects of exposure and vulnerability refer
to location and built structures.
Here is a detailed list of the physical elements exposed to various hazards:
1. Essential Facilities
• educational facilities
• medical and healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals and clinics)
• emergency response facilities (e.g., fire station, police station, and
shelters)
• government offices
• Recreational or tourist facilities (e.g., hotels, resorts, parks, public
gardens, camping grounds, sporting areas, etc.)
• places of worship (e.g., churches or mosques)
• banks and financial centers
• markets and shopping centers
• cemeteries
2. Industrial and High Potential Loss Facilities and Facilities Containing
Hazardous Materials
• dams and ponds
• fuel reservoirs, pipelines, and pumps
3. Transportation Lifelines
• Highways, bridge, railway tracks, and tunnels
• bus facilities
• port and harbor facilities
• airport facilities and runways
4. Utility Lifelines
• potable water facilities, waste water facilities, pipelines, and distribution lines
• oil and natural gas systems facilities, pipelines, and distribution lines
• electric power facilities and distribution lines
• Communication facilities (stations) and distribution lines (cables and networks)
Economic. Among the economic effects of a hazard event include
business interruptions due to accessibility problems, loss of jobs and
access to work, and loss of government income due to inability of
businesses and people to pay taxes at a time when more funds are
needed for relief and rehabilitation. Disasters may also significantly
affect the gross domestic product (GDP)
Section 2.2 VULNERABILITY OF EACH
EXPOSED ELEMENT
Learning objectives:
1. Distinguish vulnerability from exposure.
2. Explain the causes of vulnerability.
3. Enumerate vulnerabilities of the elements at risk to hazards.
According to the UNDP, vulnerability is “the degree of loss to each element
should a hazard of a given severity occur”. Physical, social, economic, and
environmental factors determine the likelihood and severity of damage due
to a given hazard. Recent earthquake, volcanic, and hydrometeorological
hazard events highlight the need to assess the vulnerability level of areas of
the Philippines that are exposed to these hazards. With this resources
available can be made to work more efficiently to reduce vulnerabilities.
Such measures include mitigation, prediction and warning, preparedness,
and building capacities to withstand and cope with hazards. The root causes
of vulnerability, such as poverty and poor governance, must also be
addressed to sustain efforts to reduce vulnerability.
Social. Certain population groups may be more vulnerable than others. For example, the very
young and the old are more exposed to most hazards than any other age groups. A rapidly
aging population is more vulnerable as health, economic growth, and mobility issues are
more pronounced. Can you tell why? Below is the list of the most vulnerable populations:
• People with disabilities
• Children
• Seniors
• Medication-dependent individuals (e.g., diabetics and scchizophrenics)
• Women, especially those who are single, single parents, or the unemployed
• Ethnic minorities, aboriginal or indigenous people
• Homeless or “street people”
• Incarcerated individuals
• Marginalized groups (i.e., by society or the community)

Environmental. Compared with developed countries, developing

nations face more exposure and vulnerability because of their relative
inability to adapt to changes and to create wealth that may enhance
resilience.
Economic. Economic vulnerability is the susceptibility of individuals,
communities, businesses, and governments to absorb or cushion the
effects of hazard event.
Quantifying Vulnerability
Quantifying the tangible aspects of vulnerability and loss is useful in
estimating more precisely how much mitigation and preparedness
measures shall be applied.
There are many methods of expressing vulnerability. Some of these,
especially those pertaining to future effects of hazards, are based on
data about the intensity of previous hazard events and the severity of
their effects.
Vulnerability can be expressed simply as a quantity between 0 (lowest degree
of vulnerability) and 1 (highest degree of vulnerability). For people,
vulnerability can be measured as a ratio of casualties or injured to the total
population. For buildings, it can also be expressed as a repair cost or as the
degree of physical damage. When dealing with a larger area, it may be
measured in terms of the proportion of damaged buildings. For example, a
typhoon with wind speed of 130 km/hr may render 20% of buildings heavily
damaged. The same typhoon may result in an average repair cost ratio of
10%. Vulnerability of a human population area can be expressed, for instance,
as 5% killed and 30% injured in an intensity IX earthquake. What would be the
number of potential victims if a city with 5 million people (the city’s exposure)
is going to be hit by an earthquake of the same intensity level?
The damage that might be incurred should increase with rising hazard
intensity. The 20% of buildings suffering heavy damage in a 130 km/hr
winds is likely to increase to 50% in a 160km/hr wind.