What is vulnerability? According to UNISDR, “ Vulnerability is the inability to resist a hazard or to respond when a disaster has occurred. ” It is the extent to which a community or geographic area is likely to be damaged on account of its nature and proximity to a disaster-prone area. Vulnerabilities can be categorized into Physical Vulnerability and Socio-economic Vulnerability Physical Vulnerability is based on the physical condition of people and elements at risk, (such as buildings, infrastructure etc;) and their proximity, location and nature of the hazard. It includes Who and What may be damaged or destroyed by a natural hazard. Socio-economic Vulnerability -The socio-economic condition of the people also determines the intensity of the impact. For example, people who are poor and living along the coasts are generally at risk of loosing their shelters whenever there is a strong wind or cyclone.
What is a Hazard? Hazard may be defined as “any phenomenon or a physical event that has the potential to cause damage to the people, property or the environment.” Etymology: The word ‘hazard’ owes its origin to the word ‘hasard’ in old French and ‘az-zahr’ in Arabic meaning ‘chance’ or ‘luck’. Classification: Hazards can be classified as: 1. Natural hazards – They are naturally occurring physical phenomena, usually having meteorological, geological, hydrological, or even biological origin). Examples - Cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. 2. Manmade hazards – These hazards are due to human activities/ negligence. Examples – Nuclear Hazards/Accidents, industrial accidents, leakage of toxic waste/gases, pollution, etc. 3. Quasi-Natural hazards – They are caused by both human-induced actions and natural processes. Examples – Smog, Landslides, Flash floods, Desertification, famines, etc. Hazards are always prevalent, but the hazard be...