A global review of disaster reduction initiatives - Welcome to the ...

1Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiativesDefining a few key termsOne of the continuous functions of the ISDR is to support a more homogeneous use of disaster related terms.This Global Review, provides concise definitions, based on a broad collection of different internationalsources, in order to create a common terminology on disaster reduction issues, useful for the public, authoritiesand practitioners. This effort will be continued in future reviews and answers a need expressed in severalinternational forums, regional commentary and national responses to the ISDR questionnaire. Keyterms used in this review are explained below. Definitions of additional terms can be found in Annex 1.HazardA potentially damaging physical event, phenomenonor human activity, which may causethe loss of life or injury, property damage,social and economic disruption or environmentaldegradation.Hazards can include latent conditions that may representfuture threats and can have different origins:natural (geological, hydrometeorological and biological)and/or induced by human processes (environmentaldegradation and technological hazards).Hazards can be single, sequential or combined intheir origin and effects. Each hazard is characterisedby its location, intensity and probability.VulnerabilityA set of conditions and processes resultingfrom physical, social, economical and environmentalfactors, which increase the susceptibilityof a community to the impact of hazards.Positive factors, that increase the ability of people andthe society they live in, to cope effectively with hazards,that increase their resilience, or that otherwisereduce their susceptibility, are considered as capacities.Risk assessment/analysisA process to determine the nature and extent ofrisk by analysing potential hazards and evaluatingexisting conditions of vulnerability/capacity that could pose a potential threat orharm to people, property, livelihoods and theenvironment on which they depend.The process of conducting a risk assessment is basedon a review of both technical features of hazardssuch as their location, intensity and probability, andalso the analysis of the physical, social and economicdimensions of vulnerability, while taking particularaccount of the coping capabilities pertinent tothe risk scenarios.Coping capabilities/CapacityThe manner in which people and organisationsuse existing resources to achieve various beneficialends during unusual, abnormal, and adverseconditions of a disaster event or process.The strengthening of coping capacities usually buildsresilience to withstand the effects of natural andother hazards.24RiskThe probability of harmful consequences, orexpected loss (of lives, people injured, property,livelihoods, economic activity disrupted orenvironment damaged) resulting from interactionsbetween natural or human induced hazardsand vulnerable/capable conditions. Conventionallyrisk is expressed by the equationRisk = Hazards x Vulnerability / CapacityBeyond expressing a probability of physical harm, itis crucial to appreciate that risks are always createdor exist within social systems. It is important toconsider the social contexts in which risks occur andthat people therefore do not necessarily share thesame perceptions of risk and their underlying causes.Resilience/resilientThe capacity of a system, community or societyto resist or to change in order that it mayobtain an acceptable level in functioning andstructure. This is determined by the degree towhich the social system is capable of organisingitself, and the ability to increase its capacityfor learning and adaptation, including thecapacity to recover from a disaster.DisasterA serious disruption of the functioning of a communityor a society causing widespread human,material, economic or environmental losses whichexceed the ability of the affected community/societyto cope using its own resources.