Exploring Vulnerabilities Through Visual Storytelling

Original Prompt: Vulnerabilities of different elements are determined due to its exposure to particular and specific hazard. Physical vulnerability includes population density levels, place of a settlement, the site design, and materials used for infrastructure and housing. When hazardous events occur, normally physical elements are severely damaged. For example, UP Visayas buildings were totally destroyed during the super typhoon Yolanda in 2008 leaving the structure totally damaged. Another example is the decreased in population density like what happened in Baguio during the 1990 earthquake in North Luzon when a lot of people were injured and died. Social vulnerability happens due to inability of people, organization, and societies to prevent severe effects from hazards because of the expected behavior in social interactions, institutions, and system of cultural values. For example, during typhoon the line of communications were cut off when cell sites shutdown or disruption of transport system due to inability of small vehicles to pass through the flooded areas or unpassable roads and bridges. With some difficulties in the delivery of services such as relief goods and medicines, a lot of problems occurred like shortage of food and spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, when social elements were exposed to hazard, these may lead to disruption of normal processes and activities in the community. Level of economic vulnerability is based on the economic status of individuals, communities, and nations. The poorer the country, the more vulnerable to disasters because they lack the funds or budgets to build sturdy structures and put other engineering measures in place which protect them from being affected by disasters. So, we can say that Philippines is more vulnerable to an event such as earthquake compared to Japan. Though both countries are exposed to earthquake hazard because both are located in the Pacific ring of fire, but due to differences in economic status, Japan is more resilient because of its ability to afford changes in architectural and engineering designs of building and infrastructures to make them less vulnerable to earthquake. Another example is the Covid-19 pandemic wherein the most affected are those who belong to low income and informal workers. Social and economic vulnerability can be combined also known as socioeconomic vulnerability. Environmental vulnerability is caused by natural resources depletion and destruction. Organisms like humans, animals, and plants are all dependent on the environment for survival. Human activities like deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, and kaingin affect the natural abilities of the environment to protect itself from any natural hazard due to absence of trees which may cause landslide and flashfloods. Sometimes the effects are irreversible. 13/24 Quantifying vulnerability is used in estimating h mitigation and preparedness measures will be applied. Computation is based on the previous hazard events and severity of their effects. Vulnerability can be expressed as: 0 lowest degree of vulnerability and 1 as the highest degree. Vulnerability of people is the ratio of casualties or injured to the total population. Vulnerability of buildings is expressed as a repair cost or degree of damage. create a photo essay about these lesson

Model: Imagen 4

Created on 3/2/2024 Report

Updated on 8/7/2025