DEFINITION OF TERMS

 

 

  

Capacity to respond is measured by the existing strengths, attributes and resources available within an organization, community or society to manage and reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience. Capacity includes infrastructure, institutions, human knowledge and skills and training and collective attributes such as social relationships, leadership and management.

 

 

 

    

A community is a group of individuals sharing one or more characteristics such as geographic location (e.g., a neighborhood), culture, age, or a particular risk factor.  

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Community-based Disaster Risk Management involves the engagement of potentially affected communities in disaster risk management at the local level. This includes community assessments of hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities, and their involvement in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of local action for disaster risk reduction.  

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Disaster Risk Management is the application of disaster risk reduction policies and strategies to prevent new disaster risk, reduce existing disaster risk and manage residual risk, contributing to the strengthening of resilience and reduction of disaster losses.

 

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Disaster Risk Reduction is aimed at preventing new and reducing existing disaster risk and managing residual risk, all of which contribute to strengthening resilience and therefore to the achievement of sustainable development.  Disaster risk reduction is the policy objective of disaster risk management, and its goals and objectives are defined in disaster risk reduction strategies and plans.  

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A hazard is a process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, damage to property, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation. Hazards may be natural, anthropogenic or socio-natural in origin.  

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A hazardous event is a situation that can lead to the presence of a hazard or increase its adverse impact. Hazardous events include, but are not limited to: interruption to supply - scheduled or unscheduled e.g. building/facility maintenance, natural disaster, road works, nearby construction or a water main break.  

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Multi-hazard means (1) the selection of multiple major hazards that the country faces, and (2) the specific contexts where hazardous events may occur simultaneously, cascadingly or cumulatively over time, and taking into account the potential interrelated effects.  Hazards include (as mentioned in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and listed in alphabetical order) biological, environmental, geological, hydrometeorological and technological processes and phenomena.

 

 

 

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Resilience is the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management.  

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The word sector used in this document makes reference to government sectors which consists of the following resident institutional units: all units of central, state or local government; all social security funds at each level of government; all non-market non-profit institutions that are controlled and financed by government units.  

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Vulnerability is the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.