Aniceta Patricia T.

Alingasa 11 February 2018

MA in Social Psychology

Concept Paper on Poverty in Relation to

Disaster Risk Reduction & Management

The Philippines ranked third in risk and exposure to disaster in the 2016 World Risk
Report. Given the geographic location of the Philippines, it is of no surprise that the country
often experiences natural disasters such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic
eruptions. Furthermore, all around the world, countries have experienced an increase in the
frequency and intensity of natural disasters. The Philippines has had a fair share of such
disasters, the most notable of which was Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Disaster risk reduction and management is an important area of concern for
countries like the Philippines. In this light, DRRM programs must recognize that disaster risk
does not only involve environmental factors, but it also includes social factors as well. The
World Risk Report (2016) posits that vulnerability to disasters is comprised of communities’
susceptibility, lack of coping capacities to reduce negative consequences, and lack of
capacities for long-term strategies and societal change. Given this view, poor communities
are therefore one of the most vulnerable to disaster risk. The build and location of houses in
poverty-stricken communities increase their susceptibility. Furthermore, coping capacities
such as medical services and material coverage are severely lacking. Finally, poor
communities lack adaptive capacities such as access to education and awareness of
environmental conservations. It is therefore important to tackle how poverty-stricken
communities will be able to reduce their level of vulnerability, as well as how DRRM
programs of the Philippine government can align their programs and activities in relation to
the community needs.
At the social psychological level, poor communities’ perception of disaster risk is
contributory to how these communities will respond in light of an impending disaster. In
their study on the social cognitive aspect of disaster risk, Espina and Teng-Calleja (2015)
found that risk perception, disaster experience, and community disaster preparedness all
predict disaster preparedness. However, the participants of the study involved communities
who experienced extreme disasters. For poor communities who experience disaster at a
lesser scale, there must be a difference in their social cognitions of disaster risk. Those who
live in squatter’s areas, for example, still opt to rebuild their houses in the same location
despite several experiences of flooding.
In this regard, it is important to note that how communities construct disaster risk
can have an impact on their understanding of and preparedness for disasters. Citing the
example above, those communities who rebuild in disaster prone areas may view risk as a
simple component of everyday life. Furthermore, government programs that emphasize
post-disaster relief and short-term preparedness may also have contributed to how poor
communities understand disaster risk and its impact. Thus, it is highly likely that poverty-
stricken groups reemphasize relief rather than preparedness. Lastly, given that poor
communities lack coping and adaptive capacities, external attributions in relation to disaster
preparedness/response may also be considered as influential in community preparedness.
Many social factors and phenomena intersect with the issue of poverty. In this case,
it involves important implications in disaster risk reduction and management in poor
communities. The approach in DRRM should not only be at the level of post-disaster relief. A
deeper understanding of poor communities’ construction and perception of disaster is
needed in order to deliver programs that will empower them and allow them to manage,
prepare for, manage, and alleviate disaster risk. Consequently, being able to adequately
prepare for disasters and lessen vulnerability will have a positive impact in the well-being of
these communities.

References:
Espina, E., & Teng-Calleja, M. (2015). A social cognitive approach to disaster preparedness.
Philippine Journal of Psychology, 48(2), pp.161-14.
United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security & Bündnis
Entwicklung Hilft (2016). The WorldRiskReport 2016. Berlin: Bündnis Entwicklung
Hilft.