Glossary

Affected population. Those affected in varying degree by a disaster.  They should be specifically catalogued in terms of gender, social strata, ethnic or other classification, including those belonging to physically challenged, etc.  They are catalogued, in terms of severity of damage, as:

Primarily affected. Men, women, children of all social strata, ethnic or social groups, whose livelihoods and welfare is severely affected by a disaster in terms of deaths, injuries, losses or severe damage to their houses and employment, and other major consequences on their well being.  It includes also population evacuated, in temporary shelters or that had to seek refuge after the event.

Secondarily affected. Men, women, children of all social strata, ethnic or social groups that had indirect impact in their livelihoods in welfare, that lived in the directly affected area (towns, communities, area directly impacted by the disaster).

Tertiary. Men, women, children of all social strata, ethnic or social groups that were impacted by overall (global economic and social) effects by a disaster, i.e., increased prices in goods and services, disruption in the provision of these, psychological trauma, etc.

Direct damage. Negative consequences of disasters in terms of assets lost, damaged or affected.  First perceived in physical terms, i.e. miles of roads, hectares affected either in agricultural land, forests or environmental reserves, production already completed but lost as tons of agricultural products, numbers of industrial production units; or infrastructure affected as number of health services’ facilities, number of bed, schools or number or classrooms destroyed, etc.  Part of the direct damage, although not quantified specifically in terms of monetary value, are lives lost, injured persons and the primary, secondary or tertiary affected population.

Disaster cycle. The interconnected phases before, during and after the occurrence of an event.  It links the prevention, early warning, response, reconstruction and mitigation actions that are taken in the face of an event.

Disaster reduction. The systemic approach to disasters that consists of prevention and mitigation actions, investments, projects and strategies.

Disaster. An event that causes major disruption on the economy, society and the environment.  Its origin or causes may be directly derived from natural phenomena, i.e. geophysical (as volcanic or seismic events that cause collapse of infrastructure, landslides or liquefaction, etc.) or climatic (as hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, major variation in rainfall both in terms of excess or deficit causing drought). Although usually not covered by the methodology, disasters may also have a “human” or anthropic origin as chemical spills, industrial accidents, or voluntarily caused events such as war, terrorist actions, etc.  Disaster consequences or damage will always be associated with human intervention before, during and after the event (the “disaster cycle”).

Environmental impact of disasters. The short, medium and long-term effects, either positive or negative, on environmental assets and on services provided by the environment.

Hazard. Exposure to an event associated with natural phenomena, whose severity, recurrence and presence in a specific geographical location is subject of scientific analysis and statistical probability calculation.

Indirect effects. Consequences, either positive or negative, for flows related to the production, provision, distribution or performance of goods and services, i.e. additional costs of transport, reduced income of enterprises, increased expenses of government, reduced tax revenues, insurance payments received, increased imports or reduced exports, etc.

Mitigation. Actions or investments needed to reduce risk, i.e. exposure to hazards by reducing preexisting vulnerability.

Prevention. Actions or investments needed in the face of imminent hazards. Distinct from mitigation, which is a permanent strategy, prevention is seen as a pre-disaster set of activities.

Productive and reproductive work.  It refers to work performed by women in terms of salaried income (productive) work in the market place, and non-salaried (reproductive) work performed in the household directly related to family care, child rearing, nursing the ill, provision of household needs, etc.  In addition to these activities, women will perform “informal” activities, or work done in the household that do not receive monetary income but provide goods for the family, mostly in rural areas, in terms of vegetable gardens, small animals reared such as chickens, goats, etc.

Risk. The probabilistic determination of the damages a certain hazard can cause given the existing vulnerability, location and time. 

Sector. Area of economic or social activity, such as agriculture, industry, education, health services, etc.  Grouped, for the purpose of valuation, into three: social, infrastructural and productive (including both goods and services)

Socioeconomic impact of disasters. Short and medium-term consequences, either positive or negative, for (a) key economic indicators and overall economic performance and (b) key social indicators and social capital

Vulnerability. Conditions of economic, physical, social and environmental infrastructure that determine the probability that a certain hazard will cause a certain degree of damage.