Introduction to International Disaster Management, Second Edition
Featured Excerpt on Vulnerability from the Second Edition ofIntroduction to International Disaster ManagementThe concept of vulnerability was first presented in Chapter 1 and defined as a measure of the propensity of an object, area, individual, group, community, country, or other entity to incur the consequences of a hazard. As this section illustrates, measurement of vulnerability results from a combination of physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes. These factors are the primary determinant features that dictate how the likelihood and/or consequences components of risk are increased or decreased.It is important to first clarify the difference between the concepts of vulnerability and exposure, which are often confused. The two words are used interchangeably to describe how a country, region, or community is likely to experience a certain hazard. However, this is incorrect, as the discussion on vulnerability factors shows. The United Nation’s risk reduction documentLiving with Riskembodies this concept, saying, “While most natural hazards may be inevitable, disasters are not” (ISDR, 2004).