This paper aims to discuss the factors that affects the effectiveness of disaster management in the Philippines namely the government, media, and social networks. This also discusses the history of our current disaster management plans and some insights about disaster itself.
According to UNISDR (2012), Disaster Risk Management is the systematic process of using administrative directives, organizations, and operational skills and capacities to implement strategies, policies and improved coping capacities in order to lessen the adverse impacts of hazards and the possibility of disaster. Furthermore, it states that DRM is a tool used by countries to defend against the effects of a disaster. It focuses on the management of communities and its resources to effectively handle situations.
According to Coppola (2006), disaster is derived from the Latin roots dis and astro, meaning away from the stars or, in other words an event to be blamed on an unfortunate astrological configuration. Disasters occur when a hazard risk is realized. However, to be considered disastrous, the realized hazard must overwhelm the capability to response of the community.
There is no country that is immune to a disaster, though vulnerability from a type of disaster varies. There are four main types of disaster. According to WCPT (2012), natural disasters are composed of floods, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions that cause immediate danger to humans. It also has secondary effects which could