Vulnerability: Another point of view
The processes for hazard and risk analyses described earlier can be used for a community, organisation or activity. They are intended to provide information for emergency management programs and strategies. The underlying concept is that there is an interaction between hazards, the community and the environment.
An alternative point of view is to consider hazards, the community and the environment in terms of vulnerability. Vulnerability can be defined as:
'The degree of susceptibility and resilience of the community and environment to hazards.' (Emergency Management Australia (1997) National Emergency Management Competency Standards, Canberra, 2nd edition.)
'The degree of loss to a given element at risk or set of such elements resulting from the occurrence of a phenomenon of a given magnitude and expressed on a scale of 0 (no damage) to 1 (total loss).' (United Nations Disaster Relief Organisation (1984) Disaster Prevention and mitigation - A Compendium of Current Knowledge - volume 11 Preparedness Aspects, New York.)
The concept of vulnerability is currently being developed internationally in the emergency management profession. Two parts to vulnerability are often recognised, these are resilience and susceptibility.
Resilience describes the ability of a community or organisation to cope with the effects of hazards, either through prevention, or through adequate preparedness for response and recovery. Susceptibility concerns the degree to which a community or organisation is exposed to hazards, and the likely harm that may occur.
As a result, many people refer to vulnerability assessment, rather than to hazard analysis. But no matter what the philosophical background, the processes for hazard analysis described here are equally applicable to vulnerability assessment. Hey all can be likened to "tools" within the emergency management "toolbox".