PELIGRO VULNERABILIDAD Y RIESGO EN VIVIENDAS O EDIFICACIONES

Scientific concepts / nature phenomena presented

Key definitions for evaluating problems in homes and buildings

• Hazard (peligro) Defined as the probability that a potentially damaging phenomenon will occur within a given timeframe. Examples of natural hazards mentioned:

  • Earthquakes: considered hazards when likely to occur with enough intensity/magnitude to cause damage to people, livelihoods, or buildings.
  • Mudslides / huaycos: also mentioned as hazardous phenomena.

• Vulnerability (vulnerabilidad) Defined as the susceptibility of a home/building to suffer damage when:

  • it is exposed to the influence zone of a hazard, and

  • it lacks resistance to withstand its effects. Examples of vulnerability:

  • A house on soft, damp soil → more likely to sink during an earthquake.

  • A house located in the middle of a ravine (conditions suggested by lack of recent rain) → more likely to be affected by a mudslide.
  • A poorly constructed house → structural elements/materials and connections may fail, so the building may not remain standing during earthquakes.
  • Homes on hillsides over steep slopes → high vulnerability because an earthquake may dislodge stones, leading to slope collapse and building failure.

• Risk (riesgo) Defined as the probability that a hazard becomes a disaster. Also described as the quantification of probable damage/loss, including:

  • economic loss (repairing hospitals/houses, replacing destroyed equipment/tools),
  • losses affecting services (e.g., hospital structural failure → loss of patient care),
  • broader impacts on society/economy (e.g., a shopping center collapse; mudslides sweeping away bridges and roads, disrupting commerce and businesses).

Sources / researchers featured

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