In disaster management, which process aims to reduce the severity or harmful effects of an event?

• A. Triage
• B. Emergency
• C. Prevention
• D. Mitigation

Answer: (D)

Mitigation is about reducing the severity or harmful effects of a disaster by lowering exposure, vulnerability, and the potential impact before and during an event. This includes long-term, proactive actions such as enforcing strong building codes and retrofitting structures to resist hazards, improving flood defenses and land-use planning to steer development away from high-risk areas, and implementing early warning systems and public education to reduce potential harm. Even if a hazard occurs, these measures lessen damage and speed recovery by making communities more resilient.

Triage is about prioritizing medical care during an emergency, directing scarce resources to those most in need. An emergency refers to the immediate response actions taken during a disaster. Prevention aims to stop hazards from happening in the first place, which is related but focuses on stopping the event rather than reducing its impact if it occurs.