Hazard management overview#

This guide is for implementers configuring hazard and disaster management in OpenSPP. You should understand your emergency response framework but don't need programming knowledge.

Mental model#

Hazard management in OpenSPP has four layers:

Layer

What it does

Example

Category

Classifies the type of hazard

Natural → Storm → Typhoon

Incident

Records a specific disaster event

"Typhoon Rai - Dec 2025"

Impact

Tracks how individuals are affected

"Household displaced, property damaged"

Geofence

Defines the geographic response area

Affected municipalities

Think of it like a disaster response playbook: categories are the hazard types you prepare for, incidents are the events that actually happen, impacts are the damage assessments, and geofences are the response zones.

Key concepts#

Hazard categories#

Categories form a hierarchy for classifying hazard types:

Field

What it means

Name

Category label (e.g., "Typhoon")

Code

Unique identifier

Parent

Parent category in the hierarchy

Example hierarchy:

Natural Hazards
├── Geological
│   ├── Earthquake
│   └── Volcanic Eruption
├── Hydrometeorological
│   ├── Flood
│   ├── Typhoon
│   └── Drought
└── Biological
    ├── Epidemic
    └── Pest Infestation

Hazard incidents#

An incident records a specific disaster event:

Field

What it means

Name

Incident label (e.g., "Typhoon Rai - Visayas")

Category

Type of hazard

Start Date

When the event began

End Date

When the event ended (if applicable)

Status

Current phase of response

Severity

Impact level (1-5 scale)

Affected Areas

Geographic areas impacted

Incident status lifecycle#

Alert → Active → Recovery → Closed

Status

Meaning

Alert

Hazard warning issued, preparing response

Active

Disaster is ongoing, response in progress

Recovery

Immediate threat passed, recovery operations

Closed

Response completed

Severity levels#

Level

Label

Description

1

Minor

Localized damage, few affected

2

Moderate

Significant damage, hundreds affected

3

Significant

Widespread damage, thousands affected

4

Severe

Regional impact, tens of thousands affected

5

Catastrophic

National impact, mass displacement

Impact types#

Impact types categorize how registrants are affected. OpenSPP includes 14 pre-configured types across four domains:

Domain

Impact Types

Physical

Displacement, Property Damage, Injury, Death

Economic

Livelihood Loss, Asset Destruction, Crop Loss, Livestock Loss

Health

Illness, Disability, Psychological Impact

Social

Family Separation, Community Disruption, Education Disruption

Impact records#

For each affected registrant:

Field

What it means

Registrant

Who is affected

Incident

Which disaster

Impact Types

What kinds of damage

Severity

Individual impact level

Notes

Additional details

Common use cases#

Use case 1: Typhoon response#

Goal: Set up tracking for a typhoon emergency.

Setup:

  1. Create a Hazard Incident with category = Typhoon, severity = 4

  2. Set affected areas (provinces/municipalities)

  3. As assessments come in, create impact records for affected households

  4. Link emergency cash transfer programs (see Linking programs to hazard incidents)

Use case 2: Drought early warning#

Goal: Track a developing drought for proactive response.

Setup:

  1. Create a Hazard Incident with category = Drought, status = Alert

  2. Set affected agricultural areas

  3. Record crop loss impacts as reports come in

  4. Escalate to Active when thresholds are met

Are You Stuck?#

Where do I configure hazard categories?

Look for Hazard Categories in the configuration menu. If you don't see it, ask your administrator to install the Hazard Management module.

Can I modify the pre-configured impact types?

Yes. Impact types are standard records that can be edited, deactivated, or extended with new types.

How do I track the same registrant across multiple incidents?

Each impact record links a registrant to a specific incident. A registrant can have impact records from multiple incidents, allowing you to track cumulative disaster exposure.

Severity levels - can I customize the scale?

The 1-5 scale is fixed, but you can define what each level means for your context through operational guidelines.

Next steps#