The Contribution of Values Education to Increasing Disaster Awareness of Primary School Students

Introduction

Today, one of the most frequently discussed topics is disasters. Disasters cause damage to thousands of people and their property almost every year. Disasters also cause significant assets losses. The occurrence of disasters depends on the geological, geophysical, climatic, meteorological and biological characteristics of the earth. At the same time, various activities of people also cause disasters. They are caused by the interaction of two different factors. Disaster hazard is one of them and vulnerability is another. Hazard is a dangerous event or phenomenon that leads to a disaster. Many disaster hazards cannot be eliminated. For example, it may be possible to predict the location of an earthquake. However, with today's technology it is difficult to predict exactly when an earthquake will occur. Some disaster hazards occur very quickly. Others, however, may take some time to materialise. For example, it is very difficult to track the occurrence of hazards such as drought, climate change and desertification because they take time to emerge. Vulnerability is a secondary component that causes disasters. It indicates the extent to which risk elements are vulnerable to disaster hazards. Infrastructure components and environmental elements can all be damaged by hazards or buildings can collapse. Disasters also damage the socio-economic structure of societies. With these features, vulnerability is seen as the most important component in disasters. Although many disaster hazards cannot be prevented, it is theoretically possible to determine vulnerability and propose mitigation solutions. Therefore, it is safer and easier to reduce undesirable situations after disasters with vulnerability studies.

Disaster management activities are a kind of management model that outlines the steps to be taken in a system to cope with adverse events that may occur before or after a disaster. It covers the tasks to be completed before, during and after the disaster. Mitigation works are carried out before the disaster as a part of disaster risk works. Modern disaster management emphasises the importance of the steps to be taken before the disaster. If mitigation measures are implemented timely, disaster damage can be reduced largely. If disaster management activities are carried out meticulously, damages caused by disasters can be minimised. Losses of life and property can be reduced.

Disasters cause thousands of deaths worldwide every year. The negative effects of disasters last for years and many people face economic difficulties or job losses due to disasters. The economic costs of disasters are quite high. According to estimates, the two earthquakes that hit southern Turkey on 6 February 2023 could have an economic impact of $100 billion or more on the country. In previous years, earthquakes in many parts of the world have caused huge economic losses. Less developed countries are more likely to experience such losses. On the other hand, industrialised countries are less damaged and adversely affected by such disasters because they are better equipped to cope with disasters.

There are many factors contributing to the greater damage caused by disasters in less developed countries, including inadequate disaster preparedness, failure to comply with certain engineering regulations in the construction of buildings and use of low quality materials, defects in the organisation of disaster management activities and lack of public awareness on disasters. A high level of awareness despite disasters can be demonstrated, for example, by not building houses along fault lines and stream beds and not residing in houses at risk of earthquakes. Similarly, complying with engineering regulations when designing structures and taking into account all the tragedies that can occur in residential areas represents both the nature of the individual duty and the responsibility for society.