Case Study 6: A network to mitigate and respond to disasters in the Philippines
Many areas of the Philippines are at risk from multiple disasters – typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, landslides and armed conflicts. As a result the awareness of and responsiveness to disaster risks
is very important. Preparedness, risk reduction and response is the responsibility of everybody and not just
the government and emergency organisations. The Citizens’ Disaster Response Network is formed of local
and regional organisations, mostly NGOs, working to mobilise local people to understand, plan for and
mitigate against local disaster risks. These organisations are active during quiet periods as well as following
disasters. The network prioritises understanding and reducing vulnerability. Its underlying objectives are
to: recognise people’s existing capacities and aim to build on these; strengthening people’s participation
in the processes; and formation of active grassroots groups that combine the involvement of the most
vulnerable groups as well as people considered least vulnerable. The network has grown and its members
utilise a number of assessment tools both after disasters and for their mitigation. These comprise:
• Hazard, Vulnerabilities and Capacities Assessment, carried out mostly when no disaster has occurred,
with the aim to reduce disaster risks;
• Damage, Needs and Capacity Assessment, generally carried out with communities soon after a disaster;
• Capacities and Vulnerabilities Assessment, carried out after the emergency phase, to support
communities in rehabilitation and in mitigation against future disaster risks.
The Damage, Needs and Capacity Assessment is undertaken by community or people’s organisations.
Leaders of such groups complete a form based on discussions with their members who have been affected
by the disaster. They discuss the event and how it affected people, people’s responses and capacities,
immediate needs and priorities, what assistance they have received, and communication and coordination
by the agencies with the community. For the Capacities and Vulnerabilities Assessment, staff from the
regional and local organisations together with community members develop a matrix that shows categorises
vulnerabilities or capacities of particular communities into: physical or material; social or organisational;
motivational or attitudinal, disaggregated by economic status and gender.
See Heijmans and Victoria in the Resources section.
Resources
Albu, Mike: Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis
Toolkit, Practical Action Publishing, Rugby, 2010.
http://www.emma-toolkit.info
Albu, Mike and Alison Griffith: Mapping the Market: A
framework for rural enterprise development policy and
practice, Practical Action, Rugby, 2005
http://practicalaction.org/markets-and-livelihoods/
mapping_the_market.
ALNAP: Participation by Crisis-Affected Populations in
Humanitarian Action: A handbook for practitioners,
Overseas Development Institute, London, 2003.
http://www.alnap.org/pool/files/gs_handbook.pdf.
Bouris, Stephaqnie. Working with communities, a
toolbox, International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, May 2006.
Dayal, R., van Wijk, C. and N. Mukherjee: MetGuide,
Methodology for Participatory Assessments with
Communities, Institutions and Policy Makers –
Linking sustainability with demand, gender and
poverty, Water and Sanitation Program, the World
Bank, Washington DC & IRC International Water and
Sanitation Centre, Delft, 2000
http://bscw.ihe.nl/pub/nj_bscw.cgi/d2220629/
DayaMethodologyforParticipatoryAssessments.pdf
Facing slum issues through federations, in Schilderman,
Theo and Otto Ruskulis: Building Bridges with the
Grassroots, Practical Action Publishing, Rugby, 2005,
pp.122-135.
Global Land Tool Network: Land and Conflict: A
Handbook for Humanitarians, Draft September 2009,
UN-Habitat:
http://www.gltn/en/general/postconflict-land-
guidelines.html
Heijmans, Annelies and Lorna Victoria: Citizenry-Based
and Development-Orientated Disaster Response:
Experiences and Practices in Disaster Management
of the Citizens’ Disaster Response Network in the
Philippines, Center for Disaster Preparedness, Quezon
City, 2001,
http://www.proventionconsortium.org/themes/default/
pdfs/CRA/CBDO-DR2001.pdf.
IASC CAP Sub-Working Group: Needs Analysis
Framework, Strengthening the Analysis and
Presentation of Humanitarian Needs in the CAP, July
2007.
http://ochaonline.un.org/HUMANITARIANAPPEAL/
DocView.asp?DocID=1891.
IFRC: Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/pubs/disasters/resources/
preparing-disasters/vca/whats-vca-en.pdf
International Rescue Committee et al., The Market
System for Corrugated Galvanised Iron (GCI) Sheet
in Haiti, an EMMA report, Port au Prince, February
7-17, 2010.
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