DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION awareness building, and resource mobilization and management.

awareness building, and resource mobilization and management. The community’s level of coping mechanisms and
readiness determine the scope and depth of disaster risk reduction.
Quarter 1
Some of the strategies to achieve our coping capacity includes attending trainings in first aid, learning to swim as

VULNERABILITY part of water survival, securing our homes, establishment of early warning systems, designing evacuation strategies,
stockpiling of emergency equipment and alternative means of income.
Learning Skills from MELC: Explain the meaning of vulnerability (DRR11-Ie-16) Community members and groups have different vulnerabilities and capacities. These are determined by age, gender,
Introductory Concept: VULNERABILITY AND CAPACITY class, social class, ethnicity, language, religion, and physical condition. Strengthening the capacities of each
community helps people to adapt easily and become resilient with inevitable circumstances.
VULNERABILITY
ACTIVITY 1: VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING PLAN
Vulnerability is “a set of prevailing or consequential conditions, which adversely affect the community’s ability to Directions: The learner together with his/her parents/guardian will conduct a vulnerability assessment of their home
prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond to hazardous events.” (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, 2006) involving the steps below. Write your answers in the tables provided below.

Vulnerability is present in the community or society even before a disaster happens. It comes before any disaster,
I. Identify the possible hazard that will most likely affect your home. It can be natural (typhoon, earthquake,
contributes to the severity or extent of its impact, impedes disaster response, and may continue to exist long after a
disaster has struck. One example is when people cut down too many trees at a faster pace than nature can replace flood), technological, or biological hazards (spread of virus).
them. It increases the vulnerability of many communities due to unprotected soil which causes mudslides, landslides II. Identify all the elements within the home that will be exposed to this hazard.
and floods. III. Identify how exposed elements are vulnerable to this hazard.
IV. Based on identified vulnerabilities, make an action plan on how to address these vulnerabilities. The
TYPES OF VULNERABILITIES goals of this plan must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Reasonable, Time-bounded)
Farmers, urban poor, laborers, indigenous people, persons with disabilities (PWDs), women, and children are among
the MOST VULNERABLE SECTORS. They are the so-called abused sector. Abused sectors are those who are not Table 1. Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment
ELEMENTS EXPOSED TO HAZARDS VULNERABILITY OF EXPOSED
capable of defending themselves in times of crisis. They are weak and vulnerable and have been traditional victims CAPACITY
HAZARD (Makeshift house, near coastal area, ELEMENT TO HAZARD
of violations and consequently require special attention. They are the community members whose capacities are low etc) (High, Moderate, Low)
(Resources, Skills, etc)
and not sufficient to resist and overcome the damaging and harmful effects of disasters.

LESS VULNERABLE SECTORS are the people in the community whose capacities start from their own ability to
acquire material resources; skills and trainings; and position in the community. Their capacities are higher than those
in the vulnerable sector to overcome the adverse effects of disasters. They are composed of professionals, small
entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations like Philippine Red Cross. Their roles in disaster management
activities are to extend assistance and support to vulnerable sectors. Table 2. Action Plan
HAZARD EXPOSED ELEMENTS STRATEGY/ PERSON TIME FRAME
The NOT VULNERABLE SECTORS are those having high position in the community. Most of the time, they are the TO HAZARDS ACTION RESPONSIBLE
targets of the vulnerable and less vulnerable sectors in advocacy work relating to disaster issue to the structure and
policies implemented by the government that are the root causes of the vulnerability of the community.

In order to overcome our vulnerabilities, we must capacitate ourselves. How are we going to do that? Let
us define first what capacity is. Why do you think capacity is important in disaster management?
THREE AREAS OF VULNERABILITY
CAPACITY
The concept of vulnerability comes from many aspects, specifically, those that arise from various social, economic,
According to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction or UNISDR (2009), capacity refers to physical, and environmental factors. Examples may include poor design and construction of buildings, inadequate
“all the strengths, attributes, and resources available within a community, organization, or society that can be used to protection of assets and lack of public awareness, limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures,
achieve an agreed goal.” These qualities are important to citizens and community to cope with, overcome the and disregard for wise environmental management (ODPM 2013). According to Anderson and Woodrow (1990),
harmful effects of, and reduce the risks of disasters through preparation, mitigation, and recovery. Hence, it is vital to there are three areas of vulnerability:
develop and build these capacities categorized as socioeconomic, political, ideological/cultural, physical,
organizational, and leadership. 1. Physical/Material Vulnerability
This refers to the most visible area of vulnerability. It includes land, climate, environment, health, skills and labor,
Ownership of land and safe location and construction of home, adequate income, savings, adequate food sources, infrastructure, housing, finance and technologies. Poor people suffer from crises more often than people who are
local knowledge such as the barangay hotline and evacuation plan, family and community support system, richer because they have little or no savings, few income or production options, and limited resources. They are
responsive local government, enabling legislation and strong community organizations are some examples of more vulnerable and recover more slowly. To understand physical/material vulnerabilities, one has to ask what made
capacity. the people affected by disaster physically vulnerable: was it their economic activities (e.g., farmers cannot plant
because of floods), geographic location (e.g., homes built in typhoon-prone areas), or poverty/lack of resources?
It is also essential to understand the community’s coping capacity in relation with disaster. Coping capacity is “the
ability of people, organizations, and systems, using available skills and resources, to face and manage adverse 2. Social/Organizational Vulnerability
conditions, emergencies or disasters (UNISDR 2009).” The ability to cope entails sustained situations assessment, How society is organized, its internal conflicts and how it manages them are just as important as the
physical/material dimension of vulnerability, but less visible and less well understood. This aspect includes formal
political structures and the informal systems through which people get things done. Poor societies that are well ELSA E. RABANO RANDY M. TADURAN
organized and united can withstand or recover from disasters better than those where there is little of no organization Asst. School Principal II, PGCHS Asst. School Principal II, PGCHS
and communities are divided. To explore this aspect, one must ask what the social structure was before the disaster
and how well it served the people when disaster struck; one can also ask what impact disasters have on social
organization.

3. Attitudinal/Motivational Vulnerability
This area includes how people in society view themselves and their ability to affect their environment. Groups that
share strong ideologies or belief systems, or have experience of cooperating successfully, may be better able to help
each other at times of disaster than groups without such shared beliefs or who feel fatalistic or dependent. Crises
can stimulate communities to make extraordinary efforts. Questions to be asked here include what people’s beliefs
and motivations are and how disasters affect them. (Cannon, et al., n.d., p.7).

ACTIVITY 2: MY STRENGTHS! YOUR STRENGTHS! OUR STRENGTHS!

Procedure: Using the matrix, assess your home using the CVA framework.
Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (CVA) Matrix
Vulnerabilities Capacities
Physical/Material
What productive resources, skills,
and hazards exist in your home?
Social/Organizational
What are the relations and
organizations among the members of
the family?
Motivational/Attitudinal
How does your family view its ability to
create change?
Adapted from Cannon, T, Twigg, J, & Rowell, J (n.d.) Social Vulnerability, Sustainable Livelihoods and Disasters. Report to
DFID Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Department (CHAD) and Sustainable Livelihoods Support Office. Retrieved from
http://wws.eldis.org/go/home&id=21628&type=Document#.VvDmMfwy5w

Prepared by:
SUSAN M. LEONCITO
Teacher III, PGCHS

Noted by: