Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Evacuees from Tacloban City arrive at the Villamor Airbase 

in the aftermath of Super Typhoon "Yolanda".

I can still recall when I joined DSWD Regional Field Office No. V 26 years ago - that was in 1988 - when the first Disaster Management Training Program was conducted participated by representatives from various agencies. It was a period of knowing more about hazards and enabling and enhancing the competencies of the service providers in dealing with disasters. But while service providers studied about hazards, warning systems and the principles and processes of vulnerability and capacity analysis, little attention was given to the fact that what the service providers know must also be known to the potential victims of natural and human-induced hazards [man-made disasters before]. It cannot be denied that the families and communities need such training as much as the service providers do. Understanding the hazards and their vulnerabilities and capacities are the most basic knowledge that families and communities should learn for them to appreciate the significance of being prepared.

In the 1990s we already had the family and community disaster preparedness [FCDP] training program. In fact, I was part of the team that conducted the pilot testing of the FCDP in Barangay Cogon, Irosin, Sorsogon - a barangay that is situated at the slopes of Bulusan Volcano.

The pilot testing of the training program was conducted right in the heart of Barangay Cogon in a somewhat classroom-type of a facility. We had a small group of family-participants. I can no longer recall the number of family-participants but i can still vividly remember that each family-participant was composed of the father, mother and two children. During the first day of the three-day training, we were all glad to see 100 percent of the identified participants. On the second day, we have noted that either the father or the mother or one of the children is already missing. More family members failed to come on the final day. The reason? - either of the family members or most of them have to attend to their farm, business, occupation or income generating activities. Our realization? - we cannot just focus on the training program - we need to consider the fact that family-participants need to sustain their daily income while attending the training program. The training program is necessary but the day-to-day activity to generate income for the needs of the family is more important. Indeed, how can they sustain their active participation in the training program when at the end of the day they will worry about the food for their families? The "Food-For-Training" or "Cash-For-Training" was the most logical and practical proposition then to provide [not necessarily compensate the families] a replacement for the income that the family-participants will forego while attending the training program. Funding support for this must be included in the budget that will be allocated for the training program - this was part of the training team's recommendation.

Series of family and community disaster preparedness training programs were conducted in Irosin, Sorsogon in the years that followed. Barangay officials also had their distinct training program that also included the formulation of ordinances and programming and budgeting for disaster risk reduction and management [disaster management before].

Yes, after witnessing the impact of typhoon "Yolanda" and joining the Department's response team in my simple way, my previous activities on disaster risk reduction and management in Bicol region were reconstructed in my mind. Never underestimate the power of nature. Preparedness starts with having the right attitude, understanding the hazards and our vulnerabilities, harnessing our capacities and putting into action the things that we need to do to be ready. [to be continued]