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Twinning Partnership on Disaster Risk Reduction
Management (DRRM)
Between
Provincial Government of Leyte
and
Provincial Government of Albay
thru
Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office
(APSEMO)
Prepared for Be Secure Project
2015
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1.0 Introduction
Due to its geographic location, the Philippines frequently experiences natural disasters that influence the
trajectory of the country’s development and growth. The economic impact of disasters consists of direct
damage to infrastructure, crops, and housing, as well as indirect damage, such as loss of revenue,
unemployment and market destabilization. These are increasingly becoming major challenges to the
development of the Philippines.
The province of Leyte in Central Philippines was severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda (international name
Haiyan) on 8 November 2013. It was considered to be the strongest typhoon ever to make landfall in the
area causing tsunami-like waves that left 6,300 dead and 1,785 missing, and over 1.1 million homeless*.
Total damage wrought by Typhoon Yolanda was valued at USD 905 million*. Given this devastating event, it
was imperative that the Provincial Government of Leyte is capacitated to deal with the impacts of extreme
events such as this in the future. The province remains vulnerable to natural disasters due to its location,
terrain, changing patterns of rainfall, and rising sea levels. Reducing the vulnerability of communities
requires increasing their capacity for disaster preparedness and response. As such, the Local Government of
Leyte aims to strengthen its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
The passage of Republic Act 10121 or “An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management System, Providing for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework and
Institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, Appropriating Funds therefor,
for other Purposes” mandates Local Government Units (LGUs) to have offices dedicated to Disaster Risk
Reduction Management (DRRM). However, Leyte Provincial Government like most LGUs, operates with only
a DRRM council without full-time staff and resources.
To support the formation of the Leyte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), the
USAID the Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) project, through AECOM
Philippines and WaterLinks, facilitated a twinning partnership between Leyte Province and Albay Province
through the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO).
_____________________
* data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of January 2014
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2.0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION
2.1 Leyte Province
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and
occupies the three-quarters of the northern island of Leyte. The Province of Leyte is one of the six (6)
provinces of Region VIII. It is bound by the Province of Biliran in the north, the San Juanico Strait and the
island of Samar in the east, the Visayan and Ormoc Seas in the west, and the Province of Southern Leyte in
the south.
Leyte’s total land area is 5,712.80 square kilometers
or 571,280 hectares. It is the largest province in the
Eastern Visayas region and comprises 25.47% of the
region's total land area of 22,427.60 square
kilometers.
Leyte is a first class province with 40 municipalities
and three (3) cities, two of which are administratively
independent of the province. Ormoc City is an
independent component city, while the capital,
Tacloban (which is also the regional capital of the
Eastern Visayas-region) was declared a highly-
urbanized city in 2008. Both cities govern themselves
independently of the province.
On 8 November 2013, the province was largely
destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), killing
a reported 6,300 people. It has previously suffered
similar destruction and loss of life in 1991 during
typhoon Thelma where more than 6,000 were
estimated dead.
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2.2 Albay Province and Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO)
Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in southeastern Luzon Island. The capital of
the province is Legazpi City, the regional administrative center of Bicol region, which is located in the
southern foothill of Mayon Volcano, the symbol most associated with the province. The province is in
constant threat of natural calamities since it is geographically located within the ring of fire and the typhoon
belt region. There are 19-21 typhoons occurrences per year in the Philippines of which 4-6 directly hit the
Province of Albay. Yearly, roughly 198,000 houses are threatened by wind destruction from typhoons and at
least 350,000 people are needed to be frequently evacuated.
Another 300,000 of the population are in danger due to the possibility of a tsunami. Moreover, an estimated
127 villages or 11,000 to 12,000 families are also vulnerable to mudslides and eight (8) municipalities and
two (2) cities are susceptible to floods.
With an active Mount Mayon in its midst, three (3) cities and five (5) municipalities are endangered from
volcanic eruptions that occur from time to time.
Thus in 1995, Albay’s provincial government established the Albay Public Safety and Emergency
Management Office (APSEMO) as a permanent Disaster Risk Management Office (DRMO) to oversee the
effective implementation of the objectives of Presidential Decree 1566 and the disaster risk reduction
management plan that have resulted in zero-fatalities during disasters in the past years. APSEMO is an
independent department of the provincial Government of Albay and serves as the technical and
administrative arm of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).
Having an objective of developing more pro-active and disaster resilient communities, APSEMO has attained
its objective by pursuing a community-based disaster risk management approach which other provinces are
currently replicating with the establishment of DRRMOs and adopting Albay’s Disaster Preparedness
Framework as a model approach.
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3.0 THE TWINNING 3.1 Twinning Objectives
The overall objective of the twinning partnership is to develop and implement a disaster risk preparedness
management strategy for the Province of Leyte by i) enhancing local disaster management capacity; ii)
developing and standardizing the disaster preparedness framework, and iii) strengthening and re-
organization of the provincial DRMO.
Recognizing a community-based approach is necessary to have a more pro-active measure, APSEMO
recommended at the start of the twinning the involvement of a pilot municipality (i.e. Palo) and a barangay
(i.e. Tacuranga) to eventually create their respective local plans and strategies.
Palo, selected as the pilot municipality, makes up four percent (4%) (around 62,700) of the total population
of the province, while Tacuranga is one of 33 barangays in the Municipality of Palo, and has an estimated
population of 1,300.
3.2 Work Plan
With WaterLinks support, both partners developed and implemented a joint 12-month work plan that
provided the basis for the twinning activities. These included executive and technical workshops, and the
sharing of innovation/knowledge from APSEMO to Leyte Province through remote and on-line consultations,
classroom discussions, on-the-job training, study visits, and peer review of existing plans and activities.
Below is the joint approved work plan.
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Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Pre-diagnosctic visit of WaterLinks
Institutionalizing
Governor to issue an Executive Order forming the
Technical Working Group to study, propose, and
recommend the creation of the LDRRMO at the
provincial level
Identify members of the Technical Working Group
for the province
Identify pilot area: municipality and barangay
(Palo and Brgy, Tacuranga)
Mayor (of pilot municipality) to issue an Executive
Order forming the Technical Working Group to
study, propose, and recommend the creation of the
LDRRMO at the municipal level
Identify members of the Technical Working Group
for the municipality
Review of Leyte DRRM Fund Plan and Program
Propose reorganization of the Provincial DRRM
Council in preparation of transitioning into an
Draft Ordinance creating the DRRMO at the
provincial level
Draft Ordinance creating the DRRMO at the pilot
municipality level
Pass the Ordinance at the provincial level
Pass the Ordinance at the pilot municipality levelPass a resolution reconstituting the Barangay
DRRM Committee
Draft a Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster
Preparedness Manual to be used by the DRRMOs
at the following levels: povincial, municipal, and
barangay
Capacity-building
First mentor visit to Tacloban: One-day
executive training in reference to Republic Act
10121, Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Act of 2010
Second mentor visit to Tacloban: Training on
the Disaster Preparedness Framework, specifically
on the following: Capability and vulnerability
assessment, Contingency planning, Institutional
framework, and Resources
Mentee visit to Albay: Training on the Disaster
Preparedness Framework, specifically on the
following: Early warning system and
communication protocol, Evacuation procedures,
and Response mechanism
Third mentor visit to Tacloban: Training on
the Disaster Preparedness Framework, specifically
on the following: Information system, Public
education and training, and Rehearsals/Community-
based scenario drills
Exit conference/Turnover of
manual
Waterlinks Twinning Partnership
APSEMO and Leyte Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO)
20152014
ActionActivities
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4.0 TWINNING IMPLEMENTATION
4.1 Building Capacity of Leyte Province
The twinning program included the conduct of three (3) workshops in Leyte Province as well as an exposure
visit to Albay Province.
A one-day executive training in reference to Republic Act (RA) 10121, “The Philippine Disaster Risk
Reduction Management Act of 2010,” was conducted by APSEMO for Leyte’s Technical Working Group
(TWG) on 28 July 2014. The training covered strategies and approaches, changes in organizational structure
and financial sustainability allocation of a 5% local DRRM Fund from the annual LGU budget. Some salient
features of the law are operational and institutional mechanisms i.e. standard coordination procedures from
the national Office of Civil Defense to local, provincial, municipal, and barangay. Over a period of nine (9)
months (July 2014 to March 2015), APSEMO trained the provincial, municipality, and barangay members of
the TWGs on the DRRM framework. Specific components of the training is provided in Annex A.
At the end of the capacity building activities, Leyte TWG drafted its own DRRMO Operations Manual in
reference to the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Framework provided by APSEMO.
4.2 Institutionalizing Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation
With guidance from APSEMO, the Province of Leyte drafted Executive Order 13-012, Series of 2013, “An
Order Reconstituting and Reorganizing the Provincial DRRM Council of the Province of Leyte, providing for
its composition, office and functions, and for other purposes”. Moreover, Leyte Province also developed
the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund Plan Program. Both these drafts were discussed with
APSEMO during the mentor visit of 28-30 July 2014. As a result of the review and the mentor visit, the
Province of Leyte recognized the necessity of creating a DRRM Office with clear funding allocation as its
existing DRRM Council could not address the requirements of the province in times of disaster.
On 26 November 2014, Governor Leopoldo Dominico L. Petilla signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14-0015 series
of 2014 entitled “Creating the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office” (Annex B) which was
drafted and proposed by the TWG. The E.O. stipulates the i) functions and responsibilities of the office, (ii)
sections and divisions as presented in the organizational structure below (Figure 1), (iii) office location, and
(iv) source of funds.
Moreover, Provincial Ordinance No. 2015-01, “An Ordinance Creating the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Office of the Province of Leyte and Appropriating Funds” (Annex C) was approved by the
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Provincial Sanggunian (Council) on 17 March 2015. This served to establish the permanence of the PDDRMO
and ensure the continuity of service and improve the effectiveness of the Province’s response to disasters.
Figure
1
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5.0 SUMMARY OF VISITS AND ACTIVITIES
5.1 Table of Activities
Dates Activities Remarks
June 4-6, 2014 1. Presentations
Overview of the Partners
APSEMO and Leyte
Overview of WaterLinks and
Twinning
2. Discussion
Observations and
recommendations from the
diagnostic visit
Identification of a pilot
municipality and barangay
Work plan and MOU
3. Site inspections
Operation Center and Early
Warning system in Palo
Municipality
The diagnostic visit by APSEMO introduced
partners and working areas. They
discussed and identified the Leyte
Province Contingency and Rehabilitation
Plans. APSEMO also introduced their
Disaster Risk Reduction Framework. In the
end, both partners developed preliminary
recommendations and partnership work
plan based on the findings.
July 28-30, 2014 1. Presentations
Overview of Disaster Risk
Reduction Management by Dr.
Cedric Daep of APSEMO
Presentation of Leyte’s Risk
Reduction and Management
Program and Fund Plan
Executive Training on on Republic
Act 10121, the legal basis of the
creation of a DRRMO.
2. Discussions
Work plan confirmation
Composition of the TWG from
provincial, municipal and
barangay level
Adoption of key principles
3. Site visit
Palo municipality and barangay
Tacuranga
Provincial TWG was tasked to draft an
Executive Order proposing the creation of
a DRRMO including positions and budget
allocations which should be integrated
with the General Appropriations for the
Province. Discussions on the functions and
composition of DRRM council and its
difference with the DRRM office were also
made.
November 18-20, 1. Presentations
DRR Framework
Before the next twinning activity, the
Provincial TWG should complete a revised
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2014 Institutional Framework
Resources
2. Discussions
Contingency Plan
Capability and vulnerability
assessment
Draft of the E.O. forming the
DRRMO
EO to include positions and functions,
qualifications and standards with index of
occupational services. Moreover, the TWG
should have prepared a draft of the
Contingency Plan.
February 24-26, 2014
Recipient Visit to
Mentor Site
3. Presentations
Essential Aspects of Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) and Climate
Change
Integrating Early Warning
System, Communication
Protocol, and Evacuation
Procedure
4. Discussions
Zero-casualty strategies
Basics of community-based early
warning system
Next steps
5. Site visits
Sto. Domingo, Albay, which was a
Gawad Kalasag national awardee
in 2012
Barangay Oro Site where best
practices on DRRM at the
barangay level were shared
APSEMO facilitated a workshop where
participants had to develop their own
warning flood criteria, sample advisories,
inventory of existing communication
equipment, communication flowchart, and
evacuation plan for the respective
province, municipality, and barangay.
These will be properly documented in
time for APSEMO’s last mentor visit on
March 25-26. Moreover, APSEMO shared
the Albay DRR Management Plan with the
representatives from Leyte, the principal
recipient of this twinning. At the end of
the twinning, Leyte is expected to have
developed their own DRR Management
Plan.
March 24-26, 2015 1. Trainings and presentations
Information System component
of the DRRM framework
Public Education and Training
component of the DRRM
framework
2. Discussions
Drafting of DRRMO operations
Manual
Closing and Final
Recommendations
3. Site visits
Office site of Leyte DRRM
The province, municipality, and barangay
TWGs were tasked to develop DRRM
manuals for their respective LGUs for the
duration of the twinning. On the second
day of this training, APSEMO conducted a
workshop on how to consolidate the
components of the manual.
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5.2 Capacity Building Activities
Dr. Cedric Daep conducting the training in Leyte
The training was divided into the following:
A.) First Mentor Visit in Tacloban (July 29-30, 2014): Executive training on RA 10121: Philippine DRRM Act
of 2010
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B.) Second Mentor Visit in Tacloban (November 19, 2014): Training on the following DRRM framework
components—Capability and vulnerability assessment, Contingency planning, Institutional framework, and
Resources
C.) Recipient Visit in Legazpi City (February 25-26, 2015):
- Training on the following DRRM framework components—Early warning system and communication
protocol, Evacuation procedure, and Response mechanism
- Field visits in LGUs with DRRM best practices
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D.) Third Mentor Visit in Tacloban (March 25-26, 2015):
- Training on the following DRRM framework components—Information system, and Public education
and training
- Workshop on developing a DRRM manual, with the following basic contents:
1.) Context: Nature and effects of natural hazards affecting the area
2.) Brief description of the LGU
3.) Legal aspect: Republic Act 10121 and other legislative acts supporting DRRM at the national and
local levels
4.) Objectives: General and specific
5.) Organizational/Functional structures and Support facilities and requirements
- Early warning system, Communication protocol, Evacuation procedure, Transportation,
Security, Medical/Health and Sanitation, Relief, and Rescue
6.) Local DRRM Financial Plan
- 30% Quick Response Fund or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs
- 70% for other DRRM activities such as, but not limited to, Pre-Disaster Preparedness.
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6.0 CONCLUSION
Over a period of 10 months, APSEMO assisted the Provincial Government of Leyte and guided it in the
establishment of its own Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
Institutionalizing Leyte’s implementation of a disaster risk reduction management strategy, a provincial
legislation was passed creating the Leyte PDRRMO while standardizing its framework through the
development of an Operations Manual.
Recognizing that the first responders will always be the LGUs from the municipalities to the barangays, the
approach was also streamlined across levels. APSEMO trained 26 members from the provincial, municipal
and barangay levels of Leyte Province in DRRM to enhance its local disaster management capacity.
Correspondingly, the Municipality of Palo created its own DRRMO and drafted its own operations manual
along with organizing a Community Disaster Risk Reduction Council and a response team in Baranggay
Tacuranga.
In doing so, the twinning partnership was able to deliver the following outcome: increased capacity of the
recipients at all levels (province, municipality, and barangay) in DRRM, the establishment of a PDRRMO in
Leyte Province, and the transfer of knowledge and skills required to disseminate training to their
communities. The recipients also adopted APSEMO’s DRRM framework, which has been instrumental in
attaining a zero-casuality track record in Albay.
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ANNEX A
Disaster Risk Reduction Management Framework Components
A.) Risk mapping and assessment - A methodology to determine the nature and extent of risk by analysing
potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that together could potentially harm exposed
people, property, services, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend. Risk assessments (and
associated risk mapping) include: a review of the technical characteristics of hazards such as their location,
intensity, frequency and probability; the analysis of exposure and vulnerability including the physical social,
health, economic and environmental dimensions; and the evaluation of the effectiveness of prevailing and
alternative coping capacities in respect to likely risk scenarios.
B.) Contingency planning- Contingency plans need to be regularly updated and exercised and must be based on
the risk and resource information gathered from the community. Contingency planning results in organized and
coordinated courses of action with clearly-identified institutional roles and resources, information processes, and
operational arrangements for specific actors at times of need. Based on scenarios of possible emergency
conditions or disaster events, it allows key actors to envision, anticipate and solve problems that can arise during
crises. Contingency planning is an important part of overall preparedness.
C.) Institutional framework- DRR requires strong vertical and horizontal linkages (central-local relations become
important). The disaster operation center should already include social services and other offices related to relief.
No single group or organisation can address every aspect of DRR. DRR thinking sees disasters as complex
problems demanding a collective response. Co-ordination even in conventional emergency management is
difficult, for many organisations may converge on a disaster area to assist. Across the broader spectrum of DRR,
the relationships between types of organisation and between sectors (public, private and non-profit, as well as
communities) become much more extensive and complex. In terms of involving civil society organisations, it
should mean thinking broadly about which types of organisation to involve (i.e., conventional NGOs and such
organisations as trades unions, religious institutions, amateur radio operators, universities and research
institutions.
Horizontal and vertical linkages between and within institutions are therefore vital to integrate and
coordinate actions of different sectors and stakeholders and to ensure coherence across governance levels. The
analysis of inter-institutional horizontal and vertical linkages forms a particularly important component of the
assessment of the following key elements of DRRM systems:
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mechanisms to ensure effective formal and informal interaction within and between the
concerned departments at all levels and the involvement of stakeholder groups in decision-
making processes that address DRM concerns;
the degree of consistency in the policy, planning and implementation processes within and across
different levels of government, NGOs, CSOs/CBOs, private sector and community-based
institutions;
communication of data and information especially through forecasting, early warning,
contingency plans for disaster preparedness, damage and loss assessment, and recovery and
rehabilitation;
coordination of operational activities before, during and after disasters among the different
levels of the concerned institutions; and
incorporation of DRM concerns into sector-specific development planning and/or the
development of hazard risk mitigation plans.
D.) Warning and Communication System
A people-centered early warning system necessarily comprises four key elements:
knowledge of the risks;
monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the hazards;
communication or dissemination of alerts and warnings and
local capabilities to respond to the warnings received.
The set of capacities is needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information
to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act
appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss.
The expression “end-to-end warning system” is also used to emphasize that warning systems need to
span all steps from hazard detection through to community response since mobilization is at the
municipality and barangay levels.
E.) Evacuation procedures- There should be selection criteria for safe evacuation centers. Not all centers are
safe/ and can withstand the threat of natural disasters. Emergency evacuation plans are needed to be developed
to ensure the safest and most efficient evacuation time of all expected residents of a structure, municipality, or
province. A benchmark "evacuation time" for different hazards and conditions should be established. These
benchmarks can be determined through using best practices, regulations, or using simulations, such as modeling
the flow of people in a building, to determine the benchmark. Proper planning must use multiple exits, contra-
flow lanes, and special technologies to ensure full, fast and complete evacuation. Consideration for personal
situations which may affect an individual's ability to evacuate must be taken into account, including alarm signals
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that use both aural and visual alerts, and also evacuation equipment such as carts and wheelchairs for non-
ambulatory people. Regulations such as building codes can be used to reduce the possibility of panic by allowing
individuals to process the need to self-evacuate without causing alarm. Proper planning will implement an all-
hazards approach so that plans can be reused for multiple hazards that could exist.
F.) Information system- Identify what kind of information should come from whom.
It is important how people obtain daily information and disaster information and how they deliver disaster
information to others. Effective information management for disasters is a vital component of disaster response
and relief. It is based on the premise that accurate and timely information is available before (early warning and
monitoring), during, and after disasters.
Information management involves coordination, delivery of relief assistance, beneficiary involvement, marketing
and external relations, monitoring and evaluation.
G.) Resources: Ensure that resources such as stockpiled relief goods are not expired/wasted.
There are many resources required for the preparedness program including:
People
Facilities
Communications and warning technologies
Fire protection and life safety systems
Pollution control systems
Equipment
Materials and supplies
Funding
Special expertise
Information about the threats or hazards
Resources can be classified into internal and external resources. Internal resources include staff for emergency
response, business continuity and crisis communications teams. Other resources include facilities, systems,
equipment, materials and supplies to support response, continuity and recovery operations. Resources that are
not available must be obtained from external resources. But it is important that an understanding of the
availability and capabilities of external resources is needed to make decisions about the preparedness program.
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External resources should be identified within plan documents which should include contact information
to reach them during an emergency and any additional instructions within the preparedness plan. Also an
inventory of internal and external resources needs to be compiled to identify their location, the operating
procedures and the persons who can operate these systems and to note the estimated delivery or
response time of external resources. Logistics considerations are an important part of the preparedness
program to ensure that resources will be available when and where they are needed.
H.) Response mechanism: The idea is to develop a complete national disaster response system from the ground
up, encompassing teams at the community level (Community-Based Disaster Response Teams), at the local level
(provincial Disaster Response Teams) and building close coordination with, the top of the pyramid, National
Disaster Response Teams (NDRTs). At each level, teams are made up of specially trained staff and volunteers,
who can be mobilized at short notice to work at local level to assist people affected by a disaster. When local
capacities are unable to cope with the scale of a disaster or the magnitude of the needs, teams from higher up
the system, be it provincial or national level – or even, if warranted, regional or international level – are called
upon to bolster the local disaster effort.
Response Phase
The Response Phase is the actual implementation of the disaster plan. Disaster response is the organization of
activities used to respond to the event and its aftermath. The Response Phase focuses primarily on emergency
relief: saving lives, providing first aid, minimizing and restoring damaged systems (communications and
transportation), meeting the basic life requirements of those impacted by disaster (food, water, and shelter), and
providing mental health and spiritual support and comfort care
The Local Response
All disasters start at the local level no matter how large or small, local communities are expected to provide
immediate disaster response. On a daily basis, our police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians
are our community’s first responders. Their primary mission centers on the rescue and recovery of those in
harm’s way. Whether fire, flood, or act of terrorism, these individuals are usually the first on the scene.
There are others who also respond and provide assistance to those impacted in the immediate aftermath of
disaster. Response should be interdisciplinary, from physical relief to counseling. Mental health professionals,
spiritual care professionals, and the community’s hospitals may also be activated in those early minutes and
hours after disaster. Triage and assessment becomes a significant factor in a community’s first response. It is not
only the assessment and medical triageof injured victims, but also the assessment of needed human and material
resources to respond to the incident. Usually when disaster strikes, there are a number of responding agencies
and the scene of a disaster can quickly become chaotic and confusing. In an effort to avoid some of this
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unnecessary confusion, there is always someone placed in charge of assessing the situation and evaluating the
needs of the response system.
I.) Public Awareness thru education and training – Public awareness is a key factor in effective disaster risk
reduction. Its development is pursued, for example, through the development and dissemination of information
through media and educational channels, the establishment of information centers, networks, and community or
participation actions, and advocacy by senior public officials and community leaders. APSEMO listed essential
indicators that local government should ensure;
regular conduct of awareness-building or education programs on DRR and disaster preparedness
for local community
provision of in-depth training in risk reduction for local officials and community leaders
local schools and colleges should provide courses, education or training in disaster and climate
risk reduction as part of the education curriculum
citizens are aware of evacuation plans or drills for evacuations when necessary
J.) Public rehearsals: Upon instituting the disaster preparedness plans and contingency plans regular training
drills and public rehearsals must be held to test and develop disaster response programs.
Integral to the DRRM is the practicing and testing of all the elements of emergency plans. The rehearsals have 4
main purposes:
validate plans (validation)
develop staff competencies and give them practice in carrying out their roles in the plans
(training)
expose and train community members, public
test well-established procedures (testing)