Ill-Prepared Communities Despite the Inevitable: Assessing Disaster Preparedness in the Philippines

Recent events in Haiti have drawn much needed attention to the need for more effective prevention of international natural public health disasters. The Philippine island nation is especially vulnerable to Pacific typhoons, killing and displacing thousands annually. Community disaster preparedness has proven to be a successful tool, mitigating the effects of storms and their subsequent flooding and landslides. Following disasters, resources are highly scarce and international aid can take days to reach the most affected people. Organizations in the Philippines report a lack of knowledge, training and resources at the local level. Community emergency response trainings have been successful in preparing local neighborhoods and individuals prior to a disaster and allowing for efficient response after. To help optimize these efforts we conducted a focused needs and assets assessment to evaluate the preparedness levels of especially vulnerable sub-communities in the Philippines. Working with the local disaster management office, we conducted a focused local needs and assets assessment (NA+A) including key informant interviews, focus groups, and individual surveys on preparedness knowledge and relief activities practiced. Results will be used to design a community disaster preparedness curriculum specific to the needs of Philippine communities. Targeting specific lacking areas will enable us to adapt a preparedness curriculum for vulnerable communities. The poster will report our NA+A results as well as follow up plans for the preparedness curriculum including efforts regarding pilot testing of the suggested procedures and discuss public health implications.