Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)

It is widely recognized that the government has the prime responsibility for managing disasters. With the top-down and command and control approaches oftentimes used in disaster management, decisions are made by higher authorities based on their perception of the needs of the community. The communities are not given the chance to participate in the process of decision-making and implementation of activities. They serve as mere "victims" or receivers of aid. Lack of community participation results to failure in meeting appropriate and vital needs, unncessary increase in requirement for external resouces, and general public dissatisfaction towards the government.

Strategic Plan to Integrate CBDRM
Gawad Kalasag Guidelines 2008

The government is flying relief goods to flood-stricken residents of Eastern Samar today.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman, will escort the relief goods from the GMA Kapuso Foundation to Borongan town aboard a C-130 plane.

President Arroyo is also flying today to Dolores town in Eastern Samar to personally assess the ongoing relief operations.

At least 21 people have been killed and more than 294,000 displaced by floods and landslides in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Red Cross reported 15 dead and four missing in the Visayas and Bicol.

Another six people died in Mindanao after heavy rains this week.

As of yesterday, the NDCC placed the estimated damage to agriculture and infrastructures at P797 million.

NDCC records also showed the severe weather condition had affected 106,455 families or 514,862 people in 896 barangays from 14 provinces in MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Most of the dead in the Visayas were caused by flashfloods while those in Mindanao were killed by a landslide.

The entire province of Albay in Bicol, as well as the eastern half of Samar island and one town in Capiz, have been placed under a state of emergency.

As part of the collaborative project entitled Partnership on Disaster Reduction on Southeast Asia (PDRSEA) Phase 4, the Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) with the technical support of Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), assisted the Camalig Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) in integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) components and strategies in their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and in enhancing early warning system and evacuation procedures at the barangay level. Considering its proximity to the foot of Mayon Volcano, the Camalig Municipality was identified as one of the high risk areas in Albay province.

In line with the NDCC's objective to further stregnthen its coordination mechanisms and improve the overall effectiveness of humanitarian emergency response, an Information Management Assessment Mission have been conducted by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) Information Management Unit (OCHA ROAP IMU) in coordination with the NDCC. The mission which have a duration of seven to ten ten days, had took place in the National Capital region and other regions potential at risk to disasters.

Data Rediness Assessment as one of the activities of this mission covers IM Startegy; IM systems, staff and skills; data sets (development and maintenance of key baseline data sets such as social infrastructure i.e. healthfacilities, schools, etc; and other resources (background documents, paper maps and atlases, expert contacts, websites and other information value to IM responders).