Capabilities and Capacity Building in Disaster Preparedness

Capacity Building

The process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that organizations
and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world.

It refers to all the strengths, attributes, and resources available within a community, organization or society to manage,
an reduce disaster risks, and strengthen resilience.

Trainings
1. Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training

Primarily created by and for those who live in high-risk communities and are based on their immediate needs and
capabilities, disaster risk reduction activities, measures, projects, and programs.

An approach to disaster risk reduction and management that actively involves at-risk communities in the identification,
analysis, treatment, monitoring, and evaluation of disaster risks in order to lessen their vulnerabilities and strengthen
their capacities, and places the needs of the community at the center of decision-making and activity implementation.

2. Training of Facilitators on Contingency Planning

The training aims to develop a pool of trainer-facilitators with basic competencies to facilitate the formulation of
Contingency Plans towards building safe and disaster resilient communities. Specifically, the participants, at the end of
the training are expected to:

a) articulate the DRR concepts, local hazards and rights-based approach as framework for response;

b) discuss and demonstrate the process of drafting contingency plans;

c) demonstrate teaching skills on specific topics at the local level; and

d) develop a common CP design for communities and LGUs.

3. Evacuation and Evacuation Center Management Training-Workshop

Getting ready for a successful emergency response. Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), also known as
evacuation center management, is one of the key emergency response interventions (ER).

Emergency responses are defined as actions taken immediately before and after a disaster's impact that are intended to
save lives, protect property, and address any immediate damage the disaster has caused.

4. School-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training of Facilitators

Working with the public school system is an important strategy in building resilience in governance. Schools are critical
venues for raising public awareness and building the culture of safety.

Teachers are instrumental in disseminating messages on DRR and can prepare school children to better cope with
emergencies. Since most of public schools are utilize as evacuation centers during emergencies, it plays significant role
as institution for learning and venue for protecting the rights and dignity of disaster affected population.

Competency Enhancement
Defined as a “complex combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities”.

Emergency preparedness and disaster nursing competencies are essential because they serve as the foundation for
designing curricula. A competency-based program is the most appropriate strategy for disaster and emergency
preparedness educational initiatives given the significance of responders' attitudes (affective domain), skill-set, and
knowledge base (cognitive domain).

Advocacy Activities
Raising awareness

Raising awareness of schools and hospitals, especially those located in hazard-prone regions, safe from disasters.

It explains the ideas of safety, hazard, vulnerability, and risk simply. It offers the reader some important questions to
consider when evaluating their own school or hospital's safety.

Why campaign for schools and hospitals?

 Schools and hospitals are powerful symbols of social progress and development.

 Schools represent the children -- the nation’s hope of the future -and their education

 Hospitals represent the community’s health and well-being.

Safety first

Safety is a human concern — a concern that must be taken decisively by school and hospital communities given that
they are in the business of caring for the young and preserving lives. School and hospital safety must be seriously
pursued and achieved at all times, especially during emergencies.

Volunteerism
to do something, esp.  for other people or for an organization, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it

Volunteers trained in disaster management

They are specifically trained volunteers with roles and responsibilities relating to emergencies. Typical roles that they
might play include:

￮ Rescue

￮ Relief distributions

￮ Evacuation of those injured

￮ Family reunification

￮ Provision of health care

Other existing volunteers

National Society may not have emergency response volunteers in every community, it may have other volunteers
carrying out health, disaster risk reduction or social services. These volunteers can be an important resource to a
National Society in a response, in particular if they are present in emergency-affected communities.
Typical roles that such volunteers play include:

• Acting as a focal point for initial community rescue efforts.

• Providing an initial response to immediate needs, for example first aid

• Communicating an initial assessment of the situation to National Society regional or national structures

• Providing local information and knowledge as the National Society response grows

• Filling further volunteer roles in support of an ongoing emergency response • Crowd control

Advisories
Recognize the Hazards

A hazard is typically described as "a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity, or condition that may cause
loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic
disruption, or environmental damage.”

Natural disasters are among the most destructive and are unavoidable. Interventions are therefore required to lessen
the suffering caused by natural disasters.

Support Groups
Disaster Management Services (DMS) is one of the major services of the Philippine Red Cross, primarily tasked to
deliver humanitarian assistance during emergency and disaster situations.

THE CITIZENS’ DISASTER RESPONSE CENTER (CDRC) is a non-government organization that pioneered and continues to
promote community-based disaster management in the Philippines.

Non-profit organizations serve as additional help aside from the programs and funds from the government. NGOs must
focus on their programs and means to send help. The deeper sense of their humanitarian act lies in their purpose.