Assessing the Disaster Vulnerability, Preparedness and Resilience of Selected Flood-Prone Barangays in the Northern Region of the Philippines: Towards Actionable Risk Communication Intervention

Disasters, such as flooding, have become progressively frequent and financially-draining, especially among the poor and vulnerable. This research study aimed to determine the disaster vulnerability, preparedness, and resilience of households in the most flood-prone barangays in three municipalities in the northern part Isabela. Descriptive quantitative research design guided the conduct of this study with a pretested and reliability-tested survey questionnaire as the research instrument. Simple random sampling was used to select the 140 respondents residing in the three barangays. In the past five years, most respondents in the three barangays experienced four to five instances of flooding with a greater number having experienced floodwater almost reaching the roof of their one-story house. Indicators of preparedness and resilience reveal that the respondents were ill-prepared for flooding, with most of them living in one-storey houses made of lightweight materials. Financial limitations that translate to poor preparedness compromise their resilience and increase their vulnerability to effects of flooding. Although they have access to evacuation centers, most respondents preferred to stay in their homes, exposing themselves to the dangers of flooding. It appears that most respondents face challenges in absorbing financial losses should they experience extensive damage due to flooding. Comparisons between barangays did not reveal any significant differences in vulnerability, but significant disparity in terms of their financial preparedness and resilience were observed. Enhancing the households’ disaster preparedness and resilience by equipping them with livelihood capability trainings should be initiated in these barangays. As an actionable risk communication intervention, developed IEC materials will be turned over to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Office of the three municipalities to be used during disaster capability-building programs to enhance their community preparedness and resilience.