Ready or not: a study on the disaster preparedness of the City of Manila

Abstract

Disasters are a rampant phenomenon being experienced by people worldwide. Natural events such as earthquakes, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, wildfires, floods, landslides and droughts persist and occur. So do their man-made counterparts, such as civil unrest and major accidents. However, hazards become disasters only if vulnerable people and resources are exposed to them. Manila City is one of the ten largest megacities that are located in vulnerable areas. However, these vulnerabilities and impacts of disaster may be reduced by measures toward disaster preparedness. Disaster preparedness minimizes the adverse effects of a hazard through effective precautionary actions, rehabilitation and recovery to ensure the timely, appropriate and effective organization and delivery of relief and assistance following a disaster. This research aims to critically assess and evaluate the disaster preparedness programs being implemented by the local government of the City of Manila. This may be achieved by defining and describing an efficient and effective disaster preparedness plan; enumerating the measures being undertaken by the local government of Manila city in order to ensure its' constituents' preparedness in times of disaster; and by mapping the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the disaster preparedness programs of Manila city. The researcher has conducted traditional methods of data gathering, survey and/or interviews with barangay officials in different districts in Manila City and also an interview with a representative from the Manila City Hall. The researcher concludes that the Local Government of Manila City still needs to develop and improve its disaster preparedness in order to lessen the vulnerability of its constituents.