The DRM Unit of PSBA Manila hosted an Expert Lecture Series on Disaster Risk Management (DRM)

October 25, 2021 – In adherence to the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), observed every 13^th of October since 1989, the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit, Philippine School of Business Administration in coordination with the School of Urban and Regional Planning, University  of  the  Philippines  (UP-SURP),  and  Department  of  City  and  Regional  Planning, University  of  Engineering  and  Technology  (DCRP-UET),  Lahore,  Pakistan,  hosted  an Expert  Lecture  Series  on  Disaster  Risk  Management  (DRM)  with  the  theme  “Disaster  Risk Assessment: Progression  of  Vulnerabilities  &  Mitigation  Simplified”  virtually  on  October  24, 2021, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The target audience for this webinar included DRM Classes i.e., students of Community Based Disaster Risk Management and Special Seminar in DRM 1 classes   from PSBA; Disaster Risk Assessment class from DCRP-UET; and Plan 289 class from UP-SURP.

This Expert Lecture Series provided a platform wherein resource speakers from the academe, CSOs, and government were able to share their knowledge and expertise to help develop core competencies that relate to specific functions within the DRM. Specifically, it aimed to create connections and network among the different stakeholders to strengthen disaster risk assessment in order to understand the interaction of hazards, exposure and vulnerability for effective disaster prevention.

“The starting point for reducing disaster risk … lies in the knowledge of the hazards and the physical, social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities …  and of the ways in which hazards and vulnerabilities are changing in the short and long term, followed by action taken on the basis of that knowledge.” – Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.

Robust understanding of disaster risk, active engagement in risk assessment processes, fostered partnerships with relevant national technical agencies, and strengthened interagency linkages are the critical building blocks for undertaking risk-informed development.

This series discussed a comprehensive disaster risk assessment underpinning the following key

areas:

1. Understanding of current situation, needs and gaps to assess what already exists, avoid duplication of efforts, and build on existing information and capacities. This is done through a systematic inventory and evaluation of existing risk assessment studies, available data and information, and current institutional framework and capabilities.
2. Hazard assessment to identify the nature, location, intensity and likelihood of major hazards prevailing in a community or society.
3. Exposure assessment to identify population and assets at risk and delineate disaster prone areas.
4. Vulnerability analysis to determine the capacity (or lack of it) of elements at risk to withstand the given hazard scenarios.
5. Loss/Impact analysis to estimate potential losses of exposed population, property, services, livelihoods and environment, and assess their potential impacts on society.
6. Risk profiling and evaluation to identify cost-effective risk reduction options in terms of the socio-economic concerns of a society and its capacity for risk reduction.
7. Formulation or revision of DRR strategies and action plans that include setting priorities, allocating resources (financial or human) and initiating DRR programs.
8. Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management using probabilistic forecasts to determine the timing of activating procurement and deploying people.

Further, it explored the use of supply chain management techniques to overcome barriers encountered by logistics managers during humanitarian relief operations.

Among the current topics of interest were recent trends on DRM in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), DRM Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) implemented, and such other fundamental topics on policy formulation, capacity building, sustainable development, hazards, exposure, and vulnerability and others that promote and strengthen regional cooperation among stakeholders to understand disaster risks for advancing resilient development.