Disaster Preparedness Index of Households and Selected Local Government Units in Laguna, Philippines

There is a need to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience at all levels of society in the country. In line with this, the study was conducted to describe the assets or capitals and determine the level of disaster preparedness index (DPI) of the selected flood-prone households, barangays, and municipalities in the Province of Laguna. A total of 194 household respondents were randomly selected in Brgy. Santisima Cruz, Santa Cruz; Brgy. Concepcion, Lumban; and Brgy. Nanguma, Mabitac. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household survey were conducted to collect primary data. Computed weights were derived through analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to come-up with the DPI at the household, barangay, and municipal levels. Capital-based assessment of the disaster preparedness revealed that at the household level, 51% of the respondents in the three sites had high DPI, 34% had moderate DPI, and 15% had low DPI. All the three barangays had moderate DPI while all the three municipalities had high DPI. Overall assessment shows that cascading disaster preparedness programs from municipal to barangay, and eventually to household is not fully implemented. Identified areas with low DPI should be given the highest priority and resources for disaster preparation.