This course is joint offering of National Disaster Coordinating Council and World Bank Institute, in partnership with Earthquake Megacities Initiative.

The consequences of natural disasters on economic activities, property, human welfare and natural resources can be devastating. These events greatly affect the productive sectors of the economy, not to mention the impacts on communities, in particular, the poor.

In the last decades, we can observe increasing frequency and scale of natural disasters in developing world. A recent report lists the following reasons of higher disaster risks developing countries are facing: (i) geographical location in areas which are more vulnerable to climatic and geological events, (ii) population growth and urbanization that contributes to high density settlements, overexploitation of natural resources and growing number of settlements in endangered areas, (iii) lack of financial, organizational, legal and personal capacity to reduce disaster risk through prevention and mitigation measures.

Poorly designed and implemented urban development policies and investment decisions, badly selected location for housing projects, missing or non-enforced land use regulations and construction codes all contribute to vulnerability and the consequent risk of further disasters. These factors result in increased damage inflicted during hazard events.

Language

The language of the course is English.

Course Format

The course consists self-paced modules, discussion forums, exercises, readings, case studies, tests and learning via interaction with program faculty and peers. The course includes 3 audio sessions of expert lectures for 40–45 minutes each.

Course Expectations

Participants are expected to commit 8–10 hours per week in order to gain the most out of this course in addition to:

• Complete the required reading assignments
  
• Participate in all online activities. Participation involves posting a minimum of two messages per week that are substantive in nature. The message can be either a new topic or a reply to someone else's message.
  
• Participants are encouraged to post more often than twice a week in order to be involved more deeply into topics.
  
• Participate in videoconferencing and asynchronous chat sessions (if applicable)
  
• Complete assignments and end of course project
  
• Complete course evaluation at the end of the course

System Requirements of the Course

·   Hardware: Pentium 166 or faster, 64Mb Memory, CD-ROM, Sound Card

• Software: Windows 95,98,ME,NT 4,2000 or XP Internet Explorer 4 or higher, Netscape 4 or higher Microsoft Office 2000 (Word,Powerpoint) Acrobat Reader 5 

Course Overview

This specialization course provides an overview of disaster risk management sound practice for local government policymakers, urban managers, planners, and disaster management professionals. It discusses the inter-linkages of the social and physical parameters of vulnerability of cities with their local government development, organization, and management. It explains the impediments to disaster risk reduction in urban environments and then presents the key concepts of disaster risk management and the role and intervention of local institutions. It emphasizes that disaster risk reduction only takes place when it is inherently integrated within local government functions.

Thus, it proposes a model for implementing such integration that is based on the development of a city-wide disaster risk management master plan (DRMMP). It is founded on an understanding of the risk parameters and incorporates action plans related to response and recovery, preparedness and awareness raising, mitigation and prevention, and institution building. The course discusses the structural and organizational arrangements for implementation, the resource and training needs, the strategies and challenges in implementation and discusses practical “do’s” and “don’ts” based on past experience, proposing an implementation framework. It establishes that disaster risk reduction stems from coherent policies that are based on a comprehensive understanding of risk, that promote preparedness and mitigation and incorporate the participation of the active agents of the community. Disaster risk management is a concern to the whole community and requires their involvement and contribution. The course provides three case studies to illustrate different approaches to disaster risk reduction, the related organizational, institutional and financial parameters, and how these experiments have supported sustainable development goals in different cities.

This specialization course targets local government policymakers, urban managers, planners, and disaster management professionals. The course consists of two modules and an end of course exercise.

Module 1 : Global Perspective

• Session 1: Disaster Risk and its Management in the Context of Local Government
  This introductory presentation establishes the relationship between disaster and urbanization by explaining the elements that determine vulnerability in cities, in particular vulnerabilities related to the built environment, population and institutions.  It relates the vulnerabilities to typical local governmental organizational functions such as urban planning, public works and social services.  It then explains the impediments to disaster risk reduction and their consequences. It argues that decentralization is critical to achieving disaster risk reduction, and that it is the cumulative contribution of all the active agents of a community that reduces risk and develops safer cities within a sustainable development process. 

• Session 2: Principles and Components of Disaster Risk Management
  The session discusses the elements of “sound” urban disaster risk management at the local level. It defines the role of local government in the integration of disaster management within the functional structures of government. The concept of Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) is proposed as a model for implementing a systematic and systemic disaster management program for cities (particularly large and complex urban agglomerations). The session also explains the importance of disaster risk assessment (DRA) and discusses the available tools, such as scenario analysis and risk mapping, for quantifying risk and understanding its demands on the community. It discusses the integration of information and communication tools, and how gaps and needs can be evaluated through a “consequence analysis” process, which allows to involve stakeholders and develop a coherent strategy for disaster risk reduction
  
• Session 3: Developing and Implementing a City-wide Disaster Risk Reduction Agenda
  This session focuses on the implementation of a disaster risk reduction agenda for a city.  It presents a framework based on four core objectives: coherent public policies, institutional commitment, mitigation and a culture of prevention. The Disaster Risk Management Master Plan (DRMMP) model is provided as an implementation mechanism to achieve these objectives.  DRMMP is driven by the risk parameters developed in disaster risk assessment, that is, by the “demand” from the disaster and not by the available resources. The importance of tools such as information and communication technology in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction within the city’s functions and in communicating risk to stakeholders is further emphasized. The DRMMP assists with capacity enhancement for local governments both in building code development and enforcement, and community preparedness, as well as in retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructure.

Module 2 - Philippines Perspective

• Session 1 - Impact of Natural Hazards in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines
  
  The lure of industrialization assures the continued rural-urban exodus for families wanting to improve their standard of living. The current rate of urban growth in Metro Manila is an estimated 3.6 percent. Much of this, however, is directly related to the government's rural neglect and low priority given to the agricultural sector. Under this circumstances rural population gravitates towards cities where they perceive better economic opportunities. The fate of Metropolitan Manila, as one of the 20 biggest metropolises in the world, is undeniably linked with trends in the global scene. In attempts to catch up with developed nations, the government pursues economic growth above everything else, watering down the Philippine Agenda, the commitment to sustainable development. Against this backdrop, finding solutions to the city's problems even becomes more difficult in the coming years. The metropolis is afflicted with a host of problems, and one of which is its vulnerability to impacts of natural hazards.

• Session 2 - Ongoing Initiatives of the Government and Private Sector
  
  Based on the impacts of natural hazards in Metropolitan Manila and some other cities in the Philippines presented in the first session, session two highlights the ongoing initiatives of both government and private sector in addressing these increased vulnerabilities of urban settlements. It gives a detailed overview of existing regulations and necessary permits for new developments that aim at improving the safety of constructions. The session also underscores the importance of strong partnership among the government, private sector and civil society in confronting the challenges posed by existing risks in the country.

End of Course Project

To meet the course completion requirement the participants are required to submit an end-of course case study/project. The objective of the course project is to apply newly acquired knowledge to build a case study of a natural disaster risk management system in a selected city. In the course project participants should provide a critical assessment of risks present in the city and the specific ways in which the current city disaster risk management system addresses or doesn’t address these risks. The project should be prepared in a case study format. 

National Disaster Coordinating Council  (NDCC), and Earthquake Megacities Initiative (EMI)

This course is offered to a group of up to 40 central and local government officials, policymakers, consultants, researchers and professors of training institutions worldwide, who are interested in development challenges and issues related to natural disaster risk management. Once the course has ended, participants from training institutions are welcome to replicate this training for their staff, for central and local government officials. Donors working in hazard and disaster related projects could also apply to attend the course. Only applicants who attended the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Framework course will be accepted. 

Best Course Project by Evan Anthony V. Arias (download: PDF file, 188 kb) 

Best Course Project by Dennis Fel Matutina

Best Course Project by Ramon Faustino Sales Jr.(download: PDF file, 149 kb) 

Best Course Project by Andres Winston C. Oreta(download: PDF file, 46 kb) 

Best Course Project by Renan Tanhueco (download: PDF file, 262 kb)