MASSACHUSETTS, USA – Filipinos’ self-reported disaster preparedness level has increased by 42% on average over the past seven years, a recent nationwide survey on disaster preparedness and climate change perceptions in the Philippines by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) reveals.
Nationwide data collected from 4,608 Filipinos across all regions from February to March 2024 show an average score of 19.2 out of 50 across five objective measures of disaster preparedness: planning, training, material investment, information, and social support. Each criterion received a score from 0 to 10.
This is a significant improvement from an average score of 13.5 out of 50 in a pioneering study conducted by HHI in 2017 using the same methodology and instrument; however, it is not enough for a country with the highest disaster risk in the world. On the 11th anniversary of one of the most destructive typhoons in history — Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Super Typhoon Yolanda) on November 8, 2013, the Harvard survey shows how much progress has been made to prepare for such events, and how much more is left to do.
“A score of 19.2 highlights both progress and areas needing urgent attention. While it shows an improvement in disaster preparedness, the score suggests that Filipinos are only doing 38.4% of the kinds of disaster preparedness activities needed to be prepared,” says Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino, director of the HHI Resilient Communities program and co-lead for this study.
Dr. Bollettino adds, “For a country as vulnerable to disasters as the Philippines, this is not enough, so we must accelerate our efforts to ensure Filipinos are investing, planning, training, and building closer ties to their communities.”
According to Dr. Patrick Vinck, Director of Research at HHI, “Enhancing the Philippines’ disaster preparedness requires investing in local leadership and leveraging technology to improve early warning systems and community engagement, among other critical measures.”
“This should be accompanied by investments in resilient infrastructures, local capacities, and anticipatory actions,” Dr. Vinck adds.
Material investments, social support still low
Among the objective measures of disaster preparedness, Filipinos scored highest in information (4.9 out of 10); and scored lowest in social support (2.3 out of 10). However, the overall score remains relatively low across all dimensions.
Survey participants were also asked what activities their households carried out to prepare for disasters.
In terms of specific social support activities, only a few Filipinos are members of a group or association (23%) and are familiar with their local disaster risk reduction and management officers (16%). Generally, social support declined from 2.7 out of 10 in 2017 to 2.3 in 2024.
Most Filipinos implemented measures to safeguard important documents like birth certificates and property titles (87%). Many Filipinos also monitor typhoon and other disaster warnings (70%) and familiarize themselves with rainfall warning systems (60%), suggesting they routinely experience water-related hazards, such as storms and floods.
While many Filipinos discuss emergency plans as a family (58%), only a few have prepared their respective disaster management plan (20%), Go bag (27%), adequate supplies of regularly taken medications (32%), and first-aid kit (33%). (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative)/PN
