Pasig City Resilience to Earthquakes and Floods Project

Name of Funding Organization/Sponsor: Pasig City Government
Country and Location: Pasig City, Philippines
Start Date: June 2011
Completion Date: September 2012 (Ongoing)


Project Summary:

The Pasig City Resilience to Earthquakes and Floods Project seeks to develop a disaster risk reduction and management plan for managing the earthquake and flood risks of the city through the support and involvement of the various local stakeholders.

The project has the following components: (1) Review, update and validation of the city’s existing plans to conform to the Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and to international standards;  (2) High resolution assessment of earthquake and flood risks including identification of impact by neighborhood and pinpointing of hotspots; (3) Production of information, education and communication materials specifically for earthquake and floods, (4) Development of a geo-spatial database that provides real-time access to the most accurate information on disaster risks, and (5) Development of a risk atlas which contains  relevant earthquake and flood hazard information, including risk maps to facilitate decision-making prior to, during and after disasters, and (6) Development of a disaster risk management tool kit for sharing within all city agencies for uniformity and efficiency in policy making, planning and action. Further, the project includes a review of the city’s comprehensive land use plan for risk sensitivity, a review of the process of code implementation, as well as various technical trainings for engineers, planners and disaster management professionals.
The Project Organization is composed of a Project Management Team (PMT), Advisory Committee (AC), and Project Implementation Team (PIT). The Project Implementation Team (PIT) is further divided into Focus Groups namely:

1. Geographic Information System & Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (GIS-HVRA),
2. Land Use Planning & Construction Code and Standards (LUP-CCS),
3. Legal and Institutional Arrangements (LIA),
4. Emergency Management (EM), and
5. Information, Education and Communication (IEC).

The Focus Group (FG) serves as the mechanism for stakeholder participation in the project and the corresponding processes. Thus, each member takes ownership of his/her contributions. It is the venue to solicit data and information to be utilized by the different project components. The FG will eventually take ownership of its contributions and will continue the work of EMI when the project ends.

Methodology  
The development of the Pasig City DRRMP involves the following methodology:

1. Establish Institutional Goals and City vision for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction; 
2. Set up the Standards for accomplishing the vision and reaching the goals based on international best practices; 
3. Review and Assess Pasig City’s Disaster Management Plans developed by C3 with respect to established standards; 
4. Integrate with Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA) of Pasig City through MMEIRS, other sources (e.g. PHIVOLCS, PAGASA, UNDP), and experts’ assessment and analysis; and,  
5. Validate and Institutionalize through a series of workshops with leaders and department managers to formulate a disaster risk management strategy and action plan, and to mobilize the full city’s potential.
6. Structure a final DRRMP for implementation with clearly state and concise recommendations (“What”), rationales (“Why”), strategies (“How”), and assignment (“Who”).
7. Provide an Implementation Plan to guide the City in the steps and process for implementation including priorities.

EMI has used this approach in many cities, including in its recently completed Disaster Risk Management Master Plan for Greater Mumbai. It can thus move the city through this process efficiently, with a clear vision on the steps and goals for each step.

Project Key Accomplishments

• High resolution hazard, vulnerability and risk assessments for earthquake and floods focusing on impacts of risks to city services and functions
• Development of disaster risk reduction and management toolkit for use by city officials in their planning and decision-making
• Review and analysis of existing Geographic Information System, Legal and Institutional Arrangements, Emergency Management practice, and Land Use Planning & Construction Code and Standards
• Capacity building of city officials, technical specialists, and national government agencies on Emergency Management, Risk Analysis, and Rapid Visual Screening to determine physical vulnerability of structures, Network Analysis for DRRM, Risk Sensitive Land Use Planning.
• Development of audience-specific information, education and communication materials for earthquake and flood preparedness

Contribution to Urban Risk Reduction

• Sets the legal and institutional context for mainstreaming DRRM at city level
• Improves inter-institutional coordination mechanisms for emergency response and preparedness through the Emergency Support Function system
• Builds and sustains technical capacity on disaster risk reduction practices such as land use planning and construction codes and standards
• Provides a scientific and rational approach for optimizing investments in risk reduction activities by focusing on impacts of disasters from the risk and vulnerability assessments
• Through the disaster risk reduction and management master planning process, provides a platform for a coherent, well coordinated, and participatory approach to getting stakeholder support and inputs to urban risk reduction