Resources for planning
A variety of tools and resources exist to support
community-based and participatory processes for
hazard, vulnerabilities and capacities analysis. Whilst
each tool is based on the same underlying objective
of engaging communities to explore, understand,
document and act upon identified risk, each individual
agency’s tool tends to be slightly different to suite the
p articular organisational needs or mandate.
Below are some examples of tools, all of which are
available online.
The 2007 International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies’ VCA toolbox provides
guidance and strategies for
engaging volunteers and
communities in vulnerability
and capacity assessments.
Participatory hazard mapping is
one tool included in this guide
that is particularly important for
communities planning safer school construction projects.
The ActionAid’s Participatory
Vulnerability Analysis
guidance aims to provide
field practitioners with stepby-step guidance on how
to assess vulnerability, with
a particular focus on how
to link development and
emergencies, and how to
use local analysis to influence national policy.
A mandate for safety
In community-based construction, program managers have
a crucial role to play in the hazard assessment process.
They can facilitate dialogue between locals and hazard
specialists and, more importantly, they can provide a clear
mandate for safety. Where hazard exposure is routine
and may be underplayed by local communities, program
managers should hold safety as the paramount criteria for
site selection, design and construction.
SECTION III: PLANNING
RESOURCE BOX
Both hazard specialists and local communities can also
consider large-scale changes that may increase the severity
or frequency of hazards. For example, on a global and
regional scale, climate change will cause important shifts
in the frequency and severity of temperature extremes,
cyclones and flood events. At the local and regional scale,
deforestation may increase erosion and flooding. Accounting
for imminent changes during project planning is essential to
sustain the safety of school buildings.
Plan International’s 2010
Child-centred DRR Toolkit
outlines how to take a childcentred approach to hazard,
vulnerability and capacity
analysis.
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