Philippines: Older people active in disaster prevention

According to the organization HelpAge Germany, older people face particular threats from the increasing number of natural disasters, but are normally not identified as a vulnerable group. HelpAge believes older people's rights, needs and capabilities must be recognized in all emergency programs and they must be integrated into local disaster management systems.

Relief agencies should consult with, and actively engage, older people in decision making and program design and delivery, to improve the appropriateness of service delivery and preventive measures. Programs must be inclusive and accessible by all, and inter-generational approaches and the use of older people’s committees are both techniques that can assist in achieving this.

HelpAge Germany together with its local partner COSE (Coalition of Services for the Elderly) and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office is actually implementing an 18 months innovative DRR project in disaster affected areas of the Philippines. The project in 7 provinces of Mindanao aims at reaching a total of 250.000 people with a special focus on older persons. The project focusses specifically on the creation and the capacity building of 50 Community Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committees to reduce the community vulnerability to multiple natural disasters and to advocate with policy makers, government disaster preparedness agencies, media, donors and NGOs to include older people and vulnerable populations in DRR policies and programs.

Activities under this project are

- community based DRR trainings
- hazard vulnerability and capacity assessments
- community risk analysis
- development of community emergency plans
- community drills
- distribution of preparedness materials
- production of radio spots and

The project shall ensure that community emergency planning takes care of older people and other vulnerable groups and includes them in their strategies for evacuation and allocation of space in temporary shelters, access to toilets, health services and food deliveries. Older people shall also be considered as active actors in disaster prevention and preparedness by using their traditional knowledge and their capacities. This has already been proved during the cyclone Bopha in December 2012 when older people took part in rapid needs assessments and helped others to survive. Also fewer casualties were documented in the project areas because timely evacuation was facilitated by trained older people.

The Philippines is considered the third most vulnerable country to disaster risks and natural hazards in the world according to a 2011 UN study. Vulnerable groups like older people, people with disabilities, tribal community members, women and children in poverty-stricken communities are repeatedly at risk to multiple hazards such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. The population of Mindanao is affected by the triple factors of insecurity due to a long armed conflict, natural hazards and poverty. Poverty level is the highest in the country (45%).