Disaster assessment methodology exercise guide

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) pioneered not only disaster assessment but also compilation of the necessary methodology and courses on this methodology for member countries and international institutions. The experience of ECLAC in this area has been presented in three editions of the Handbook for Disaster Assessment, in 1991, 2003 and 2014. The last of these was prepared in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The present publication contains exercises developed for the economic, social and environmental disaster assessment methodology courses and is a teaching supplement to the third edition of the Handbook, which has been widely used in national and regional courses since its publication. 

The purpose of this exercise guide is to reinforce the basic concepts used in estimating the effects of a disaster, namely damage, losses and additional costs, which are defined in the third edition of the handbook for disaster assessment.