56609 EAP DRM KnowledgeNotes Working Paper Series No. 19 Disaster risk Management in east asia and the Pacific Managing Post-Disaster neeDs assessMents (PDna) By Brett Jones introDUCtion This knowledge note provides an overview of the post- disaster assessment process, extracting lessons learned in the East Asia Pacific Region (EAP) and presenting best practices from recent assessments. The note explains the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment methodology, and outlines: (i) the assessment triggers, (ii) key steps in as- sessment planning, and (iii) dos and don'ts in assessment execution. More in-depth guidance is available in UN- ECLAC's `Handbook for Estimating the Socioeconom- ic and Environmental Effects of Disasters' and `TTL Guidance for Conducting Damage and Loss Assessments after Disasters' prepared by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). What is a Post-Disaster neeDs assessMent? A Post-disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is a government-led exercise that estimates post-disaster damage and losses across all sectors of the economy as well as the recovery, relief, reconstruction, and risk management needs. PDNA also provides guidance to the government and international donor community on the country's short, medium, and long term recovery priorities. This working paper series is produced by the East Asia and Pacific Disaster Risk Management Team of the World Bank, with support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). The series is meant to provide just-in-time good practice examples and lessons learned from projects and programs related to aspects of disaster risk management. 2 Disaster risk Management in east asia and the Pacific PDna MethoDoLogY The Recovery Framework summarizes the recov- ery recommendations from the sectoral assessments The PDNA is comprised of a `Damage and Loss As- within the PDNA. It outlines the short, medium and sessment' (DALA), a `Human Recovery Needs As- longer term needs and priorities for the recovery process sessment' (HRNA) and a `Recovery Framework'. The post-disaster. "Tripartite Statement on Post-Crisis Assessment and Recovery Planning," signed in October 2008 by the triggers For a PDna United Nations, the European Commission and the World Bank, lays out the various roles these interna- World Bank participation in a PDNA is triggered by tional actors will play in the PDNA process. The World a government request, preferably in writing. The re- Bank focuses on the DALA, the UN on the HRNA quest may also result from the intervention and recom- and the EC supports the PDNA team with mapping mendation of the United Nations Resident Coordinator tools and sectoral experts. By combining these method- in the affected country. However, government owner- ologies, a comprehensive assessment of the impact of a ship of the assessment is critical, and the government's disaster is possible, combining financial, economic and early involvement sets the stage for future engagement. social aspects of the effects of the event. PLanning the assessMent The DALA is quantitative in nature, and is used to value The Damage and Loss Assessment should begin direct damages arising from a hazardous event, and the when the humanitarian relief operation stage is over subsequent economic losses caused by the event. This and when the natural hazard(s) has abated. Two to methodology, developed by the United Nations Eco- four weeks is needed for a typical assessment. This in- nomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean cludes a two-day training on the DALA and HNRA (ECLAC) in the 1970s, provides a standardized tool for methodologies, baseline data collection, field survey for the valuation of post-disaster damage (in assets, physical, primary data, the sector-by-sector assessment, the mac- capital, stock, material goods) and losses (in flows of goods ro-economic impact analysis, the analysis at a personal/ and services, income, costs) that arise from the temporary household level, the estimation of recovery and recon- absence of the destroyed assets. The DALA highlights the struction needs, and the report writing process. possible consequences on the growth of the national or lo- cal economy, the external sector and the fiscal balances, as assessMent tiMeLine well as the impact due to the decline of income and liveli- hoods of households or individuals. The assessment terms of reference will serve as the assessment roadmap. A clear terms of reference (ToR) The HRNA focuses on the social impact of disasters, will list the purpose, partners and activities to be car- analyzing how disasters affect local patterns of life, ried out in the PDNA. Based on past experience, it is social structures and institutions. An HNRA assess- advisable to define a clear timeline with deadlines for ment includes analysis of primary data from household the expected deliverables. The team should also develop or other unit of analysis, and provides insight into re- a ToR with assignments on who is writing each section covery and reconstruction from the viewpoint of the af- and a sample structure/outline for the report. fected community. Managing Post-Disaster needs assessments (PDna) 3 Data collection should begin early in the planning process, drawing on the best available national and hazardous event international information. Essential baseline data in- · EmergencyRelief cludes the most recent population census, the most re- cent household surveys, annual production statistics and/ or forecasts, annual reports for utilities, annual economic Planning stage ­ Week 1 and social surveys and other economic and financial in- · BaselineDataCollection formation and data. The team should also collect reports · AgreeonTOR on the disaster produced by major stakeholders, such as · TeamCompositionMethodology the Government, the UN, NGOs, etc. · TrainingonDALA Clear roles and responsibilities of all agencies involved assessment stage ­ Week 2 · FieldSurvey in the PDNA will help participants avoid duplication · SectorbySectorAssessment of efforts and gaps in information. Assessment gaps · CalcualteDALA occur when agencies prefer to assess only sectors or geo- · HumanNeedsAssessment graphic locations where they have projects or available experts. Duplication of effort has occurred when mul- analysis stage ­ Week 3 tiple agencies conduct their own assessments and don't · MacroAnalysis share data. International experience in post-disaster as- · ReportDrafting sessments has shown that competitive needs assessment · EstimateReconstructionand RecoveryNeeds processes are often inefficient and unsustainable. Speed is more important than 100% accuracy, but nevertheless aim for the highest possible accuracy by Dissemination stage ­ Week 4 selecting the best sectoral experts available. Private · PublishandLaunchthePDNA sector consultants are an option for areas where the government and international community lack techni- cal expertise. When selecting representatives for the Early involvement of development partners in the PDNA, a balance between senior figures who are in PDNA can increase coordination and promote buy- decision-making positions and can implement recom- in to the process and the results. Under the leadership mendations and junior technical experts who will be of the designated Government coordinator, the UN able to dedicate the time needed to fully participate in Resident Coordinator and other heads of UN agencies the entire PDNA process is ideal. should be involved in the early stages of PDNA plan- ning. Their participation and added assessment capacity The list of sectors to be included in the assessment is can increase the credibility of the PDNA report. Re- not defined on the basis of institutional preferences. gional offices such as UNESCAP and ILO and bilat- Rather, the combination of the type, extent, and char- eral donors may also elect to support the assessment or acteristics of the natural phenomena that caused the di- provide technical experts. saster should define the thematic coverage of the assess- 4 Disaster risk Management in east asia and the Pacific ment. Cross cutting issues should be included such as Managing a field survey is time consuming. Some gender, disaster risk management, and climate change countries have elected to separate assessment team co- adaptation. Furthermore, the PDNA should not assess ordination and leadership functions. Coordinating the only those sectors for which it is easy to obtain national deployment of sector teams for the field survey is a assessment experts. substantial task. The PDNA lead may choose to nomi- nate a logistics focal point to assist the team (or sectoral There is need for continuity in the assessment pro- teams, if splitting up) to allocate cars and interpreta- cess. Each PDNA team member must have sufficient tion resources prior to the field survey. An interpreter is time to fully participate in all stages of the PDNA, in- needed for the field survey if team members don't speak cluding the training, site visit and the damage and loss the local language. Bilingual sector experts may be pres- calculations. The same people who attend the PDNA ent, but will be focused on their sector, not on translat- training should be available for the site visits and report ing for other team members in meetings. write up. The quality and reliability of the assessment suffers when "part time" team members take leading Decision Point: roles in the assessment report, when key PDNA team Which sectors to include? members attend the training but miss the site visits, or 1) All sectors and subsectors when PDNA team members are designated to draft the Advantages: Providesacomprehensiveoverviewof alldamageandlossesacrossthecountry. sectoral report without participating in the prior steps. Disadvantages:Canbetimeconsumingandcostly. 2) A select range of sectors/subsectors the PDna FieLD sUrVeY Advantages: Eliminatestheneedtoverifydataand dotime-consuminganalysisofsectorsthatwerenot affected,andprocessmaybemorecost-effective The Field Survey visit should be used to verify, rather andquicker. than collect, data. Data collection should be done dur- Disadvantages: Mayoverlooksectorswherethe ing the planning process whenever possible, and the field scaleofdamagewasnotknownorassumedtobe survey used to verify existing data or to collect sector spe- negligibleatthetimeofPDNAplanning,butwhich mayhavebeenindirectlyaffected. cific data in an affected area. Local authorities can serve as the best data source, but means of verification ­ such as an aerial survey or a site visit ­ are essential. the assessMent rePort Sector and time considerations determine the scope of the field survey. The team as a whole can visit affected Credible damage and loss estimations set the basis for areas, or can be split by sector to visit specific provinces a good report. Within three days of the site visit, the or municipalities. The length of the visit and number PDNA lead should request initial DALA summaries of areas covered in the field survey are at the discretion from each sector lead. While accepting that disasters of the PDNA leads, but should be sufficient to provide can have vastly different impacts on different sectors, a representative sample. Recent field surveys in South misunderstandings of the DALA methodology and of East Asia have ranged from five to ten days for localized what constitutes a recovery need could also artificially disasters, to weeks, depending on the geographic scope inflate or deflate the impact. The earlier inaccuracies are and magnitude of the natural disaster impacts. corrected, the easier it is to prioritize needs and draft the recovery framework. Managing Post-Disaster needs assessments (PDna) 5 demographic data at the national and sub national lev- Decision Point: el is crucial for a comparative analysis of post-disaster how to organize the Field survey? impacts. The Government of the Philippines managed a 1)Travelingtogetheriseffectiveifdamageis rapid assessment following the 2009 typhoons because of localizedortheteamissmall. the readily available pre-typhoon economic and demo- 2)Dividingtheteambysectoriseffectiveifthe graphic data. In other countries, the lack of data slowed impactiswidespread,theterrainisdifficultto cover,orsector-specificdamageislimitedtoonly down the assessment process and decreased credibility. certainpartsofthecountry. Look to the countries' own social capital first. Follow- ing the 2009 earthquakes in West Sumatra and Jambi, Accuracy versus opportunity. There may be pressure Indonesia rapidly mobilized experienced government to immediately produce an assessment report or pro- staff to draft the PDNA with almost no external tech- vide early estimates of damage. This should be balanced nical support. International experts can bring valuable with the need to produce credible information. Donors experience, but are not a prerequisite for a PDNA. may need early figures to start the process of mobilizing funds, but it is important to note that mass media tend The process of doing an assessment report is, in itself, to have a substantial influence on the recovery process a capacity-building tool. It can teach line ministries and may give more publicity than intended to these early figures. what to expect the next time a disaster occurs or how to incorporate DRM concepts into new projects. In Cam- Style versus content. Electing a single lead writer or a bodia, sector experts with no previous experience in di- writing team can greatly increase the quality of the re- sasters reported that, after the assessment, they better port. Sectoral experts may have the skills needed to pro- understood how to integrate DRM into development vide both the quantitative analysis and the narrative in projects and anticipate future emergency needs. the sector report, but others may have limited English or writing skills. For example, the PDNA team in Lao PDR used a lead writer to write the final narrative based other Key Lessons Learned on the sectoral experts' analysis. In the Samoa/Tonga n Attentiontoplanningintheearlystagesofthe assessment, a two-person editorial team, supported re- assessmentcanhavebigpayoffsinthelater motely by the World Bank Sydney office, wrote, edited stages. and formatted the final report with input from the sector n Broadownershipoftheassessmentprocess leads. In Indonesia, each sectoral team contributed a por- increaseswillingnesstoimplementtheoutcomes. tion of the report chapters, and a small editing team was n Aninflatedlistofneedscanunderminethe tasked to integrate and edit the final PDNA report. credibilityoftheassessment. n Theavailabilityofdonorfundsshouldnever Lessons LearneD FroM reCent bethedrivingforceforconductinganeeds assessment. assessMents in soUth east asia n Needsofthebeneficiaries,notthedevelopment prioritiesofdonors,shoulddrivetherecovery Experience in highly disaster-prone countries has framework. shown that maintaining updated socio-economic and 6 Disaster risk Management in east asia and the Pacific Do Don't n Promote inclusive ownership of the n Start the PDNA when it will impede the PDNA process from the outset and delivery of humanitarian relief. conduct joint rather than competing assessments. n Neglect logistics; seemingly small details like interpretation and transportation n Pick the right mix of technical experts can create real bottlenecks in the and policy makers for an effective assessment process. assessment team. n Create a system of multiple, competing n Balance speed and accuracy when assessments or ignore a sector because assessing damages and producing the it's not a donor or development priority. final report. Information management is important. As recent KeY resoUrCes large scale crises have shown, media attention can drive the recovery process. Some countries have discussed in- UNECLAC, Handbook for Estimating the cluding local media representatives in their assessment Socioeconomic and Environmental Effects of team. Others have found releasing estimated damage Disasters (2009). and loss figures before the report can cut down on inac- curate speculation. GFDRR Guidance noted for TTLs Conducting Damage and Loss Assessments after Disaster, In fragile or post conflict states, intergovernmental or GFDRR (2010). international agencies may have to play coordinating role and refrain from creating duplicative or competi- UNDP Volumes II & III, Guide to PDNA/RF tive assessment processes. Following cyclone Nargis in (undated). Myanmar, an effective partnership was formed between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the UN system and NGOs to undertake the assessment. The European Commission, the United Nations Development Group and the World Bank Joint Declaration on Post-Crisis Assessments and Recovery Planning. Jha, Abhas. Post-disaster Needs Assessment Methodology (Powerpoint slide) 2010. east asia and the Pacific region TheWorldBank 1818HSt.NW,Washington,D.C.,20433 http://www.worldbank.org/eap Special thanks and appreciation are extended to the partners who support GFDRR's work to protect livelihoods and improve lives: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.