Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis - Adpc

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REPORTING

Second Draft

Post-Disaster
Damage Assessment
and
Need Analysis

PO Box 4, Klong Luang Pathumthani 12120 Thailand www.adpc.ait.ac.th


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

1. Introduction 2

2. Types of Assessment 2

3. Reports 3

4. Format of Reports 4

5. Quantifying Needs 5

6. Terminology 6

7. Resources 6

8. Priorities 6

9. International Donors 7

10. Training 7

Annexes:

Annex A: Suggested Format for FLASH Report 8

Annex B: Suggested Format for INITIAL Report 9

Annex C: Suggested Format for Inventory of Resources 14

Annex D: Most Common Priority Needs after Disasters in Asia 16

Acknowledgements

This document incorporates the outputs of the ADPC Workshop on Post-Disaster


Assessment and Needs Analysis, Bangkok 24-28 April 2000, extracts from
documents produced by participants in the Workshop, and also draws on a variety of
other publications including the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance Field
Operations Guide, the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Field
Handbook, the SPHERE Project, and South Pacific Disaster Reduction Program’s
Guide to Successful Damage Reporting. Permission to incorporate material from
these sources is gratefully acknowledged.
Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

INTRODUCTION

1. If officials responsible for organizing post-disaster relief operations are to make


effective decisions about the deployment of resources it is essential that they be
properly informed. They must have appropriate and timely information about
what has happened, what needs to be done, and what resources are available.
Their decisions can save lives, minimize injury damage and loss, prevent
escalation, prevent secondary hazards and inform people who need to know.
Well-organized response will also help to build confidence and enhance
credibility.

2. Relief operations are, in essence, the management of information and


resources, based on assessments and reports. Information is needed at all
levels of administration but the nature of the information required will vary from
one level to another. Good assessments and reporting require forethought; the
assessment and reporting system should be established in preparedness
planning.

3. Some of the data required is already available in the form of baseline data
(maps, population statistic etc.), which must however be accessible, but this
baseline data must be supplemented by real-time information (mostly in the form
of incoming reports from various sources after the disaster).1

4. There is a clearly defined sequence to the process of managing information –


converting raw data to useful information:

• Information “in”
• Sorting (grading, collating, discarding what is unreliable)
• Evaluation
• Decision making
• Information “out” (dissemination)
• Action

5. Passing on information is every bit as important as receiving it.

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT

6. There are two types of assessment:

• Situation (damage) Assessment: a description of what has happened;


• Needs Assessment: a statement of what needs to be done.

1
Data is a structured collection of words, figures and other characters; information is useful data.

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

REPORTS

7. A FLASH Report (sometimes called a SOS Report) should be submitted very


quickly. Its purpose is simply to confirm that the disaster has actually occurred,
that steps are being taken to cope with it, to give a first indication of the sort of
external relief that might be required, and to inform the recipients that further
reports will follow shortly. A suggested format for a FLASH Report is at ANNEX
A.

8. An INITIAL Report should follow the flash report as soon as possible (within a
matter of hours). Its purpose is to inform the recipients of the severity of the
disaster and, more importantly, by relating the severity of the disaster to coping
capacities, provides the information needed to start mobilizing resources from
outside the affected area to help. The report should therefore briefly summarize:

• the severity of the disaster (without necessarily providing precise figures);


• actions being taken locally;
• local coping capacities (including locally available resources);
• the immediate priorities for external relief, where it is required and in
approximately what quantities; and
• possible, if there are alternatives, suggest the best logistical means of
delivering that relief.
• a forecast of possible future developments including new risks.

9. A suggested format for an Initial Report is at Annex B.

10. The situation, needs and priorities will change over time. An assessment only
describes the state of affairs at the time that the assessment is made. An initial
assessment should, therefore, also establish the system for subsequent reports.

11. An Interim Report should build on earlier reports providing additional and more
precise information. To begin with interim reports should be submitted every 24
hours at the same time every day (the time being determined by the recipient
according to his needs) and thereafter at intervals decided by the recipient. As
time goes by, the emphasis of interim reports will shift from the needs for relief
to the needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction (e.g. repairs to damaged
structures, restoration of agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and industrial
production). It is not necessary to repeat what has already been said in earlier
reports unless the earlier details require updating. Interim reports should
provide forecasts (with inputs from specialists and people who have experience
of previous disasters) and highlight information which may not otherwise be
obvious to the recipients e.g.:

• potential problems;
• changes, patterns, trends and indicators;
• particulars of especially vulnerable groups, and any other special
concerns.

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

12. Specialist or Technical Reports will provide supplementary technical details


for specialists (e.g. engineers and officials responsible for emergency health
care.)

13. A Final Report will be a summary of:

• What happened
• How the response was managed
• Lessons learned

14. In preparing a report the writer should put himself in the position of the people to
whom he is reporting and ask himself “What do they need to know in order to
meet their responsibilities and to make the right decisions?”

15. A report should not be packed with unnecessary data, nor should it be delayed
because of insufficient information. It is better to say “We do not have as much
information as we would like but, on the basis of what we do know and our
experience, in broad terms the situation is as follows and we estimate the needs
to be in the following range… We shall provide more details as soon as we
can”.

16. The details provided in reports should be as consistent. Conflicting reports from
different sources can cause confusion. Desirably, reports from one level of
administration to another should be consolidated.

FORMAT OF REPORTS
17. Given that reports will be received from many sources, it is essential that their
formats are standard so as to facilitate the process of analysis and collation.
Likewise, there should be common understanding of the terminology used. It is,
therefore, better that the recipients rather than the writers design the formats.
This will ensure that the information is presented in the way that is most helpful
to the people who have to act upon it. Reports should be a balance of narrative
and tables and they should be formatted so that they can be transmitted
electronically.

18. Formats should be as simple as possible and should, like check lists, guide the
reporter (who may be inexperienced in organizing disaster response operations)
through the sequence of stating the problem è identifying the current status of
response è identifying unmet needs (shortfalls or gaps) è decision-making.

19. To keep the formats simple it is better that they are presented in a series of
separate parts. This will also make it easier for the recipient to distribute the
parts for action by different desk officers. Suggested parts might include:

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

1. Search and rescue;


2. Evacuation;
3. Protection;
4. Medical and Health;
5. Shelter and clothing;
6. Food (including cooking utensils and cooking fuel);
7. Water;
8. Sanitation
9. Lifeline systems (communications, power supplies, transport, etc)

20. The person responsible for completing each part should be clearly designated.
Each part should indicate the need for relief workers, supplies and relevant
logistical requirements. Unless otherwise stated, the provider should assume
that the relief he supplies must be self-sufficient (e.g. food and accommodation
for relief workers, transport and drivers, fuel, storage, maintenance, etc). It is
often helpful to indicate what is not needed (which also shows that that particular
item has not been overlooked).

QUANTIFYING NEEDS
21. At some stage it will be necessary to quantify needs. Do not assume that
everybody is a “helpless victim” requiring every sort of assistance. Helping
people to help themselves is an important part of their rehabilitation. Initial
assessments should concentrate on the effects of the disaster and not attempt
to rectify chronic needs2. In quantifying needs it is sometimes appropriate to
use internationally accepted standards3 and planning factors. Examples of
planning factors are:

• X Search and Rescue Teams per Y missing people


• X items (plastic sheeting or cooking sets) per family
• Shelter for x% of homeless people (on the assumption that many will have
found their own shelter with neighbours or family members further afield)
• X grams of staple food per person for Y days
• X grams per child per day for Y days (for supplementary feeding)
• X liters per person for Y days.
• X tons/liters to create reserves.

22. With Flash and Initial Assessments speed of reporting is more important
than precise figures.

2
subsequent reports may help to identify unacknowledged problems in society which can be
addressed later during rehabilitation.
3
Examples of international standards are to found in UNHCR’s Emergency Training Program “Tools
and Resources” and the SPHERE Project.

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

TERMINOLOGY
23. Imprecise terminology, or different interpretations of it, can cause confusion.
After a disaster terminology relates primarily to the classification of the victims
and the damage to structures and/or services. What is an “affected” person?
What does “damaged” mean? The meaning of terms to be used in reports must
be clearly defined and standardized in the pre-disaster planning period.

24. Victims. It is not necessary to give the total populations of the towns/villages in
the affected area since these figures will already be known with sufficient
accuracy from population censuses. It is better to describe victims in terms of
needs e.g. those in need of evacuation, shelter, water, etc.

25. Damage can best be described in terms of usability e.g.4:

% Damaged Meaning

100 Structure is unusable. Cannot be repaired.

> 75 Major structural damage. Unsafe for use. Repairable within 1 month.

> 50 Significant structural damage. Unsafe for use. Repairs will take more than
1 week.

> 25 Some structural damage but safe for limited use. Repairable within 1 week.

< 25 Minor structural damage. Usable.

26. The tracking of resources will be crucial to effective response. A suggested


format for an Inventory of Resources is at Annex C.

PRIORITIES
27. Experience has shown that there is a consistency of priorities for relief items
after certain types of natural disasters. These are shown at Annex D.

4Based upon WHO Damage Assessment Form

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

INTERNATIONAL DONORS
28. Consideration must also be given to the needs of the providers of international
relief. They will be pressing to be told what has happened and what they can do
to help. For them timing is critical. They will also require assistance in
facilitating immigration, exemption of taxes on relief supplies, and help in
integrating their relief personnel into the overall relief effort (interpreters,
methodologies, equipment and administrative support).

TRAINING
29. Officials responsible for conducting assessments and acting on them require
regular training.

***

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

ANNEX A

SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR A FLASH REPORT

PART 1 – SITUATION

1.1. Type of disaster


1.2. Date and time
1.3. Affected area
1.4. Possibility of after effects

PART 2 – INITIAL ESTIMATE OF EFFECTS

Very Approximate Numbers

2.1. Dead
2.2. Injured
2.3. Missing
2.4. In need of shelter and/or clothing
2.5. In need of food
2.6. In need of water
2.7. In need of sanitation
2.8. Damage to lifeline systems

PART 3 – POSSIBLE NEEDS FOR EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE

3.1 Search and Rescue Yes/No


3.2 Evacuation Yes/No
3.3 Protection Yes/No
3.4 Medical and Health Yes/No
3.5 Shelter and clothing Yes/No
3.6 Food Yes/No
3.7 Water Yes/No
3.8 Sanitation Yes/No
3.9 Repair of lifeline systems Yes/No

PART 4 – NEXT REPORT

The next report, with more details, will be sent at ……………… (date/time).

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

ANNEX B

SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR AN INITIAL REPORT

PART 1 – SITUATION
1.1. Type of disaster
1.2. Date and time
1.3. Affected area
1.4. Number of dead (approx)
1.5. Next Report will be sent at (date/time)

PART 2 – SEARCH & RESCUE

Serial Location Total number Response Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town or of people Status for which additional
village. Say if the missing (local S&R S&R resources are
sites are “deep (approx) resources requested (give
rescue”*) deployed) details e.g. teams,
rescue boats,
special expertise,
heavy equipment)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
2.1
2.2
2.3
etc
Total
* “Deep rescue” is underground, sometimes associated with a risk of further collapse and/or breathing difficulties.

PART 3 – EVACUATION

Serial Location Total Response Status Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town or number of (number of people for which
village) people being evacuated additional
to be under local evacuation
evacuated arrangements) assistance is
(approx) requested
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
3.1
3.2
3.3
etc
Total

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

PART 4 – PROTECTION (if applicable)

Serial Location Total Response Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town or number of Status for which
village) people (number of additional
needing people being protection
protection protected arrangements are
(approx) under local requested
arrangements)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
4.1
4.2
4.3
etc
Total

PART 5 – MEDICAL & HEALTH

See page 12

PART 6 – SHELTER AND CLOTHING

Serial Location Total number of Response Status Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town people (number of people (number of people
or village) requiring being provided with for whom external
shelter or shelter or clothing assistance is
clothing under local requested (specify
arrangements) type of assistance
required e.g. tents,
plastic sheeting,
blankets, mosquito
nets, clothing)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
6.1
6.2
6.3
etc
Total

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

PART 7 – FOOD

Serial Location Total number of Response Status Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town people (number of people (number of people
or village) requiring food being provided with for whom external
food under local supplies of food are
arrangements) requested. Say if
cooking equipment
and cooking fuel are
required)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
7.1
7.2
7.3
etc
Total

PART 8 - WATER

Serial Location Total number of Response Status Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town people without (number of people (number of people
or village) potable water being supplied with for whom external
potable water under supplies of water are
local arrangements; requested. Say if
condition of supply treatment supplies,
system and repair containers or trucks
status; availability of are needed)
surface water)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
8.1
8.2
8.3
etc
Total

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PART 9 - SANITATION

Serial Location Total number of Response Status Unmet needs Priority


Number (district, town people without (number of people (number of people for
or village) adequate being provided with whom external
sanitation adequate sanitation arrangements for
under local sanitation are
arrangements) requested. Say what
arrangements are
needed e.g. latrines,
soap, detergents,
chlorine powder,
insecticides,
sprayers)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
9.1
9.2
9.3
etc
Total

PART 10 – LIFELINE SYSTEMS

See page 13

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PART 5 – MEDICAL & HEALTH

Serial Location Injured Response Status Unmet Needs Priority


Number (district, town or village) (condition of medical (List personnel,
facilities, hospital wards, supplies and
casualty rooms, operating equipment required
theaters, laboratories, water from external
supply, ancillary equipment sources)
Serious Walking
wounded
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)
5.1
5.2
5.3
etc
Total

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

ANNEX C

PART 10 – LIFELINE SYSTEMS

Serial Location Response Status Unmet Needs Priority


Number (district, town or (condition of systems) (List personnel, supplies
village, or place and equipment requested
to place) from external sources)
Roads & Railways Power Communication
Bridges Supplies System
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
10.1
10.2
10.3
etc
Total

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

INVENTORY OF RESOURCES
(personnel, materials, financial)

Serial Contact
Number Resource Location Address Available? Committed to Notes

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Post-disaster Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis – Reporting 13 October, 2000

ANNEX D

MOST COMMON PRIORITY NEEDS


AFTER DISASTERS IN ASIA

Need Typhoons Floods Earthquakes


Search & Marine SAR Rescue boats with Usually NOT external
Rescue engines (inflatable SAR Teams
and sturdy)
Medical Supplies Bandages, gauze, Surgical sets
Splints Splints
NOT medicines Bandages
Sutures
NOT medicines

Water Supply Treatment supplies: Treatment Treatment supplies:


- Chlorine tablets supplies:
- Treatment units
- Household containers
(20 – 25 Liter) ditto ditto
- Community tanks or
bladders
(5,000 – 8,000 liters)
- Water trucks
Shelter Tents
Plastic sheeting ditto ditto
Blankets or sleeping bags
Mosquito nets NOT clothing

Expertise Structural engineers


$ $$$ $$$ $$$
Other Electric generators
(5 – 10 KVA)

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center 15


disaster reduction for safer communities and sustainable development

PO Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand email: adpc@ait.ac.th


Tel: (66-02) 524-5354 Fax: (66-02) 524-5360 www.adpc.ait.ac.th

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