SECTION 3 — Building a Household Emergency Plan (3 minutes)

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Course Content
Pre-test
Welcome to the Project ARES Pre-Test. This assessment is designed to gauge your current understanding of disaster risk, systemic barriers, and disability-inclusive leadership before we begin our modules.
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Topic 1: Disability and Disaster Risk
Welcome to Topic 1: Disability and Disaster Risk. Before we talk about preparedness or youth leadership, we need to understand one important truth: Disasters affect people differently — not because of their abilities, but because of the barriers around them. Across Southeast Asia and the Philippines, we live in one of the most hazard-prone regions of the world. Typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions — these events are part of our lived reality. But for many persons with disabilities, the danger doesn’t come mainly from the hazard itself. It comes from inaccessible systems, missing information, and environments that don’t include everyone. Today, we will explore how inclusion — or the lack of it — shapes disaster outcomes, and why understanding disability is the first step to building a resilient community.
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Topic 2: Understanding Hazards and Community Exposure
Welcome to Topic 2: Understanding Hazards and Community Exposure. In Topic 1, you learned that disasters affect people differently not because of disability—but because of barriers in our systems. Now, we focus on the hazards themselves—especially the three major hazards that affect the Philippines, Indonesia, and Laos: Typhoons and floods. Earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions. Understanding hazards is important. But understanding who receives warnings, who can evacuate safely, and who gets left behind is just as important. Because: Hazard knowledge + accessible systems = stronger community resilience. Let’s begin!
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Topic 3: Preparedness at Household and Community Levels
INTRODUCTION (60–90 seconds) “Welcome to Topic 3: Preparedness at Household and Community Levels. In Topic 1, we understood disability from a rights-based and social model perspective. In Topic 2, we learned about the hazards that affect countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Laos — and why early warnings often fail to reach persons with disabilities. Now in Topic 3, we focus on the practical side: How do we build inclusive emergency plans at home and in the community? How do we assign roles that match people’s capacities — not their limitations? Inclusive preparedness doesn’t start with fancy equipment. It starts with simple, doable steps that ANY household can follow.”
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Topic 4: Youth Leadership and Community Disaster-readiness in Action
“Welcome to Topic 4: Topic 4: Youth Leadership and Community Disaster-readiness in Action. By now, you’ve learned three foundations: 1. Why disaster risk becomes worse when barriers exist (Topic 1), 2. How early warnings and response systems can be inaccessible (Topic 2), and 3. How families and communities can co-create inclusive preparedness plans (Topic 3). Now we bring everything together. This final topic focuses on how YOU — as youth — can lead, influence, and advocate for inclusive systems in your home, school, and community. You do not need a title or a high position. You only need awareness, initiative, and the willingness to act.”
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Post-test
Finally! we hope that you enjoy learning with us. To measure your improved knowledge, let's take a post-test!
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Youth Leadership for a Whole-of-Community Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) [English]

“Here is a simple four-step model that ANY family can follow:

 

Step 1 — Identify the Hazards in YOUR Area

  • Typhoons
  • Floods
  • Earthquakes
  • Fire
  • Volcanic ashfall
  • Chemical or industrial hazards (for Indonesia & Philippines)

Use simple words, pictures, or printed symbols.

Avoid information overload.

 

Step 2 — Map the Barriers at Home

Ask each family member:

“What makes evacuation or warning difficult for you?”

Common barriers:

  • Stairs without railings
  • Dimly lit hallways
  • Narrow walkways
  • Noise overload that confuses autistic or neurodivergent youth
  • Audio-only alarms that exclude Deaf family members
  • No tactile markers for blind family members
  • Medications stored in different areas
  • No clear storage for mobility devices

Notice how hazards combined with barriers increase disaster impact — exactly as the Disaster Risk equation shows:

Disaster Risk = (Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability) ÷ Capacity

  • Hazard — the event itself (flood, earthquake, typhoon)
  • Exposure — being in harm’s way (coastline, flood zone, near volcanic slopes)
  • Vulnerability — conditions that increase harm (poverty, inaccessible buildings, barriers, discrimination)
  • Capacity — resources, skills, and supports that help cope (accessible systems, Go-Bags, community networks)

By removing barriers and increasing capacity, risk decreases for everyone. 

 

Step 3 — Assign Capacity-Based Roles

Roles should be simple, clear, and in line with strengths.

Sample roles:

  • Navigator: identifies evacuation paths
  • Communication Captain: monitors alerts in accessible formats
  • Go-Bag Checker: ensures essentials are complete
  • Support Partner: assigned buddy for evacuation
  • Pet Coordinator: secures pets
  • Medication Manager: organizes medicine, IDs, assistive devices

Notice:

None of these roles say, “You must carry someone.”

Roles are practical, repeatable, and strength-based.

 

Step 4 — Create a Simple & Accessible Go-Bag

A Go-Bag is NOT about buying expensive items.

It should fit what the family actually needs:

Essentials:

  • flashlight
  • basic first aid
  • food & water
  • IDs, medicines
  • whistle
  • copy of evacuation route

Accessibility additions:

  • spare mobility device parts
  • glasses or contacts
  • communication cards
  • tactile or braille labels
  • noise-canceling earplugs
  • batteries or powerbank for AAC or screen reader devices

Remember:

A Go-Bag that isn’t accessible… won’t be used during an emergency.”