SECTION 4 — COMMUNITY-LEVEL PREPAREDNESS (2–2.5 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]

“Households are important — but communities keep people alive.

Youth leaders, especially community officers or university-based youth groups, play a critical role in:

Making drills inclusive

  • Provide sign language interpreters
  • Use visual signals, flags, or lights
  • Set up tactile guidance or rope lines
  • Offer sensory-friendly waiting areas
  • Ensure ramps and barrier-free paths
  • Let people move at their own pace; no shouting
  • Assign buddies based on choice, not assumption 

Conducting Inclusive Walkthroughs

Ask:

  • Is the barangay hall reachable by wheelchair?
  • Is the evacuation center compliant with local accessibility laws? For example, in the Philippines, is your evacuation center compliant with BP 344?
  • Are there visual, tactile, and auditory alerts?
  • Are pathways wide, stable, and well-lit?
  • Are there accessible bathrooms?
  • Is there a quiet or low-sensory area?

You don’t need to fix everything on Day 1.

But you can document barriers and advocate for improvement.”

Boosting Community Awareness

You can help by:

  • Holding short info sessions
  • Creating simple hazard maps
  • Using comics, infographics, or short videos
  • Translating warnings into youth-friendly language
  • Posting accessible guides online
  • Teaching neighbors how to create Go-Bags

Young people are powerful mobilizers — you just need inclusive tools.”