An Assessment of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Daraga, Albay: Basis for an Intervention Program

Disaster management agencies invest differing levels of resources into guiding communities to get ready for a range of hazards and are increasingly turning to community engagement as a way of increasing preparedness. Agency efforts to engage communities in preparedness should include a wide range of techniques that work together to change behavior, including face-to-face community engagement that triggers and supports community-led preparedness activity. This study focused on the assessment of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Daraga, Albay, on disaster preparedness, which will serve as the basis for an intervention program. It assessed the implementation, effectiveness, degree of seriousness of the problems encountered, and extent of impact of the programs and activities of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Daraga on disaster preparedness. It sought to identify the significant differences in the responses of the respondents of the study on the abovementioned problems. It utilized a descriptive correlational method as the research design of the study. A survey questionnaire was prepared to gather the necessary data for the research from the three groups of respondents, namely, the 294 residents, the 30 DRRM responders, and 10 DRRM officials, with a total of 335 respondents from the two hazard-prone barangays in Daraga, Albay, as the location of the study. The implementation of disaster preparedness programs in Daraga, Albay, was generally perceived to be moderately to highly executed across key components such as early warning systems, risk communication, evacuation planning, personnel training, and integration of innovative practices. Among the three groups, responders and officials reported a relatively higher level of program implementation compared to residents, suggesting stronger operational familiarity and institutional engagement within the local government. This indicates the presence of foundational structures for disaster preparedness but also highlights the need for increased visibility and inclusivity of such initiatives at the community level.