Session II. CAPABILITIES & VULNERABILITIES ASSESSMENT (CVA)

A. Review of Terms

1. Vulnerability vs. Capability

VULNERABILITY of a community is linked to the capacity of the community to deal with hazards and their attendant impact. Vulnerability is inversely proportional to capacities i.e., low vulnerability-high capacity or high vulnerability-low capacity.

CAPACITY can also be grouped under the same groupings as vulnerabilities. Therefore, capacities can be classified as physical capacity, social and economic capacities.

Vulnerabilities

· Low level of awareness on hazards
· Fatalistic attitude
· Regular river flooding

Capacities

· Presence of “gate-keepers” to conduct public awareness
· Ability to effect change
· Available human resources to construct dikes or dredge rivers

2. Hazard vs. Disaster

A HAZARD is an event or occurrence that has the potential for causing injury to life or damage to property or the environment. The magnitude of the phenomenon, the probability of its occurrence and the extent and severity of the impact can vary.

A DISASTER is a serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material, or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope within its own resources.

B. Capabilities & Vulnerabilities Assessment (CVA)

In doing vulnerabilities and capacities, consideration should be given to the different roles of men and women. The capacities and vulnerability (C/V) profiles of a community should also be done at different time periods and should be dynamic, changing over times. The vulnerabilities and capacities of a community before disasters will definitely differ from their C/V during and even after rehabilitation or reconstruction.

1. Significance of CVA to Disaster Management

In order to assess the disaster risk of an area. Data are required on natural hazard, vulnerability and elements at risk.

2. The CVA Matrix: How to Conduct CVA as a Disaster Preparedness Activity

Information on elements at risk such as population, housing, public utilities, industry, infrastructure, etc. is normally taken into account as standard planning and engineering practice, even when disaster prevention and mitigation are not specifically considered. The use of a disaster prevention and mitigation perspective in land-use planning, building and housing in particular, is a basic requirement of planning for reconstruction.

When planning physical development patterns, one of the most important initial steps will be evaluation of existing tectonic, geologic, physiographic and climatic conditions for the purpose of defining areas of potential risk. Information will serve as a fundamental guideline for land-use planning, for site selection in various development programs and for the location of buildings and other structures. Evaluation of existing conditions is a highly responsible task and must be performed under the highest available professional standards.

3. Preparation of Community CVA Matrix

	Vulnerabilities		Capacities
	Men	Women	Men	Women
Physical
Social
Economic