Disaster Risk Management Practices and Readiness for Disasters among Selected Schools in Biňan City, Laguna

Abstract

Nobody can predict when a disaster will exactly occur. Disasters can strike without
warning and everyone must be prepared as disasters can happen anywhere – at
home, at the workplace or at school. Disaster plans should be in place to at least
lessen the impact of disasters on peoples’ lives especially. This descriptive correlation study involved 30 schools in Biñan City, Laguna. Majority were public schools, with land area of less than one hectare and will evacuate approximately 500 people in case of a disaster.  The schools have very high level of implementation of disaster risk management practices for earthquakes, high level of implementation of disaster risk management practices for fires and floods,
and high level of readiness for disasters. Schools with land area of one hectare and
above had higher level of implementation of disaster risk management practices for
earthquakes. Private schools and those with land area of 1-2 hectares have higher
level of implementation of disaster risk management practices for fires. Private
schools have higher level of implementation of disaster risk management practices
for floods and have higher level of readiness for disasters than public schools. The
higher is the schools’ level of implementation of disaster risk management
practices, the higher is their level of readiness for disasters. Disaster risk reduction
management councils can use the findings as basis for policies to make all
stakeholders ready for disasters.