This document outlines tools and methods for participatory disaster risk assessment (PDRA) with local communities. It discusses tools such as social mapping, hazard Venn diagrams, hazard mapping, livelihood seasonal calendars, timelines, hazard and resource maps, and transect walks that can help communities identify and analyze hazards, vulnerabilities, and coping capacities. The goal is to work with communities to understand disaster impacts on people's lives and livelihoods, vulnerable groups, local resources and challenges. Matrix ranking is also described as a tool to prioritize different hazards or disaster risks according to community-defined criteria.

1. PRA & CBDRM
DR. N. SAI BHASKAR REDDY
ENVIRONMENTALIST

2. 1. Past Disasters in the Local Area
- What disasters were experienced in the area over the past 10 years?
- In which parts of the district or municipality the disasters were occurred?
- What is the recurrence period of the relevant hazards?
- What was the severity of various disasters?
- What was the duration of stay of the hazards?
- What other hazards might occur in the local area?
2. Impact of disasters
- Which social groups were severely affected by the various disasters?
- What kind of impact, disasters had upon people?
- Which social and economic development sectors were severely affected?
- What kind of impact, the disasters had upon the development sectors?
- What was the impact of disasters upon the environment?

3. 3. Most vulnerable communities and groups
- Which social groups were severely affected by the disasters?
- What were the reasons, which made these groups more vulnerable?
- What are their sources of livelihoods?
- What is their socio-economic status?
- What is the percentage of these groups out of the total population size?
4. Local level resources and coping mechanisms
- What capacities and resources communities used to deal with the disasters and recover
from them? (Please consider the knowledge, material and financial resources, technical
resources, social networks and behaviors that helped people cope with the disasters)
- Which key stakeholders were involved in disaster response and recovery?
- What resources local authorities used to respond to the disasters and organize recovery?
(Please consider the resources of local authorities in terms of disaster reduction and
response policies, organizational arrangements, technical and research institutions,
equipment and machinery disaster preparedness, and recovery program etc.
- What resources the local NGOs and civil society organizations; e.g. women union, youth
union, elderly union deployed to respond to disasters?

4. 5. Challenges and lessons learnt
- What problems and challenges did the vulnerable groups face, to deal
with the disasters?
- What problems and challenges did the local authorities, NGOs, mass
organizations and other stakeholders face, in responding to the
disasters?
- What lessons did the above stakeholders learn, in dealing with
disasters in an effective manner in future?

5. ParticipatoryDisasterRiskAssessment(PDRA)Design

6. ParticipatoryDisasterRiskAssessment(PDRA)Design

7. ParticipatoryDisasterRiskAssessment(PDRA)Design

8. Some of the targeted communities
are prone to threats (like Tsunami
and earthquake) but have not
experienced it in their life time, then
enquire.
- what hazards threaten the
community
- where and how hazards will happen
- why these hazards will happen
- if these hazards happen, what will
happen to their lives, property,
livelihoods and critical facilities in
the community.
Participatory Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) Design

9. PRA Tools
SOCIAL MAPPING
Objective: Collect information on the topographical,
villages/settlement, physical infrastructure, institutions,
commonplaces, land use, and natural drainage of the area. This
information will be recorded on maps.
Time: 3-4 hours
Materials: Brown paper, map, multi-coloured pens, adhesive labels,
scissors, pencil

11. Hazard Venn diagram
Preparation:
Objective: To identify and analyse the common hazards in the locality,
their magnitude and likelihood.
Time: 1 hour
Materials: Brown paper, paper cards of different size and colour,
marker, adhesive
Preparation: Collection and preparation of relevant secondary
information on common hazards, their frequency, and damage caused
and risks.

12. Hazard Venn diagram
Process:
1. The facilitator requests the participants to prepare a list of common
hazards that take place in the locality. This list is adjusted with the
secondary information collected beforehand.
2. The participants are requested to select round shaped paper cards for
each of the hazards. The size of the pieces depend on the intensity and
damage caused by the hazard: the bigger the size of the paper, the more
intensive and damaging the hazard.
3. Now the participants are requested to put a paper card in the middle of
the big brown paper writing the name of their locality and mark the upper
side of the brown paper as north. Then they put the hazards on the
brown paper around their locality depending on the direction they come
into the locality. Hazards coming from different or no particular direction
can be put anywhere.
4. At this time they consider the frequency of occurrence of each of the
listed hazards, with the most frequent one placed closest to their locality.
5. All participants should agree on the position of the hazards and the
position should be consistent with the secondary data collected. Any
overlapping of the cards does not indicate relationship.

13. Hazard mapping
Objective: To locate the affected areas by specific hazards within the location
under consideration.
Time: 2 hours
Materials: Large size map of the location with general physical features (e.g.
river, canal, major road, culvert/sluice gate, location of Union Parishad, etc.),
colour pencil, marker. Alternatively, the map can also be produced by the
participants or if available, a duplicate of the social map can be used.
Preparation:
Collection and preparation of relevant secondary information on common
hazards, their frequency, and damage caused and risks.
The facilitator should prepare all the materials before the participants arrive.

14. Process:
1. The facilitator presents the list of common hazards and will describe
the process of identifying locations affected by specific hazards in the
locality.
2. The facilitator then presents the prepared map so that the
participants can easily identify locations in the map.
3. The facilitator then requests participants to draw hazard maps (one
for each hazard) within the boundaries of the location.
4. Throughout the sessions allow participants to discuss and come to a
consensus.

15. Livelihoods seasonal calendar
Objective: Document local livelihood options and their seasonality dimensions
Time: 1 hour
Materials: Brown paper, scale, colour markers, board, adhesive.
Preparation:
The facilitator should get an idea of local livelihood options, their seasonality, and trends.
The facilitator prepares brown paper formatted with months at the top and place to write the livelihood
options on
the left hand side.
Process:
1. Based on personal knowledge and collected information, the participants prepare a list of livelihood options
in their locality.
2. For every livelihood options, the participants identify the months of operation. The months are marked
accordingly in the prepared brown paper by drawing a straight line.
3. Above this line, the participants draw a curved line indicating the intensity of the operation throughout the
selected months.

16. Livelihoods
seasonal
calendar
This exercise can also be
done considering hazards,
their occurrence and
intensity.

17. Timeline
Timeline is a simple tool that narrates the disaster history and significant events that
happened in the community. One column gives the year and the other column lists down
the events that took place.
Objective : To learn what are the significant disaster events that occur in the community
Sample Key Questions
- What are the disaster events that happened or are happening in the community? When
did they happen?
- What significant events affected the community? When did they happen?
Methodology
This is an effective tool to use while waiting for community members to arrive.
- A PDRA facilitator can begin by asking a few community members about what disasters
happened in their community and in which year did they occur.
- The PDRA facilitator can initiate writing the answers on a flip chart.

18. • - As community members are discussing, writing on flip chart can be
passed on to a community member who is able to do this.
• One example of Historical Timeline of Disaster:

19. Hazard and Resource Map
Community members know the hazards that confront their
communities. For their sake alone, they do not have to draw the hazard
map. Hazard maps are made for the benefit of “outsiders” like NGO
workers. But hazard and resource mapping is a tool that allows
community members to identify graphically the vulnerable members of
the community especially the elderly and physically challenged who are
at risk by hazards. This tool also enables community members to look
at their resource base and make an inventory of their capacities.
Children make very good maps of their community.

20. Hazard and Resource Map
Objectives
1. To identify areas at risk from specific hazards and the vulnerable members of the community
2. To identify available resources that could be used by community members in disaster risk management.
Sample Key Questions
1. What are the hazards that put the community at risk?
2. What areas in the community are at risk?
3. What community facilities (drinking water sources, mangrove forest, schools, jetties, etc.) are in danger?
4. Who are the people that are most exposed to risk and will likely need assistance?
5. What resources can be found in the community?
6. Who have the least resources in the community (family or community members)?
7. Who have access and control over the available resources?
8. What resources are at risk?
9. Why are they at risk?

21. Hazard and Resource Map
Methodology
Mapping is another activity that can be done while waiting for other members of
the community to arrive. This activity can always be interrupted any time. If the
map is made on a flip chart, this can be hung on a wall where community members
can add to the map any time they want. Oftentimes, community members will just
draw the map using sticks or their fingers on the ground. Do not interrupt the
process. The note taker will then have to copy the map on his/her notes.
1. The PDRA facilitator asks the community members to identify a landmark in the
community.
2. Initially, the PDRA facilitator puts a mark or a stone to stand for the landmark.
3. The PDRA facilitator asks the community members to draw the boundaries of the
community.

22. Hazard and Resource Map
4. This will be followed by drawing the location of houses, critical
facilities and resources in the community.
5. The PDRA facilitator asks questions like who have access and control
over the resources.
6. Community members will then be asked to mark the areas at risk
from hazards like drought or flood.
7. After this, community members will identify who are the members
of the community who are most at risk because they are in vulnerable
locations and have little resources to prepare for or recover from a
disaster.

23. Transect Walk
Objective: To gain clear understanding of the locality and its natural
resources, land use, local problems, prospects etc.
Time: 3-4 hours
Materials: Union map with common physical features, notebook, pen /pencil
Preparation:
Make a list of issues that should be taken into account during the walk. The
issues should be relevant for the task the output of the walk is used for.
Try to be familiar with the local terms e.g. (curry), (birds), (crow), (field crop
including fish), (pregnant women) etc.
Ask the community to walk through a way the facilitator can get a clear idea
about the locality and its natural resources, land use, plant and wildlife
biodiversity etc.

24. Process:
1. The facilitator walks through the area of interest,
documenting everything of interest according to the prepared
list of issues. The facilitator will try not to walk through the
common communication routes because you will not get most
of the features (e.g. ponds, crop fields, homesteads, bushes)
along the walkway. He/she will walk slowly to know each of the
issues/features clearly e.g. benefits of biodiversity, use and
benefits of medicinal plants etc. The facilitator will follow the
questions what is it? when does it occurs? where does it take
place? Who does? why do they do? through which process? to
lead his/her documentation.
2. The facilitator will talk with everybody he/she meets during
the walk to complement his/her own observations.
3. Once the walk comes to an end, the facilitator will display the
notes to the accompanying persons so that they can provide
further input for necessary addition, modification, alteration or
deduction.

25. Matrix Ranking
Ranking tools are used to prioritize
hazards or disaster risks, needs or
options. There are many variations
of ranking. The example below uses
a set of criteria to determine the
impact of the disasters on people’s
lives.
The community members use leaves
to rank the hazards. More leaves
indicate the most significant
indicator and less leaves indicate the
least significant indicator.

27. Ranking

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