Methodology note on the global rapid post-disaster damage estimation (GRADE) approach

This Methodology Note was prepared to inform governments and other key stakeholders who are involved in post-disaster damage assessment, relief, and recovery phases about the utility and outputs of the GRADE approach. To prioritize and plan for overall reconstruction and specific interventions, stakeholders require approaches that provide a more in-depth assessment, with an engineering focus, than GRADE provides. However, before in-depth assessments are undertaken, it is critical to build the required sectoral baseline information for the design of rehabilitation and reconstruction plans. The GRADE approach provides this information, as it is based on an assessment of vulnerability and damage distribution of the affected infrastructure and assets.

This report presents the overall methodology approach in GRADE’s four components—Hazard, Exposure, Vulnerability, and Loss Modeling—and discusses implications for World Bank staff, clients, and other stakeholders. The report closes with extended appendices that present the development team’s experience using GRADE after four recent major disasters and a summary of other post-disaster damage assessment approaches.