Post-disaster needs assessments guidelines: Volume B - Disaster risk reduction

This part of the PDNA handbook is intended to guide the disaster risk reduction assessment team in the post-disaster needs assessment. The guidance provided is for assessing DRR from the broader perspective as it relates to recovery planning and response, and does not include sector-specific DRR considerations such as livelihoods, education, health, land and property. 

The assessment of the DRR issues focuses on the following main elements:

1. Infrastructure and assets: to assess the damage to infrastructure and assets of DRR-related institutions;
2. Service delivery: to assess the disruption of services provided by DRR institutions, and access to these by affected communities;
3. New and emerging risks: to assess the risks that may have developed as a result of the disaster and that, if not addressed, may deteriorate disaster conditions or put at risk the recovery process, and to identify the measures needed to address these;
4. The performance of the DRR system: to assess how the DRR system performed in relation to the disaster event in question and identify the gaps and needs that must be addressed in the recovery strategy; and 
5. Building back better: to identify the capacity-building measures needed to ensure a resilient recovery by building back better.