Disaster risk awareness and preparedness of the residents in Barangay [village] Abihod, Cateel, Davao Oriental [Philippines]

The province of Davao Oriental [Philippines] has not been as vulnerable to typhoons until the advent of Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) in 2012. Classified as Category 5, it is the strongest tropical cyclone to ever hit Mindanao Island in the last two decades. Originating unusually close to the equator, it is only the second-most southerly Category 5 super typhoon after Typhoon Louise in 1964. The east coast towns of Baganga and Cateel in Davao Oriental are among the hard-hit municipalities as the typhoon triggered massive landslides and flooding. Along with its destructive winds, it devastated houses, public infrastructures, and agricultural lands and claimed at least 1000 lives in its wake. Four years after the typhoon, this study was conducted to examine the level of awareness and preparedness of local residents to natural disasters in Barangay Abihod, Cateel, Davao Oriental. Eighty-three randomly selected respondents from the seven puroks [districts] of the barangay were subjected to a semi-structured interview schedule. Socio-demographic data, degree of awareness and preparedness were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. A three-point Likert scale was used to assess the respondent's level of disaster awareness and preparedness and a weighted mean was also employed in both variables. The relationship between the socio-demographic variable and the elements of disaster risk awareness and preparedness were established using chi-square test at 0.05 level of significance. Results indicate that residents are only slightly aware on the risks of their area to disasters. However, they are generally prepared based on their material preparations and attendance on trainings and seminars. None of the socio-demographic factors were found to be significantly related to awareness. Nonetheless, gender, educational attainment and length of stay were found to have significant relationship on disaster preparedness. Moreover, the relationship between disaster awareness and preparedness was found to be statistically significant.