PWDs struggle more in preparing and recovering from disasters in PH

MANILA — Most persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Philippines often feel “overlooked” as they experience greater difficulties in dealing with disasters, a survey by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) revealed on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

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Filipinos have long been used to facing disasters as the country is in the typhoon belt, a region in the Pacific Ocean where many tropical cyclones form or also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. However, the study showed that PWDs are twice as likely to report they have not recovered at all from past calamities.

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The survey found that from two-thirds of both PWDs and non-PWDs who experienced disasters, 48% of PWDs said they haven’t recovered yet from these events compared to only 24% of the latter, highlighting the “compound vulnerabilities and unaddressed challenges faced by PWDs.”

77% of PWDs and 76% of non-PWDs indicated that they frequently experience financial and material impact of disasters, while only a few said the hazards affected their physical and mental health.

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 “These findings underscore the critical importance of providing appropriate and adapted assistance, including medical support, in disaster recovery efforts to foster true resilience and recovery for this group,” says Dr. Patrick Vinck, HHI director of research and co-lead of the study.

The survey identified its PWD respondents as “include individuals who experience considerable difficulties with vision, hearing, communication, or physical activities such as walking, climbing steps, or self-care, including as a result of cognitive disabilities”, supposedly representing the 5% of the population.

Unprepared

Results also showed that PWDs are not only vulnerable to disasters in the aftermath, they also fall short in preparing for them compared to those who don’t have disabilities.

It revealed that though PWDs tend to gain stronger social support networks than non-PWDs, but they are less prepared in training and drills, material measures, access to information, and planning.

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"These results clearly show the importance of creating more inclusive training programs that are accessible and relevant to PWDs,” Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino stressed, program director of the HHI Resilient Communities Program and co-lead of the study.

Bolletino also noted that future researches must look on the specific barriers that hinder PWDs to prepare for disasters and identify the interventions they need.

Not aware of climate change

As experts deemed that climate change is among the causes of aggravation of many disasters, the study showed that 1 in 3 PWDs has not even heard of it.

HIH said fewer PWDs believe climate change is real compared to PWDs, but the former think they will be significantly affected by it in the next five years compared to the latter.

 “This further underscores the need for accessible and targeted education and outreach efforts to better equip PWDs with the knowledge needed to adapt and respond to climate-related challenges,” adds Vinck.

HIH conducted the nationwide survey from February to March 2024 to study the factors contributing to disaster and climate resilience among Filipinos, through collecting data from 4,608 residents.