7/26/2019 XU DRRM (poster @ UNISDR)

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Even Without The Storm: The XU DRRM Story

Since the 1990s, Xavier University (XU) has been

nvolved in disaster-response operations. When Haiyan

hit the Philippines, XU sent special mission teams to

affected areas composed of professors and studentsrom medicine, psychology and engineering,

exemplifying a truly competency-based response to

disasters.

n 2008, XU partnered with local government units in

developing methodologies for disaster risk assessment

at micro-scale level. By the time Washi flooded Northern

Mindnao in 2011, XU served as a hub for scientific

analysis and for relief and rehabilitation operations.

XU also worked with the city government and

nternational donors in providing new homes for more

han 500 families who survived the flood brought by

Washi. Community building and sustainable livelihood

programs have been integrated to this new community

called Xavier Ecoville.

To sustain these initiatives, the XU DRRM Program was

institutionalized in 2013, focusing on: Research, Capacity

Building, Advocacy, Response, and Rehabilitation. Because ofthese science-based engagements, XU became a member of

the Regional, Provincial, and City Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management (DRRM) Councils.

XU is currently working with 45 riverside villages on their

local DRRM Plans; and GIS Training for local Planning and

DRRM officers to effectively integrate DRR-CCA in their land

use and development programs.

XU is gearing up with researches and workshops on disasterrisk reduction, particularly on the onset of a changing climate.

Projects include: Training for Trainers for Civil Society

Organizations and Government Agencies commissioned by

the Climate Change Commission; and formal integration of

DRRM courses in the curriculum.

The XU DRRM Program is a commitment to building sustainable and resilient communities by

enhancing capacities and strategies to reduce risk against disasters and the impacts of climate

change. It is a testament that academic institutions can serve as partners in making science

and technology useful in peopleslives.

Dexter S. LoXU Engineering Resource Center, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, Philippines

UNISDR Science and Technology Conference on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030

27-29 January 2016 | Geneva, Switzerland

Competency-based Response Operations during Haiyan

Simulated

and Actual

Washi Flood

Footprint Maps

Xavier

Ecoville

Houses

Curriculum Integration

DRR-CCA

Workshops