Philippine Disaster Preparedness Rises 42%, but Household Supplies and Community Ties Lag

Better warnings, but many families still lack emergency supplies

Filipinos reported a 42% improvement in disaster preparedness between 2017 and 2024, yet only 20% had a family disaster plan, 27% had prepared a Go bag and 33% kept a first aid kit. The figures show a country becoming more aware of danger while many households still lack the supplies and plans needed when an emergency arrives.

A nationwide survey conducted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in early 2024 involved more than 4,600 Filipinos across all regions. The average preparedness score rose from 13.5 out of 50 in 2017 to 19.2 in 2024. Information preparedness was the strongest area, scoring 4.9 out of 10, while social support was the weakest at 2.3 out of 10.

As of June 23, 2025, government initiatives, digital tools, community programs and international financing are helping the Philippines move toward preparing for disasters before they strike. The challenge is to bring those improvements into everyday life, particularly for families with fewer financial resources and communities where readiness remains low.

Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino, director of HHI's Resilient Communities program, called for faster progress in household preparation and community cooperation:

For a country as vulnerable to disasters as the Philippines, this is not enough, so we must accelerate our efforts to ensure Filipinos are investing, planning, training, and building closer ties to their communities.

The survey points to a practical gap: knowing that a storm is approaching is only one part of being ready. Families also need a plan, basic supplies and people they can turn to for help.

Why the country's exposure is so high

The Philippines sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire and in the path of the world's most active typhoon belt. It experiences an average of 20 tropical cyclones each year, alongside frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides.

The 2024 World Risk Report ranked the Philippines highest in disaster risk among 193 economies. More than 60% of its land area and nearly three quarters of its population are exposed to multiple hazards. A community may therefore face several kinds of danger, rather than needing to prepare for just one.

Climate change compounds those risks by intensifying storms, raising sea levels and making weather patterns more erratic. The combination places pressure on homes, livelihoods, public infrastructure and emergency services.

Super Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda, showed the scale of the possible losses in 2013. It affected more than 14 million people, displaced 4.1 million and caused more than $5.8 billion in damage. Preparedness is consequently a matter of protecting lives and limiting the economic disruption that can continue long after a storm passes.

From emergency response to preparation before disaster

Disaster management in the Philippines historically focused largely on responding after calamities struck. Government policy has increasingly shifted toward identifying risks in advance and reducing the harm they can cause.

Investments in monitoring and warning systems, including PhilAWARE and the HazardsHunterPH app, are intended to give authorities and residents timely hazard information so they can act quickly. Detailed hazard maps and risk assessments from the Department of Science and Technology's GeoRiskPH platform also support decisions about infrastructure and land use.

Ready to Rebuild, developed with World Bank support, trains local officials to plan disaster rehabilitation and recovery. Its aim is to help communities "build back better," meaning that recovery planning should help reduce vulnerability when communities rebuild after a disaster.

Policy reforms support this shift by bringing national and local disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans into closer agreement and integrating DRRM into public financial management systems. In practical terms, preparedness needs to be reflected in how governments plan, budget and spend, as well as how they respond to emergencies.

The main dates show how the country's experience and preparations have developed:

• 2013: Super Typhoon Haiyan affected more than 14 million people, displaced 4.1 million and caused more than $5.8 billion in damage.
• 2017: The average self reported disaster preparedness score stood at 13.5 out of 50.
• Early 2024: HHI surveyed more than 4,600 Filipinos nationwide, recording an average preparedness score of 19.2 out of 50.
• 2024: The World Risk Report ranked the Philippines highest in disaster risk among 193 economies, and the Asian Development Bank approved a $500 million disaster financing program.

What households are doing, and what remains missing

The HHI findings show that some preparedness habits are much more common than others. Some 87% of Filipinos safeguard important documents, while 70% monitor disaster warnings. Awareness of typhoon warnings and rainfall systems helped make information preparedness the survey's strongest category.

Material preparation was less widespread. A Go bag, an emergency bag assembled before a disaster, was ready in only 27% of households surveyed. Only 33% maintained a first aid kit, and 20% had prepared a family disaster plan.

The rise from 13.5 to 19.2 represents an improvement of 5.7 points on the 50 point scale, alongside the reported increase of 42%. Progress is visible, but the score and the household figures show how much preparation still needs to reach families.

Many households also lack adequate medication and other basic emergency supplies. Improving readiness therefore involves more than spreading warnings: it requires material investment and planning that families with limited money may struggle to manage.

Regional gaps and the role of income and education

The Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Visayas and Western Visayas recorded the highest preparedness scores in the survey. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Negros Island and Davao Region lagged behind.

Metro Manila ranked only 11th among 18 regions, despite being the country's economic and political center. It also recorded one of the slowest rates of improvement, showing that national prominence does not automatically translate into stronger household readiness.

Education and wealth were closely linked to preparation. Filipinos with more education and greater financial resources were more likely to take preparedness measures. Targeted support for vulnerable and marginalized communities is therefore central to closing the gaps recorded by the survey.

Regions with high poverty rates or limited exposure to past disasters were among those identified as less prepared or making slower progress. Assistance needs to reflect those different circumstances, including whether families can afford supplies and whether residents have experience responding to emergencies.

How digital tools support local decisions

GeoRiskPH centralizes hazard and risk data through a platform on the web. Local governments can use its maps and assessments to include scientific information in their DRRM plans, connecting knowledge about hazards with decisions about where and how communities develop.

The Plan Smart Web Application uses GeoRiskPH data to help local officials generate rehabilitation and recovery plans automatically. It connects risk information with the practical work of planning what a community will need after a disaster.

HazardsHunterPH provides hazard information to the public, while PhilAWARE forms part of the investment in advanced monitoring and alerts. Together with mapping software, such tools support early warnings, disaster assessment, communication and the allocation of resources during crises.

Marc Rembrandt Victore, Officer In Charge of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division of OCD MIMAROPA, described how these technologies support risk management:

Modern tools and applications, such as mapping software and the HazardsHunterPH app, are pivotal in assessing and mitigating disaster risks. Technology offers valuable resources for disaster planning and risk management.

Government partnerships with international organizations and the private sector are helping advance these tools. Their practical purpose is to help officials and residents make decisions using hazard information, from planning infrastructure to organizing recovery.

Community groups connect preparation with livelihoods

Social support received the lowest HHI score, at 2.3 out of 10. Participation in community groups was limited, and familiarity with local disaster officers was low. Those gaps affect the relationships through which residents can organize and help one another during emergencies.

Community initiatives are working to strengthen those connections. Cash grant programs supported by the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations provide direct financial assistance to communities affected by disasters, helping them rebuild livelihoods and invest in projects that improve resilience.

In Barangay Calampong, organizations led by women have used cash grants to launch livelihood projects, improve food security and protect productive assets. These efforts connect disaster recovery with the resources people need to earn a living and feed their families.

Alight and local partners are establishing disaster preparedness committees, conducting risk reduction training and promoting public education, particularly in underserved areas. Self help groups and training programs provide another route for residents to participate in local preparation.

Community initiatives are increasingly being included in local development and DRRM plans. Connecting them to government planning can bring household needs, livelihood protection and community organization into the same process.

A $500 million financing program for faster response

The Asian Development Bank approved a $500 million loan in 2024 to provide quick access to financing when disasters occur. The loan supports policy reforms alongside the goal of making money available for response and recovery.

The program aims to strengthen DRRM policies and frameworks across government, improve disaster response services and include gender equity, disability and social inclusion in DRRM plans. Those priorities place the needs of vulnerable groups within the planning process.

Support also extends to risk financing mechanisms, including city parametric disaster insurance. Parametric insurance links payment to a specified event condition, providing a way to arrange disaster funding in advance.

The intended benefits are timely response and recovery, less economic disruption and greater protection for vulnerable sectors. International financial and technical support complements domestic preparation by addressing the resources governments need when a disaster creates sudden demands for assistance.

Government coordination, education and local leadership

Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has advocated strengthening the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office of Civil Defense rather than creating new agencies. His approach seeks to improve efficiency and use specialized expertise within existing institutions.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has also called for greater private sector involvement and the adoption of best practices in environmental, social and governance (ESG) areas. The stated goal is a safer, more adaptive country with greater resilience to disasters.

HHI Director of Research Dr. Patrick Vinck called for local leadership, better warnings and investment in the capacity to act before emergencies:

Enhancing the Philippines' disaster preparedness requires investing in local leadership and leveraging technology to improve early warning systems and community engagement, among other critical measures. This should be accompanied by investments in resilient infrastructures, local capacities, and anticipatory actions.

Anticipatory action means acting before an expected disaster strikes. Within the priorities Vinck described, warning systems need to be matched by local capacity and infrastructure so that communities can respond to the information they receive.

Disaster preparedness is not yet fully embedded in the national curriculum or public consciousness. The priorities identified include sustained public education, preparation in schools, support that reaches the most vulnerable communities, inclusive local initiatives, better use of technology and data, and lasting political commitment.

Emergency management expert Dr. Ted Esguerra described the sustained commitment needed to turn preparedness into a lasting habit:

Disaster preparedness in the Philippines cannot be achieved after just a few extreme weather events. It requires a lasting, deep-rooted commitment within the Filipino consciousness to function effectively when it matters most.

Key Points

• Self reported preparedness rose 42%, from 13.5 out of 50 in 2017 to 19.2 in 2024.
• HHI surveyed more than 4,600 Filipinos across all regions in early 2024.
• Some 87% safeguard documents and 70% monitor warnings, but only 20% have a family disaster plan.
• Information preparedness scored highest at 4.9 out of 10; social support scored lowest at 2.3.
• Regional differences, education and financial resources remain central to gaps in readiness.
• Digital tools, community programs and a $500 million ADB loan support preparation, response and recovery.
• Government and research leaders are calling for stronger existing institutions, local leadership, education and sustained investment.