Disaster Literacy and Disaster Preparedness among the Residents of Barangay Nabbuan, Santiago City, Philippines.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47709/ijmdsa.v5i4.9659Keywords:
community resilience, disaster literacy, disaster preparedness, disaster risk reduction, household residentsAbstract
The Philippines is highly vulnerable to disasters, including tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes, landslides, and fires, making community-level disaster literacy and preparedness essential. This study assessed the disaster literacy and preparedness of 279 household residents of Barangay Nabbuan, Santiago City, and examined the relationship between these variables. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed. Data were collected using the 61-item Disaster Literacy Scale developed by Caliskan and Uner (2022) and the 54-item Disaster Preparedness Assessment Tool by Taja-on (2025). Both instruments demonstrated high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.945 and 0.953, respectively. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, weighted means, and Pearson product-moment correlation. Findings indicated that respondents had limited disaster literacy (M = 3.29) and were somewhat prepared for disasters (M = 3.27). Significant differences in disaster literacy and preparedness were observed across selected demographic characteristics, particularly purok, occupation, and highest educational attainment. Furthermore, disaster literacy was significantly and positively correlated with disaster preparedness (r = 0.667, p < 0.001), indicating that higher levels of disaster literacy were associated with higher levels of preparedness. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening community-based disaster education, preparedness training, practical skills development, and capacity-building initiatives. The study provides localized evidence that may guide the development of a Community Disaster Literacy and Disaster Preparedness Plan tailored to the needs, vulnerabilities, and capacities of residents of Barangay Nabbuan. Such efforts may contribute to improved community resilience and more effective disaster-risk reduction practices.
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