Analysis of the Resilience of NGO Communities to Disasters (ARC-D) Toolkit

Disaster-related shocks such as hurricanes, floods, drought, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and landslides constantly threaten the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations worldwide. In the context of increasing stresses like the negative effects of climate change, population growth, and social inequality, these disasters are expected to increase in their frequency, intensity and impact. Increased disaster resilience is essential to reduce the adverse impacts these shocks have on the poorest communities, who are most often disproportionately affected, and to ensure that hard-won gains in development and well-being are preserved in the face of these shocks.

The Analysis of the Resilience of Communities to Disasters (ARC-D) toolkit has been developed as a concise and user-friendly tool to assess the level of disaster resilience at community level through a discussion-based survey of 30 disaster resilience components.

These 30 components span four thematic areas, corresponding to the four Priorities for Action of the 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. These are:

1. Understanding disaster risk
2. Strengthening governance to manage disaster risk
3. Reducing vulnerability to improve resilience
4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery