Housing Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Guidelines Volume B

The aim of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is to assist governments to understand the full extent of a disaster’s effect and impact, and the needs of the affected population. By informing the Recovery Roadmap and the Recovery Action Plans, and by defining a strategy for mobilising the financial and technical assistance required, the PDNA ensures that the housing and settlement response is appropriate to the needs and that the overall response is adapted to the evolving circumstances.
The PDNA, being a rapid and comprehensive multi-sectoral assessment of an event, provides the required over- arching approach and orientation to initiate the recovery planning process. It refers and builds on previous assessments of the same event, existing plans and local profiles, takes into account people’s livelihoods, and identifies their capacities and available resources to reach recovery and initiate reconstruction. The PDNA exam- ines areas such as the actual access to services, expertise and goods for recovery and reconstruction. It builds on humanitarian assessments conducted in the early aftermath of disasters, and will typically last 6 to 12 weeks depending on the scale of the disaster and other factors.
The general objective of the sector assessment is to assist the government at all levels in understanding the ef- fects and impact of the event on the Housing Sector and to improve the quality of outcomes from the recovery process in housing and settlement reconstruction.
The PDNA should describe the context and provide a broad outline, guidance and a framework as well as for any programming intervention. Among some other more specific housing and settlement assessments, it is recommended to consult the Handbook for Post-Disaster Housing and Community Reconstruction (ISDR, World Bank, GFDR, 2009) and Analyzing the Social Impact of Disasters, Vol. 1, Methodology and Vol. 2, Tools’ (World Bank, GFDRR, 2011).