Adaptive capacity of Philippine communities vulnerable to flash floods and landslides: assessing loss and damage from typhoon Bopha in Eastern Mindanao

Abstract

The paper assesses the loss and damage from flash floods/landslide, the level of adaptive capacity, and the livelihood vulnerabilities of different groups of communities due to typhoon Bopha, which affected many communities in the province of Compostela Valley in December 2012. Huge rocks and timbers/logs buried many community settlements, business areas and farms. A survey was conducted in three case study villages in New Bataan and the survey data were analysed using descriptive and quantitative (factor and cluster) analyses. Typologies for the four clusters according to level of adaptive capacity were identified including very high adaptive capacity (cluster 2), high adaptive capacity (cluster 1), low adaptive capacity (cluster 4) and very low adaptive capacity (cluster 3). The results of the analysis showed that recovery potential of the respondents from the most affected village and who belong in clusters 2 and 4 will depend a lot on the sustainability of livelihood assistance.