Analysis of vulnerabilities and capacities in the Americas: Towards risk reduction at the community level

Using the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) initiative and experience as an entry point, the project aims to provide Red Cross National Societies, communities and local authorities with a simple methodology to develop community based VCA, which will help them to identify and develop community-based activities for vulnerability reduction to floods, drought, hurricanes, landslides and earthquakes with special attention to schools, primary health care facilities, community centres like mother clubs and potable water supply systems. Additionally, this project will provide the International Federation through its Regional Delegations and its response unit, Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU), the basis for a system for collecting all vulnerability maps produced by the different communities involved in the project. These maps will be posted on the IFRC web site for the Americas and will also be shared with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) Reference and Information Center on Disasters (CRID) located in San José, Costa Rica.