Sectoral Vulnerability and Community Resilience in Flood-Prone Barangays of Pampanga: A Seven-Dimension Assessment for Disaster Risk Reduction and Engineering Management

Abstract

Flooding remains a persistent disaster-risk concern in Pampanga, where community safety depends not only on flood-control infrastructure but also on the capacity of different sectors to access shelter, mobility support, livelihood continuity, social services, safety nets, governance, and integrated local systems. This study assessed sectoral vulnerability and community resilience in selected flood-prone barangays using seven-dimension focus group discussion (FGD) sticker-dot ratings generated through the 3C-SHIELD initiative, or Community-Centered Course on Strategic Hazard Interventions for Enhancing Local Development. The study applied a descriptive mixed-methods approach. Quantitative FGD ratings were consolidated by sector and dimension, while qualitative notes were interpreted to explain rating patterns. Results showed that persons with disabilities (PWDs) recorded the lowest overall perceived resilience rating, followed by men, indigenous peoples, and youth. Across the seven dimensions, income and livelihood was the weakest dimension, followed by shelter and living space and social services. Qualitative findings indicated that vulnerability was linked to damaged or uncomfortable housing, costly or difficult transport, disrupted income and harvest, uneven service reach, and irregular assistance in some areas. Higher ratings for social safety nets, governance, and local system integration suggest existing community support, but the findings also show the need for last-mile service targeting and sector-sensitive disaster risk reduction planning. The study contributes to interdisciplinary engineering research by translating participatory community ratings into planning evidence for evacuation access, shelter assessment, livelihood-resilience programming, service-delivery improvement, and localized DRRM engineering management in flood-prone barangays.