The Process of Conducting a Post
Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
United Nations Development Programme
Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery
Bangkok, Thailand
November 2010
PDNA Process
Decision to Conduct a PDNA Planning Mission
⋲ Government decision
⋲ Partner consultation if international assistance required (UN, World
Bank, EU, others)
PDNA Planning Mission
⋲ Composition of PDNA teams
⋲ Stakeholder Engagement
⋲ Reconnaissance
⋲ Establishment of the PDNA Management Structure
⋲ Agreement on PDNA Scope and Objectives, Agreement on Recovery
Sectors
⋲ Initiate Assessment Methods, Instrumentation & Sampling
⋲ Identification of Resource Requirements (human, logistics and
financial)
⋲ Draft and agree Terms of Reference
Conducting a PDNA
⋲Formation of the PDNA assessment Teams
⋲Training/ orientation of PDNA
⋲Data collection, analysis/ Information
gathering
⋲Recommendations, Priority Response
Options, “Recovery Pathway”, Recovery
Framework
⋲Report writing
PDNA Management Structure
⋲High Level Management team
~E.g. President/PM/key Minister, UN Resident Coordinator,
World Bank Country Director, EU Delegate, etc.
~Oversees the process, provide strategic guidance, take key
decisions & ensure the availability of resources
⋲PDNA Coordination Team
~Works under government leadership & high level team to
manage day-to-day planning & management of assessment &
drafting of recovery framework
⋲Sector Teams
~Line ministry experts and UN/WB/EU or other sectoral
specialists to collect &integrate data on damage, losses, human
development impacts & needs.
PDNA Support Teams
⋲Technical Support Cell
~Information and communication technology, information,
mapping, logistics, translation, etc.
⋲Report Secretariat
~Support the production of sector assessment reports and
recovery frameworks.
Forming Sector Teams
⋲Understanding the thematic key issues
particular to the disaster
⋲Choosing key information and the appropriate
data collection techniques
⋲Collecting data
⋲Conducting analysis
⋲Producing sector report including the
recovery framework
⋲Global guidance & templates are available…
Assessment Team Strategies
Joint Assessment
Report
Sub-team for the human
development recovery
assessment
Sub-team for the
valuation of damage
and losses
Joint
Planning
Information, Data & Other Input
⋲Data/ Information Management Process:
~Data collection, processing, analysis, interpretation ,
storage, dissemination, monitoring , etc.
⋲Consultative process:
~ Key users of CI and key actors in recovery including:
affected communities (men, women, youth, elderly,
leaders, etc.) national and local authorities, CBOs,
private sector, NGOs, donors, international agencies,
etc.
Analysis Process
Identify Baseline and
Parameters
Coordinate with Humanitarian
Clusters to integrate early recovery
needs (e.g., “SOS”)
Facilitate validation by National & Local
Authorities and Stakeholders
Identify areas of strategic recovery
Align with Gov Planning priorities, and
infuse disaster risk reduction measures
Determine priority needs and
interventions
CHOOSING KEY INFORMATION AND THE
APPROPRIATE DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES
No
Leading questions
1
yyyy
2
xxx
3
zzzz
Etc..
Required
Information
/data
Type
(baseline,
secondary,
primary)
Sources
Data Sources
⋲Baseline (secondary data):
~National statistics, demographic, social, economic
characteristics
~Typical sources of information: recent household
surveys; updated maps, sectoral baselines, cadasters
⋲Impact assessment (secondary data):
~Post-disaster remote sensing, Humanitarian needs
assessments, Government’s preliminary assessment
reports, NGOs/UN agency situation reports,, etc..
⋲Field verification and stakeholder consultation
(primary data)
CONDUCTING ANALYSIS
⋲Check that all considerations already
incorporate the cross-cutting issues
⋲Detect and recognise trends and
indicators of problems
⋲Link information to action programmes
⋲Estimate how the situation might
develop in the future
⋲Relate the analysis with risk reduction
⋲More will be covered in session on
recovery frameworks…
REPORT WRITING
⋲Ensure that major partners each provide a
report writer. This:
~Ensures balance of perspective
~Facilitates data/information/analysis exchanges
with sectoral teams
~Spreads the writing burden
~Promotes transparency
Thank you
• Questions, Observations or Comments?