Framework
How risk is scored — and what you do about it
The assessment produces a class, not a verdict. The class tells the plan how urgent a response must be, and the management options say what kind of response is appropriate.
The four risk classes
The same four classes and colours are used throughout this module, on every map, chart, and table.
Low / Neutral · score 1
Manageable with existing capacity. Monitor and maintain.
Medium · score 2
Requires planned action within the plan period.
High · score 3
Needs priority intervention and budget allocation.
Very High · score 4
Critical. Consider relocation or major structural measures.
The scoring matrix
Likelihood of the hazard is weighed against the consequence for the exposed element. Consequence already reflects vulnerability — sensitivity weighed against adaptive capacity.
| Likelihood ↓ / Consequence → | Minor | Moderate | Major | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | low | low | medium | high |
| Occasional | low | medium | high | high |
| Likely | medium | high | high | very high |
| Frequent | medium | high | very high | very high |
An illustrative matrix. Actual CDRA scoring uses the rating tables in the governing guidebook for each exposure sector.
The five exposure sectors
Risk is scored separately for each sector, because the same hazard affects a ricefield and a hospital in completely different ways.
Population
Residents, households, and groups needing particular attention during an event.
Urban Use Areas
Built-up residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional areas.
Natural Resources
Farmland, fisheries, forests, watersheds, and coastal ecosystems.
Critical Point Facilities
Schools, health facilities, government buildings, evacuation centres.
Lifeline Utilities
Roads, bridges, water systems, power, and telecommunications.
Four ways to manage a risk
Every decision area ends with a choice. The choice must be recorded, because it commits the locality to something — including the decision to accept a risk.
Monitor and live with it
Accept the risk
Chosen when the expected impact is small relative to the cost of acting, or when no practical measure exists yet. Acceptance is a deliberate, recorded decision — not inaction.
Example: Keeping a water-hauling contingency while a longer-term source study is programmed.
Lower the likelihood or the impact
Reduce the risk
The most common option. Structural measures (drainage, slope protection, elevation) and non-structural measures (early warning, drills, enforcement) bring risk down to a tolerable level.
Example: Drainage upgrade plus elevated ground floors in a flood-prone commercial core.
Share the financial consequence
Transfer the risk
The hazard still occurs, but the financial burden is shifted through insurance, calamity funds, or contractual arrangements so recovery is faster.
Example: Crop and fisheries insurance for farmers in flood-prone production areas.
Remove the exposure
Avoid the risk
Used where risk is Very High and cannot be reduced acceptably. Exposure is removed by prohibiting development, relocating settlements, or reclassifying land use.
Example: A no-build buffer along a shoreline strip inside the highest surge zone.
CDRA Philippines is an independent educational module of SmartCity.ph. It is not an official application of DHSUD, USAID, PAGASA, or any other government agency, and it is not endorsed by them. Official documents referenced here identify their issuing agency and link back to the original source. All municipal figures, maps, and risk scores shown in the demo are fictional.