Household's Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts in Selected Coastal Communities of Baybay City, Leyte

The study investigates households’ vulnerabilities to climate change impacts in selected coastal communities of Baybay City, Leyte. Personal interviews were conducted among 152 randomly selected respondents. Principal Component Analysis was used to estimate the vulnerability index. Results of the study show that more than 80% of households experienced flooding in their homes, usually due to heavy rains, or a combination of heavy rains and high tide. However, households were indirectly sensitive to climate change impacts because more depend on non-natural resource-based income. Living in houses made up of light materials, make them more vulnerable to natural hazards. More than the geographic location and physical features, these communities are potentially vulnerable to climate change owing to the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the area as well as the capacity of households to adapt to climate-related hazards. Policies such as establishment of mangrove forests or physical infrastructures like dikes or breakwaters, capacity development on the conduct of seminars about climate change and different adaptation strategies are suggested to improve the adaptive capacity and resilience of the selected coastal communities in Baybay City, Leyte