Damage Assessment Resource and Guidance Framework | Myanmar

The Damage Assessment Resource and Guidance Framework | Myanmar helps humanitarian organisations, technical responders, engineers and coordination teams identify and use authoritative resources for post-earthquake building damage assessment.

The framework brings together Myanmar-specific and international guidance, field tools, technical references and operational examples in one accessible publication. It directs users to the most relevant source sections and pages for their task, while clearly identifying the intended audience for each resource.

About the framework

Post-earthquake assessment can involve several distinct activities, including humanitarian needs assessment, rapid building-usability assessment, detailed engineering investigation, repair assessment and programme-level information management.

These activities have different purposes, require different competencies and should not be treated as interchangeable.
This framework helps users distinguish between them and identify appropriate guidance for:

• locating key Myanmar-specific technical resources.
• understanding different types and levels of damage assessment;
• planning and managing an assessment programme;
• assessor safety and access;
• identifying building typologies;
• recognising and classifying damage;
• considering safety, usability and habitability;
• assessing repairability and supporting safer recovery;
• developing forms and managing assessment information;
• integrating protection, inclusion and data responsibility;
• training assessors and establishing quality-assurance arrangements; and
• locating key Myanmar-specific technical resources.

Who is it for?

The framework is intended for:

• community and non-technical personnel;
• trained non-engineers;
• technical shelter and construction staff;
• engineers; and
• programme, coordination and information-management personnel.

Each resource is marked with audience labels to help users understand who it is suitable for. These labels indicate resource suitability, not formal qualifications, authorisation or permission to enter or declare a building safe.