Technology's role in disaster mitigation cited
By Maria Althea Teves, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 10/27/2009 1:07 PM
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MANILA - Science and politics in the Philippines are disconnected, and this must be addressed to help mitigate disasters, a climate change expert said.
"You need to close that gap" to prevent disaster from striking twice, said Tony La Viña, dean of the Ateneo School of Government and a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) representative.
He added the government should recognize the work done by scientists, academe and media before making administrative decisions in relation to disasters.
Mapping out disasters
"The scientist can only give you a map and the decisions you have to make are based on that," La Viña said at the ANC Forum, Wired for Disasters, held Monday, October 26.
Mahar Lagmay of the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) said that they are developing a map of flood-prone areas with the help of UP-NIGS research assistants and the Ateneo de Manila University's Manila Observatory.
The map will serve as a warning in future disasters. "That [Ondoy disaster] happened because we were not aware that that kind of disaster could happen," Lagmay said.
He shared that in their map, the peak discharge of flood water along Marikina River happened around 5-6 pm the afternoon of September 26 when Ondoy hit Metro Manila, but the highest flooding was recorded at 2 pm along Tumana, Marikina.
In relation to this, Mapcentral, together with abs-cbnNEWS.com, is also working on a hazard map that could be updated in real time.
The map, which will show crucial information on hazards and factors that affect the vulnerability of communities to certain disasters, can be used by local governments and communities to plan their responses when natural hazards strike.
On top of this, it can also be used to warn of impending floods. For instance, dam authorities could actually text information to change or update the situations of dams so people could be warned, Gemma Bagayaua-Mendoza of abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak said.
Data from raingauges can also be sent in electronically via SMS to show the amount of rainfall certain areas are getting.
Geologist Emmanuel Ramos, one of the co-founders of Mapcentral, said that they are currently using the system to help theNational Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the Philippine Red Cross in tracking personnel involved in disaster relief efforts.
Mapcentral is also working with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to get more relevant information published on the map.
But Ramos said that there are challenges ahead. Even when hazards such as faultlines are plotted on the map, he said, "people excavate and remove traces of the fault (lines). By the time you get there (to the faults) they might have bulldozed it."
Disaster Risk Reduction
But beyond making planning information available online, La Viña said the NDCC should conduct simulation exercises in communities so that people will know what to do in case a disaster strikes.
The academic community also supports the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) bill pending in Congress, and La Viña hopes Congress will approve the bill when it resumes session this November.
In the bill, a disaster risk management authority will be established. It will be responsible for disaster preparation, risk reduction and disaster management.
Description under the slide: Presentation of the Disaster Reduction Management Bill supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Network Philippines, presented in the Ateneo School of Government, October 8, 2009
Everyone has a stake
Lagmay said everyone has to participate in disaster mitigation, even if they're not scientists.
"In times of disasters, [everyone] should plan ahead, we should do this (preparation) ahead of the disasters," Lagmay said.
The geologist said they have sought to coordinate their researches with the NDCC for many years, but it was only after tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng that the NDCC has been very receptive.
Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina said they are indeed receptive. He also expressed support for the Disaster Risk Reduction Management bill which seeks to establish a disaster management authority.
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