DRRR

• Hydro meteorological hazard refers to phenomenon of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
• Hydro meteorological hazards include tropical cyclones (also known as typhoons and hurricanes), thunderstorms, tornados, heavy snowfall, avalanches, coastal storm surges, floods including flash floods, drought, heatwaves and cold spells.
• Hydro meteorological conditions can be a factor in other hazards such as landslides, wild-land fires, locust plagues, epidemics, and in the transport and dispersal of toxic substances and volcanic eruption material.
• A typhoon is a large, powerful and violent tropical cyclone, a low-pressure area rotating counterclockwise and containing rising warm air that forms over warm water in the Western Pacific Ocean.
• Less powerful tropical cyclones are called Tropical Depressions and Tropical Storms.
• A typhoon is called a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, a cyclone in the Indian Ocean and wily-wily in Australia.
• Typhoons can inflict terrible damage due to thunderstorms, violent winds, torrential rain, floods, landslides, large and very big waves associated with storm surges.
• Hurricane-force winds can reach out as little as 40 km from the center of a small hurricane and as far as 240 km in a large hurricane.
• Tropical storm-force winds can extend as far as 480 km from the center of a large hurricane.
• These are very dangerous storms.
• A typhoon needs five things to grow strong: warm ocean water, rising warm air, winds flowing towards the center of the storm, warm, moist air, and light winds outside the storm.
• Typhoons take energy from the warm ocean water to become stronger while a typhoon is over warm water it will continue to grow.
• Winds flow towards the center of the storm low in the atmosphere and air is forced upward.
• High in the atmosphere, the winds flow away from the storm, which allows more air from below to rise.
• The air that rises needs to be warm and moist so that it forms the clouds of the storm.
• Warm, moist air is found above warm, tropical ocean waters.
• A typhoon also needs the winds outside the storm to be light these winds steer the storm but are not strong enough to disrupt it.
• Preparedness and Mitigation include establishing and maintaining coordination with Barangay Disaster Coordinating Councils (BDCC), ensuring that the house structure can withstand heavy rain and strong winds, learning about typhoon and other weather disturbances, their signs and warnings, effects and dangers and how to protect the people, records and property, educating family members on preparedness for tropical cyclones, participating actively in the family disaster response – drill or simulation, and observing strictly policies on the suspension of classes or invoke decisions in coordinatio
• During a typhoon, it is important to monitor through radio or other reliable sources the latest official report of PAGASA on the typhoon, gather the family members in the most stable, strong and safe building, advise family members to stay indoors and away from windows, and coordinate with the proper school officials on possible immediate evacuation measures especially if the house is located in a low-lying area.
• After a typhoon, it is important to attend to victims immediately, check the house for damages and losses, and coordinate with the Barangay officials, LGU’s for assistance.