DIRR

• The Philippine Archipelago lies in a region that is predisposed to natural hazards, including tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
• Tropical cyclones: 20 tropical cyclones enter Philippines Area of Responsibility per year.
• The Philippines is located inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides.
• The Philippines has experienced all types of disasters caused by Typhoons, floods, storm surges, earthquake, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides.
• The biggest number of disasters and economic losses are due to floods and windstorms (typhoons).
• Drought is occasional and of short duration in the Philippines, mostly due to the El Niño Phenomenon.
• The Philippines belongs to the wet tropics, favored by the presence of weather systems such as the ITCZ-Inter Tropical Convergence Zone monsoons and tropical cyclones.
• Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a belt of low pressure that encircles the Earth near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together.
• Monsoon is a seasonal wind pattern that causes heavy rainfall in some regions of the world, especially in Asia and Africa.
• Monsoon is not a single storm, but a large-scale atmospheric circulation that changes direction with the seasons.
• Tropical cyclone is a powerful storm system that forms over warm tropical or subtropical oceans.
• Tropical cyclone is characterized by strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surges that can cause damage and flooding along the coastlines.
• Tropical cyclone has different names depending on where it occurs, such as hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone.
• Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda (According to PAGASA) was the strongest typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2013, causing 95.5 billion pesos cost of damage, 6,300 people dead, and 1,500 missing.
• Tacloban city took the strongest and last hit from Typhoon Haiyan, and was heavily devastated due to an unpredicted storm surge.
• Disaster is a sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm, injury, destruction, and devastation to life and property.
• Disaster disrupts the usual course of life, causing both physical and emotional distress such as an intense feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
• Disaster affects two elements: life (whether human or animal) and property.
• Disaster can cause minor damage (like broken windows and doors), major damage (like torn rooftops, collapsed walls; affects peoples life), destruction (like destroyed houses and structures rendering them useless and inhabitable), and the worst scenario, it can lead to death.
• Risk is the combination of the probability of an event and its negative consequences (UNISDR, 2009).
• Risk is the degree to which humans cannot cope (lack of capacity) with a situation (e.g natural hazard).
• R.A 10121 One of the law’s salient points is the immediate release of calamity funds to local government units (LGUs) so they can prepare for disaster mitigation and preparedness.
• Sudden with Tremendous effect refers to an earthquake that destroys homes.
• Complex humanitarian emergencies are usually used to describe the humanitarian emergency resulting from an international or civil war.
• Disaster risk potential disaster losses refer to the losses that could occur in a community or society over some specified future time period.
• Rapid onset disasters have no early warning sign.
• Geologic disasters include earthquake, volcanic eruption, and landslide.
• Republic Act 10121, an Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System, was passed and approved on May 27, 2010 after 21 years of revisions and refiling in the two legislative bodies.
• Human Made Hazards include induced hazards caused by human activities and technological/industrial disasters.
• Section 2 of Republic Act 10121 states that the state shall develop, promote, and implement a comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management plan aiming to strengthen the capacity of the national government and the LGUs, together with partner stakeholders, to build the disaster resilience of communities, and to institutionalize arrangements and measures for reducing disaster risks, including projected climate risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response capabilities at all levels.
• Natural hazard is when an extreme natural event is destructive to human life and property.
• Natural disasters are natural phenomena caused by natural forces such as earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and extreme temperatures.
• Presidential Decree P.D 1566 pro-active in giving importance to disaster mitigation and preparedness measures.
• Large numbers of people are displaced from their homes due to the lack of personal safety and the disruption of basic infrastructure including food distribution, water, electricity, and sanitation, or communities are left stranded and isolated in their own homes unable to access assistance.
• Risk involves the possibility of loss or injury.
• Hydrologic disasters include river flooding, storm surge, and tsunami.
• Disasters affect the whole community.
• Unlike natural hazards, human-made hazards can often be prevented.
• Meteorological disasters include tropical cyclones, monsoon, and tornado.
• Technological/industrial disasters are caused by unregulated industrialization and inadequate safety standards.