Multiple hazards

• Where


  Philippines
• Plate boundary


  Destructive
• Primary hazards


  earthquakes, volcanic eruption, tropical storms
• Secondary hazards


  tsunamis, liquefaction, landslides, fires, strong winds, storm surges, coastal and river flooding, Tephra, Pyroclastics, Lahars, gas emissions
• What are the characteristics of the volcanoes in this tectonic setting?


  stratovolcanoes, composite volcanoes, steep sides, layers of ash built up over time
• What might the nature of the eruptions be?

  Explosive and very dangerous due to build up of pressure
• Why does it have tropical storms


  The Philippines experience tropical storms (typhoons) because it is within 5-30° N/S of the equator and close to an ocean of 60m depth which can get above 27℃ meaning that tropical storms can form in the ocean near it.
• Earthquakes


  Fairly common occurrence in the Philippines. 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 6 between 2000 and 2017.

  1976 Off Mindanao: magnitude 7.9, caused tsunamis that inundated the western shore of Mindanao and killed up to 8000

  1990 Luzon: magnitude 7.8, killed over 1600 thousand and caused widespread ground rupturing and soil liquefaction
• Bohol earthquake - October 2013


  magnitude 7.2, killed over 200, injured 800, 79,000 structures damaged, 340,000 people displaced Total cost: $2.25 billion.

  Coastal area uplift resulted in the loss and damage of intertidal habitats in the towns of Loon and Maribojoc. Extensive of loss of habitats (mangroves, seagrass, and corals). The earthquake triggered many landslides.
• Bohol earthquake human responses


  Philippine National Police declared a full alert status and deployed 271 personnel and 27 vehicles in Bohol and Cebu.

  
  

  Department of Social Welfare and Development released ₱10 million for the purchase of relief goods for displaced families.

  
  

  WHO provided equipment, manpower, training, supplies, and medicines, as well as much needed all weather tents to serve as temporary patient consultation areas -25 tents for use as community ("barangay") health stations, and 14 tents for use as rural health units - and birthing centers (8,000 births were expected throughout the province in the several weeks following the earthquake)
• Pinatubo


  Second largest eruption on the planet in the twentieth century when it erupted in 1991. Large numbers of people live close to the volcano (500,000 people within 40 km) meaning it can be very deadly. In 1991 at least 5,000 people were saved by early warning and evacuations. The explosion hurled gases, ash and steam into the upper atmosphere which caused the average global temperature to be affected for at least 2 years (down 0.5℃). Typhoon Yunya followed which led to lahars. The final death toll was around 850.
• Mayon


  Most active volcano on the islands. Has erupted nearly 5o times within the last 400 years. Last erupted in 2018. Volcanic ash from its eruptions mixes with heavy rainfall from tropical storms to produce rivers of mud called lahars.
• Taal


  Has 33 eruptions on the historical record making it one of the most active volcanoes in the country. Taal sits in the middle of a crater lake which formed when a huge explosion in prehistoric times formed the caldera of Taal. Taal is thought to be responsible for 5,000 to 6,000 deaths in the historical record as it lies close to populated areas.
• Tropical storms


  Numerous storms across the country every year bring risk of flooding, landslides and lahars (if combined with volcanic eruption). These account for the highest number of deaths from natural hazards with most fatalities being from storm surges.

  Typhoon Mangkhut caused extensive damage in September 2018 and was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Haiyan in 2013 and the third strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2018. It caused 127 deaths in the Philippines and cost the US $627 million. About 3 million people were affected in the worst hit parts of the Philippines according to the red cross. Another 11 million further south faced flooding that made it hard for them to return to their rice farms.
• Typhoon Haiyan - Nov 2013


  killed >7000 people, affected >14 million people and made >4 million people homeless.

  contaminated water --> spread of disease

  cost around 12 billion dollars. An oil tanker ran leak contaminated fishing waters.

  The airport was badly damaged and roads were blocked by debris and trees.

  Looting was rife, due to the lack of food and supplies.

  Rice prices had risen by nearly 12% by 2014.
• Typhoon Haiyan human responses


  Over 1,200 evacuation centres were set up

  800,000 people were evacuated following a televised warning by the president. Many people found refuge in a stadium in Tacloban. However, many people died when it was flooded.

  
  

  Curfew introduced two days after the typhoon to reduce looting.

  
  

  Three days after the storm, the main airport was reopened, and emergency aid arrived. Power was restored in some regions after a week.

  
  

  1 million food packs and 250,000 litres of water were distributed within two weeks.
• Typhoon Mangkhut - 2008


  strongest to make landfall since Haiyan

  killed 127 people and affected 3 million people

  Cost US $627 million

  Huge volume of rain brought by the typhoon has caused numerous landslides, some fatal
• Typhoon Mangkhut


  Well-planned evacuations appear to have minimised casualties in the areas directly in the path of this powerful storm.

  
  

  As soon as Typhoon Mangkhut was announced by weather agencies, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), through its Operations Centre (OpCen), which operates 24/7, started monitoring the typhoon.

  
  

  As it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), PRC's chapters directly in the path of the typhoon were put on alert and standby for support. Response teams as well as other personnel from the PRC specializing in relief, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH), health and welfare, and assets and equipment were rapidly mobilized and deployed.

  
  

  This suggests that preparation and evacuation procedures have improved since Haiyan. Warnings were issued, travel was restricted, schools were shut and the army was put on standby in advance.
• Social risks


  People killed and injured

  People displaced

  Spread of disease

  Lack of medical and food supplies
• Environmental risks


  Destruction of crops and farmland

  Pollution from seawater

  Landslides
• Economic risks


  Cost of damages

  Loss of crops
• Population density and distribution:


  Millions of Filipinos live in risky, low-lying areas where housing is cheap and crowded. Rapid urbanisation has led to tightly packed, flimsily constructed houses. This means houses are more likely to be destroyed when a hazard occurs which also means increased death toll.
• Wealth levels


  Government does not always have the money for repairs meaning they need financial aid to help them rebuild after a hazard occurs.

  Only a fraction of people have insurance or any claim to property ownership.
• Land use change


  Deforestation has led to steep unprotected slopes leading to rapid run-off, flooding and the potential for landslides.