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philppine disaster

Disaster Preparedness is a constant goal. In order for us, Filipinos, to not only survive, but also thrive in the face of inevitable disasters, we must always learn from the lessons of the past.

Though 2013’s Super Typhoon Yolanda opened our eyes to the dangers of storm surges, this year also brought disasters that made headlines. Let’s take a look at how extreme weather events shaped another year.

Typhoon Amang

No one will forget the day Pope Francis visited the Philippines. But what also made it memorable was that it was same day when Typhoon Amang entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Amang first made its landfall as a Tropical Storm on January 16 at 3 PM. It stayed inside the Philippine boundary for 4 days, leaving almost 5,000 families homeless. A total of 21,867 persons were displaced from Regions V, VII AND VIII.

A total of 22 roads, bridges and spillways became unpassable. Amang also caused 9 incidents of landslide, 10 flooding cases, and one maritime incident. 152 houses were damaged, mostly in Vigan, Catanduanes and Daet in Camarines Norte.

Due to the stormy weather condition, Northern and Western Samar suffered from power interruption.

Typhoon Lando

The 12th cyclone for 2015, Typhoon Lando with international name Koppu entered the Philippine boundary last October 14, and made its exit on October 21. It was the High Pressure Area (HPA) located just above the West Philippine Sea that caused Lando stayed for one week inside the PAR.

The Cordillera region was severely damaged during the onslaught of Typhoon Lando. 35 people were killed in Northern and Central Luzon, while more than 900 thousand people were affected by flood.

A total of 540 houses were destroyed. Damages in infrastructure amounted to P559 million. Meanwhile, damages in agriculture reached P6.01 billion in Regions I, II, III, CALABARZON, V and CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region).

The slow-moving typhoon dumped more rain showers over Central and Northern Luzon. 15 towns in Cagayan province were affected by flood, as well as 91% percent of Cabanatuan.

A state of calamity was been declared in Nueva Ecija, Iligan City in Isabela and San Carlos City in Pangasinan.

Typhoon Nona

Typhoon Nona, with international name Melor, entered PAR last December 12.

This month, the cold and dry Northeast Monsoon or amihan is the dominant wind system, which is not favorable to the enhancement of a cyclone. Because of this, a weather disturbance tends to move to a lower location, making Southern Luzon and Visayas more prone to landfall activities.

Nona made five landfalls as it traversed Visayas and Southern Luzon. The first three landfalls were made on Decemeber 14. Its first landfall was in Batag in Northern Samar, followed by its second one at Bulusan, Sorsogon. The third landfall was at Burias Island, Masbate. On December 15, it marked its fourth landfall in Banton Island in Romblon, while the last one was made in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro.

NDRRMC reports that as of December 15, a total of 130,682 individuals were affected in one city, 52 municipalities and 11 provinces in Regions of IV-A, IV-B, V and VIII.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development released P42.237 worth of relief assistance to the Local Government Units.

Typhoon Ineng

Landslides in Cordillera and Ilocos Region claimed 4 lives as typhoon Ineng (Goni) battered Luzon last August. A 10-year-old boy died in a landslide in Sabangan in Ilocos Norte, while 3 casualties were recorded in CAR.

Approximately 1,000 individuals were evacuated as rains persisted in Luzon, particularly over Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan, due to the combined effect of Ineng and the Southwest Monsoon (habagat).

Yellow rainfall warning was also hoisted in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Bataan.

Filipinos are known to be resilient, but we must not forget what these calamities have taught us. We must use our experience from past disasters to strengthen disaster preparedness program.

Sources:
http://www.gov.ph/2015/01/19/situation-report-on-typhoon-amang-as-of-january-19-2015-600-a-m/

http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/2607/SitRep_No_26_re_Preparedness_Measures_and_Effects_of_TY_LANDO_03NOV2015_0600H.pdf

http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/2663/SitRep_No_06_re_Preparedness_measures_and_Effects_of_TY_NONA_(MELOR)_as_of_15DEC2015_2000H.pdf

http://www.panahon.tv/blog/2015/08/typhoon-soudelor-enters-par/

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/10/14/1510614/typhoon-lando-enters-par

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/22/1490819/ineng-batters-luzon-4-dead-landslides

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/disasters/109694-typhoon-lando-list-impassable-roads

http://www.rappler.com/nation/110099-ndrrmc-typhoon-lando-death-toll-october-21

http://www.manilatimes.net/nona-rains-destroy-high-value-crops/234967/

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/541238/news/nation/slow-moving-lando-causes-widespread-damage-in-luzon

Heavy flooding as ‘Nona’ death toll climbs to 9

http://www.mb.com.ph/ilagan-bridges-not-passable-barangays-flooded-due-to-nona/