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Multi-Hazard Environment: The Philippines

Location
1. off the mainland of SE Asia
2. Consists of an archipelago of 7,000 islands
3. on western rim of Pacific Rim of Fire
  1. Brings earthquakes and volcanoes
4. SItuated in an area where typhoons cross from Pacific towards SE Asia
  1. Most exposed country in the world to typhoons
5. In past 2 decades has experienced over 300 natural disasters
6. VULNERABILITY
  1. 2013:
    1. Severe Bohol earthquake
    2. 7 typhoons, including Haiyan
    3. 8 tropical storms
    4. Volcanic eruptions
  2. Cost to economy: 0.5% of national GDP
  3. Most exposed in world to typhoons
  4. Top - down approach to administration. Most vulnerable thus not catered for
  5. Consists of over 7000 islands - too much responsibility falls to local government where money is not always wisely spent.
  6. One government official: 'resources are stretched; even before we could recover from one disaster, here is the next one.'
  7. According to World Bank Natural Disaster Hotspot List,, was 8th in the world for exposure to multiple hazards from 1990 to 2009.
    1. 74% of population are vulnerable
      1. Environmental degradation - deforestation = rapid runoff = flooding and landslides
      2. Fatalistic attitude - 'God's Will'
      3. No land use planning - flimsy buildings
      4. Urbanisation has exacerbated problem. Filipinos flocked to risky low lying areas for the cheap housing
        Clear link between poverty and vulnerability
MANAGEMENT
1. Short term
  1. Have relied upon a reactive approach rather than mitigation or avoidance
  2. Failed to produce land use planning
  3. A focus on post - disaster relief and short term preparedness such as evacuation rather than long term mitigation
  4. Little local initiative - not community based administartion system,. but rather a top - down one. No emphasis on the most vulnerable.
2. Long Term
  1. Philippine Red Cross started programmes at community level
    1. reduce impacts of hazards by encouraging people to collaborate in protecting their lives and resources
    2. Cooperation with government bodies to gain financial support for mitigation measures and ensure the programmes have long term sustainability
    3. train local volunteers in disaster management
    4. Dissemination of information to whole community
  2. UN claims Philippines has some of the best risk reduction laws in the world - but most are still on paper
  3. Recent government legislature: 70% of disaster spending must be used on long - term plans
EARTHQUAKES
1. leads to tsunamis, fires, landslides and human crime such as looting
2. Between 2000 and 2013, there were 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 5.6
  1. 2013 Bohol: 7.2 magnitude, killed over 200, damage to tens of thousands of buildings
3. Philippine plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate. They lock, and pressure builds. Eventually, seismic energy is released when they jerk free.
  1. Also occur at fault lines, in which the plate cracks under pressure - The Philippine Fault Zone
    1. Guinyangan fault - most destructive, minimum of 7.0 Richter Scale earthquakes
VOLCANOES
1. Approx. 23 active volcanoes on its islands
2. Lead to lahars
3. Near destructive plate boundary - Philippine plate subducts under Eurasian.
  1. Islands formed by a combination of folding at the boundary. Volcanoes formed from rising magma.
4. ACTIVE VOLCANOES
  1. MAYON
    1. Most active
      1. Last eruption 2014
    2. Erupted nearly 50 times in last 400 years
      1. Most destructive: 1814
    3. Noted for its LAHARS
      1. Volcanic ash mixes with heavy rainfall from tropical storms to produce rivers of mud
  2. PINATUBO
    1. 1991: second largest eruption on planet in 20th century
      1. early warnings saved 5000
      2. Followed by Typhoon Yunya - final death toll 850
    2. 500,000 live within 40km of it
    3. So violent that ash and gas ejected into upper atmosphere and affected global temps. for at least 2 years - avg. global temp down 0.5 degrees Celsius
TROPICAL DISTURBANCES
1. Most exposed country in the world to typhoons
2. Develop in Pacific and move westwards over the islands
3. Typhoon Haiyan
4. Risk of flooding, landslides and lahars (if combined with a volcano)
5. Account for the highest numbers of deaths from natural hazards in the Philippines
  1. Mostly from storm surges
6. Around 10 typhoons a year

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Multi-Hazard Environment: The Philippines

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	Created by Lauren Bradford over 7 years ago