The Phillipines - Multi-Hazard Environment Flashcards
What is the GDP of the Phillipines compared to the UKs
$7,358 compared to the UKs GDP of $39,889
What is the HDI compared to the UK
0.66 while the UKs is 0.909
What is the infant mortality rate compared to the UKs
22/1000 compared to the UKs 3.8/1000
What is the life expectancy compared to the UK
69 compared to 81.6
Where is the Phillipines
A group a islands in south-east Asia. It is positioned in the western rim of the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’. It is also positioned in the area where tropical disturbances cross from the Pacific towards Southeast Asia making it the most exposed country in the world for this hazard.
What are the hazards the Phillipines are vulnerable to
Geophysical hazards: volcanic, seismic and landslides
Hydro-meteorological hazards: tropical storms, floods, droughts, landslides
What does the vulnerability to hazards hinder the attempts of the government doing
Trying to reduce the incidence of poverty and to reduce the number of people and assets vulnerable to the hazards.
Example of a multi-hazard event
In 2013, the country was subject to a severe earthquake (Bohol), touched or crossed by seven typhoons, including Haiyan and eight tropical storms. At the same time the major volcanoes were still rumbling away with intermittent small-scale emissions of lava, steam and gas.
Between 2000-2013 how many earthquakes were there and what were the magnitude
17 and at least 5.6
Why do Manila and the Island of Luzon have a greater disaster risk
They are very densely populated
Why is the phillipines so vulnerable to hydro-meteorological hazards
Becsuse of the coastally distributed hazards
How does the widespread economic deprivation a reason the hazards are so bad
The Phillipines have a low capacity to cope
Why is the Phillipines so vulnerable to volcanic hazards
Near to a major destructive plate boundary. The Philippines plate is being subducted beneath the Eurasian plates.
Settlements have been built in vulnerable areas e.g Angeles near Mt Pinatubo when it was classified as dormant.
Why is the Phillipines so vulnerable to seismic hazards
Earthquakes are a regular occurrence in the Phillipines due the complex nature of plate margins and faults close by. It is located along the border of two tectonic plates on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’. It gets hit by earthquakes of over 6 on the Richter scale every year.
Why is the Phillipines so vulnerable to tropical storms
The Phillipines is hit by more than 20 tropical storms per year. They develop in the Pacific Ocean and move westwards over the island
Example of volcanic hazard in the Phillipines
Mt Pinatubo erupted in 1991 (second largest eruption on the planet in the twentieth century)
What was the death toll of the Mt Pinatubo eruption
700
How many people were made homeless after the Mt Pinatubo eruption
200,000
Environmental impacts for the Mt Pinatubo eruption
Crops were destroyed and agricultural land was ruined by falling ash
How many people did early warnings and evacuations save in the Mt Pinatubo eruption
At least 5,000
How long after the Mt Pinatubo eruption was global temperatures still affected
2 years (average global temperatures down by 0.5*C)
What followed the Mt Pinatubo eruption
Typhoon Yunya, with very heavy rainfall combining with volcanic ash to produce deadly lahars. Final death toll was around 850.
Example of seismic hazards in The Phillipines
Luzon Island in 1990
Moro Gulf in 1976
What was the magnitude of the Luzon Island earthquake
7.8
What was the death toll of the Luzon earthquake
1500
What were the environmental impacts of the Luzon earthquake
Caused widespread ground rupturing and soil liquefaction
What was the magnitude of the Moro Gulf earthquake
7.9 (highly seismically active region)
What was the impact of the Moro Gulf earthquake
Caused a tsunami so thousand killed, several cities devastated
Example of a typhoon hazard in The Phillipines
Typhoon Haiyan (strongest and deadliest tropical storm on record in the Phillipines)
When was Typhoon Haiyan
2013
How strong were the winds of Typhoon Haiyan
300km/hr
How high was the storm surge that followed Typhoon Haiyan
5m
How many houses were destroyed or damaged in Typhoon Haiyan
1 million homes
How many deaths did Typhoon Haiyan cause
6,201 deaths
How many people were affected by a Typhoon Haiyan
14 million
How populated is the Phillipines
Densely - 340/km^2
What are the human qualities of the Phillipines
Densely populated
Communities understand the risks having experienced them before.
People prepare for hazards e.g by widening rivers near settlements to prevent flooding.
People stock pile food in order to increase their resilience.
Over the past decade where have Filipinos flocked fo
Risky low-lying areas, havens for cheap, crammed housing where there is a clear link between poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters
How has the Philippines policy towards natural hazards changed
Before 2009 funding was available for disasters after the events but this led to a reactionary focus rather than a focus on prevention and preparation. Now the policy is working towards large scale resilience to disasters through adaption, mitigation and management strategies.
What is included in the adaption, mitigation and management strategies
Embankments to reduce chance of flooding, public awareness through education programs, monitoring with early warning systems, prevent new buildings in prone areas and adapting buildings to be able to cope with earthquakes
What is the future for hazards in the Phillipines
Volcanic and seismic events are unlikely to increase in either frequency or magnitude. However, the number of dolled exposed to the hazard risk is likely to increase with population growth and urbanisation. Urbanisation can lead to deforestation in upland areas for agriculture, this reduces interception and therefore reduces lag time - increasing risk of landslides and flooding. It is likely that an increase in ocean temperatures will make storms more intense, thus making coastal populations more vulnerable.
How has rapid urbanisation exacerbated the problems facing the Philippines
It’s tightly packed, flimsily constructed housing and the environmental degradation such as deforestation and that has only added to the problem (steep, unprotected slopes leading to rapid run-off, flooding and the potential for landslides)
How can disasters be mitigated, even avoided
Land use planning, construction and other preventative measures which avoid the creation of disaster-prone conditions
What has there been a widespread emphasis on
Post-disaster relief and short-term preparedness (forecasting/evacuation), rather than on mitigation and post-disaster support for economic recovery
What does the current system tend to be but what is required
More of a centralised top-down administrative system and it needs to be a community based and gives rise to local initiatives by using a bottoms-up approach that will help more vulnerable communities cope with the hazards when they occur
What has the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) started
Programmes at a community level - the aim is to reduce the impacts of natural disasters by encouraging people to collaborate in protecting their lives and the resources upon which they depend
What does bottom-up approaches consist of
Co-operation and partnership with governmental bodies in order to gain financial support for mitigation measures and to ensure that the programmes have long-term sustainability.
Training local volunteers in disaster management.
Identifying risk through land use mapping and determining which mitigation measures might be possible.
Initiating mitigation measures which could be physician (sea walls, dykes), health related (clean water supplies) or planning tools (land use plans, evacuation plans)
Dissemination of information to the whole community.
What is the attitude of Filipinos
Resilience in the face of problems and fatalistic - they accept these events are part of living in such an area (even gods will) and that losses are inevitable from time to time
What does recent government legislation call for
70% of disaster spending to be used on long term plans with only 30% going on emergency aid.
What is the main problem of living in a multi-hazard environment that remains
As officials put it ‘resources are stretched, even before we could recover from one disaster, here is the next one’
