DISASTER
PRONE AREAS
IN THE PHILIPPINES
SUBJECT
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK
REDUCTION
DATE
MARCH 06, 2023
TIBOR, PHILIFF ANDREAH C.
11 STEM 3 - NIGHTINGALE
I.
INTRODUCTION
According to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2018), the
Philippines is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Its
islands are constantly influenced by floods, typhoons, landslides,
earthquakes, volcanoes, and droughts due to their location near the
boundary of major tectonic plates, along the Pacific Ring of Fire, and
at the center of a typhoon belt. In terms of population exposure and
sensitivity to hazards, the Philippines ranks among the top three
countries in the world. Significant gaps in disaster management skills
persist across the Philippines, and surprisingly few supplies are
available, reflecting local levels of disaster resilience and
preparedness.
II.
ARGUMENT
The following areas are said to be prone to the following disasters:
▪
TYPHOON (green)
Typhoons are said to constitute a threat in the upper half of
CAR, NCR, Region II, Region IVA, Region V, and the right half
of Samar. These locations in the Philippines are vulnerable to
typhoons because of their geographic location. The country is in
Southeast Asia, facing the Pacific Ocean, which generates a large
number of typhoons that cause huge damage in the said areas.
▪
STORM SURGE (yellow)
Due to their low coastline elevation zones, Palawan, Samar,
Leyte, and Region V are vulnerable to storm surges. These
regions are close to the coast and thus most susceptible to storm
surge. Its low-lying islands, vast sections of coastline, and
concave and gently sloping coasts all lead to storm surge impacts
being amplified.
▪
EARTHQUAKE (red)
Most of Region I, the lower portion of CAR, Nueva Ecija,
Region XIII, most of ARMM, and Sarangani are prone to
earthquakes because of their location along the Philippine Fault
Zone. Several of the places are prone to earthquakes because they
are near trenches (particularly those near the Pacific Ocean),
active faults, and volcanoes that trigger volcanic earthquakes.
▪
VOLCANIC ERUPTION (purple)
Due to the proximity of active volcanoes, the left portion of
Region III, Region IVA, Region V, Negros Oriental, Davao,
South Cotabato, and Sulu are particularly vulnerable to volcanic
eruptions. Moreover, the Philippines is situated along the Pacific
Ring of Fire and has 24 active volcanoes, according to the
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS).
▪
FIRE (orange)
Fire disasters are mostly prone in Negros Occidental, Iloilo,
and Antique. Extreme heat brought by the El Niño sparked more
fire incidents in these areas causing fires to spread quickly in
residential areas, particularly in illegal colonies, and encourages
parched grass to catch fire easily. Human irresponsibility is also a
factor in the growing incidence of fires. According to the Bureau
of Fire Protection (BFP), faulty electrical connections, unattended
candles, and cigarette butts are among the leading causes of fire.
The National Academic Press suggests that every community
at high risk develop and implement an adequate mitigation
program that includes both short-term goals and a comprehensive
long-term plan for mitigating the effects of natural disasters.
To attain this goal, the Committee recommends that local
governments take the following actions:
o Include both structural and nonstructural mitigation
measures in new construction.
o Look for ways to make current structures less
vulnerable.
o Adopt actions to mitigate natural resource
vulnerability, and
o Provide mitigation training with assistance from the
state and federal governments.
III.
CONCLUSION
The severity of disasters and the amount of susceptibility of
individuals and communities determine their impact. Since the
Philippines is at risk of being affected by these disasters, citizens
should be prepared to protect themselves and others by strengthening
community capacity and conducting mitigation activities.