THINK OF THESE – Forearmed against looming disaster

With a total land area of 2,444 square kilometers, Davao City is the largest in the country in terms of land area. It is 7.8 times the size of Cebu and three times that of the entire Metro Manila. It’s no wonder why the city serves as the main trade, commerce, and industry hub of Mindanao and the regional center of Davao Region.
“Presently, built-up areas used for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial purposes represent about 10% of the total land area,” notes www.islandproperties.com. “Under the approved land use plan built-up and settlement area will cover 15% of the total area while agricultural will be maximized with 67.19%. The remaining 17.68 will be devoted to forestry and conservation.”
Davao City is located within the Davao Gulf, which faces the Pacific Ocean. There are both good and bad things about it. The good thing is that it has some of the country’s beach fronts and the gulf’s water is regarded as one of the most diverse cetacean habits in the country.
The bad thing about it is that in the face of natural disasters like storm surge and tsunami, a lot of people are at risk. To think of, Davao City — with a population of 1.5 million — is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country (after Metro Manila’s 11.86 million and Metro Cebu’s 2.55 million).
Forearmed is forewarned, so goes a saying. In recent years, Davao City is spared from huge calamities that beset other cities in the country. Should storm surge and tsunami hit the city, are the people prepared for them?
A storm surge is the abnormal rise of seawater due to the low pressure, high winds, and high waves associated with a tropical cyclone. In the past, most Filipinos thought storm surge only causes severe flooding. But this set of thinking changed when Tacloban City was almost flattened by Super Typhoon Yolanda on November 8, 2013. The images we saw and the testimonials we heard became a grim realization that we must not only know but try to understand what a storm surge is.
Recently, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) came up with a brochure detailing on what to do before and during the storm surge. For individuals, it issued these tips:
· Monitor the public weather forecasts, bulletins and warnings issued by PAGASA.
· Make plans for evacuation to higher grounds or evacuation centers before the storm surge happens.
· Secure your home. Move essential items to the upper floor. If you have time, bring your outdoor furniture inside the house.
· Turn off utilities, main switches, and valves. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
· If you are to evacuate, bring essential items like food, water, flashlight, clothes, transistor radio, cellphone, medicines, and vital documents. Make sure that these are wrapped in plastic or water-resistant containers.
For the communities, here the things that must be done:
· Leaders should prepare evacuation plans and procedures, and review all aspects of disaster preparedness plan.
· Conduct periodic drills and exercises to familiarize every community member with actual storm surge situations.
· Evacuate people as soon as possible to higher grounds when a storm or typhoon approaches your coastal community.
· Ensure systematic safekeeping of valuables, efficient transport system, rescue operation procedures, and relief and rehabilitation activities.
Some storm surge survivors in Tacloban City claimed that if the warnings were that of a tsunami, they would have known what to expect and do. But a tsunami is different from storm surge.
“A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land,” informs the National Geographic. “These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore.”
Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour — that’s about as fast as a jet airplane. As tsunami is usually composed of a series of waves, called a wave train, its destructive force may be compounded as successive waves reach shore.
“People experiencing a tsunami should remember that the danger may not have passed with the first wave and should await official word that it is safe to return to vulnerable locations,” the National Geographic reminds.
According to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs), there are three signs of an incoming local tsunami. First, when earthquake is strong enough to be felt; second, when there is sudden drop or rise of sea water; and last, when there is a roaring sound of incoming waves.
When a tsunami warning is issued, it means that a destructive tsunami is expected with life threatening wave heights of greater than one meter above the expected ocean tides. Immediate evacuation of coastal communities that may be affected is strong advised.
Boats must be kept away from the dock, shore, and shallow parts of the sea. Fishermen whose boats are already out in the seas should stay in deep water as tsunamis in those parts are not very high.
Philvolcs does not issue an “all clear” advisory. “It is the local authorities who should do this especially when there is a tsunami which affects the coastal area,” it said. “Philvolcs will lower or cancel alert if there is no more tsunami threat.”
Again, forewarned is forearmed.