Typhoon Risk Reduction and Readiness: Mitigation Plan

Obusan, Joana Carlyn S.

H 11-01
Introduction

The Philippines is one of the nations with the highest annual typhoon activity
since it is a tropical continent vulnerable to typhoons. Also, the Philippines are a part of
the Pacific Ring of Fire, a phenomenon which explains why there are so many active
volcanoes there as well as how frequently earthquakes occur there. My home is located
in Bloomfield Homes, Lipa City. I live in a naturally beautiful residence with a modest but
charming garden at the entry. Aside from me, I live in a house with three other people.
My loving mother, my amazing father, and my older brother. They are the only purpose
for my existence and the outcome of my life today. They help solidify my house and
myself. I live in a fantastic neighborhood. It is wonderful since it provides us with
numerous advantages. In connection with this, our barangay is vulnerable to volcanic
tremors and ash falls because it is located within the Taal Volcano's 17KM blast zone.
Our community has been on high alert because of the previous Taal Volcano activity,
last January 12, 2020, as there is a possibility of an evacuation in our area. Our
subdivision, on the other hand, is located on higher ground, which lowers the potential
for flooding inside the subdivision, although flooding in certain public streets/roads
happens frequently anytime when there is an occuring typhoon and strong rains.
Extreme weather events like typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are the
three main disasters that our community experiences. The most frequent natural
catastrophes, their dangers, and their rankings are listed below.

Table 1: Scaffold 1 (List of Disasters)

LIST OF DISASTERS RISKS RANKING

Typhoons ● Strong winds and 1
rain storms
● Damage and loss
of property
● Flooding in public
roads and other
parts of the
community
● Casualties and
injuries
● Evacuation/Force
d displacement
 ● Depletion of
primary needs

Earthquake ● Potential loss of 2

life
● Loss of finances
● Depletion of
primary needs
● Evacuation/Force
d displacement
● Damage and loss
of property
● Casualties and
injuries
● Ground shaking

Volcanic Eruptions ● Injuries from falls 3

● Loss of primary
needs
● Infectious disease
● Respiratory illness
● Burns
● Vehicle accidents
cause from ash
falls

Risk Assessment Details

A risk assessment is a method for locating prospective hazards and analyzing

what might happen if one suddenly appears. The goal of the risk assessment process is
to identify hazards, eliminate them when needed, or reduce the level of risk they pose
by implementing management measures. Risk evaluation is beneficial to the safety of
my house since it is the way of comparing the expected risk to the hazard provided
criteria in order to determine the significance of the risk. Mitigation techniques for my
house and community are critical as part of an occupational safety and health
management strategy. They help to raise awareness of hazards and risks. I will be able
to reduce stress and burnout by protecting my family and neighbors, making my
surroundings safer, more effective, and productive. People work more productively in
environments that prioritize health and safety. Minimizing downtime as a result of a
disaster generates less disruption and protects your health. Preparedness for disasters
saves lives, quickens recovery, and saves a lot of money. Communities, households,
and people should be aware of what to do in the situation of a fire and where they can
find shelter in the occurrence of a strong storm. Skilled households can lessen the fear,
worry, and vulnerabilities associated with a disaster. They can be prepared to evacuate
their houses, withstand a time of isolation, make their presence in temporary shelters
more pleasant, and meet their basic healthcare needs. You've made the environment
healthier and more secure by doing this. It's important to evaluate the hazards of a
typhoon before setting together a mitigation strategy for my family so that we can decide
which risks to handle. The planning phase for a typical household plan of action always
includes a risk assessment. Understanding the risks brought by typhoons enables the
community to be ready for the dangers and risks that may inevitably happen while yet
protecting personal safety. This just makes it more important for the households to be
aware of the hazards and conduct a risk assessment so they can deal with them as they
arise. The Risk assessment table contains the results of rating from hazards and risks
that I selected from the common disaster which is Typhoon. Typhoons are the most
common natural disasters that affect both the home and the community, so the table
below shows the risk assessment for typhoons' exposure and vulnerability ratings.

Table 2: Scaffold 3 (Assessing a Hazard’s Priority Level)

COMMON DISASTER: Typhoon

Hazards Risks Elements Expo Exposu Sever Vulnerab Vulnerab Likeliho Prior
Affected sure re ity ility ility od ity
Ratin Averag Ratin Rating Average Rating Rati
g e g ng
Strong Potential 4 3 4 3 3 D High
Individuals
winds injury or
- Family
and rain loss of
Members
storms life
Assets -
Damage Pets,
or loss of primary
property needs(clot
hing, food,
water)
 Infrastruct
ure -
Home/shel
ter

Scarcity Lack of 4 3 4 3 3 B Medi

Individuals
of survival um
- Family
primary needs
members
needs
Assets-
Pets

Infrastruct
ure -
Home/She
lter

Debris Potential 4 4 3 3 3 C Medi

Individuals
brought injury or um
- Family
by loss of
members
strong life
winds Assets -
Damage Pets
or loss of
Infrastruct
property
ure -
Home/She
lter

Based on the previous table, the hazards/risks that the household should focus what to
do before the typhoon are the following:
- Strong winds and rain storms
- Scarcity of primary needs
- Debris brought by strong winds
- Damage and loss of property
- Potential injury or loss of life

Recommended Actions:
These are the actions to be taken before to the typhoon given the primary hazards
experienced:
1. Check the latest weather information and be careful of warnings.
2. Go grocery shopping that’s essential to buy and avoid buying foods that are not
necessary.
3. Have a minimum of 3 days’ worth of emergency supplies that includes water,
food, clothes and first aid kit.
4. Charge electronics, store additional water and batteries, and put gas in the family
vehicle.
5. Set up radios, generators and emergency lights incase of power outage.
6. Before the typhoon, evaluate the property for potential risk and danger.
7. Moving the home furniture and other valuable things, and placing them in a
secure location to prevent damage and loss of property.
8. Closing and securing the doors and windows, to avoid property damage and
strong winds.
9. To outdoor sockets, install socket covers to prevent electrocution.
10. Take note and remember to use the emergency hotlines when needed.

Development of the Plan:

It is necessary to be prepared and have a plan ready to secure your house

and family. The family preparation strategy establishes four measures that families
should do to ensure that they are prepared for any catastrophe. The disaster risk
management cycle is divided into four stages: mitigation, preparation, response, and
recovery in the post-disaster period. Now, I will give goals and responsibility to each of
us at home on how to be prepared for any disaster. My father is in the mitigation plan.
His role in our disaster preparedness plan is to identify the risk, improve reconstruction,
regulatory planning, regularly scheduled vulnerability and risk assessments. Second, I
am in charge of the preparation plan. My role is to do threat assessment, resource
assessment and acquisition, inter- and intra- jurisdictional cooperation, drills and
exercises, and writing a plan. Third, my mother is in the response plan. Her role is to
ensure activation of emergency protocol, medical assistance and first aid, shelter and
evacuation, and secondary damage reduction. Lastly, my older brother is in charge of
the recovery plan. His role is to do the damage assessment, cleanup, providing
temporary basic needs and basic reconstruction.

My father’s Mitigation planning is the method of assessing the risks faced by

natural disasters and creating long-term plans to mitigate the effects of future
occurrences on our home and environment. He tries to identify the best methods and
techniques of preventing, mitigating, and reducing negative impacts of hazards and
risks. My preparation plan is to provide a disaster preparedness kit, set up safe zones in
our house for each sort of calamity, be alert to emergency warnings, determine shelter
and evacuation plan and create family/household communication plan. By practicing
this preparation plan, it will decrease the panic, worry, and damages that accompany
catastrophes. My mother’s response plan is a system of established protocols for
responding with emergencies that reduce the effect of the occurrence and make
recovery easier. Actions like establishing safety rooms, evacuating with family, and so
on are aimed to lessen the effects of a disaster on our property and lives. Her Response
operations during a disaster are intended to make sure that our family’s necessities and
resources are provided in order to relieve and reduce hardship. Lastly, my brother’s
recovery plan is to draft a disaster recovery plan, define a recovery solution and process
the restoration of our house after it has been affected by a disaster.

References:

The Disaster Management Cycle. (2002). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from
https://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/1-dm_cycle.htm

Risk Assessment | Ready.gov. (n.d.).

https://www.ready.gov/risk-assessment#:~:text=A%20risk%20assessment%20is

%20a,sensitive%20or%20critical%20business%20processes.

Preparing for a Disaster - Typhoon/Flood. (n.d.). Information for Foreign Residents of

Japan | Kansai Transmission and Distribution, Inc.

https://www.kansai-td.co.jp/english/home/teiden-info/preparation/typhoon-flood.ht

ml