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Debris Flow Hazard Map Simulation using FLO-2D for Selected Areas in the
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Debris Flow Hazard Map Simulation using FLO-2D for Selected Areas in the PhilippinesI

PK Ferrera,b,∗, F Llanesa,b , M dela Resmaa,b , V II Realinoa,b , J Obriquea , RC Gacusana,b , IJ Ortiza,b , C Quinaa , D Aquinoa , RN
Ecoa,b , AMF Lagmaya,b
a Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, Department of Science and Technology, Philippines
b National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

Abstract
On December 4, 2012, Super Typhoon Bopha wreaked havoc in the southern region of Mindanao, leaving 1,067 people dead and
causing USD 800 million worth of damage. Classified as a Category 5 typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC),
Bopha brought intense rainfall and strong winds that triggered landslide and debris flows, particularly in Barangay (village) Andap,
New Bataan municipality, in the southern Philippine province of Compostela Valley. The debris flow destroyed school buildings
and covered courts and an evacuation center. Compostela Valley also suffered the most casualties of any province; 612 out of a
total 1,067. In light of the disaster in Compostela, measures were immediately devised to improve available geohazard maps to
raise public awareness about landslides and debris flows. A debris flow is a very rapid to extremely rapid flow of saturated non-
plastic debris in a steep channel. They are generated when heavy rainfall saturates sediments, causing them to flow down river
channels within an alluvial fan situated at the base of the slope of a mountain drainage network. Many rural communities in the
Philippines, such as Barangay Andap, are situated at the apex of alluvial fans and in the path of potential debris flows. In this study,
we conducted simulations of debris flows to assess the risks in inhabited areas throughout the Philippines and validated the results
in the field, focusing on the provinces of Pangasinan and Aurora as primary examples. Watersheds that drain in alluvial fan using
a 10-m resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was first delineated, and then a 1 in
100-year rain return rainfall scenario for the watershed was used to simulate debris flows using FLO-2D, a flood-routing software.
The resulting simulations were used to generate debris flow hazard maps which are consistent with danger zones in alluvial fans
delineated previously from satellite imagery and available DEMs. The simulation was further verified with field assessment. Results
show that a total of 135 barangays with 252,405 people in Pangasinan and 25 barangays with 34,495 people in Aurora are at risk of
flood and debris flows.
Keywords: debris flow, FLO-2D, Philippines

1. Introduction catastrophic. The typhoon caused USD 800 million worth of

On December 4, 2012, Super Typhoon Bopha wreaked havoc
in the southern region of Mindanao in the Philippines. The
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) classified the typhoon
as Category 5. In the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, a Cat-
egory 5 typhoon reaches wind speed of more than 156 miles
per hour. Typhoon Bopha brought intense rainfall and strong
winds all over the Philippines. The eye of the typhoon crossed
Mindanao through the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon,
Davao Oriental, Misamis Oriental and Compostela Valley as
seen in Figure 1. Of all the provinces affected by the typhoon,
the province of Compostela Valley is the worst hit. Intense rain-
fall made the soil oversaturted with water creating voluminous
landslides and debris flows. Out of the recorded 1,067 casual-
ties brought by the typhoon, 612 came from Compostela Valley
[1]. Many of which came from Barangay (village) Andap in the
municipality of New Bataan. The debris flow destroyed school
buildings, covered courts, and an evacuation center. It was very
I Published online on 4 June 2014
∗ Corresponding author
9
damage.
Mass wasting events in a tropical country like the Philip-
pines are quite expected especially in times of heavy rainfall.
Of all the mass wasting events, debris flows are considered to
be one of the most dangerous. Debris flow is a very rapid to
extremely rapid flow of saturated non-plastic debris in a steep
channel. The conceptual sketch of a debris flow is seen in Fig-
ure 2. Debris flows are churning, water-saturated masses of fine
sediment, rocks, and assorted detritus that originate on moun-
tain slopes and course down stream channels when they reach
valley floors [2].
Mountainous areas with high slope instabilty, high seismic
activities, and extreme rainfall condition are the main triggering
factors [4]. In one of the studies presented in Tulane University,
velocities of debris flows may reach between a meter per year
to hundreds of meters per hour. They can occur suddenly and
inundate an entire town in a matter of minutes [5]. In the event
of a debris flow, many elements are at risk whether affected
directly or indirectly. Several infrastructures and buildings are
destroyed and most especially, the people’s lives.
In light of the disaster in Compostela, measures were imme-

Figure 1: Track of Supertyphoon Bopha from December 2, 2012 to Decem-
ber 9, 2013. The eye of the typhoon crossed seven (7) provinces. Source:
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Sciences Administra-
tion [PAGASA]
Figure 2: Conceptual sketch of a typical debis flow. Source: [3]
diately devised to improve available geohazard maps to raise
public awareness about landslides and debris flows. Many rural
communities in the Philippines, such as Barangay Andap, are
situated at the apex of alluvial fans and in the path of potential
debris flows. For physical planning, reconstruction, prevention,
debris flow mitigation, risk assessment and risk management
reasons, there is the need for a detailed debris flow modeling
[5]. Simulating debris flow is in fact needed and must be under-
stood by government administrators, decision makers, planners
and practitioners who have to protect the life, property, and eco-
nomic activities of people who live in debris flow prone areas
[6]. In this study, we conducted simulations of debris flows to
assess the risks in inhabited areas throughout the Philippines
and validated the results in the field, focusing on the provinces
of Pangasinan and Aurora as primary examples.
10
2. Geology and Geography of the Study Area
The provinces of Pangasinan and Aurora are found on the
central portion of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Pangasinan
(Figure 3) which is enclosed in red box is situated on the west-
ern side of the Philippines. On the other hand, Aurora (Figure
3) which is enclosed in blue, is situated on the eastern side. The
study area in Pangasinan is mostly underlain by Late Pliocene
sedimentary rocks. It is part of the Ilocos-Central Luzon Sed-
imentary Basin. Various sedimentary rocks can be found such
as tuffaceous sandstone, interbedded siltstone, shale and con-
glomerate, including minor lenses of limestone. Igneous rocks
such as andesite, diorite, and basalts are the dominant lithology
in Aurora Province. Moreover, pyroclastic rocks can also be
associated to the lithology of both study area.
Figure 3: Geologic Map of the Philippines. Red box indicates the province of
Pangasinan while blue box indicates the province of Aurora. Source: [7]
When combined with active faulting and bedding, it may pro-
duce many potential failure surfaces in the rock slopes [5]. Fig-
ure 4 shows the distribution of active faults and trenches in the
Philippines. The Philippine fault in Central Luzon consists of
four left-stepping fault segments with a total of 150km: the
San Manuel Fault, San Jose, Digdig and Gabaldon [8]. Fig-
ure 5 shows the Philippine Fault in Central Luzon island. The
San Manuel and San Jose Fault are two fault systems affect-
ing the lithology and sructural geology of Pangasinan Province.
Dingalan Fault and Casiguran Fault, on the other hand, are for
the province of Aurora. As said earlier in the previous section,
high seismic activities which are caused mostly by active faults
coupled with high instability on mountain slopes and intense
rainfall will trigger a potential debris flow.

Figure 5: The trace of the Philippine Fault in Central Luzon Island. From north-
west to southeast: San Manuel Fault, San Jose Fault, Digdig Fault, Gabaldon
Fault. Source: [8]

Figure 4: Distribution of Active Faults and Trenches in the Philippines. Source:

[9]

Based on the monthly rainfall received, Pangasinan Province

is classified to have a Type I climate. A type I climate is char-
acterized to have two (2) distinct seasons: wet from June to
November, and dry for the rest of the year. Aurora Province is
different from Pangasinan for it is classified to have a Type II
climate. A type II climate is identified to have no dry season
at all throughout the year, but a pronounced wet season from
November to February. Figure 6 shows the climate classifica-
tion map of the Philippines.

3. Methodology

There are three (3) major steps in generating debris flow haz-
ard maps. First, watershed is created in ArcGIS. Second, debris
flow is simulated in FLO-2D and third, the resulting hazard map
is assessed upon conducting a field validation of the study area.
In generating watersheds, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Figure 6: Climate map of the Philippines. Pangasinan Province: Type I climate.
of the study area is required. A DEM file consists of a sam- Aurora Province: Type II climate. Source: [10]
pled array of elevations for a number of ground positions at
regularly spaced intervals [11]. This DEM file will serve as
the base layer that is needed in generating the watersheds. The
11
type of elevation data used in this study is a 10-meter resolution
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) DEM. Figure 7 and 8 show
the digital elevation model of the study area. It is also impor-
tant to have the shapefile of the alluvial fans of the area. The
shapefile is overlain on the DEM file because this is essential
in identifying where exactly in the DEM watersheds should be
generated. The process in alluvial fan identification will not
be discussed thoroughly in this article. The software used in
generating the watersheds is ArcMap, which is a main compo-
nent of ArcGIS. ArcMap is an application used for analyzing,
editing, and mapping geospatial data [12]. It is integral to note
that the projection used for the SAR image and the alluvial fan
shapefile should have the same data projection. This can be ver-
ified through the Data Management Tools of the ArcToolbox. In
generating the streams and catchments of the study area, a spe-
cial kind of tool in ArcGIS is utilized. This tool creates various
sizes of streams and catchments ranging from small, medium,
and large. The catchments contributing to the area of a poten-
tial debris flow are carefully selected. The selected watersheds
are in raster form and this should be converted into a shape file
before incorporating in FLO-2D.
Figure 7: 10-meter resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Digital Eleva-
tion Model of Aurora Province
Figure 8: 10-meter resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Digital Eleva-
tion Model of Pangasinan Province
Debris flow simulation is done by utilizing the FLO-2D soft-
ware. FLO-2D is a software that is used basically for flood
hazard mapping. Moreover, this flood-routing software is also
used to simulate mud and debris flows. This software uses
12
dynamic-wave momentum equation and a finite-difference rout-
ing scheme [5]. FLO2D was chosen for this research study be-
cause it incorporates rainfall and digital elevation parameters to
be able to model or simulate debris flows. The following proce-
dures were followed in this FLO-2D simulation. Initially, GDS
or Grid Developer System was used to facilitate the prepara-
tion and graphical editing of the FLO-2D grid system and its
attributes [13]. A 10-meter SAR DEM file was imported into
the software as a PTS file. The PTS file was obtained from
converting an XYZ grid file in Global Mapper software. The
grid size used in the simulation is defined to be 15. Interpola-
tion is done in the model to be able to assign a representative
elevation in each grid element. Manning coefficients and in-
filtration time were also incorporated in the model. Lastly, a
100-year return period was used as the rainfall data in the FLO-
2D debris flow simmulation. The result of the simulation is
post-processed in the Mapper software. Mapper is the primary
post-processing program for viewing the FLO-2D simulation
results. [13]. Each element is assigned a color depending on
the value of the hazard level. In this case study, red indicates a
high level of hazard. Flow depth in this level is greater than one
(1) meter. Orange areas indicate intermediate hazard with flow
depth ranging from 0.2 to 1 meter. The raw and colored debris
flow simulation shapefile is overlain on the SAR DEM image
together with the delineated alluvial fan shapefile in ArcMap in
order to generate the final debris flow hazard map.
The resulting debris flow hazard map is compared with ac-
tual data upon conducting field validation and assessment of
the study area. The assessment of the study area involves soil
sampling and mapping of the extent of the alluvial fan. The
deposits on the area are noted and observed for this may be a
factor whether the area is prone to mudslides or debris flows.
In the case where debris flow deposits are observed, the data
on the exact location, slope, and elevation are gathered. Upon
post-examination of the data gathered during the field, an up-
date on the debris flow simulation is eventually conducted for
further analysis. Figure 9 provides a summarized flow of the
process in debris flow simulation.
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Pangasinan
 Figure 10: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of Northern Pangasinan using 10-
meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter resolution
SAR as basemap

Figure 9: Summarized flow of the process in debris flow simulation.

13
Figure 11: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of Rosario using 10-meter res- Figure 12: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of Pozzorubio, Binalonan, and
olution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter resolution SAR as San Manuel using 10-meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a
basemap 10-meter resolution SAR as basemap

14
Figure 13: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of San Nicolas using 10-meter Figure 14: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of Aguilar in Southern Pangasi-
resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter resolution SAR as nan using 10-meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter
basemap resolution SAR as basemap

15
Figure 15: Overall Debris Flow Hazard Map of Mangatarem in Southern Pan-
gasinan using 10-meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-
meter resolution SAR as basemap

16
 Fieldwork validation was done after the initial debris flow
hazard map was generated. Out of the seven alluvial fans pre-
sented in the section above, only four were successfully val-
idated. The fans that were assessed are Rosario, Pozzorubio,
San Manuel, and San Nicolas. A river deposit found along the
southern portion of Pangasinan was also observed.
The Rosario alluvial fan’s apex (Figure 11) is located near
Camp 1 bridge in Benguet, Philippines. Bued River is the trib-
utary system that contibutes to the deposition of sediments in
the foot of the mountain. Outcrops along the Bued River are
boulder-sized. It also shows a slight reverse grading. According
to interviews with the locals, the scouring that was seen in the
wallrock is higher than the average height of a person. South-
east of the Rosario alluvial fan is the Pozzorubio alluvial fan
(Figure 12). Even though the investigated area is relatively far
from the Pozzorubio’s apex, deposits of coarse sand to boulder-
sized rocks are observed in the mountain drainage. Along the
sides of the deposits, normal grading is observed. There are also
gravelly pointbars identified in the middle of the river. Further
southeast of Pozzorubio, after the Binalonan alluvial fan is the
San Manuel alluvial fan (Figure 12). Brown sit-sized deposits
to boulder-sized rocks are observed in this area. The apex of the
San Manuel alluvial fan is located in Brgy. Lapalo, municipal-
ity of San Manuel. The last fan to be assessed is the San Nicolas
(Figure 13) alluvial fan. It is located northeast of San Manuel.
The area is directly downstream of a major dam system in the
country namely the San Roque Dam. The apex of the of the
fan is within the confines of the San Roque Power Corporation.
All of the fans mentioned are part of the northern Pangasinan
bajada. The alluvial fans as they grow and develop laterally
with each other tends to coalesce and form as one continuous
landform.
Figure 16: Fieldwork validation pictures. (A) General topography of the
In southern Pangasinan, a couple of minor alluvial fans were Rosario alluvial fan found on the base of the mountain along Camp 1 in
identified but were not investigated thoroughly because its size Benguet, Philippines. (B) Outcrop observed along Bued River showing the
is too small to be significant. These are the Aguilar (Figure 14) scouring in the wallrock. (C) Gravel pointbars identified in Pozzorubio alluvial
and Mangatarem (Figure 15) alluvial fan. However, a stopover fan. (D) River deposits of the San Manuel alluvial fan. (E) Slight imbrication
and poor sorting of the cobble- to boulder-sized volcanic rocks observed in the
in a river located downstream of one of the mini fans show fan in Southern Pangasinan.
deposits that are volcanic in origin. It shows poor sorting,
boulder-sized imbrications, and composed of cobbles and boul-
ders. Also, a pointbar with similar deposits is also observed.
Figure 16 shows some of the photos taken during the field vali-
dation in Pangasinan.

17
4.2. Aurora

Figure 17: Debris Flow Hazard Map of Northern Aurora (Casiguran and Di-
nalungan) using 10-meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a
10-meter resolution SAR as basemap

Figure 18: Debris Flow Hazard Map of Maria Aurora, Dipaculao, and San
Luis using 10-meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter
resolution SAR as basemap

18
Figure 19: Debris Flow Hazard Map of Southern Aurora (Dingalan) using 10-
meter resolution SAR for the FLO-2D Simulation and a 10-meter resolution
SAR as basemap

19
 The discussion on the field assessment conducted in Aurora angular to sub-rounded rocks, clast-supported igneous to sedi-
can be divided into three areas: Northern Aurora (Casiguran mentary type of rocks. It is slightly imbricated and the height
and Dinalungan), Mid-Aurora (Dipaculao, Maria Aurora, and of the outcrop is almost one (1) meter. Figure 20 shows some
San Luis), and Southern Aurora (Dingalan). Based from the de- of the photos taken during the field validation in Aurora.
lineation of alluvial fans using 90-meter resolution SRTM im-
ages, Aurora has a total of 11 alluvial fans. Both Northern and
Southern Aurora have 2 alluvial fans each while 7 alluvial fans
are spread out around the municipalities of Dipaculao, Maria
Aurora, and San Luis.
There are two observation points in the northernmost alluvial
fan of Aurora. Located primarily at Barangay Calabgan, in the
municipality of Casiguran (Figure 17), the deposits fan out in
a southeast direction leading to the coast. The two observation
points are relatively far apart, with one located near the foot of
the fan while the other is located near the apex. The deposits
found are mostly silt-sized but a few boulders were able to make
its way to this area. There is no definite grading in the deposits
buried in the soily matrix but the boulders can be found at the
Figure 20: Fieldwork validation pictures. (A) Cobble- to boulder-sized ig-
top. The matrix is unconsolidated and sandy. Meanwhile clasts neous outcrop identified in the fan located at Barangay Calabgan, Casiguran
are polymictic with the lithology ranging from andesite to dior- [Northern Aurora]. (B) The three-layered outcrop observed in the fan located
ite. The second alluvial fan is located in Barangay Dibaraybay, at Barangay Dibaraybay, Dinalungan [Northern Aurora]. (C) Poorly sorted,
in the municipality of Dinalungan (Figure 17). There are plenty pebble- to boulder-sized deposits of the fan located in Barangay Ditale, Dipac-
ulao [Mid-Aurora]. (D) Scar found on a tree facing upstream; it might sug-
of cobble to boulder-sized deposits that are igneous in origin. gest an event that affected the tree during a possible hyperconcentrated flow.
An outcrop investigated in the vicinity of this observation point (E) General topography of the alluvial fan in Barangay Ponglo, Maria Aurora
is comprised of three layers and is 1.5 meters in height. The [Mid-Aurora]. (F) General topography of the alluvial fan in Barangay Aplaya,
topmost layer is clast-supported and poorly sorted with pebble Dingalan [Southern Aurora].
to boulder-sized clasts. The layer in between is composed of
sandy dark brown soil in which plant remains can be identified.
The bottommost layer is composed primarily of boulders that
are clast-supported.
In Mid-Aurora, four of the seven fans are located in Dipacu-
lao (Figure 18). There are more cobble-sized deposits. Facing
downstream, more boulders can be found. The deposits found
at this point is similar in lithology as the floats found in the
two fans in Northern Aurora. The next alluvial fan is located in
Barangay Dibutunan. The river at this point is very narrow and
is surrounded by boulder-sized deposits. Brecciated boulders
have also been observed in the area. An outcrop found near
the area is composed of poorly sorted pebble to boulder-sized
clasts that are subangular to rounded. The outcrop is matrix-
supported when it comes to the smaller deposits. The fan in
Barangay Ditale in Dipaculao has deposits of igneous origin
such as diorite, andesite, and breccias– similar to the igneous
deposits of the northern alluvial fans. The nearest outcrop has
deposits that are very poorly sorted and ranges in size from peb-
bles to boulders. The outcrop is matrix-supported and shows
normal grading. The sub-angular to rounded clasts can be seen
to have imbrication pointing downstream. The alluvial fan as-
sessed in Maria Aurora is located in Barangay Ponglo. Cobble-
szied to boulder-sized igneous rocks are observed in the river
deposits. The stream is braided suggesting it’s a high-energy
fluvial environment. Outcrop along the river reaches up to 1.5
meters in height.
In southern Aurora (Figure 19), the alluvial fan assessed is
located in Barangay Aplaya, Dingalan. The observation point
is relatively far from the apex around 2.1 kilometers northwest.
However, the outcrop observed in this area shows poor sorting,
20
5. Conclusion

Debris flow simulation is very important in geohazard map-

ping. Knowing and understanding the debris prone areas in
one place can save a multitude of life. In this case study, the
province of Pangasinan and Aurora are given as examples. Re-
sults show that debris flows colored in red indicates a high level
of hazard. Flow depth in this level is greater than one (1) me-
ter. Orange areas indicate intermediate hazard with flow depth
ranging from 0.2 to 1 meter. Most of the red-colored hazard
zone in the simulation are found on the base of the slope of
a mountain drainage network. The data on the number of the
people that may be affected by a potential debris flow event is
based on the Philippine Statistics Authority. Results show that
a total of 135 barangays with 252,405 people in Pangasinan and
25 barangays with 34,495 people in Aurora are at risk of flood
and debris flows. As of the present, simulation on debris flow
simulation for the rest of the country is on-going.

6. Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank DOST Project NOAH (Na-

tionwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) Landslide Haz-
ard Mapping Team of the University of the Philippines (UP)
National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS).
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