Hydro meteorological Hazards

• Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology

and hydrology that studies the transfer of water
and energy between the land surface and the
lower atmosphere. UNESCO has several
programmed and activities in place that deal with
the study of natural hazards of hydro
meteorological origin and the mitigation of their
effects. Among these hazards are the results of
natural processes or phenomena of atmospheric,
hydrological or oceanographic nature such as
floods, tropical cyclones, drought and
desertification.
THE SEASONS
• Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the
climate of the country can be divided into two
major seasons: (1) the rainy season, from June
to November; and (2) the dry season, from
December to May. The dry season may be
subdivided further into (a) the cool dry
season, from December to February; and (b)
the hot dry season, from March to May.
CLIMATE TYPES
• Hydrometeorological hazard — 'a process or
phenomenon of atmospheric, hydrological or
oceanographic nature that may cause loss of life,
injury or other health impacts, property damage,
loss of livelihoods and services, social and
economic disruption, or environmental damage
(includes tropical cyclones, thunderstorms,
hailstorms, tornados, blizzards, heavy snowfall,
avalanches, coastal storm surges, floods including
flash floods, drought, heatwaves and cold spells).
 Hydro meteorological Hazard
• Tropical cyclone (bagyo or hurricane)
Tropical cyclones derive their energy from the
latent heat of condensation which made them exist only
over the oceans and die out rapidly on land. One of its
distinguishing features is its having a central sea-level
pressure of 900 mb or lower and surface winds often
exceeding 100 knots. They reach their greatest intensity
while located over warm tropical waters and they begin
to weaken as they move inland. The intensity of tropical
cyclones vary, thus , we can classify them based upon
their degree of intensity.
• The classification of tropical cyclones according to the strength of
the associated windsas adopted by PAGASA as of 01 May 2015 are
as follows:

• TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) - a tropical cyclone with maximum

sustained winds of up to 61 kilometers per hour (kph) or less than
33 nautical miles per hour (knots) .
• TROPICAL STORM (TS) - a tropical cyclone with maximum wind
speed of 62 to 88 kph or 34 - 47 knots.
• SEVERE TROPICAL STORM (STS), a tropical cyclone with maximum
wind speed of 89 to 117 kph or 48 - 63 knots.
• TYPHOON (TY) - a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed of
118 to 220 kph or 64 - 120 knots.
• SUPER TYPHOON (STY), a tropical cyclone with maximum wind
speed exceeding 220 kph or more than 120 knots.
 Safety Tips to Follow Before, During,
and After a Typhoon
Before a Typhoon
• Stock your emergency kit-You should have a flashlight,
a multi-purpose tool like a Swiss knife, extra batteries,
a first aid kit with a full complement of bandages and
medicine and other medical supplies to last your family
up to a week (especially if someone has a condition
which requires daily medication), sanitation and
hygiene items (you don’t want to run out of toilet
paper when there’s a chance the water could be shut
off), and a laminated card listing family and emergency
contact information, a cell phone (make sure it’s
loaded if you’re on a prepaid plan), charger, and extra
cash
• Check and top up your food and water supplies.
Make sure you have a good supply of non-
perishable, easy-to-prepare food as well as clean
water you won’t need to access the tap for. You
should also check that you have what’s needed to
prepare the food (e.g., can openers and the like).
Also check that you have filled pails with water in
your bathroom in case the water gets turned off
in your area, but also be careful to leave these
covered so as not to provide a breeding ground
for mosquitoes.
• Cover up your windows and draw your blinds
or curtains. If you live in an area directly in the
path of the storm, board up your windows or
cover them with cardboard. You should also
draw your blinds and curtains, as if these
break and blow inward, debris will hopefully
get caught by the blinds and curtains rather
than flying into your home.
• Check your house’s drainage system for debris. If
your home’s drainage system is efficient, this will
lessen your chances of leaks and flooding due to
backed-up drains and the like.
• Elevate your valuables and electronics. Anything
you don’t want to risk immersing in water should
be moved to a higher level, preferably an upper
floor if you have one. Just make sure not to stack
things too high or to stack heavy items above
shoulder level, as these could fall over and injure
someone.
• Load a radio with batteries. You’ll want to be
able to monitor the situation from the safety
of your home, so make sure you have means
to do so that isn’t reliant on roof-mounted
satellites or cables that could be damaged by
the storm.
• Charge up your power banks and emergency
lights. Chances are high that you’ll lose power
at some point if the storm hits your area hard.
In fact, even if it doesn’t, you may still
experience some power outage. So make sure
you have rechargeable lights you can leave
around the house, and that these are charged
before the storm hits, and make sure you have
the ability to charge up your mobile phones if
they run out of juice.
• Identify an alternate safe area. Should you
need to evacuate, already have a plan as to
where to go. Or if you are caught out in a
storm, your family should know where you’re
most likely to spend the night. This is likely to
be a friend’s or relative’s house, so make sure
you ask them in advance if it’s all right to stay
with them should the typhoon necessitate it.
•
 During a Typhoon
• Stay inside as much as possible. It’s likely that
home is the safest place to be; certainly going
outdoors in rough weather is a bad idea, not
just because you could be lashed by wind,
rain, and debris and floodwaters may have
risen, but also because visibility is poor. This
results in a higher risk of road accidents and
other mishaps.
• Keep everyone in your household calm. Panic
will make mistakes more likely, and this can
lead to injuries or worse. What’s more, if you
have family pets, they will most likely take
your cue from you; if your family is calm, it’s
likely your pet will be too—although make
sure your pet is safe and indoors with you
rather than outside at the mercy of the
elements.
• Monitor local radio. Someone should be on
the alert for evacuation warnings and other
developments like unpassable roads and the
like. Radio stations are the most reliable
source of news during a thunderstorm,
provided your radio is battery-operated.
• Be smart about food and water consumption.
Consume perishables first as you never know
when the electricity might conk out. If the
water is turned off in your area, you might
want to save the water in those precious pails
you filled up in the bathroom for quickly
washing faces, arms, and legs or for a simple
sponge bath instead of using these up
bathing.
• Only use your mobile phone for important
things. The power could go out at any time
during a storm, and this may not be restored for
days. So it’s a good idea to conserve your mobile
phone’s batteries, especially if you have a
smartphone that rarely lasts a day without
charging. Turn off non-essential functions like
WiFi, bluetooth, and cellular data, and avoid
playing games, no matter how boring getting
cooped up in the house might be.
• If it starts to flood, turn off the main power.
You don’t want live outlets that could be
waterlogged and charge any flood waters that
might invade your home, so make sure all
adults in the household know how to turn off
the main power if need be. If there’s an option
to turn off power on the ground level while
maintaining power on upper levels, all the
better.
• If you must wade through flood waters, wash
with clean water as soon as possible. if you
have any open wounds or acquire them while
walking in floods, make sure you disinfect and
treat these right away.
• Be wary of live wires or water-logged outlets.
These could charge the floodwaters in the
area, so if you see that your ground floor is
flooded above outlet level and you weren’t
able to turn off the power to your home, do
not venture into the water, even if this is
below knee level
• Immediately tend to any injuries. We’ve
already mentioned the importance of doing
this should you walk through floodwater, but
this is also important if anyone gets cuts or
bruises from falling items or flying debris. And
if anyone gets hit in the head, watch for
symptoms of concussion.
 After a Typhoon
• Continue to monitor news sites, radio stations,
or TV channels. This will help you keep abreast of
what roads are passable, what areas are still at
risk, and so on.
• Run a check on electricals before using them.
Electrocution is a very real risk in the aftermath
of a storm, so have an electrician check the
wiring in your home as well as any appliances you
might have. Also be sure that any electrical
devices are thoroughly dried out before being
used
• Wear protective gear while dealing with
debris. You don’t want to risk cutting yourself
on rusty nails or pieces of tin from roofs or
anything like that, so make sure you wear
thick gloves (garden gloves should come in
handy) when clearing your home of debris.
You should also wear sturdy boots.
• Check for contamination of your food and
water. If the power failed, throw out anything
in your fridge that might have gone bad.
Check your water supplies as well, and make
sure you throw out anything that’s been
exposed to rain water.
• Dump water that may have accumulated in
containers like pots, cans, etc. You don’t want
to have possible breeding grounds for dengue-
bearing mosquitoes around your home, so if
there is anything that might hold stagnant
water, make sure you clear it as soon as
possible.
 Thunderstorm
• A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical
storm, lightning storm, or thundershower, is a
storm characterized by the presence of
lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's
atmosphere, known as thunder.
Thunderstorms occur in association with a
type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. They
are usually accompanied by strong winds,
heavy rain, and sometimes snow, sleet, hail,
or, in contrast, no precipitation at all.
 Facts about Thunderstorms

• They may occur singly, in clusters or in lines.

• Some of the most severe occur when a single thunderstorm
affects one location for an extended time.
• Thunderstorms typically produce heavy rain for a brief
period, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
• Warm, humid conditions are highly favorable for
thunderstorm development.
• About 10 percent of thunderstorms are classified as severe
– one that produces hail at least an inch or larger in
diameter, has winds of 58 miles per hour or higher or
produces a tornado.
 Lightning
• Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the
atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the
ground. In the early stages of development, air
acts as an insulator between the positive and
negative charges in the cloud and between the
cloud and the ground. When the opposite
charges builds up enough, this insulating capacity
of the air breaks down and there is a rapid
discharge of electricity that we know as lightning.
The flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the
charged regions in the atmosphere until the
opposite charges build up again.
• Lightning is one of the oldest observed natural
phenomena on earth. It can be seen in
volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest
fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy
snowstorms, in large hurricanes, and
obviously, thunderstorms.
• Where does lightning strike?
• Tall objects such as trees and skyscrapers are
commonly struck by lightning. Mountains also make
good targets. The reason for this is their tops are closer
to the base of the storm cloud. Remember, the
atmosphere is a good electrical insulator. The less
insulation the lightning has to burn through, the easier
it is for it to strike. However, this does not always mean
tall objects will be struck. It all depends on where the
charges accumulate. Lightning can strike the ground in
an open field even if the tree line is close by.
 Facts about Lightning

• Lightning’s unpredictability increases the risk to individuals and

property.
• Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as
10 miles away from any rainfall.
• “Heat lightning” is actually lightning from a thunderstorm too far
away from thunder to be heard. However, the storm may be
moving in your direction.
• Most lightning deaths and injuries occur when people are caught
outdoors in the summer months during the afternoon and evening.
• Your chances of being struck by lightning are estimated to be 1 in
600,000 but could be reduced even further by following safety
precautions.
• Lightning strike victims carry no electrical charge and should be
attended to immediately.
 Precautionary measures
Before Thunderstorm And Lightning
• To begin preparing, you should build an
emergency kit and make a family
communications plan.
• Remove dead or rotting trees and branches that
could fall and cause injury or damage during a
severe thunderstorm.
• Postpone outdoor activities.
• Secure outdoor objects that could blow away or
cause damage.
• Get inside a home, building, or hard top automobile (not a
convertible). Although you may be injured if lightning
strikes your car, you are much safer inside a vehicle than
outside.
• Remember, rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide
NO protection from lightning. However, the steel frame of a
hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if you
are not touching metal.
• Shutter windows and secure outside doors. If shutters are
not available, close window blinds, shades or curtains.
• Unplug any electronic equipment well before the storm
arrives.
 Lightning Risk Reduction When
Outdoors
If you are: Then:

In a forest Seek shelter in a low area under a thick growth of small trees.

Go to a low place such as a ravine or valley. Be alert for flash

In an open area
floods.

On open water Get to land and find shelter immediately.

 During Thunderstorms And Lightning
• Use your battery-operated NOAA Weather Radio for updates from
local officials.
• Avoid contact with corded phones and devices including those
plugged into electric for recharging. Cordless and wireless phones
not connected to wall outlets are OK to use.
• Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. Unplug appliances
and other electrical items such as computers and turn off air
conditioners. Power surges from lightning can cause serious
damage.
• Avoid contact with plumbing. Do not wash your hands, do not take
a shower, do not wash dishes, and do not do laundry. Plumbing and
bathroom fixtures can conduct electricity.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete walls.
• Avoid natural lightning rods such as a tall, isolated tree in an open
area.
• Avoid hilltops, open fields, the beach or a boat on the water.
• Take shelter in a sturdy building. Avoid isolated sheds or other small
structures in open areas.
• Avoid contact with anything metal—tractors, farm equipment,
motorcycles, golf carts, golf clubs, and bicycles.
• If you are driving, try to safely exit the roadway and park. Stay in
the vehicle and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rain
ends. Avoid touching metal or other surfaces that conduct
electricity in and outside the vehicle.
 What to Do in a Severe Lightning
Storm
• Spread Out If the group is in an area of high
lightning danger, the group should not wait out
the storm huddled together. Split up but still be
within sight of each other--20 feet (6 meters)
apart or more--unless this puts some people in a
site with a higher strike potential. The survival of
one person whose heart or breathing has
stopped as a result of a strike may depend on
prompt action by companions. If you don?t
already know it, learn CPR.
• Assume the Lightning Position Anytime thunder is 30
seconds or less from the lightning, the storm is within 6
miles (10 kilometers), and you should assume the
lightning position. There are two basic positions, one is
a crouch position with your feet close together and
your butt off the ground. The other is sitting down
with your arms crossed at your chest. In either position
your hands should not be touching any part of your
body below your waist (such as your knees). Don't lie
down on the ground. Don't put your hands on the
ground. If possible, you can crouch on top of a dry,
insulating material like a foam pad or your pack.
• The idea behind the ligtning position is to channel
any electric current through less critical areas of
the body (the legs). In the lightning position if you
were in the path of a ground current, it would
travel up one leg and out the other, minimizing
the parts of the body affected. If a hand is on the
ground (or on any other part of your body below
your waist), the current could just as easily flow
up through the arm and out a leg traveling
directly through the major organs, including your
heart, potentially causing significant organ
damage including cardiac arrest.
 After A Thunderstorm Or Lightning
Strike
• If lightning strikes you or someone you know, call 9-1-1
for medical assistance as soon as possible. The
following are things you should check when you
attempt to give aid to a victim of lightning:
• Breathing - if breathing has stopped, begin mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation.
• Heartbeat - if the heart has stopped, administer CPR.
• Pulse - if the victim has a pulse and is breathing, look
for other possible injuries. Check for burns where the
lightning entered and left the body. Also be alert for
nervous system damage, broken bones and loss of
hearing and eyesight.
 After the storm passes remember to:
• Never drive through a flooded roadway. Turn around, don’t
drown!
• Stay away from storm-damaged areas to keep from putting
yourself at risk from the effects of severe thunderstorms.
• Continue to listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or to local radio and
television stations for updated information or instructions, as
access to roads or some parts of the community may be blocked.
• Help people who may require special assistance, such as infants,
children and the elderly or those with access or functional
needs.
• Stay away from downed power lines and report them
immediately.
• Watch your animals closely. Keep them under your direct control