Planning and Preparing for a

Natural Disaster
 Why Philippines is prone to disaster?

The Philippines is one of the most natural

hazard-prone countries in the world. The
social and economic cost of
natural disasters in the country is increasing
due to population growth, change in land-
use patterns, migration, unplanned
urbanization, environmental degradation
and global climate change.
Emergencies are difficult to predict. You never
really know for sure exactly when and where
one will happen.
It is same with natural disasters. Although
modern technology makes it possible to tract
typhoons and even send and receive tsunami
alerts, nature’s processes are such that things
can change suddenly.
 A typhoon can change its course suddenly, or
a tsunami can happen too close to the coast
for any warning to be effective.
Because they happen suddenly,
earthquakes, tsunamis, and other such
emergencies can cause people to panic.
Panic brings about chaos. In a chaotic
situation, more people tend to get hurt.
Planning and preparing for natural disasters
is one way to lessen the chaos and reduce
the number of injuries and casualties. Many
people get hurt when a disaster strikes
because they panic. They do not know what
to do or where to do.
Staying safe, when disaster strikes,
should be joint effort between you,
your family, your school, and your
community. Young as you are, you
can already help yourself and others.
Here are some general guidelines
you can follow to help prepare for
any disaster.
 1. Participate actively in fire, earthquake, and other
emergency drills conducted in your school. These
drills are intended to teach and help you practice
how to safely get out of a building during an
emergency. Make sure to listen well and follow
instructions. Ask questions if you need to clarify
certain things.
 Share with your family what you learned in school
about emergency procedures and safety guidelines.
 Ask your parents to hold a family meeting to plan,
prepare, and discuss emergency procedures. Every
member of the family should be present and
everyone should be made to understand the
importance of the meeting.
 Some important things that need to be discussed during the
family meeting are:

 An escape plan – Talk about the fastest and safest way out
of the house should you need to evacuate. Have an
alternative route in case the first one becomes impassable.
 A meeting place – Agree on two places to meet each other
once you are not – one just outside your home and a second
place outside the neighborhood in case it gets too chaotic in
the immediate vicinity around the house. This will make it
easier to check if every family member made it out.
 Family Emergency Kit/Go Bags – Help each other put
together an emergency kit that will help you and your
family survive at least 72 hours after a disaster. Each family
member should also have a Go Bag.