Mapping of Health Risks from Agents of Disasters and Extreme Events in the Philippines

Mapping of Health Risks from Agents of Disasters and Extreme Events in the Philippines

Project Director:  Exaltacion E. Lamberte
Funding Agency:  Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD)

The research generally aimed to conduct research on the best practices demonstrating efforts by people and the institutions geared toward disaster risk reduction initiatives to attain resiliency among the survivors and in the health sector and local government units. It also sought to identify success factors running through these disaster risk reduction efforts, and, based on the evidence, to draw some policy and programmatic implications related to the promotion of risk reduction initiatives in the country. Because the rising population in the Philippines is mostly concentrated on urban centers, extreme natural events more often than not result in disasters. The study looked into the floodings in Cagayan de Oro City, volcanic eruptions in Legazpi City, the super typhoon and storm surge in Tacloban City, and the earthquake in Tubigon Municipality, to examine the impact of disasters on the health of the affected population. It also looked into how the stakeholders prepared for such extreme natural events and how they dealt with the consequent health problems.

For the case on the flooding of Cagayan de Oro City, the problematic disaster risk reduction management knowledge hindered its rescue, relief, recovery and rehabilitation operations. Non-government organizations, the national government, and other international organizations were relied on to come up with an effective disaster response. For the case on the volcanic eruption of Legazpi City, the high level of disaster knowledge and preparedness of the local government units facilitated their impressive evacuation, relief and rehabilitation operations. Contributing to such remarkable performance are the provincial and city disaster risk reduction management councils’ pre-existing and well-cultivated network of local and international organizations that were ready to extend assistance. For the case of Tacloban City, the deficiency of the local government in terms of understanding the nature of storm surge, coupled with the sheer intensity of the super typhoon and the magnitude of the actual storm surge, crippled the city’s capacity to respond to the disaster. It had to rely on the national government and other local and international organizations to come up with an effective disaster response.

For the case of Tubigon, Bohol, although it was able to put up evacuation centers and distribute food rations, it eventually had to rely on the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the national government, and other local and international organizations to come up with a more effective disaster response. It now has an updated ground shaking hazard map that has factored in the existence of the North Bohol Fault.

Key words: disaster risk reduction, health risks, policy and programmatic implications, resiliency of survivors, local government units