The Philippines- Multihazardous Environment

Question 1

Physical vulnerability?

Answer 1

• flat land in coastal location
• 7000 islands all surrounded by water which fuels storms
• 1/3 of all tropical storms occur in the area

Question 2

Human vulnerability?

Answer 2

• poverty and lack of education with GNI per capita of $12,000 and 75% live in poverty
• densely populated coastal cities e.g. mega city Manila has population of 11 million
• 340 people per km2
• 60% of people live in low lying coastal areas
• NEE so limited funds for disaster management
• climate change increases ocean temps so storms become more likely and intense

Question 3

Types of hazards?

Answer 3

• volcanic
• seismic
• atmospheric

Question 4

Volcanos?

Answer 4

• located near destructive plate boundary where Philippine plate subducts Eurasian plate
• Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 killing more than 700 people and leaving 200,000 homeless

Question 5

Seismic hazards?

Answer 5

• earthquakes occur along the plate boundary at fault lines
  e.g. 1990 Luzon earthquake of magnitude 7.8 killed 1500 people
• 1976 mag 7.9 earthquake caused a tsunami that hit the Moro Gulf killing thousands

Question 6

Tropical storms?

Answer 6

• The Philippines experience around 10 tropical storms every year that develop in the Pacific Ocean and move west over the islands
  E.g. Typhoon Xangsane hit Manila in 2006, killing 200 and costing $130 million

Question 7

Responses?

Answer 7

• In the past funding for disasters was only available after the hazard so responses focused on reaction instead of prevention
• 2009 onwards new policy states 70% must be used for further planning and 30% used to respond
• strategies include no build zones, adapting buildings, building embankments and monitoring seismic hazards

Question 8

KEY STAT!

Answer 8

300 natural disasters in the last 20 years!