Shell, Smart to help LGUs prepare for disaster

MANILA, Philippines - A group of companies and climate change experts recently formed a consortium that will enable communities, particularly those in coastal areas, to receive correct and real-time weather information so they may make informed decisions during a calamity. The consortium has also pledged to support local government units (LGUs) in their disaster preparedness and resilience planning.

Shell Philippines has taken the lead in this undertaking by partnering with the Manila Observatory and Smart Communications for the installation of additional Automated Weather Stations (AWS) in key coastal cities.  AWS are stand-alone devices comprised of rain gauge, transmitter, temperature and humidity sensors, anemometer, wind vane, as well as a solar and ultraviolet ray sensor. The device can accurately record temperature and humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, as well as rainfall or chances of rain locally.

The oil company is supporting the installation of a total of 50 weather stations concentrated across Iloilo City in the Visayas, and in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, utilizing its gas stations and oil depots as sites in order to achieve strategic reach for the AWS network.

Smart, as telecommunications partner, will provide the technology in data transmission in each coastal city.

The partnership with Manila Observatory forms part of the company’s Powering Progress Together (PPT) dialogue on sustainability under the theme climate change resilience. Sankie Simbulan, social performance manager for Shell’s PPT projects, notes the additional weather stations would complement those of the Manila Observatory’s existing AWS in Metro Manila. It would also pave the way for lesser ‘blind spots’ while supporting weather forecasts and information gathered by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Near real-time weather data will provide situational awareness to local partners and to the analysts at the observatory. To further enhance the use of local data, a technical support and research partnership has likewise been formed with the University of the Philippines–Visayas. The AWS network will also directly benefit the respective LGUs in their climate and disaster resilience planning.