EDITORIAL - Unused hazard maps

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council issued the call a week ago. It was echoed by University of the Philippines geologist Mahar Lagmay: there are detailed hazard maps for tropical cyclones, floods, landslides and storm surges that local government units or LGUs and the public can consult for better disaster preparedness.

Combined with weather forecasts and rainfall advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, using the hazard maps can help LGU officials make timely preparations and responses to various types of disasters, according to Lagmay. The maps were developed under Project NOAH – the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards – and can be accessed for free at noah.up.edu.ph.

Lagmay is the executive director of the UP Resilience Institute, which was created after the state university adopted Project NOAH following the withdrawal of its funding during the Duterte administration. The hazard maps are updated and can be viewed right down to the barangay level, with the level of risk color-coded.

There are also detailed hazard maps or atlas for earthquakes, notably the West and East Valley Fault that runs from Angat, Bulacan to Carmona, Cavite and Calamba, Laguna. Also called the Marikina Valley fault system, the 146-kilometer-long earthquake fault cuts through parts of Metro Manila. There is an interactive hazard map, and anyone can zoom in to see where one’s home, workplace or school is located in relation to the fault line.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been warning for several years that the fault is ripe for the so-called “Big One” – an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 7.2 that could topple buildings and public infrastructure, cause killer fires and leave from 34,000 to 52,000 people dead in Metro Manila and neighboring areas. Yet no one has moved out while property development continues right along or near the fault line, Phivolcs officials have lamented.

So much time, skills, effort and public funds were invested to prepare those detailed hazard maps. They are easily accessible, for free. By using the maps as guides, and combining them with real-time warnings from weather scientists, government officials and people will enhance preparedness and save lives, crops and property.