MALOLOS CITY—The Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (DRRMCs) along with rescue groups in Bulacan remain on alert for the impact of Typhoon Buchoy.
This came as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced that the slow-moving typhoon is expected to bring more rains on western provinces of Luzon as it draws the southwest monsoon or “hanging habagat.”
Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado told local DRRMCs and rescue groups to be on alert as early as Friday for possible floods that will be spawned by rains brought by Buchoy.
He also advised local government units in the province to beef up their stockpile of canned goods and medicines.
Alvarado said early preparation is key in mitigating the impact of possible disaster noting that recent typhoons left valuable lessons to Bulacan.
He was referring to similar slow-moving typhoons Ondoy in 2009 and Pedring and Quiel last year which all spawned massive flooding in the province.
As this developed, Liz Mungcal, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Office (PDRRMO) said they have also coordinated with a number of rescue groups.
She said rescue groups were asked to stay on alert in key areas, as the PDRRMO continued monitoring of Angat and Sta. Maria Rivers in the province which both overflowed in the past.
Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced last week that they are set to put into place a nationwide disaster mitigation system that will help key agencies and personalities make informed decisions to save lives and properties.
In a statement, the DOST described the new program as NOAH or the National Operational Assessment of Hazards and Risks, designed to serve as sentinel that will address the serious challenges brought by extreme hazard events.
“The NOAH Project will enable the government to address the serious challenges brought about by extreme hazard events.
We will apply advanced S&T tools, such as enhanced vulnerability maps and a shortened six-hour monitoring and warning system for communication along the major river basins,” Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said.
NOAH will have seven components that will address major needs in various disaster situations.
These include Hydromet sensors development, DREAM-Lidar, FloodNET, Hazards information media, Landslide hazards mapping, Doppler system development, and Storm surge inundation mapping.
With the DOST on the lead, NOAH brings together experts from 21 institutions in close collaboration, including PAGASA, Phivolcs, Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Science and Technology Information Institute, Department of Interior and Local Government, University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences.
In a country frequently visited by typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, some of them highly-destructive, the NOAH Project comes as helpful as Noah’s ark in biblical times, according to Montejo.
He added that natural hazards inflict loss of lives and costly damage to property, with economic losses amounting to billions of pesos each year, and the continued development in the lowlands and the rapid growth of the population contribute to the damage to infrastructure and human losses.
“This project is so far the most advanced measure implemented by the government in disaster mitigation,” Montejo said.
