Compulsory Case Study 2 Philippines The Philippines is

Compulsory Case Study 2 - Philippines • The Philippines is situated South East of mainland Asia, North of Indonesia. • The country is made up of more than 7000 islands. Many are very small and difficult to reach. • Manila is the capital city and in 2007 there were 91 million people in the Philippines. • And the country was formed in 1946. • The islands are at latitudes 5– 20°N of the equator.

• It is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. • The Philippines is a hazard hotspot for a number of different reasons. • It is situated on a major plate boundary. • Its north and east coast faces the pacific (seismic and world’s greatest tsunami risk. ) • A tropical monsoon climate is experienced there, and it is subject to heavy rain. • The country lies in SE Asia’s typhoon belt. • So it gets typhoons, storms, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions and droughts (and more!).

• The Philippines is a lower middle income country and it is developing fast. • It has a rapidly increasing young population. • Average population densities across the country are high with 240 people per sq km. • In Manila there are up to 2000 people per sq km. • Many people are very poor and are residents near the coast.

Tectonics of the Philippines • The dense oceanic Philippines plate is being subducted beneath Eurasian plate at a destructive plate boundary. • Creating the Manila Ocean trench. • Both volcanoes and earthquakes are occurring. • Read p 25 Oxford

Geophysical hazards: Volcanic eruptions 1900 -2012 • 25 events • 2, 996 killed • 1, 734, 907 affected • Losses of US$ 232 million EM-DAT (2012)

Mount Pinatubo eruption 1991 • P 24 -25 Oxford • http: //pubs. usgs. gov/fs/1997/fs 113 -97/

Earthquakes 1900 -2012 • Events 24 • Killed 9, 693 • Affected 2, 543, 574 • US$ 528. 5 million (EM-DAT) • One earthquake in 2006 killed 15, injured 100 and damaged 800 buildings. It generated a local tsunami 3 m high and triggered landslides of material from the Parker volcano into the Maughan Lake making a flood which washed away houses

Tsunamis • 1900 -2012 1 event 1976 32 killed (EM – DAT) • Small locally generated waves could be problematic • The Pacific Ocean has the largest potential for tsunamis in the world

Hydro-meteorological hazards: Typhoons 1900 -2012 • 267 events • 38, 238 killed • 114, 006, 747 affected • Economic losses US$ 7 billion (EM-DAT) • Some years 10 typhoons occur in a season • Approx 6 -7 major storms per annum. • It is the belt of SE Asian typhoons

Storms Unspecified type of storm 1900 -2012 • 26 events • 812 killed • 3, 110, 501 affected • Economic losses US$112 million Local storm 1900 -2012 • 4 events • 9 killed • 24, 704 affected • Economic losses US$ 5000

Floods Unspecified type of flood 1900 -2012 • 33 events • 1, 440 killed • 7, 680, 373 affected • Economic losses US$ 352 million Flash flood 1990 -2012 • 38 events • 1, 147 killed • 5, 700, 690 affected • Economic losses US$1 billion

General Flood 1900 -2012 • 45 events • 539 killed • 6, 028, 676 affected • Economic losses US$116 million Storm surge/coastal flood 1900 -2012 • 11 events • 149 killed • 125, 931 affected • Economic losses US$ 2, 6 million

Land slides Mass movement dry 1900 -2012 Landslide • 2 events • 311 killed Rockfall • 1 event • 50 killed

Mass movement 1900 -2012 Avalanche • 1 event • 6 killed • 1, 200 affected Landslide • 28 events • 2, 148 killed • 313, 508 affected • Economic losses US $33. 3 million Subsidence • 1 event • 287 killed • 2, 838 affected EM-DAT

The Guinsaugon landslide 2006 • P 26 Oxford

Droughts 1900 -2012 • 8 events • Killed 8 • Affected 6, 553, 207 • Damage US$ 64. 5 million EM-DAT

Wild fire 1900 -2012 • 1 event • 2 killed • 300 affected EM-DAT

Government response • Several organisations have been established to forecast, warn, risk assess, disaster train and educate: • National disaster co-ordinating council • Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and astronomical services • Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seimology (PHIVOLCS) • Land use planning • Building regulations • Structural programme of defences