DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION

Finals Reviewer

HYDROMETEOROGICAL HAZARDS
- Dangers associated with the natural processes or phenomena involved in the transfer of
water & energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. Can cause loss of life
and environmental damage
ITCZ ( Inter-tropical Convergence Zone)
- Where trade winds from northern and southern hemisphere bring tropical air masses from
both the hemispheres together and meet.
- Lies near the equator and may shift by about 10 degrees latitude north and south.
- The air masses are warm and humid resulting in the formation of convective clouds and
subsequent heavy precipitation during most part of the year.
Examples of Hydrometeorogical Hazards:
1). Typhoon
Structure:
1. Eye- a region with mostly calm weather.
- center of most tropical cyclones.
- roughly circular area typically 30-65km in diameter.

2. Eye wall- where the strongest weather conditions are located

3. Bands- bands of clouds that spiral around the eye wall

Things necessary for the formation of typhoon:
1. The ocean should at least 27°C
2. Atmosphere cool enough to condense warm water.
3. Moist air.
4. Distance from the equator is at least 480km.
5. Low vertical wind shear value.
Wind shear is the change in wind speed and height. The lower the value the steadier the circular
motion of the wind hence, a stronger typhoon eyewall.
Typhoon formation:

Warm moist air moves Water vapor rises into As the water vapor rises, it cools and
over the ocean the atmosphere condenses into liquid droplets.

The warmed air continues to rise Condensation releases heat into the
with moist air from the ocean taking atmosphere making the air lighter.
its place creating more wind.

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom

 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
Finals Reviewer

Automatic suspension guidelines:

Signal #1: No classes in kindergarten
Signal #2: No classes kindergarten-highschool
Signals #3: No classes in all levels.
10 strongest Typhoons in the Philippines:
10. Typhoon Angela (Rosing) Nov. 1995, Bicol and Manila
9. Typhoon Fengshen (Frank) June 2008, Central Philippines
8. Typhoon Nina (Sisang) 1987, Bicol Region
7. Typhoon Amy (Yoyong) Dec. 1951, Central Philippines
6. Typhoon Trix (Walding) Oct. 1952, Bicol
5. Typhoon Washi (Sendong) Dec. 2011, Northern Mindanao
4. Typhoon Mike (Ruping) Aug. 1984, Central Philippines
3. Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) December 2012, Mindanao
2. Typhoon Thelma (Uring) November 1991, Ormoc, Leyte
1. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) November 2013, Eastern Visayas
Mitigating the destructive effects of typhoon:
1. Determine areas prone to typhoon
2. Implementing legislation involving land use planning, zoning, and building standards.
3. Weather forecasting and monitoring.
4. Effective public typhoon warning systems.

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom

 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
Finals Reviewer

PAGASA( Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration)

- National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the Philippines
(Dec.8,1972).
- Mandated to provide protection against natural calamities.
- Under DOST.
Note: Japan Meteorological Agency is responsible for naming typhoons in Asia
Hurricane: Atlantic Ocean; Typhoon: Pacific Ocean; Cyclone: Indian Ocean
2). Thunderstorms
- Violent, transient type of weather disturbance (Cumulonimbus winds)
- Not circular winds (Pataas lang)
- Uneven distribution of heat (Air and land)
- Mostly in the afternoon or evening during summer
Things necessary to form a thunderstorm:
1. Moisture (water vapor)
2. Unstable mass of warm air.
3. Strong upward current of air.
*refer to lecture for life cycle of a thunderstorm*
3). Flood
- caused by continuous rain or defective drainage system
Types of flood:
1. Riverine (River Flooding)
2. Estuarine (Coastal Flooding)
3. Urban Flooding
4. Catastrophic Flooding
5. Flash Flooding (Mabilisang Pagbaha)
Mitigation of flood:
1. Mapping of risk assessment.
2. Flood forecasting (PAGASA)
3. Flood Control System
4.) Storm Surge
- Happens due to the drop of atmospheric pressure and force of wind as tropical cyclone
approach the coast.
- sudden rise of sea level.

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom

 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
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5). El Nino
- Warming of the Ocean’s surface
- El Nino Southern Oscillation
- 9 months to 2 years (up to 7 years transition to La Nina)
- Easterly winds weaken. Warm water to move eastward

6.) La Nina
- Spanish for “The girl.”
- Unusual cooling of sea surface temperature.
- Opposite El Nino
7). Tornadoes
- Intense rotating column of wind.
- Locally known as buhawi or ipo-ipo.
- Called tornado/twister if it moves on land
- Called water sprout if it moves on water
- Tornadoes from intense thunderstorms formation are called supercells
- Travels 16-32kph
- Wind speeds can reach up to 400kph
Tornado formation:
1. Warm moist air rises from the ground
2. Warm air meets cold dry air, a vortex is created, descending from a storm cloud
3. Vortex contacts with the ground.
4. Updraft draws in more air, rises upwards while rotating.
5. Tornado spins at speed, creating a destructive force in its path

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom

 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
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8.) Landslides due to rainfall

- Happens due to excessive amount of water from rainfall absorbed by the slope.
- Can bury houses, people , and buildings
- Disruption of daily activities and business operations due to obstruction of roads.
Project NOAH ( Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards)
- Launched by the DOST on July 06,2012
- Alfredo Mahar Francisco Amante Lagmay, Ph. D- Filipino Geologist
- Envisions a disaster-free Philippines where communities are empowered through open
access to accurate, reliable and timely hazard and risk information.
NOAHS’s mission:
1. To develop high-resolution hazard maps.
2. To undertake investigations to improve country’s capability
3. To systematically simulate, validate, and improve maps
4. To integrate and assist other agencies (LGU’s)
5. To collaborate with similar institutions and organizations.

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom

 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
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EARTHQUAKES
- An Earthquake is the result of sudden release of energy in the earth’s crust that creates
seismic waves.

Focus (Hypocenter)
- The point on the fault where rupture occurs.
- Location from which seismic waves are released.
Epicenter
- The point on the earth’s surface that is directly above the focus
- The point where an earthquake or underground or underground explosion originates.
Fault
- Primary cause of an earthquake.
- A break or fracture in the Earth’s crust wherein two blocks of rocks or slabs of crust slips
past each other in response to stress.
- Usually occur along plate boundaries.
- TYPES:
o Dip Slip Fault (NORMAL Fault)
- Plates diverge or separate.
- One block lies above the fault (hanging wall) the other block lies below the fault

(footwall).

o Dip Slip Fault (REVERSE Fault)

- Caused by compression forces along convergent plate boundaries.
- Blocks move in closer to each other.

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o Strike-Slip Fault (SINISTRAL)

- Left-lateral
- Counter-clockwise movement
- The side opposite to the observer moves to the left.

o Strike-Slip Fault (DEXTRAL)

- Right-lateral, clockwise movement.
-Side opposite to the observer moves to the right.

Major causes of Earthquakes:

1. Surface Cause:
2. Volcanic Cause
3. Tectonic Cause
Waves produced due to Earthquakes:
o Body Waves
- Travels through the body of the Earth.
- Divided into P Waves and S Waves.

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 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
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o Surface Waves:
- Travels parallel to the Earth’s surface.
- Slowest, most-damaging.
- Divided into Love waves and Rayleigh waves.

Intensity
- Measures the strength of shaking produced by earthquake at a certain location.
- Determined from effects on people an natural environment.
Magnitude
- Measure the energy released at the source of earthquake.
- Determined from measurements on seismographs and usually expressed by Richter Scale.
Richter Scale
- Invented by Charles Richter, an American seismologist and physicist from California in
1935.
- Categorizes earthquake based on energy released.
- Uses hindu-arabic numerals.
- Less than 2.0-10.0+, Micro to massive.
Seismometers

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 DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION
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- Instruments that measure motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves
generated by earthquakes and other seismic sources.
- May be deployed at Earth’s surface, in shallow vaults, in boreholes, or underwater.
The Mercalli Intensity Scale:
- Created by Italian priest and volcanologist Giuseppe Mercalli between 1884 and 1906.
- Measures the effects of an earthquake.
- Quantifies the effects of an earthquake from I (not felt) to XII (total destruction).

Hazard from Earthquake:

1. Ground Shaking
2. Ground Rupture- Most of the time, fault rupture follows preexisting faults know as zone
of weakness.
3. Liquefaction
4. Earthquake-induces ground subsidence- lowering of land
5. Tsunami
6. Earthquake-induced landslide.

Prepared by: Mavhin Jann B. Malanom