Natalie Sherry L.

Aggabao
12 – Nebres

Reaction Paper: The Reasons behind Isabela Flood last 2020

Thesis Statement: Dam operators must be held accountable for the Isabela floods and its effects
on the people of Isabela.

I. Introduction: Before typhoons, dams have protocols they must follow to prevent
massive flooding but during the recent typhoon not all the dams have been disciplined
in following these protocols.

A. Dam protocols have already been implemented in preparation for the

typhoons that may come and go in the country

i. According to the official Magat Dam protocols, Discharge of water must

happen 2-3 days before the expected landfall of the typhoon.

B. Before Typhoon Ulysses started to hit the Northern part of the Philippines,
dam operators were not able to follow the protocols in preparation for the
incoming typhoon.

i. It was announced by the forecasters beforehand that Typhoon Ulysses

would be hitting the Philippines at around November 11, 2020 but dams
such as Magat Dam only opened all 7 gates at November 12, 2020 causing
a larger problem to the massive flood that was already present (Visaya,
2020).

ii. The operators of the dams such as Ipo, Angat, and Caliraya were also
unable to follow the protocols and only opened the gates of their dams at the
height of the typhoon (Buan, 2020).

II. Body: The improper conducting of dam protocols is a major factor in the worsening
of the Isabela flood and its impact on the people affected by it.

A. The Isabela flood became the worst flood they have experienced in the last
forty years.

i. The disaster was made worse mostly because of abrupt opening of several
dam gates during the typhoon
ii. The inability of government officials to evacuate the victims due to the
massive flood and COVID-19 protocols they had to follow made it harder
to mitigate the bad effects of the flood and typhoon.
 B. The effects of the Isabela Flood have affected countless lives including
their livelihood, houses and their food supply

i. Livelihood of people living in Cagayan Valley was aggravated due to

the typhoon and the flood since most of the people live there through
farming, mining, logging and land conversions (Gonzales, 2020).
ii. Houses destroyed and people had to sleep on their rooftops because the
water has not subsided yet

III. Conclusion: Disasters may become worse due to manmade actions and decisions.

A. The Isabela Flood is not the first disaster that became worse because of
manmade actions.

i. The forest fire in Indonesia was caused by El Nino but became worse
because of the people clearing the forest through burning but due to the
heat the actual area that was burned grew ten times larger (Kron, 2016).
ii. A massive landslide happened in Shenzhen, China almost years ago due
to heavy rain and piled up debris with a height of 100 meters that has not
been taken down by the authorities before the rain (Kron, 2016).

B. People must always stand prepared regardless of the origin of the disasters
that may come to their homes.
i. Raising awareness and improving protocols and drills in preparation
for possible disasters.

Sources:

Kron, W. (2016, July 19). Natural catastrophe or man-made disaster? | Munich Re Topics Online.
Munichre.Com. https://www.munichre.com/topics-online/en/climate-change-and-natural-
disasters/natural-disasters/natural-catastrophy-or-man-made-disaster.html

Visaya, V. (2020, November 16). Water release prevented bigger catastrophe: Magat Dam exec.
Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122013

Buan, L. (2020, November 16). Why dam operators should be held accountable for Cagayan,
Isabela floods. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/why-dam-operators-accountable-
cagayan-isabela-floods-november-2020

Gonzales, C. (2020, November 20). Magat Dam ‘aggravates’ impacts of mining, logging, land
conversion – IBON. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1362618/magat-dam-
aggravates-impacts-of-mining-logging-land-conversion-ibon

http://mariis.nia.gov.ph/?q=page/magat-dam-protocol-dam-discharge-and-flood-warning-
operation