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The most common geological hazard present almost around the archipelago is landslide.

• It is a geological phenomenon wherein a large mass of rocks, earth, and other materials move
down the side of an elevation like a mountain or hill.

Creep - the slow downslope movement of particles that occurs on every slope covered with a loose, weathered
material

Slump - a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials of rock layers
move a short distance down a slope

Rock fall- the falling of a newly detached mass of rock from a cliff or down a very steep slope

Rockslide - caused by rock failure in which part of the bedding plane of failure passes through an intact rock and
the material collapses in masses and not in individual blocks

Sturzstrom - made up of two German words: sturz meaning "fall" and strom meaning "stream." It is a unique type
of landslide that consists of soil and rock which has a great horizontal movement when compared to its initial
vertical drop

Debris flow - a moving mass of loose mud, sand, soil, rock, water, and air that travels down a slope under the
influence of gravity Mudflow-a mass of water and fine-grained earth materials that flows down a stream, ravine,
and canyon Landslide can be rain-induced (after continuous raining) or earthquake-induced (due to tremors of the
earthquake).

Landslide, or landslip, happens if the driving force is greater than the resisting force.

• It usually happens if the inclinations are steeper or composed of weakened and loose rocks, rock degradation,
and incursion of human activities along the slopes.

Earlier Landslide Event

This means that the place already has history of having landslides in the same place, on a nearby slope, or even
somewhere where the slope configuration is almost the same It is also termed as reactivation landslide where a
failure reoccurred after a heavy rain or after an earthquake.

Change of Water Flow

The sudden arrival of water in a spring, seep, or wet ground that is usually dry indicates that something has
changed. Another factor is the sudden disappearance of water like in a creek, probably due to upstream
obstruction creating a dam which can trigger a debris flow after a breakage of that dam.

Tension Cracks

These are manifestations displayed on man-made structures like roads, path ways, and building walls which are
located near or along the slopes. Because of the stress from the moving part of the ground the crack is manifested
parallel to ach other after some time depending on il displacement speed of the side.

Ground movement

This happens in an immediately noticeable manner or in a very slow, subtle movement like creep at few
centimeters per year. The manifestations are ground subsidence, damaged structures, deformed walls or fences,
tilted floors, doors or gates no longer closing properly. broken utilities, or presence of trees along the angled forest
which have bent up in a J-curve as the ground slips out from under them. This indicates that the ground on a slope
can be soft subject to a very slow motion.
Hydrometeorological hazards are caused by extreme meteorological and climate events such as floods, droughts,
hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, or mudslides. They account for a dominant fraction of natural hazards and occur
in all portions of the world; however, the frequency, intensity, and vulnerability of certain hazards in some regions
differ from the others. Severe storms, strong winds, floods, and droughts develop at different spatial-temporal
scales, but all can become disasters that can cause infrastructure damage and claim thousands of lives annually
worldwide. Multiple hazards often concur in one extreme weather event. In addition to causing injuries, deaths,
and material damage, a tropical storm can also result to flooding and mudslides, which disrupt water purification
and sewage disposal systems, cause overflow of toxic wastes, and increase propagation of mosquito-borne
diseases. The increase in the frequency of extreme events due to acceleration of the global water cycle induces
more risks to human settlements, especially those on floodplains and areas susceptible to landslides, in an era of
rapid population growth.

Types of Hydrometeorological Hazards


Storm is a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning,
or snow. If the storm happens along the northwest Pacific, it is called a typhoon; if in the Atlantic and northeast
Pacific, the tropical system is a hurricane; and if it is in the northern Indian Ocean, it is called a cyclone. There is
also the Date Line at 180° west longitude where a hurricane becomes a typhoon once it crosses the demarcation.
An example is 2014 Hurricane Genevieve which became Typhoon Genevieve after crossing the said line.

Tornado is a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud
and advancing beneath a large storm system.

Drought is a protracted period of deficient or below-average precipitation in a given region resulting in extensive
damage to crops and loss of yield. It is an insidious hazard of nature resulting in prolonged shortages in its water
supply, whether atmospheric, surface water, or ground water, which can even last for months or years, or may be
declared after 15 days.

Landslide is the movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope after heavy rains. It results from the failure of the
materials which make up the hill slope. It is also driven by the force of gravity depending on the type of slope.
Landslide is also known as landslip, slump, or slope failure.

Typhoon-is a type of large storm system having a circular or spiral violent winds, with hundreds of kilometers or
miles in diameter. It is developed in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean, which is referred to as the
Northwestern Pacific Basin. It is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth and accounts for about one-third of
the world's annual tropical cyclones.

Once the typhoon enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), it is given a local name by the PAGASA, an
agency which also gives public storm signal warnings and other weather bulletins.

Flood-is an inundation of water (or with mud) especially on normal dry land, usually caused by high flow or
overflow of water in a watercourse such as a river, a stream, or a drainage ditch; or ponding of water at or near the
point where the rain fell. Flood is one of the most common and costly natural incidents around the archipelago due
to heavy or steady rain for several hours or days that saturates the ground. It can strike anywhere even without a
warning.
Types of Floods
Flash Floods occur within six hours, mainly due to heavy rainfall associated with towering cumulus clouds,
thunderstorms, tropical storms or during passage of cold weather fronts, or by dam failure or other river
obstruction. This type of flood requires a rapid localized warning system.

River Floods caused by precipitation over a large catchment area, melting of snow or both which feeds a river or a
river system. Built up slowly or on a regular basis, these floods downriver may continue for days or weeks. The
major factors of these floods are moisture, vegetation cover, depth of snow, size of the catchment basin, etc.

Coastal Flood usually caused by hurricanes, tropical cyclones, etc. (during typhoon months), and the changing of
tides on low-lying coastal areas. The extent or range of coastal flooding depends on the topography of the land like
in the Philippines where most storms come from the east or the Pacific; which sometimes cause storm surges.

Urban Flood the inability of the soil to absorb water due to lack of drainage. As land is converted from agricultural
fields or woodlands to roads and parking lots, it loses its ability to absorb rainfall. Excessive paving and
infrastructure developments in the metropolis decrease the ability of the soil to absorb water. During periods of
urban flooding, streets can become flooded with swift currents and with debris, while basements can become
death traps as they fill with water.

Ice Jam- an accumulation of ice at a natural or man-made obstruction that stops the flow of water thereby causing
floods. Flooding, too, can occur when the snow melts at a very fast rate.

Glacial Lake Outbursts Flood (GLOF) the failure of dam containing glacial lake. This may be caused by the melting of
glaciers, seismic activity, volcanic eruption under the glacier, erosion or avalanche, and buildup of water pressure.
As a result, the water contained in the glacial lake may overflow and cause flood on low-lying areas.

Characteristics of Flood
Depth of water- Building foundations and vegetation have different degrees of tolerance depending on depth

Duration - Damage to structures and vegetation; and even spread of water- borne diseases are related to the
duration of flooding.

Velocity - High velocities of flow create erosive forces, hydrodynamic pressure which can cause death, and also
destruction of foundation of structures and may occur on floodplains or in the main river channel.

Frequency of occurrence - The frequency of occurrence measured over a period of time determines the types of
construction or agricultural activities on the flood- plain.

Seasonality - Flooding during a growing season destroys crops.

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