Survival tips: Common sense best vs disasters

Senate environment committee chairperson Loren Legarda. INQUIRER/JESS YUSON

Attention, residents of areas being ravaged by a typhoon.

Watch for the “eye,” the sudden calm and fair weather that descends and stays for one or two hours. Once that cloud-free center of the typhoon passes, even worse weather is sure to follow.

When inspecting the house after evacuating it because of a flood, use a flashlight. A lantern or torch could ignite a gas leak.

And watch for snakes that might have come with the floodwaters.

Also, beachcombers should head for high ground when the sea suddenly retreats. It’s a fail-proof sign that a tsunami is coming.

Intriguing sights like stranded fish, exposed corals and sandbars often entice people to walk farther down the shoreline. When they finally see the big wave coming, it’s too late to run away.

Information and preparation are often enough for one to survive natural or manmade disasters. But things take an ugly turn when panic sets in, especially when one does not fully understand and has not prepared for emergency situations like tsunamis, typhoons, floods and fires.

To help Filipinos prepare for emergencies before they occur, Senate climate change committee chairperson Loren Legarda launched on Friday an 80-page “Disaster Preparedness and First Aid Handbook.”

It contains basic information on causes and possible risks as well as smart instructions during and after earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, flood, storm surges, thunderstorms, tornadoes, landslides, heat waves, structural collapses and fires.

“I believe we should focus on one key lesson: Disaster prevention starts long before a typhoon makes landfall, before an earthquake happens or before a volcano erupts,” Legarda said in the introduction.

Building resilience

The manual was a two-year effort of the Senate environment committee, which was spurred by the widespread tragedy brought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in September 2009.

“It’s all about early warning and early action,” Legarda said in a news conference at the launch.

“We must be ready to face all kinds of hazards—natural and human-induced. We need to build our resilience to disasters today [and] to climate change in the future,” she said.

The manual could not have come at a better time, with Luzon reeling from the ravages of Typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.”

One section discusses the storm surge—the latest meteorological concept introduced by the weather bureau to explain the giant waves on Tuesday that dwarfed the coconut trees lining Roxas Boulevard and destroyed the expensive brickwork of its bay walk.

Part of the manual reads: “The stronger the tropical cyclone, the lower the atmospheric pressure; the shallower the coast, the higher the surge will be. A storm surge can sweep the coastline, and can extend several kilometers inland.

“[The resulting wall of water] can engulf low-lying coastal communities and can also bring destruction to natural and manmade structures, especially if this coincides with the occurrence of high tide.”

Sensible thinking

The manual speaks with the voice of common sense.

Civilians may not be able to predict when an earthquake will occur, but with the help of experts, they can establish early on whether a site they plan to build a house on sits on an active fault.

And it does no harm when the hired architects and contractors execute the proper structural design and observe standard engineering practices.

Common sense also dictates that powder detergent should be used in washing clothes dirtied by volcanic ash because a detergent bar rubbed against the fabric would only imbed the ash deeper.

A really sensible tip: “Do not go ‘sight-seeing’ in disaster areas. Your presence might hamper rescue and other emergency operations.”

The manual offers a comprehensive section on typhoons or tropical cyclones.

It classifies cyclones according to strength—tropical depression (35-63 kilometers per hour), tropical storm (64-117 kph), typhoon (more than 118 kph) and supertyphoon (more than 220 kph).

Apart from the eye, a cyclone also has an “eye wall,” or the ring where very high winds and rains are at the heaviest.

“The highest winds are on the forward right side of the wall of the storm,” the manual said.

“If the storm is heading west, the highest winds will be on the northern side of the storm. The heaviest damage occurs when the tropical cyclone’s eye wall passes over land,” it said.

Not all residents in areas where a cyclone passes are tuned in to radios broadcasting its path or strength. Thus, observing trees and foliage can help gauge cyclone strength.

Storm signals

Under Signal No. 1, banana plants may be tilted and houses made of nipa and cogon may be “partially unroofed,” the manual notes.

“Rice crop may suffer significant damage when it is in its flowering stage,” it says.

Under Signal No. 2, coconut trees “may be tilted, with a few others broken,” while a “large number” of nipa and cogon houses may be “totally unroofed.”

Under Signal No. 3, “almost all banana plants are downed and large number of trees uprooted” and there may be “widespread disruption of electrical power and communication services.”

“When the eye of the typhoon hits the community, do not venture away from a safe shelter, because after one or two hours, the worst weather will resume with very strong winds coming from the south,” the manual warns.

A Signal No. 4 storm is “potentially very destructive,” meaning “all travel and outdoor activities should be canceled.”

Typhoon instructions include keeping roads clear for emergency vehicles; having flashlights and radios with fresh batteries handy; stocking up on food, potable water, kerosene, batteries and first-aid supplies; and stacking furniture, valuables, chemicals, toxic substances and garbage beyond the reach of floodwaters.

Warnings

The manual warns: “Avoid low-lying areas, riverbanks, creeks and coastal areas, slopes, cliffs and foothills. Rain can trigger landslides, rockslides or mudslides.

“Avoid wading through flooded areas. Do not attempt to cross flowing streams. Do not operate any electrical equipment during a flood. Do not use gas or electrical appliances that have been flooded.”

In case of an evacuation due to floods, residents should first turn off their main electricity switch and gas valves, disconnect electrical appliances, refrain from touching electrical equipment when one is wet or standing in water, and lock the house before leaving.

Climate change

But when the neighborhood is already inundated, the chances of survival are increased by avoiding needless trips or driving through flooded streets, not swimming or boating in swollen rivers, and staying away from downed power lines.

Since she first ran for senator in 1998, Legarda has anchored her electoral campaigns on the issues of climate change and environmental protection.

It is thus no surprise that she has come up with the manual that the committee prepared with the help of eight national offices, including the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, of Education, and of Health; Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration; Bureau of Fire Protection; and Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

The Vigan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was also consulted.

“It took a long time because there was a lot of back-and-forth consultations. We had to make sure that the instructions are correct, timely and logical,” Legarda said.

The initial printing runs to 100 copies, which the senator plans to distribute to her fellow lawmakers and local officials.

Interested parties may inquire at Legarda’s office in the Senate.

“And I urge everyone to pass on this manual to… their communities. I just ask that the Senate environment committee be credited for the effort,” she said.