Understanding Natural Hazards: Sendong (Washi) Typhoon

Part A -- Nature of the event (Timeline, Processes, Place) Mindanao island, the southernmost in the Philippines, is a mineral-rich region not normally in the path of the average twenty typhoons that hit the Southeast Asian country each year (Christian Science Monitor, 2011). However, on December 15, 2011, tropical storm Sendong and associated flooding -- also known as Typhoon Washi -- hit several regions in northern Mindanao, including the cities of Cagayan del Oro and Iligan City (Red Cross, 2012). Cagayan del Oro and Iligan are vulnerable because they sit near mountain ranges and are coastal areas (UNISDR, 2011). The catastrophic flash flooding triggered by Sendong resulted in at least 1,268 fatalities. In post-analysis, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded Sendong from a tropical storm to a severe tropical storm (Wikipedia, 2012). On December 12, 2011, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that a developing area of low pressure had persisted about 945 km south-southeast of Guam. Situated along the southern edge of a subtropical ridge, the system tracked steadily westward towards the Philippines (Wikipedia, 2012). Located within a region of good diffluence and moderate wind shear, deep convection was able to maintain itself over the circulation. Development of banding features and improvement of outflow indicated strengthening was likely. Further development over the following day prompted the JTWC to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert early on December 13 (Wikipedia, 2012). Less than six hours later, both the JTWC and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression. Maintaining a westward track, the depression was forecast to intensify slowly over the following three days. For much of December 13, a slight increase in shear displaced thunderstorm activity from the center of the depression, delaying intensification. By December 14, convection redeveloped over the low and the JTWC subsequently assessed the system to have attained tropical storm status (Wikipedia, 2012). Early on December 15, the system crossed west of 135°E and entered the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) area of responsibility. Upon doing so, PAGASA began issuing advisories and assigned the cyclone with the local name Sendong. Shortly thereafter, the storm passed close to or over Palau (Wikipedia, 2012). By 6 am UTC, the JMA upgraded the system to tropical storm status, at which time they assigned it with the name Washi. Maintaining a rapid westward track, Washi slowly became more organized, with low-level inflow improving during the latter part of December 15. On December 16, Washi reached its peak strength as a severe tropical storm and made its first landfall along the east coast of Mindanao. After passing Mindanao, Washi weakened due to land interaction, but the storm quickly regained its strength, in the Sulu Sea. Late on December 17, Washi crossed Palawan and arrived in the South China Sea, and the system moved out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on December 18. Washi weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated on December 19, because of cool, dry air, in association with the Northeast Monsoon (Wikipedia, 2012). Part B -- Physical Impacts (Damage & Economic Losses) Severe Tropical Storm Washi brought ten hours of torrential rains that triggered disastrous flash flooding over Mindanao, an area that rarely experiences tropical cyclones. More than 200 mm of rain was reported in places where rivers were already swollen. During the overnight hours, hundreds of people were killed as flood waters and landslides destroyed homes along mountain sides. In some locations, flood waters rose by 3.3 m in less than an hour. Residents impacted by these flood waters were forced to seek refuge on their roofs amidst 90 km/h winds. The mayor of Iligan regarded the floods as the worst in the city's history. More than 2,000 people were rescued from the hardest hit areas (Wikipedia, 2012). The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Update Report dated 27 December 2011 has placed the number of dead at 1,453, injured at 4,594, with thousands still missing, 113,336 families -- 719,485 persons -- affected with 11,441 families -- 54,795 persons -- still inside 56 evacuation centers, 42,325 houses damaged -- 12,805 totally and 29,520 partially --, with the damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and school buildings estimated to have reached US$ 27 million (Rappler, 2012). Over half of the damage was due to damaged roads and bridges (Wikipedia, 2012). At least thirty infrastructure projects worth US$ 23 million were damaged. The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) revealed that sixteen of the affected projects were on road sections, nine were on bridges, and five were on drainage and flood control. The report also showed that the highest amount of damage was in the second engineering district of Cagayan del Oro, particularly the 1,800 linear revetment of the Cagayan del Oro River worth US$ 13 million which was totally washed out (The Mindanao Current, 2012). Part C -- Human and Social Impacts The Philippines topped the disaster league table last year with 33 major reported events, twelve more than China, and affecting 12.5% of the population (UNISDR, 2012). Tropical storm Sendong was the second disaster with more number of deaths in 2011 (1,430). The first was the earthquake in Japan (19,846) and the third a flood in Brazil (900) (UNISDR, 2012). More than 42,000 people have been assisted by Red Cross inside evacuation centers and in surrounding areas. In addition, almost 89,5000 people have received food from Red Cross and almost 36,600 people have been reached with basic but crucial relief supplies (Red Cross, 2012). The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in support of the Philippine Red Cross, appealed to donors for US$ 6.1 million, a dramatic revision of the initial call for US$ 2.8 million that was made in the days following Typhoon Sendong. These increased financial needs reflect the perilous situation still faced by those who were severely affected, explains Richard Gordon, the chairman of the Philippine Red Cross. “More than a month on from Sendong at least 223,000 people are still living in emergency shelters, with host families, or in makeshift conditions. It may take a long time for these people to get back into permanent homes, and they will need our support in the interim.” The Red Cross pledged to support 4,000 families with either safe transitional shelter or with repair kits to help them rebuild homes. “The transitional homes are intended for families whose houses were destroyed, and the repair kits are for other families to rebuild homes that were damaged,” said Selvaratnam Sinnadurai, the IFRC’s representative to the Philippines (IFRC, 2012). In the wake of the storm, authorities decreed some land unsafe for rebuilding, explained Sinnadurai. “The process underway now is to find new and safe land. But in the interim, people need to be able to continue their lives with dignity and with access to basic support, and that’s we are aiming to achieve.” The revised operation will also see the Red Cross provide 2,000 families with cash or other livelihoods support as well as reaching 15,000 families -- 75,000 people -- with food, water storage containers and hygiene kits. Those families receiving water containers will also be provided with crucial information on health and hygiene, helping them to take the necessary steps to avoid exposure to illness and disease. A recent outbreak of the deadly bacteria Leptospirosis has claimed 16 lives and affected 377 others. In all, the Red Cross now intends to reach 100,000 people through these various interventions (IFRC, 2012). A massive relief operation involving the evacuation of 100,000 people occurred on the morning of December 17, 2011. Approximately 20,000 soldiers were mobilized to assist in recovery efforts and evacuations. The Philippine Coast Guard was dispatched to search for missing people after villages were reported to have been swept out to sea. Sixty people were rescued off the coast of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental and another 120 in the waters near Opol township. President Benigno Aquino III visited Cagayan del Oro and Iligan on December 20, 2011, and declared a state of national calamity in the affected provinces. The President also appealed to its citizens to help the victims in their way of celebrating Christmas in his Christmas Message (Wikipedia, 2012). Sendong’s damage to farmlands in the Visayas and Mindanao reached US$ 190,000, according to initial estimates released by the Department of Agriculture (DA). A report by the DA said the storm damaged a total of 1,904 hectares of rice farms where US$ 85,000 worth of seedlings in vegetative stages were planted. “For corn, affected [were] 2,060 hectares with a production loss estimated at 189 metric tons valued at US$ 105,000. Most of the affected corn areas were in the vegetative stage,” the report read. The report said Sendong also damaged agricultural crops in the regions of Mimaropa, Bicol, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Davao. The agriculture department noted that the rice crops affected covered 1,904 hectares of which 1,305 are in Palawan, 455 hectares in Camarines Sur, and 141 hectares in Northern Mindanao. “These areas are newly transplanted or in the seedling stage and are expected to recover as soon as flood waters recede. Hence, no estimate of volume of production loss is reported,” according to the report (Business Mirror, 2012). Part D -- Analysis of Factors Contributing to the Disaster The Philippines is as helpless a paper sailboat in a storm every time there’s a typhoon (Silverio, 2012). Corruption is what eats up what should be allocations for disaster preparedness campaigns and plans (Silverio, 2012). It is important to realize the necessity of having a good government; one that takes into consideration the safety and welfare of the people above everything else; one that looks far into the future not to secure itself in power but to see what it can and should do to ensure that Filipinos will never again suffer like they are suffering now because of a typhoon (Silverio, 2012). “We know that we are always the ones blamed when disaster happens but citizens need to understand that we cannot do magic,” said Lawrence Cruz, Mayor of Iligan. “We need the help of every citizen as well as the help of national governments to anticipate disasters. It is a collective effort and everybody needs to understand the challenge” (UNISDR, 2012). Land tenure and illegal logging are the main problems faced by the local governments of Illigan and Cagayan del Oro. “Mayors have different concerns and different needs,” said UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström (UNISDR, 2012). "We need to rebuild communities with the confidence that we are not rebuilding the risks again; we need to ensure that reconstruction of homes and infrastructure will be on safer ground following sound construction standards; we need to soon restart and create livelihoods; and restore normalcy in people's lives with a stronger sense of hope and confidence for the future," said the Senator Loren Legarda (UNISDR, 2012). Senator Legarda pointed to the high number of deaths as an indicator of ill-preparedness within communities, which she said highlighted the importance of empowering local authorities to take risk reduction measures. That meant incorporating disaster risk reduction into local government budgets. “Strengthening the capacity of local government units to address disaster risks and hazards is a major component of the national strategy for disaster resilience,” she said. “A national plan, no matter how good, will remain ineffective if not translated into local plans and action.” As complaints emerged from the public about lack of guidance from the government, Legarda told she would organize regional workshops to explain the country’s disaster risk reduction and management law, known as Republic Act 10121. “I will put all the tools together. I will ask UNISDR to assist in effective disaster prevention in the local level.” Legarda also explained that the Philippines had a comprehensive land use planning system, and that the Department of Environment and National Resources had produced a hazard map identifying high-risk areas where homes should not be built. But 340 municipalities out of about 1,500 -- most of them poor and highly vulnerable to disasters -- had yet to update their plans. She also said those maps had outlined areas to which people could be evacuated safely but, in the early days of the storm, the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that many residents had refused to leave their homes, raising further concerns about the public’s lack of awareness. “I don’t think there was any seriousness and understanding of the gravity of Sendong. Even if there had been sufficient warning, there was no preparedness,” Legarda said. “A clear and effective early warning and response system using red flags like in Bangladesh must be established.” She urged local government units not to “wait to be inundated before taking necessary flood prevention measures.” These include flood control infrastructure such as river embankments, pumping stations, flood walls, drainage systems, storm drains, canals and flood retention areas (UNISDR, 2011). She also pointed out the need for social mobilization to be linked to early flood warnings to ensure timely evacuations, the need to develop risk-sensitive comprehensive land use plans, and the need for greater cooperation between the public and private sectors to reduce risk (UNISDR, 2011). The UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, said: “There are many lessons to be learned about risk management from this tragedy. The first is that more must be done to ensure early warning systems are effective in an age when climate change is intensifying the impact of typhoons. The storm was identified two days before flash floods swept through Cagayan del Oro City and Illigan City. More must be done to educate people on disasters and climate change so they understand the risk they run when they refuse to heed warnings and do not evacuate on time. The second is to understand the deadly cocktail of exposure and vulnerability created by poverty, rapid urbanization and deforestation which results in huge loss of life, homes and hard-won development gains when a storm of this magnitude strikes. “Senator Legarda also said: “We have to take note that the high number of casualties caused by Typhoon Sendong could be due to lack of awareness of the risk and proper action of residents in affected areas, as they have not experienced floods of such magnitude in the past. Thus, information dissemination and community disaster preparedness is also a crucial part in this effort, because an educated populace would be prepared and know what to do in times of disaster” (UNISDR, 2011). The Mindanao Declaration expresses particular concern that "logging, mining, unsustainable agriculture, and other similar land-use activities increase the vulnerability of many ecosystems and communities in our island." It recognizes that "mitigation and adaptation measures by all sectors and levels of government have been inadequately implemented and weakly coordinated resulting in inefficient use of resources and lack of accountability" (UNISDR, 2012). PART E -- Proposed Solutions for Pre- and Post-Disaster Phases Days after the disaster, Senator Legarda called on President Benigno Aquino to launch immediately the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP). Legarda said that “under Republic Act 10121 or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act, a comprehensive NDRRMP should be developed and implemented.” “With the more destructive disasters that have come before us, it is high time that the NDRRMP be immediately launched as this outlines the specific strategies to reduce disaster risks,” she added. According to the DRRM Act, which was signed into law in 2010, the NDRRMP must provide for the identification of hazards, vulnerabilities and risks to be managed at the national level; disaster risk reduction and management approaches and strategies to be applied managing said hazards and risks; agency roles, responsibilities and lines of authority at all government levels; and vertical and horizontal coordination of disaster risk reduction and management in the pre- and post-disaster phases. “As envisioned in the law, this National Plan will guide the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive and integrated local disaster risk reduction and management plan (LDRRMP). Without a national disaster prevention plan rolled out at full speed, cities and municipalities will be unprepared and repeatedly battered by unexpected disasters,” the Senator stressed. Legarda added that local governments must ensure that their development plans can withstand the impact of worsening disasters and climate change. “Climate change is a clear and present danger. It is a national security concern. Demanding immediate government action to address its impact is the very least we can do in remembrance of the Mindanao flashflood victims who would have hopefully issued a wake-up call for everyone,” the Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change pointed out. The Government of Philippines, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) began the development of a new disaster loss database for the country, with support from the United Nations International Strategy for Risk Reduction (UNISDR).The Philippines is the latest country in Asia to begin to systematically account for all its disaster losses, using standardized criteria and definitions and local level geo-referencing. This federal initiative counts with local support. Mayors from the Mindanao cities ravaged by Typhoon Sendong have been tasked to invest more in prevention and mitigation measures, by disaster risk reduction champion vice-Mayor Al Arquillano from San Francisco who won the Sasakawa award for making his municipality safer against disasters. Speaking at a Forum of Mayors organized by UNISDR, Arquillano asked the 20 mayors present to do what is needed to be less vulnerable to floods and droughts as he warned that “we will be facing many more in the future”. He invited his counterparts in Mindanao to visit his municipality to see how San Francisco has developed resilience (UNISDR, 2012). The Head of UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, congratulated three Philippines Senators for leading an in-depth, two-day post-mortem with local leaders into the devastating losses caused to Mindanao island by Typhoon Sendong. She said: "The Mindanao Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction Priorities is a very honest and searching analysis of the man-made contributions to this disaster in which over 1,000 people lost their lives. It is very significant that this initiative has the support of three influential Senators.” "It is important now to focus on recovery and ensure that Mindanao builds back better and that we take this opportunity to avoid re-creating the risks exposed by Typhoon Sendong. The priority now is to take care of the 4,981 families who have been left homeless. I met many of them on my visit last month and their views must be taken on board when it comes to implementing the Mindanao Declaration. "Essentially, this declaration contains an eight-point plan of action which is an endorsement for the passage of laws which, if successfully implemented, will establish a permanent, independent disaster management and risk reduction agency and promote cooperation between local governments on these issues." Senator Legarda said: "Leaders have the capacity to protect our people and secure future generations. The important starting point is political commitment, and our measure for success is more disaster-resilient development investments” (UNISDR, 2012). During response, President Aquino said that "the first priority is to relocate to areas that no longer pose a danger to them", followed then by instructions to implement disaster mitigation programs, including reforestation. He also states that "(the government) has no desire to engage in finger-pointing or to assign blame at a time like this. Yet, we have an obligation to find out exactly what has happened." Aquino said he had formed a task force to investigate the reasons behind the disaster and to determine whether a nationwide logging ban had been violated. He declared a state of national disaster, a move intended to release greater funding, and ordered the speedy restoration of power and drinking water supplies in all affected villages. "If we want this tragedy to be the last of its kind, we need to learn from our mistakes," he said (Christian Science Monitor, 2011). The inquiry report ordered by President Aquino covers the specific actions taken by all the appropriate agencies involved in response efforts starting with the warning of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and also what officials were doing before, during, and after the storm hit land. According to an official, PAGASA and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) issued warnings to communities concerned and that the response from the government was immediate and that the Armed Forces was prepared for and undertook search-and-rescue operations. Moreover, a geologist said that local officials of Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City were fully aware of the danger posed by flash floods in their respective areas since 2009. “We sent the local government units copies of the geohazard maps covering these areas. In fact, the entire province of Misamis Oriental, including Iligan City and Cagayan del Oro City, specific areas that were hit by Sendong, had been identified as prone to flash floods”, the scientist claimed (Business Mirror, 2012). As a result of the inquiry report, officials and specialists recommended eight priority points to be addressed by disaster risk reduction plans in Mindanao. The first is -- knowledge -- to improve the use of technology to address gaps in knowledge and communication of existing knowledge on disaster hazards and the inclusion of disaster risk reduction in the school curriculum. The second is -- emergency preparedness and response -- to address the needs of vulnerable and exposed communities through adequate evacuation centers, regular drills, emergency family kits, simplified response protocols, and effective psycho-social interventions. The third is -- DRRM Plans -- to adopt and implement disaster risk reduction and management plans at the regional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels. The fourth is -- the enforcement of laws -- to strict enforcement of environmental, natural resources, land-use laws, including prohibiting mining and logging in disaster-prone and vulnerable areas. The fifth is -- ecosystem-based approach -- to carry out river basin management and massive reforestation including planting mangrove forests. The sixth is -- national legislation -- to pass laws that will establish a permanent, independent disaster management and risk reduction agency and promote inter-local government cooperation on DRR. The seventh is -- institutional mechanisms -- to set up the appropriate institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction implementation, including institutionalizing command systems at all levels. And the eight is -- implementation -- to invest in capacity building, resource mobilization strategies and mechanisms to implement these priorities (Mindanao Declaration, 2012). The declaration was approved by consensus during the Mindanao summit on disaster risk reduction and geo-hazard awareness, the first island-wide gathering to discuss and learn lessons from the Sendong tragedy (Prevention Web, 2012). Special Representative Wahlström said: "The Philippines has a very sophisticated disaster response system and it has the capacity to be a world-leader in disaster risk reduction. I am confident the government will act on the lessons learned from Typhoon Sendong to ensure better coordination and improved dissemination of early warnings as well as implementing existing legislation on land use and deforestation. The UN system will be fully engaged in helping the country in the recovery phase" (UNISDR, 2012). References: BBC. “Philippines Typhoon Washi death toll reaches 1,249”, December 27, 2011. Accessed on March 5, 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16336706 Business Mirror. “Sendong deadliers than Odoy”, December 1, 2011. Accessed on March 7, 2012. http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/20935-sendong-deadlier-than-ondoy Christian Science Monitor. “Typhoon Sendong recovery efforts begin in Philippines”, December 19, 2011. 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