Why disaster preparedness should be part of
your plan
Prioritize your safety during natural
calamities by knowing what to do - and doing it
File Photo: Aftermath of Typhoon
Odette, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, December 2021
The Philippines has long been considered
calamity-prone and vulnerable to disasters. In fact, it placed third among all
the highest-risk countries worldwide, according to the World Risk Report of
2018.[1]
A big contributor is the country’s geographical
location and make-up. As an archipelago, the Philippines is composed of many
small islands and is surrounded by water. It is also located within the Typhoon
belt and the “Ring of Fire” and between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic
plates.[2]
Thus, natural occurrences such as typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, are almost always a disaster waiting to happen - literally.
Just recently, the Visayas and Mindanao
regions suffered from the devastating effects of Typhoon Odette. Taal Volcano’s
last eruption was only in 2020, and it affected more than 736,000 people.[3]
Filipinos constantly experience a barrage of natural disasters, and yet, a
study from the Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in 2018 shows
that 47.5% of all the respondents said they have not done anything to prepare
themselves for a disaster within the past five years, and only 36% feel
prepared enough.[4]
 |
November 2013. Tacloban,
Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan, known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines,
was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record. |
Still, there seems to
be hope in encouraging Filipinos to start prioritizing their safety and
investing in disaster preparedness. In the same Harvard study,4 many
of the respondents said if they had enough funds and resources, they would
definitely be willing to prepare ahead. This shows that, in spite of it all,
Filipinos do want to be ready.
So, what can we as
individuals do to make sure that we are well-equipped when the next typhoon,
earthquake, or volcanic eruption hits? The first step is to know your location
well. Is it prone to flooding? How far away is it from the nearest volcano? Is
it close to a fault line? All this information can be found with just a click
of a button, thanks to digitalized documentation efforts led by the
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST). (Link: https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/gisweb-hazard-maps)
Once you have
assessed your location’s vulnerabilities, now you can actively prepare yourself
and your home for any incoming calamities. Check your house for any damages,
and if it is made from materials that can withstand ground movement or strong
winds. Keep a Go Bag with emergency resources accessible, both in your homes
and places of work.
|
SM Lanang Premier in Davao has a rain water catchment tank with a
capacity of 600 cubic meters |
Finally, make it a habit to listen to the radio and the news for any updates, and monitor your local government unit’s social media for any announcements. Familiarize yourself with as many routes as you can to your nearest evacuation center. Schools, barangay courts, and even malls like SM Supermalls often open their doors to receive evacuees in times of crisis.
SM DRR
Facilities: (Left) Automated Weather
Stations: SM Prime Holdings, Inc. has inked a partnership with the Manila
Observatory for the “High Definition Clean Energy, Climate, and Weather
Forecasts for the Philippines” Project, a data-driven system that utilizes
automated weather stations (AWS) and high-performance computer modeling to
provide clean energy and weather forecasts up to five days in advance. (Right)
SM has also installed Earthquake
Recording Instrumentations (ERI) on all malls for earth movement real time
monitoring being recorded in an ERI dashboard.
SM, as a responsible member of the community, has taken disaster resilience as a necessary investment to help ensure that our communities thrive. SM allots 10% of its capital expenditures to incorporate disaster-resilient features, of which installing water management design features is one of them. By ensuring that its investments, employees, tenants and partners are resilient, no Filipino will be left behind.
“It is simply not a matter of if, but when,” said Hans T. Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime Holdings. “We already know that there will always be another typhoon, another earthquake, another natural calamity. Our best bet to avoid personal losses and damages is to be ready for when it comes.”
SM Marikina stands tall above a 23-meter Marikina River water lever rise
because it sits on 246 stilts and an additional 20 meters farther than the
suggested 90-meter distance from the Marikina River centerline.
Some of SM’s notable
resilient infrastructure is SM City Marikina and SM Mall of Asia, designed to
help mitigate the effect of flooding in the community. Most SM malls feature
disaster-resilient designs including SM City Puerto Princesa in Palawan wherein
the mall es elevated approximately 1.40 meters from the City Road, thus
preventing it to be flooded from the heavy rain throughout the year. SM City
Consolacion in Cebu has an adequately designed draining system discharging to
adjacent creek and area surface drain along the perimeter walls.
SM Seaside City
Cebu's protection against storm surges is provided by elevating the site above
mean sea level, thereby allowing the mall to be a place of refuge during times
of flooding. The complex road was constructed 4.0m (not 3.0m) higher than the
city road. Instead of flood barrier walls as a solution to the threat of
flooding, the building's main floor was also elevated at 4.0m (not 4.5m) from
the complex roads. The first level was designed to be a parking area with a
4.0m elevation difference from the main floor.
“We often ask ourselves – how else can we
make it better for the people? We don’t want to just simply build malls, but
more importantly, we make sure that our developments improve the lives of the
community by adding disaster-resilient features to help mitigate the potential
effects of disasters,” Sy added.
ABOUT SM PRIME HOLDINGS
SM Prime, one of the leading integrated
property developers in Southeast Asia, remains committed to its role as a
catalyst for economic growth, delivering innovative and sustainable lifestyle
cities, thereby enriching the quality of life of millions of people.
Sustainability and Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience form part of SM
Prime’s core business strategies. It ensures that its risk-informed investments
catalyze sustainable development and positive change in the communities where
it operates.
For more information
on SM Prime Holdings and its other programs towards disaster preparedness,
visit their website at www.smprime.com.
[1] World Economic Forum, 2018. The Global Risks
Report 2018: 3th Edition, Geneva: World Economic Forum.
[2]
https://www.unisdr.org/files/68265_682308philippinesdrmstatusreport.pdf
[3]
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-taal-volcano-eruption-final-report-n-mdrph043
[4] Vincenzo Bollettino, Tilly Alcayna, Krish
Enriquez, and Patrick Vinck. 6/2018. Perceptions of Disaster Resilience and
Preparedness in the Philippines.
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