10 June 2015 – On the occasion of the 17th Congress of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Philippines imparted its lessons learned during typhoon Bopha/Pablo and typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda at a sideline event on Lessons Learned from Disasters that Impacted WMO Members.
The discussions explored climate-induced disasters from the view of meteorologists and hydrologists a crucial facet of disaster risk reduction that is highly essential to ensure accurate, early warning and timely delivery of forecast that could save lives during weather disasters.
Dr. Vicente Malano, head of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), provided valuable inputs, culled from the Philippines unique experience of hurdling typhoon Yolanda - the most powerful typhoon ever to make landfall in recorded history.
“It is of paramount importance to build resilient weather stations and meteorological facilities that can withstand the operational, physical and structural strain brought about by extreme weather disturbances”, Dr. Malano emphasized. “The integrity of our stations, including all the systems that support it, have to be ensured and secured, especially during the actual onslaught where information becomes more crucial”, he added.
During extreme climatic hazards, weather systems get destroyed during impact. In other cases, power grids, communications, internet and other system to support weather stations get impaired at the onslaught. As such, there is a need to develop the ability to sustain a global communication system during the most needed time, particularly during power shut down.
The PAGASA station in Tacloban, including its Doppler radar was destroyed after Haiyan’s maximum sustained winds of 315km/hr battered the region. Electric and communication lines were also knocked down, disrupting power support and cutting relay of vital information needed for analysis, documentation and disaster response.
The Philippines also provided insight on its experience with storm surges during Typhoon Haiyan. Storm surges were primarily responsible for over 6,245 deaths, and over 28,000 injured in the storm’s aftermath.
Other countries that provided insights are Fiji, Tonga, and Zimbabwe. Fiji was ravaged by Category 4 Tropical Cyclone Evan in 2012. Tonga on the other hand was run down by Tropical Cyclone Ian in 2015 which was the first Category 5 that hit any islands of Tonga in the past 60 years. Zimbabwe was inundated by flood waters as torrential rains pounded Harare in 2014 displacing over 2,000 households.
A common lesson learned that ran through the discussion is the need to translate weather jargon, such as wind speed and rainfall, not just to the native dialect, but to a language that regular people understand. Most people who did not evacuate despite early warnings did not have the full comprehension of the damage and adverse consequences to their safety, household, livestock and livelihood. In the Philippines, the term storm surge was new and hence, there was a lack of awareness and understanding on the hazards of its impact.
After typhoon Bopha and Haiyan, PAGASA is improving its Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWs), and are enhancing its radar observation network. PAGASA is also establishing additional flood forecasting and warning centers to cover 18 major river basins.
The 17th session of the World Meteorological Congress (CG-17) is ongoing in Geneva, Switzerland and runs from May 25 to June 12 in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Meteorological Congress takes place every four years and represents the supreme governing body of the WMO. END