disaster preparedness
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS DURING TYPHOONS
Typhoon is a word composed only of seven letters and two syllables yet it attracts attention when heard from news or read from a newspaper article. It creates worries and uneasiness to the receiver’s mind. There are a number of definitions of what typhoon is. According to the website Merriam-Webster.com (2013),” Typhoon is a hurricane occurring especially in the region of the Philippines or China Sea.” Typhoon is the term for a natural phenomenon that can cause danger to the lives of the people and to all living creatures; plants and animals. It can destroy houses, farms, plantations and other income generating projects. Paterno (1993) defined typhoon as “a weather disturbance with violent winds. It forms only in the tropics.” (pp. 12). Typhoon is the costliest and deadliest among natural calamities in the Philippines since it is located in the tropical part of the globe. The website Weather Philippines.com describe typhoon as “a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface winds of 119 to 239 kph (64-129 knots). West of 180˚E longitude they are called typhoons while east of 180˚E longitude are called hurricanes.” A typhoon becomes a super typhoon “when it has maximum sustained 1-minute mean surface winds of 240 kph (130 knots) or greater.” Strong winds accompanied with heavy rainfall could induce landslides and flashfloods. These could dispel houses, agricultural and industrial properties and even deaths. Historically, Philippines typhoons devastations already amounted to several billions of industrial and agricultural damages. Typhoons have several terms and it varies from place to place. Paterno (1993) reported that typhoons are called “hurricane in North Atlantic and South Pacific, cyclone in the Indian Ocean, willy-nilly in Australia and bagyo in the Philippines.” Typhoon may have many names, but it only means one thing, a calamity that eradicates buildings, infrastructure, agriculture livelihoods, watercrafts and
Typhoon is a word composed only of seven letters and two syllables yet it attracts attention when heard from news or read from a newspaper article. It creates worries and uneasiness to the receiver’s mind. There are a number of definitions of what typhoon is. According to the website Merriam-Webster.com (2013),” Typhoon is a hurricane occurring especially in the region of the Philippines or China Sea.” Typhoon is the term for a natural phenomenon that can cause danger to the lives of the people and to all living creatures; plants and animals. It can destroy houses, farms, plantations and other income generating projects. Paterno (1993) defined typhoon as “a weather disturbance with violent winds. It forms only in the tropics.” (pp. 12). Typhoon is the costliest and deadliest among natural calamities in the Philippines since it is located in the tropical part of the globe. The website Weather Philippines.com describe typhoon as “a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface winds of 119 to 239 kph (64-129 knots). West of 180˚E longitude they are called typhoons while east of 180˚E longitude are called hurricanes.” A typhoon becomes a super typhoon “when it has maximum sustained 1-minute mean surface winds of 240 kph (130 knots) or greater.” Strong winds accompanied with heavy rainfall could induce landslides and flashfloods. These could dispel houses, agricultural and industrial properties and even deaths. Historically, Philippines typhoons devastations already amounted to several billions of industrial and agricultural damages. Typhoons have several terms and it varies from place to place. Paterno (1993) reported that typhoons are called “hurricane in North Atlantic and South Pacific, cyclone in the Indian Ocean, willy-nilly in Australia and bagyo in the Philippines.” Typhoon may have many names, but it only means one thing, a calamity that eradicates buildings, infrastructure, agriculture livelihoods, watercrafts and