Hydrometeorological hazards - different meteorological, hydrological and climate phenomena which can cause loss of

life, injury or other health impacts, damage to property, loss of livelihood and services, social and economic disruption
or environmental damage.
Tropical cyclone - a natural hazard that is given a human name.
- a natural heat engine that converts heat energy of the tropical ocean into strong winds and waves.
Requirements before a typhoon can develop:
 temperature of the ocean in the upper 60 meters should be at least 27° C.
 air should be warm, humid, and unstable.
 far enough from the equator, at least 500 kilometers, for a Coriolis effect to create a low pressure center.
Coriolis effect - the mechanism that spins the storms in the counterclockwise direction around a central core found in
the Northern Hemisphere.
Typhoon - begins with a low pressure zone that forms poorly organized thunderstorms with a relatively weak surface.
This condition is initially called a tropical disturbance.
When the surface-wind exceeds a speed of 63 km/hr, a tropical storm has been born.
The eye of the storm is formed when the surface-wind exceeds a speed of 119 km/hr.
 Cyclone - formed in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean
 Typhoon - formed west of Pacific Ocean
 Hurricane - formed in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific
The classification of tropical cyclones adopted by PAGASA as of May 1, 2015 depends on the wind strength.
Classification of Tropical Cyclone Wind Strength (kph)
tropical depression (TD) ≤ 61
tropical storm (TS) 62-88
severe tropical storm (STS) 89-117
typhoon (TY) 118-220
super typhoon (STY) >220
Tropical cyclone hazards:
 Squall refers to an increase in the sustained winds over a short time interval.
 Tornadoes can also be formed which is expected for about half of the storms of tropical storm (TS) intensity.
 Rainfall caused by typhoons is both beneficial and harmful. It is essential because it is a natural irrigation for
farms and automatically supplies the water needs of dams, for example.
 Storm surge or abnormal rise of water due to tropical cyclones is another disastrous hazard. It usually affects
those communities living near coastlines.
 One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the country is Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
 This super typhoon had wind gusts as strong as 315 kilometers per hour.
 It made 6 landfalls. Its first landfall was in Guiuan, Eastern Samar in the early morning of November 8, 2013.
Thunderstorms are tall, buoyant clouds of rising moist air which generates lightning, thunder, commonly accompanied
by rains and gusty winds.
 Air-mass thunderstorms or single cell storm are the most common type. They usually occur locally, least
destructive and only lasts for a short amount of time.
 Supercell thunderstorm which is a violent type created from a huge upward current of warm air. This can cover
an area of 20 to 50 kilometers and may move in a large scale rotation that lasts for 2 to 4 hours.
Tornado - rotating column of wind (known as vortex) which extends downward from the cloud and reaches the ground.
- also formed when there is a large difference in atmospheric temperature and pressure.
Funnel clouds - funnel-shaped vortices are formed but these rotating wind do not reach the surface of the ground yet.
Waterspout - the term used if tornadoes formed over the water surface. This type of tornadoes and weak tornadoes on
land may not be as dangerous as those formed in supercell thunderstorms.
Buhawi or ipo-ipo - is the local term of tornado in the Philippines. Severe thunderstorms brought by monsoon winds
may sometimes lead to the formation of buhawi or ipo-ipo.
Flood - refers to the overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal location that result to damage to
properties and loss of life.
 Flash flood results from heavy rainfall for hours in a local area.
 Regional flood occurs when large amount of rain falls over a large area for days or weeks.
Small floods occur every year or so whereas, regional floods return every few years, centuries or longer.
Hazard map - a map generated to locate specific areas that are affected by or vulnerable to a particular hazard.
Hydrometeorological hazard maps - are made to help prevent serious damage and deaths brought about by natural
hazards such as cyclones, monsoons, floods, and ipo-ipo.
Philippines is under category IV. In category IV countries, there is “an urgent need for action” in order to improve
transport infrastructures, electricity supply, and “logistics friendliness”.
Hydrometeorological hazard maps - it plots the levels of risk may it be in a local area or the whole country due to
potential damage from floods, tropical cyclones, winds, monsoons and other hydrometeorological phenomena.
Resident-educating – a type which has the main objective to inform the residents in an area about the possible
susceptibility of that area to natural disasters.
Procedure Of Creating A Hazard:
 define the scale
 disaster-related information should be collected
 maps are published and distributed to the public
 A hazard map should contain a base map or a topographic map.
 It should also show disaster prevention information for the public and the forecast area of disaster.
“Mapping Vulnerability to Environmental Disasters” aimed to identity areas in the country that are susceptible and at
risk to different environmental disasters.
Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) - Department of Science and Technology launched a program
on July 6, 2012 which led to the development of very high resolution maps of Philippine landscape.
 Project NOAH shows a real-time update on the Philippine whether using satellite data.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
Levee - a ridge built near a river to prevent river overflowing.
 There is a continuous debate whether construction of levees is more of a disadvantage rather than an advantage.
Sandbagging - a temporary solution when there is a big flood on the way.
- a procedure wherein bags are filled with sand and mud, stacked and used as temporary levees to prevent
flood water from entering an area.
Four Phases Of Disaster Reduction By NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Council)
1. Mitigation or Prevention – There are long-term activities undertaken prior to impact which aimed to reduce the
risk of occurrence and/or effects of a disaster.
2. Preparedness – There are pre-disaster activities intended to increase the effectiveness of emergency response
during the disaster.
3. Response – Prior and during the actual disaster, activities are done immediately to protect lives and properties.
4. Recovery – There are also post-disaster activities undertaken in order to return affected communities to a more
normal condition.

Monsoon
 is a seasonal wind and rain pattern, and the word “monsoon” is believed to have originated from the Arabic
word mawsim (season), via Portuguese and the Dutch monsoon
 The wind pattern that causes such rains. Monsoon winds reverse direction between winter and summer. They
bring wet summers and dry winters to the regions where they blow.

Two known monsoons in the Philippines: