Disasters Special Reports | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

Preventing Armageddon

as of 08/12/2010 6:14 PM Santa's new sleigh -- members of the Philippine Coast Guard delivering relief goods to Dagupan [Multiply user Jerome, Boto Mo iPatrol Mo Multiply site]

Two disaster prone communities show the value of being prepared in the face of natural hazards

MANILA – Dagupan goes down in history as the milkfish capital of the country, producing 35,500 tons of milkfish every year. But such distinction has its consequences. The prime sources of livelihood, Pantal River and Lingayen Gulf, produce the worst floods in the city, taking lives and properties every year.

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'Freak of nature,' not just dams, caused North Luzon floods

as of 10/23/2009 1:18 PM Residents on a roof wait to be rescued in Carmen, Pangasinan, northern Philippines in this photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard October 9, 2009.

It was to be expected. Within days after floodwaters engulfed much of Northern Luzon, people started looking for someone to blame. And they latched on a usual suspect: the dams.

At 2 am on October 9, the San Roque dam spilled water at over 5,300 cubic meters per second into the downstream areas of the Agno river.

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Gibo denies delaying purchase of rubber boats

as of 10/23/2009 1:11 PM Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gilbert” Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr. presents the Defense System of Management chart during an interview at his office, Department of National Defense, Camp Aguinaldo. [File Photo, abs-cbnNEWS.com/ Newsbreak]

MANILA - The Department of National Defense (DND) denied on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was the cause of the delay in the procurement of rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), which could have been used to save lives at the height of tropical storm Ondoy.

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Gibo delayed purchase of rubber boats

as of 10/23/2009 1:13 PM Rescuers evacuate residents from floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ondoy on a rubber boat in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009. (Reuters/Erik de Castro)

MANILA - Defense Secretary Gilbert 'Gibo' Teodoro was warned about the possibility of widespread flooding this year and was advised to immediately order rescue boats, but the procurement has been delayed after he opted for public bidding.

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Metro flooding: were the dams to blame?

as of 10/23/2009 1:13 PM File photo of Angat dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan

If dam authorities did not spill water on September 26, the dams could have broken and flooding could have been worse.

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P1-B flood warning system wasted due to neglect

as of 10/23/2009 1:15 PM Rescuers evacuate residents from floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ondoy on a rubber boat in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009. (Reuters/Erik de Castro)

Japanese project could have minimized 'Ondoy' casualties

MANILA - Expensive flood warning equipment and devices have been rendered idle and put to waste because of neglect following the transfer of flood control from the public works department to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

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Who do we blame for untrammeled hyperurbanization in Manila?

as of 10/23/2009 1:14 PM Actual land use northeast of the UP Diliman campus

We need to bring public scrutiny to bear on the big, if hard-to-answer, issues of unsustainable urbanization and land use.

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Flooding in Metro: who is to blame?

as of 10/23/2009 1:15 PM Aerial view of a flooded portion of Marcos Highway in Marikina City, September 27, 2009. ABS-CBN News/Jeff Canoy

MANILA - Many have blamed the devastation caused by tropical storm Ondoy on climate change. But in the case of Metro Manila, urban planners and public works engineers say that is not all there is to it.

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