Video courtesy of UNTV News and Rescue
On June 9, 2024, UNTV Lifesaver with Benedict Galazan featured an episode entitled “Paghahanda sa Epekto ng Climate Change”. The episode was focused on the effects of global warming due to climate change on a small village in Taliptip, Bulacan, which has been subject to heavy flooding during storms, which according to the locals are the worst they have seen in the more than 60 years some of them had lived there. In addition to flooding, the increased water levels has caused the salt water from Manila Bay to wash over the soil and fish pens, rendering both farming and fishing difficult. These and other events like it are caused by climate and change and so cannot be said to be natural disasters.
The UPRI was brought in to provide an expert opinion on global warming and how to prepare for it. UPRI Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, emphasizes the importance of research in making a more resilient country, saying that we must know what we are protecting ourselves against before we can implement protective measures. He goes on with how nature is highly unpredictable and the moment we think we understand it, it will surprise us, so we need to keep researching and keeping up with it. A failure to do so will result in death and property damage, what we call disasters.
The UPRI helps with these preparations, through the use of powerful computers and technologies, such as tsunami modeling and hazard mapping. Dr. Lagmay highlighted that the purpose of hazard mapping is not simply to identify the hazardous areas but also to locate the safest areas for the people to be in during severe weather. Generated hazard maps can also be used for zoning and land development. These will only become more vital as storms worsen in the foreseeable future.