Success Story:
Environment and Rural Development (EnRD) Program Philippines
Component 7: Support to Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Yolanda
Affected Areas in the Visayas
Dumaguete City: Zero casualty recorded in
the midst of a tropical depression
In just 55 minutes, 1,400 lives in danger zones were saved through the
Local Flood Early Warning System (LFEWS) and with full cooperation of
local communities
In November 27, 2014, Banica River was rampaged by a flash flood, submerging some
housing communities and their environs on a Thursday morning brought by tropical
depression Queenie. Through a strong coordination and timely delivery of clear
warnings from local government units and its Rescue Team 348, estimately 1,400 lives
and Php1million worth of properties were saved in just 55 minutes before the vigorous
flash floods have hit residences along Banica River in Negros Oriental.
It was almost three in the morning of November 27 when a weather disturbance was observed
in Dumaguete City, with a tropical depression tracking towards Visayas Region and Northern
Mindanao. A heavy rainfall with 6.3mm rainfall in 30 minutes was recorded. Though there
was heavy rainfall, the operation center (Rescue 348) did not observe an increase in the water
level in the upstream part of Banica River yet, via an automatic, telemetered river level gauge.
Rescue 348 decided to verify the data with manual observations from the bridge upstream for
more accurate information. The rain continued until eight in the morning and alert warnings
from Valencia Emergency Rescue Unit (VERU), the response team of the Municipality of
Valencia, and from the river water monitoring station of Forest Camp Mountain resort were
sent to Rescue 348 about the significant increase in the river water level in Valencia. Upon
receipt of the alerting report, Rescue 348 immediately conducted a data validation from the
rain gauge station in Barangay Apolong, indeed, 20.5mm of rainfall were already accumulated
during the last hours.
Engineer Jose Q. Chu Jr., head of Recue 348, immediately ordered all Barangay Captains
to execute a pre-emptive and forced evacuation of all residents living near the Banica River.
Orders were also communicated in various radio stations for faster information dissemination.
“Upon receiving the news from our sources in Valencia, we rapidly ordered for a forced
evacuation of all threatened families in the surrounding areas, some are already enduring a
knee-high flood-waters, while others are still doing their daily routines, in fact some housewives
were doing their laundry in separate locations, some men were also still collecting gravel and
sand from the river and some children were even caught playing outside their house, ” he says,
“everything was so normal throughout the night and in the early morning. No one is prepared
to see a roaring in floodwater.”
Flashflood reaches critical level
shortly after 1,400 individuals were
evacuated
“We are very fortunate
that our lives and
properties were saved
from the roaring
floodwaters...”
First, pregnant women, elderly, children and disabled persons were completely evacuated
by nine o‘clock to safer places pre-identified per barangay. In just 15minutes, flash floods
vigorously rushed in, submerging houses near the river.
(From left to right)
Manual observation of flash flood
using staff gauge in the downstream
level of Banica River and actual
water gauge installed from the
upstream bridge
Communities were evacuated to
safer place shortly after alert
warnings were disseminated to
achieve zero casualty amidst
flooding.
Since 2005, GIZ has been assisting municipalities in various provinces in being better
prepared for disasters such as floods or landslides. GIZ finds that the biggest threats in rural
communities especially in low lying areas are floods, which frequently come and destroy
whatever people have built up and saved. Whenever these floods occur, it is the poor people
that suffer the most.
The Local Flood Early Warning System (LFEWS) warn people on the ground early enough
of floods, so that they can evacuate to centers. People working from a 24/7 operation center
like Rescue 348 observes and communicates occurence of danger via data collected from the
upstream to the downstream, where people are living. This information is transmitted via
radio frequencies and such alert warnings are being communicated to LGUs, villages and
communities.
Contact
Max-Johannes Baumann
Program Director
and Principal Advisor
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ) GmbH
2B PDCP Bank Center
V.A. Rufino corner L.P. Leviste Sts.
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Philippines
Phone
Fax
Email
Web
+63 2 892 9051 local 101
+62 2 892 3374
[email protected]
http://www.enrdph.org
In December of 2011, Typhoon Sendong have cut a swath of devastation in the province of
Negros Oriental, almost 40 people, including children died while an undetermined number
of families were left homeless after Typhoon Sendong brought heavy rains and flooding in
Dumaguete City and other parts of Negros Oriental.
In September of 2014, a Local Flood Early Warning System (LFEWS) became fully functional
in Dumaguete City with support from the GIZ, serving more than 21,000 families and with
over 14,000 of them are vulnerable to flooding. Tropical depression Queenie was the first
weather disturbance experienced since its installation.
The local government units took every step to prepare all communities from the rapid
flashflood in Banica River. “We are very fortunate that residents living along the riverbanks
were forewarned of the flooding. The city government of Dumaguete is grateful to the GIZ
for installing LFEWS in our city.” said Engineer Jose Q. Chu of Rescue 348.
This remarkable experience proves that an end-to-end early warning system does not only
mean relying on the models and forecast provided by available tools such as the LFEWS,
recognizing the importance of prompt manual observation on characteristics of the river,
heightened awareness and timely delivery of clearer warnings also contributes to the
achievement of a zero casualty.
GIZ is a federally-owned enterprise that supports the German government in the field of
international development cooperation. For more than 40 years now, GIZ has been cooperating
with Philippine partners in strengthening the capacity of people and institutions to improve the lives
of Filipinos in this generation and generations to come. Together we work to balance economic,
social and ecological interests throught multi-stakeholder dialogue, participation and collaboration.
About EnRD
EnRD is jointly implemented by GIZ and the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department
of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It applies from ridge to reef,
an integrated development approach to natural resource governance in the Visayas focusing on
Region VI and VIII (Panay, Negros, Leyte, Samar) by promoting rural development and the
sustainable use of natural resources. The Program’s fields of work are participatory land use and
development planning, integrated coastal management, community-based forest management,
food security, disaster risk management and solid waste management.