Journal of Environmental Science and Management 16(1) : 84-97 (June 2013) ISSN 0119-1144 *2

Climate change, involving both natural climate variability and anthropogenic global warming, has been a major worldwide concern, particularly with the publication of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Considering the archipelagic nature of the and its being a very minor emitter of greenhouse gases, adaptation to climate change has been the Government’s national policy. The importance of expediting these climate change-related adaptation measures was highlighted by a string of geo-meteorological- 2009. We present the geologic conditions that rendered the affected areas, especially in northwestern , extremely vulnerable to the existent hazards, the meteorological conditions that set off the disaster and the different initiatives that the government and local communities have taken to further prepare the people for possible future disasters. Recognition of the pertinent issues and the extant challenges points to the urgent need for mainstreaming both geo-meteorological- related disaster risk management and climate change adaptation measures in the light of changing climate conditions.

climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, geo-meteorological hazards, tropical cyclone, Luzon, Philippines

Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2009Lagmay et al. 2006 Yumul et al. 2006 Benson, 2009; Dawe et al. 2009; Lyon et al. 2006; Yumul et al., 2009 Faustino-Eslava et al. 2011

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 1. Tectonic map of the Philippines that shows the between the Palawan Microcontinental Block Manila-Negros-Sulu-Cotabato Trench system at the west and the East Luzon Trough-Philippine Trench at the west. Aurelio 2000; Besana and Ando2005 ntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007; Mann and Emmanuel 2006; United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2008; Webster et al. 2005 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

Figure 2. a. Map showing the distribution of active volcanoes in the Philippines (shown by the white circles). Nine of these (shown by the black dots) are the most active with several eruptions in recorded history (Phivolcs 2008). b. Map of the major fault networks in Luzon (after Queaño 2006). Yumul 1994 Maleterre 1989; Wolfe 1981 Arribas et al. 1994; Sillitoe and Angeles 1985; Wolfe 1981 Balce et al. 1980 Imai 2001 Balce et al. 1980; United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 1987; Maleterre 1989; Peña 1992 Pinet 1990 Bellon and Peña and Reyes 1970; Tam et al. 2005; Yumul et al. 2008; Dimalanta et al. 2012 Balce et al. 1980 Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 3. a. Elevation map of Luzon island. In Central Cordillera, peaks reach heights of up to ~3000 m. b. On the slope o (blue – slope <10o, green – slope between 10 and 30o, red – slope >10o). c. Blown up view of boxed area in Figures 3a and 3b. had numerous landslide occurrences due to the passage of Typhoon Parma. Gray-shaded areas are those that

Figure 4. Comparative stratigraphic columns for Ilocos, Central Cordillera and Luzon Central Valley (west side) Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines Dimalanta et al., 2012 NDCC 2009c NDCC Aurelio et al. 1991; Barrier et 2009d al. 1991 Pinet and Stephan 1990; Ringenbach et al. 1993; Louvenbruck 2003 Yumul et al. 2008 Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 5 a. Track followed by Typhoon Parma whose erratic behavior caused it to landfall three times. It left the country after staying within the PAR for 10 days. b. MTSAT image received at the DOST-PAGASA station on October 10, 2009. It shows Typhoon Parma interacting with Melor. This interaction caused Parma to return and make its second landfall.

Figure 6 a. Typhoon Parma brought an unusual amount of precipitation as indicated by measurements done in the PAGASA stations (each marked by a black star) in Luzon island. b. Rainfall data from the PAGASA stations are compared with the monthly climatological normals. From October 3 to 9, 2009, Baguio City recorded the highest amount of rainfall. METHODOLOGY Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines NDCC 2009c NDCC 2009c NDCC 2009d NDCC 2009c ABS-CBN 2009

Figure 7. Sites impacted by the passage of Typhoon Parma during the period 3 to 9 October 2009 as reported Network along with calls and text messages of inhabitants of the radio-television network (ABS- CBN 2009). Also plotted is the track of the typhoon and the cumulative rainfall estimated by PAGASA. Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

house was dislodged, as were other structures of similar relatively sturdy construction. b. Several houses built close to the earthen dike of the Banila River in Umingan, Pangasina, were totally washed away in the evening of October 8, 2009. c. A retaining wall along a relatively constricted stream channel in the mountainous town The black arrow points to what remains of this retaining wall and the white arrow show the undercutting of its foundations. In the foreground, a bamboo bridge was constructed to temporarily replace a hanging bridge that the structural intervention. Photo was taken along a major thoroughfare in Baguio City. The white dashed line traces the original height of the collapsed retaining wall. e. A view of the landslide that originated from Puguis and travelled to the lower lying community of Little Kibungan in Province. The houses provide a scale to the magnitude of this catastrophic landslide. More than 10 large, concrete houses were totally damaged and carried downhill by this mass movement and over 150 casualties were reported. Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013) Holland and Webster, 2007; Dairaku et al. 2008; Knutson et al. 2010 Knutson et al., 2010 Emanuel 2005; Bengtsson et al. 2007; Knutson et al. 2010 Guzetti et al. 2008; Larsen 2008; Lee et al. 2008 Kirschbaum et al. 2010 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines UNISDR 2008; Birkmann, et al. 2009; Christoplos et al. 2009 Lazcano 2009 PAGASA 2011 Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013) Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)