Yolanda ruins Tacloban’s disaster maps

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines   â€“ Aside from human life, another casualty of Super Typhoon Yolanda were the disaster maps showing areas in Tacloban that are vulnerable to calamities such as typhoons, floods, and fire.

The maps, which have been rendered almost totally worthless by the monster typhoon, were offshoots of a research project titled “Disaster and hazard-prone areas in Tacloban City” conducted by the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU).

The pre-Yolanda maps had earlier been highlighted by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD)

These were envisioned to serve as guide for local policymakers and executives in determining priority projects and serve as tool for better disaster management and adaption.

But with Tacloban almost totally wiped out by Yolanda, the maps could perhaps only serve as a footnote for those tasked by the national government with rehabilitating the city.

The flood disaster maps show places that have 10-meter elevation and 500-meter distance from the shore and river buffer of 200 meters on both sides that are vulnerable to floods.

“There were some areas in Tacloban City though where floods do not occur like the elevated areas in the northern barangays situated in the mountains and hills,” the EVSU said as reported by PCAARRD’s Ricardo Argana.