The height of the wet season in the country isn’t getting much help from the spate of other natural disasters like earthquakes and a string of typhoons. While such upheavals may be considered normal because of our orientation along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, there’s the even larger context of climate change whose impacts are felt all the way around the world. Climate change or global warming has become evident in recent years as regions experience extreme climates, from warm seasons hitting record-high temperatures to wet seasons exhibiting massive precipitation. This is precisely the reason why organizations from both the public and private sectors call for extra vigilance. As an advocate of safety and awareness, Eveready Philippines is taking an active stance in educating the public about being always ready when disaster strikes. “Now that we are at the height of what we can rightfully call ‘typhoon season’, Filipinos are again reminded to ensure that their family is always ready,” says Energizer representative Johanna V. Emata “This, of course, starts with awareness of certain situations and proper knowledge of which equipment and supplies are needed to be ready for any type of calamity.”
The first thing to do at the onset of any calamity is to keep watch over the situation regardless of whether you are located near disaster-prone areas or not. This means keeping constantly updated with breaking news about the progress of the storm and related developments over television or radio.
It also helps to be oriented on PAGASA’s Public Storm Warning Signals (PSWS) as well as their recently released color-coded rainfall advisory, which would help people be ready for any possible situations. While PSWS corresponds to increasing storm intensity from PSWS#1 to PSWS#4, the rainfall advisory tracks the level of rainfall that determines rising water levels.
Code Yellow means heavy rain that will deposit about 7.5 to 15mm of
water—a situation that requires constant monitoring of the weather
condition because of the possibility of flooding. Code Orange, on the
other hand, means intense rain that will deposit about 15 to 30mm of
water. This code requires people to be alert for possible evacuation due
to threat of floods. Code Red, like any other red-alert status, means
danger. With more that 30mm of rainfall, low-lying areas are to expect
serious flooding that would require residents to immediately evacuate.
