Disaster Hotspot - The Philippines

Disaster Hotspot - The Philippines

1. Volcanoes

   • The Philippines are near to a destructive plate boundary. The Philippine plate is being subducted under the Eurasian plate.
   • Volcanoes were formed from magma rising to the surface from the mantle below.
   • Mount Pinatubo is a volcano that erupted in 1991. People were evacuated, buildings collapsed, crops were destroyed and agricultural land destroyed by falling ash.

2. Tsunamis

   • Earthquakes in any of the surrounding oceans could trigger a tsunami.
   • In 1976 an earthquake with a magnitude 7.9 that caused a tsunami. Thousands were killed and several cities were devastated.

3. Earthquakes

   • Destructive plate boundary can cause plates to get stuck while pressure builds up and then jerk past each other.
   • Can occur at fault lines where the plate has cracked under pressure.
   • Occur daily. In 1990 a magnitude 7.8 occurred on Luzon island killing over 1,500 people.

4. Landslides

   • A lot of rain in a short space of time can weaken land and cause landslide.
   • Can only occur on slopes over an angle of 35degrees.
   • Can be triggered by earthquakes.
   • Leyte island 2006 - it had been raining heavily for 10 days causing a land slide. A whole village was buried killing hundreds.

5. Typhoons

   • They have about 10 typhoons every year.
   • They develop in the Pacific ocean and move westwards over the islands.
   • Typhoon Xangsane 2006 - destroyed homes, caused flooding, landslide and loss of power.

6. Flooding

   • Can be caused by typhoons and heavy rain.
   • Can affect areas which are also at risk from drought.
   • Major flooding in the 1970s - crops were devastated.

7. Droughts

   • Can occur when the wet season hasn't brought enough rain and the dry season is particularly harsh.
   • Luzon island 2006 - reduction in rain fall affected hydroelectric power plants which affected the power supply for the entire region. Economic and social activity were reduced.

8. Vulnerable Population

   • High populations can easily make a hazard a disaster.
   • Deforestation of land for agriculture and other economic reasons has made land unstable - increasing risk of landslides.
   • Fast growing economy but many people still in poverty - can be extremely affected by a disaster e.g. spread of disease.
   • Fast growing settlements are being built in hazardous areas.
   • Many people live in unstable locations.