Disaster Hotspot Case Study- Philippines

Disaster Hotspot Case Study- Philippines

1. Volcanoes

   • Near destructive plate boundary Philippine plate being subducted by the Eurasian plate
   • Islands were formed by combination of folding at the boundary and volcanoes were formed from magma risen to the surface
   • Erupted in 1991 many people were evacuated, buildings collapsed, crops destroyed

2. Earthquakes

   • Philippine plate and the Eurasian plate can become locked together causes pressure to build up the jerk causes and earthquake
   • Can also occur at fault lines in the area where the plate cracked under pressure
   • They happen daily but can't be measured because there too little
   • Magnitude of 7.8 occurred killing over 1500 people

3. Landslides

   • Get lots of rain and the areas with steep slopes experience landslides
   • Can also be triggered by earthquakes

4. Typhoons

   • Have 10 typhoons every year
   • Developed in the pacific ocean and move westward over the island

5. Tsunami

   • Earthquakes in the surrounding ocean could cause a tsunami
   • 1976 earthquake of 7.9 caused a tsunami and thousands were killed

6. Drought

   • have distinct wet and dry seasons
   • Occur when the wet season hasn't bought enough rain to las the dry season

7. Flooding

   • During the wet season floods can be caused by Typhoons and heavy rain

8. Population is vulnerable

   • Densely populated area greater risk of disaster
   • Population pressure lead to deforestation causing more landslides
   • Fast growing economy people still live below poverty line