Disaster Readiness & Risk Reduction Southwest Monsoon (Hanging Habagat)

(4th Quarter Reviewer)  A monsoon is a consistent weather pattern

generated by a large weather system.
Tornado (“Waterspout” if it is formed in water)
 It lasts for a period of months.
Tornado Formation  Affects large area of the planet.
 Southwest Monsoon (Summer Monsoon), also
1. There is a change in wind direction and called Hanging Habagat in the Philippines.
increase in wind speed.
a. Occur at increasing altitude. Characteristics
b. Creates an invisible horizontal effect in
1. Cloudy, warm, and humid weather, frequent
the lower atmosphere.
heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the
2. Rising air within the thunderstorm’s updraft tilts
west.
the rotating air from horizontal to vertical.
2. Responsible for bringing significant rainfall in
Asian subcontinent and to South and East
 Tornadoes form when two large air masses of Asia.
varying temperature and humidity collide. 3. Temperature rangers from 25.5 – 27.5 oC
 Warm air in the lower layers
 Cold air in the upper layer Southwest Monsoon Formation
 Lifespan of 7 hours
1. Warm and humid air moves towards the
Fujita Pearson Scale (Depends on the damage) southwest, causing heavy rains over the west
areas in the country, that can last up to one
F Scale Number Intensity Phrase Wind Speed
week.
F0 Gale Tornado 40-72
Moderate 2. Clouds during habagat are usually coming from
F1 Tornado
73-112
the southwest part of the Philippines that may
Significant move towards the west, south, or southeast
F2 Tornado
113-157
F3 Severe Tornado 158-206
areas.
Devastating  Usually forms in between the months of
F4 207-260
Tornado May and June, strengthens during
Incredible months of July and August.
F5 Tornado
261-318
Inconceivable  Can also affect Philippine climate from
F6 Tornado
319-379 late April to October
Southwest Monsoon Rainfall
Before a Tornado
1. Air passing over large areas of warm equatorial
 Build an emergency kit and make a family ocean
communication plan. a. Stimulates increased level of evaporation
 Listen to (PAG-ASA) weather radio, from the ocean’s surface.
commercial radio, or television for the latest 2. Southwest monsoon air, laden with water vapor,
information. cools as it moves north and as it rises over land
 Be alert to changing weather conditions. 3. At some point, the air is no longer able to retain
Look for approaching storms. its moisture, causing precipitates.
Danger Signs Things to do Before Soutwest Monsoon
 Dark, often greenish sky  Watch weather forecast
 Large hail  Prepare a family emergency kit (sandbags,
 A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if plywood, protection from flood)
rotating)  Store materials, protection from flooding
 Loud roar, similar to a freight train  Store important materials above flood levels
 Secure wanted objects to prevent floating away
 Learn where to find high ground safe from flood
Positive Effects
 In India and Southeast Asia, people rely on rain
from monsoon to:
 Fertilize crops
 Fill aquifers and wells
 Power hydroelectric facilities
Negative Effects
 Can be extremely violent with the weather
systems.
 Drought-stricken land can be immediately
drenched even with a poor rainfall.
 Gorges and washes are prone to flooding
 Runoff from elevated areas haste while
carrying rainfall to lower areas.
 It can cause wildfire
 Because of lightning
 Mudslides and erosion can occur in
areas burned by wildfire
 Wash/Arroyo
El Nino (Christ Child)
 Characterized by unusually warm ocean
temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.
 It is an oscillation of the ocean-temperature
system in the tropic Pacific having important
consequences for weather around globe.
Formulation of El Nino
 Formation linked with the cycling of a Pacific
Ocean circulation pattern known as the El
Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO.
 In an El Nino year, low pressure over
northern Australia is replaced by high
pressure, whilst air pressure falls over large
areas of the central Pacific and along the
coast of the South America.
When does it usually occur
 Usually starts between December to
February.
 Last up to first half of the year.
Positive Effects
 Fewer hurricanes and other tropical cyclones
in the North Atlantic.
 Milder winters in southern Canada and
northern Continental U.S.
 Replenishment of water supplies in the
Southwestern U.S.
 Less disease in some areas due to drier
weather.
Negative Effects
 Storm track changes and its intensity
 Temperature and precipitation changes
 Alteration of currents and ocean temperature
 Increase in insect population
 Famine
 Price hike in food, drinks, etc.
 Wild fires
 Drought
 Flooding
 Crash of fisheries
 Crop failure
What to do before
 Fix your leaks before it rains.
 Paint exterior wood to avoid rotting and
termite invasion.
 If your neighborhood is susceptible to power
outrages, you may invest a generator.
 Keep hydrated
 Follow local ordinances of authorities
 Safely store important documents
 Wear light-colored clothes
 Conserve water at all costs
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
(A zone of convergence at the thermal equator)
 A belt of low pressure which circles the
Earth generally near the equator where the
trade winds of the Northern and Southern
Hemisphere comes together.
 Appears as a band of clouds consisting of
showers, with occasional thunderstorms,
occur near equator.
 Called “Intertropical Front” (1920-1940)
 ITCZ (1960)
 Sometimes referred to as monsoon trough
 Borderline:
 23.5o N Cancer
 23.5o S Capricorn
 ITCZ travels from east to west
Monsoon Trough  Watch/listen to the news in case ITCS forms
into typhoon
 Will be more active when a tropical cyclone
 Prepare family emergency kit
is embedded within it.
 Place things above flood levels
 Responsible for enhancing southwest
monsoon.
 Triggered by the difference between the
annual temperature trends over Asia Food Poisoning
Mainland and South Indian Ocean
 A contamination of food with biological
convergence
contaminants (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and
Hadley Cells - Responsible for the trade winds in parasites) and chemical contaminants
the tropics and control low-altitude weather (agricultural chemicals, environmental
patterns. pollutants, veterinary products, food
preservatives)
Polar Front – the boundary between the polar cell
and the Ferrel cell in each hemisphere. Measures to avoid food poisoning

Characteristics  Discourage children’s patronage of junk food

 Wash raw food thoroughly
 Low Air Pressure
 Cook food properly
 Precipitation/Humidity
 Eat cooked food immediately
 Location – inconsistent around equator
 Avoid contact between raw and cooked food
 ITCS: Formation due to Coriolis effect
 Keep all kitchen surfaces clean
 Typhoon formation
 Protect food from insects, rodents, and other
Causes of ITCS shift/movement animals

 ITCZ follows the sun in that the position varies Response in case of food poisoning
seasonally.
 Do not panic
 Differential heating or cooling of the atmosphere
 Increase fluid intake to prevent dehydration,
shifts the ITCS toward differential warming
but if not tolerated orally bring the person to
atmosphere.
hospital for intravenous fluid treatment
Effects  Induce vomiting
 Seek medical assistance in cases of
 Aircraft Turbulence complications that may result to hepatitis,
 Downbursts typhoid fever, diarrhea, etc.
 Heavy rain
 Hail Socio-Economic, Political, Security Hazards
 Thunder
 Lightning  Caused by criminal and human violence
which pose threat to the security of a great
 Thunderstorms
number of people, and may be motivated by
 Landslides and Flashfloods
political or economic reasons.
 Longer term changes – severe drought
Benefits Bomb threat
 Agriculture  A declaration of an intention to destroy or
 Irrigation systems injure the target by means of a bomb. Usually
 Aquifers through telephone or written notes.
 Dairy farms Preparedness and Mitigation
 Industry
 Electricity  Prepare a school bomb threat emergency
plan.
Preparations
  Encourage every school personnel and
pupils to be constantly prepared.
 Provide security for the protection of
property, personnel, facilities, and materials
against unauthorized entry.
 Don’t joke about bombs. It is now a crime
to joke or cause false alarm.
What to do in case there is a bomb threat

 Treat all threats received as real and report

immediately to authorities.
 Remain calm and cautious
 Try to obtain as much information as possible
(the identity and characteristics of the caller,
exact location of the bomb, etc.)
After bomb threat

 Implement security measures in the

premises.
 Post incident stress debriefing
 If there is no bomb at all, start to diminish the
situation by informing the people that there is
no real threat.
 If there is a bomb or IED that has been found,
immediately evacuate.

Kidnapping
 Happens when one or group of persons take
and carry away another person, by force or
fraud, without the consent of the person
taken and without lawful excuse.
(Kidnapping may ransom, abduction
waley)
Preparedness and Mitigation

 Tighten security measures

 Employ precautionary strategies such as
password
 Be vigilant about the safety of pupils
 Don’t talk to strangers
What to do in case someone is kidnapped

 Inform the family of the victim

 Report to the proper authorities
 Listen to the advice of the police and other
authorities when reporting stories re1garding
kidnapping
 Bring the victim to the hospital for medical
check-up/ psycho-social