The Department of Science and Technology is set to put into
place a nationwide disaster mitigation system that will help key agencies and
personalities make informed decisions to save lives and properties.
Called NOAH or the National Operational Assessment of
Hazards and Risks, the program is designed to serve as sentinel that will
address the serious challenges brought by extreme hazard events.
“The NOAH Project will enable the government to address the
serious challenges brought by extreme hazard events,” DOST Secretary Mario
Montejo said. “We will apply advanced S&T tools, such as enhanced
vulnerability maps and a shortened six-hour monitoring and warning system for
communication along the major river basins.”
NOAH will have seven components that will address major
needs in various disaster situations. These include Hydromet sensors
development, DREAM-Lidar, FloodNET, Hazards information media, Landslide
hazards mapping, Doppler system development, and Storm surge inundation
mapping.
With the DOST on the lead, NOAH brings together experts from
21 institutions in close collaboration, including DOST’s PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, Advanced Science and
technology Institute, and Science and Technology Information Institute;
Department of Interior and Local Government; University of the Philippines
National Institute of Geological Sciences and Department
In a country frequently visited by typhoons, tsunamis,
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, some of them highly-destructive, the NOAH
project comes as helpful as Noah’s ark in biblical times. Natural hazards
inflict loss of lives and costly damage to property, with economic losses
amounting to billions of pesos each year. Moreover, the continued development
in the lowlands and the rapid growth of the population contribute to the damage
to infrastructure and human losses.
“This project is so far the most advanced measure
implemented by the government in disaster mitigation,” added Sec. Montejo.
NOAH will be formally launched at the National Institute of
Physics in UP Diliman , QC . on 18 June 2012 at 2:00 PM. (Framelia V.
Anonas, S&T Media Service)
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