On Metro Manila Area Floods

ON MMA FLOODS

A Layman’s View/ Summary Appreciation of

What has Happened to the MMA Built Environment and

Suggested Flood-related Policy for Its Future Transformation

(Armando N. Alli using material processed from various sources, August 2012)

A.   Flood. A flood refers to the overflow of the huge amount of water onto land that has a higher elevation as compared to the normal level of water at a waterway, reservoir or body of water (natural or artificial), often bringing death and widespread devastation.  Floods are possibly one of the most common natural disasters and is generally classifiable under three (3) types i.e. natural, man-made and catastrophic.

RA 6716 Rainwater Collection

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6716
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATER WELLS, RAINWATER COLLECTORS, DEVELOPMENT OF SPRINGS AND REHABILITATION OF EXISTING WATER WELLS IN ALL BARANGAYS IN THE PHILIPPINES

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared to be the national policy to promote the quality of life of every Filipino through the provision of adequate social service including, but not limited to, the provision of adequate potable water supply made conveniently available to every barangay in the country.

Boat from Plastic Bottles

 
Bottles Up is a cute, little plastic bottle boat crafted by the owner and employees of the Rain Tree Lodge - an eco backpacker’s hotel on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji.

Characteristics of a Disaster-resilient Community: A Guidance Note

This guidance note is for government and civil society organisations working on disaster risk reduction (DRR)initiatives at community level, in partnership with vulnerable communities. It shows what a ‘disaster-resilient community’ might consist of, by setting out the many different elements of resilience.

It also provides some ideas about how to progress towards resilience. The version of the guidance note you are reading is a pilot version, based on a desk study and discussions with experts. This is now being tested in the field and it will be revised in the light of those experiences. Everyone is welcome to use the note, and feedback is similarly welcome.

How to Build Disaster Resilient Communities

Chris D. Poland, S.E.

Healthy cities continuously grow by driving economic development while protecting cultural heritage. Success, in part, depends on a healthy built environment that is rooted in contemporary urban planning, sustainability and disaster resilience. Our job, as design professionals, is to provide a built environment that supports all of those goals. Our designs need to be efficient, economical, adaptive, sustainable, and disaster resilient. We are doing well on all fronts except for the last. We need to develop, and include in the code, provisions that will provide the buildings and lifelines needed to support disaster resilience.

Resilient communities have a credible disaster response plan that assures a place and ability to govern after a disaster has struck. Their power, water, and communication networks begin operating again shortly after a disaster and people can stay in their homes, travel to where they need to be, and resume a fairly normal living routine within weeks. The return to a "new" normal can then occur within a few years. While every building should protect its occupants from harm, a select few buildings need to remain operational and a larger group needs to be at least usable during repair. Lifeline systems must be restored quickly to support response and reconstruction.

RA 10121 Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10121

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PHILIPPINE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, PROVIDING FOR THE NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010".

PD 296 Prohibition on River Easement Encroachment

MALACAÑANG M a n i l a
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 296 September 18, 1973

DIRECTING ALL PERSONS, NATURAL OR JURIDICAL, TO RENOUNCE POSSESSION AND MOVE OUT OF PORTIONS OF RIVERS, CREEKS, ESTEROS, DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND OTHER SIMILAR WATERWAYS ENCROACHED UPON BY THEM AND PRESCRIBING PENALTY FOR VIOLATION HEREOF

WHEREAS, floods are among the most destructive of natural calamities, in the wake of chain reactions invariably lead to misery, pestilence, privation, hunger and want; WHEREAS, the ever-worsening floods in the country today are to a great extent caused by unabated illegal encroachments on rivers, creeks, esteros and other drainage channels, resulting in the constriction and partial or complete closure thereof and the corresponding reduction of drainage capacity;

Amphibious House

Our ‘Amphibious Houses’ are designed using prefabricated steel floatation system.  This floatation device sits in the trench under the house for two reasons.  One, the entire system can be hidden, so the house does not look too unusual from the surrounding context.  Another reason is that since the depression collects water when it rains.  As the water level rises, the depression gets filled with water and the house will be pre-buoyant in case of flood.

Schwimmhaus

The stylish Schwimmhaus, designed by German architects Confused-Direction, is ideal for those looking for a compact, environmentally friendly floating home. Built using reclaimed wood from an old farmhouse and other sustainable building materials, the green roof adds to the eco-friendly appeal. The simple-yet-sleek interior design offers all the conveniences you could want and is thoroughly modern and unique. The Schwimmhaus was designed to float around or to stay docked permanently.

Morphosis Architects Floating House

It seems floating houses are getting more attention these days, moving from the whimsical and conceptual to more practical considerations. Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, which has been working to rebuild hurricane-torn New Orleans through innovative green design, has teamed up with Morphosis Architects to unveil a home that floats when flooded.

Floating House

 Source:

As of late I have turned into a NPR-a-holic! I just can’t get enough of their reports of politics and the environment. On my drive home last night I listened to a great concept that is coming out of Holland.

Architects there are designing homes that will go with the flow (sorry for the obvious) of nature. If the sea levels continue rise, so will their houses. This is a big concern with so many low lying areas in Holland. Now, let me explain. This isn’t your typical house boat you might be thinking in your head, but a house that allows it foundation rise and fall with the sea level. When the water rises or falls, the houses float to up to 18 feet above ground by sliding along two mooring poles at the front and rear of the buildings. There are a system of flexible pipes that keep the house connected to its necessary sewer and electrical lines. They say that you will feel the waves, but nothing turbulent.

Resilient City

by David R. Godschalk

This paper proposes a comprehensive strategy of urban hazard mitigation aimed at the creation of resilient cities, able to withstand both types of threats. The paper reviews hazard mitigation practice, defines a resilient city, considers the relationship between resilience and terrorism, and discusses why resilience is important and how to apply its principles to physical and social elements of cities. Contending that current hazard mitigation policy, practice, and knowledge fail to deal with the unique aspects of cities under stress, the paper recommends a major resilient cities initiative, including expanded urban systems research, education and training, and increased collaboration among professional groups involved in city building and hazard mitigation.

Disasters by Design

"Disasters by Design" by Dennis Mileti

In 1994 the NSF commissioned a disaster study to explore how to go beyond mitigation toward a more resilient way of life, one that rolls with nature's punches and returns to normalcy quickly. Under the name "sustainable hazard mitigation," that vision is the central concept of "Disasters By Design."

The first two chapters flesh out what sustainable hazard mitigation means. Chapter 1 puts it in familiar terms, if "sustainability" is in your vocabulary. It means living politically the way we live personally, in ways our descendants won't end up paying for.

What is a disaster resilient community?

At a seminar supported by the Thomas Jefferson Information Center, University of North Carolina’s Dr. Gavin Smith, executive director of the Center of Natural Hazards and Disasters, confirms, “The notion of trying to predict vulnerability is not a perfect science. We are going to see intensification of storms due to climate change.” But although no amount of careful planning can prevent damage brought about by more destructive natural calamities, building disaster-resilient communities should be the ideal.

“I always use ‘natural hazard’ instead of ‘disaster’ because disasters are a human construct,” Dr. Smith explains, “But at this time, climate change is a disaster. Many communities will not recover to pre-disaster conditions and we need to find a way to adapt to natural hazards.”

Base Level Isolation System

Takenaka has developed mid-level isolation system installed while the buildings are still being used. This new method entails improving and classifying the columns on intermediate floors of an existing building into flexible columns that incorporate rubber bearings (base isolation systems) and rigid columns which have been wrapped in steel plates to add to their toughness. A combination of these two types of columns is then used to improve the earthquake-resistant performance of the building as a whole. On this occasion this method was applied to a project to improve the earthquake resistance of the head office of Himeji Shinkin Bank (Himeji City). This is the first method of improving earthquake resistance in Japan that classifies the columns on the same floor as flexible columns and rigid columns, and it is the first case in west Japan (the Kansai region) of attaching rubber bearings by cutting columns on the intermediate floors of an existing building.