Understanding Hydrometeorological Hazard Maps

What are the areas in the Philippines prone to hazards brought about by tropical cyclones and
floods?
Hydrometeorological Hazard Map
A hydrometeorological hazard map is a map indicating the areas that are vulnerable to hazards
caused by tropical cyclones, floods, and ipo-ipo. Recall that in studying a hazard map, you have to note
the title, source, legend, and symbols. They guide you in understanding the information presented by
the map.
Risk to Typhoons Map
A tropical cyclone (also called bagyo in the Philippines) is the generic term for any intense
circulating weather system over tropical oceans. When it originates from the Pacific Ocean, it is called a
typhoon. It may bring about hazards such as heavy rainfall, strong wind, flood, and landslide.
The Philippines is located on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, an active area for typhoon
formation because of the vast expanse of deep, warm ocean water. Because of its location, the country
experiences an average of 20 typhoons per year, about nine of them make landfall. Aside from its
location, it is also comprised of more than 7000 islands, so there are plenty of coasts and shorelines that
could be directly hit by strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Because the Philippines is hit by many typhoons in a year, it is important to study which areas in
the country are at high risk. Below is the map of the country along with the colors indicating the level of
risk to typhoons.
The dark blue areas on the map are those that have high risks of being hit by typhoons. For
example, the smaller islands in the northern part, including Batanes, have very high risk to typhoons. In
fact, these islands are hit by typhoons almost all year round. Also, Albay in the Bicol region has very high
risk to typhoons. It is often the first area that is hit by typhoons that move along a westward path.
On the other hand, those that are colored green have medium risks, and those that are yellow
and tan have low risks to typhoons. For instance, Mindoro (located in Southern Luzon) has medium risk,
Bohol (in the Visayas) has low risk, and Bukidnon (and most of Mindanao region) has very low risk to
typhoons.
DOST-Project NOAH
Project NOAH is the Philippines' main disaster risk reduction and management program. It was
initially launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It has released hazard
vulnerability maps to help concerned agencies involved in disaster prevention and mitigation. Included
in their maps are flood susceptibility maps.
Flood Susceptibility Map
Flood is the overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines. It is a
hydrometeorological hazard that can be caused by heavy rainfall brought by a typhoon or the Southwest
monsoon. It causes damage to infrastructure and poses threats to the health of residents living in the
area.
Unlike the typhoon risk map which presents the level of risk of different provinces to typhoons
based on their location to the typhoon route, flood maps are more area-specific. A flood map represents
past scenarios of flood events in the specific area due to the overflow of a nearby water resource.
How to Do
1.Open the website http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/.
2.Click on the icon for Flood and choose flood hazards.
3.Input the following information – Region: NCR; Province: District 2; Municipal: Marikina;
Return Rate: 5 years.
4.Study the map.
 Marikina has low-lying areas and is prone to floods. When the water in the Marikina watershed
rises above the channel, overflow ensues, and flooding starts. Among the barangays, Malanday and
Tumana have high levels of flood hazard while Concepcion Dos has medium hazard level for the past five
years.
Ipo-Ipo
Ipo-ipo is the local name for a tornado, a violently rotating column of air in contact with the
ground. It is usually formed during thunderstorms. At present, there is no ipo-ipo hazard map produced
specifically for the Philippines.
Try it!
1. Open the website http://noah.dost.gov.ph/#/.
2. Click on the icon for Flood and choose flood hazards.
3.Input your region, district, and municipality. View the results of flooding for the last 5, 25, or
100 years.
4.Identify the barangays in your municipality that have high levels of flood hazard. What is the
level of flood hazard in your barangay?
5.How are hydrometeorological maps helpful in preparing for extreme weather events?
Key Points
A hydrometeorological hazard map is a map indicating the areas that are vulnerable to hazards
caused by tropical cyclones, floods, and ipo-ipo.
In studying a hazard map, you have to note the title, source, legend, and symbols.
The risk to typhoons map presents the level of risk of different provinces to typhoons based on
their location to the typhoon route.
A flood map represents past scenarios of flood events in the specific area due to the overflow of
a nearby water resource.
Project NOAH has released hazard vulnerability maps to help concerned agencies involved in
disaster prevention and mitigation.