WeatherPH bats for #WeatherWiser nation

MANILA, Philippines - When super typhoon Yolanda devastated Visayas and claimed more than 6,000 lives three years ago, one of the reasons blamed for the high number of casualties was the failure of residents to fully understand the impact of a “storm surge”, rendering inutile government calls to prepare for the impending disaster.

Seeking to complement government efforts on disaster risk reduction and help people gain a better understanding of the impact and extent of disasters, Weather Philippines Foundation (WPF), the disaster preparedness arm of Aboitiz Foundation, conducts seminars for local government units and media practitioners.

Prevention, says Dave Michael Valerio, WFP general manager, is the best way to reduce the country’s disaster risk. This is why Weather Philippines Foundation is committed to provide accurate and localized weather forecasts and to educate sectors of society through seminars to achieve a #WeatherWiser Philippines.

Just recently, WPF provided Weather 101 and Tropical Cyclone 101 seminars to The Philippine STAR. In Weather 101 and Tropical Cyclone 101, participants are provided accurate information about weather, typhoons and tropical cyclones.

David Michael Padua, WPF senior typhoon specialist, tackled weather conditions in the country – what is a tropical cyclone, how it is formed, and other weather disturbances such as an intertropical convergence zone, tailend of a cold front, and thunderstorms. He also shared information on typhoon hazards like storm surge, extreme rainfall, flooding, lahar/mudflow and landslides.

“Understanding the actual impact of the weather helps media report better since they educate the community, their audiences,” said Lia Neri, WPF sustainability specialist for communication.

WPF has more than 750 weather stations deployed throughout the country to collect data. MeteoGroup processes the data and the information is then disseminated through the website www.weather.com.ph and mobile app WeatherPH.

Hoping to grow the number of weather stations to 1,000, the foundation is also looking to venture into weather for agriculture, tourism, as well as urban planning and road safety – subjects that are clearly interlinked with the climate.

“We need more partners and experts to help us integrate the data to come up with better decisions,” Neri said.

Weather Philippines Foundation provides automated weather stations with the help of sponsors, including SM, International Container Terminal Services Inc., LBC, Nickel Asia Corp. and Vista Land. As platinum donors, these companies donate P3.5 million yearly to sustain the organization.

Gold donors donate US$3,500 for every automated weather station for their business or companies. There are also service partners like Cebu Pacific that provide free flights so Weather Philippines can deploy automated weather stations nationwide.

Weather Philippines also partners with LGUs, particularly those vulnerable to severe weather conditions, providing them weather stations and conducting free seminars.