Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Barangay 471 Zone 46
Barangay: Barangay 471
Location of the Barangay: Sampaloc, Manila
Hazard Identification
The barangay that I am in is Barangay 471 Zone 46 District IV that is located in the distric of Sampaloc in the city of Manila. The barangay is composed of the streets in between Dapitan and Laon Laan namely: A. Mendoza, Santander, Juaning, Navarra, Rosarito, Asturias, and Antonito. The disasters that occurred in Barangay 471 are the typhoons Ondoy, Pedring, Sendong, and many others that all happened in the last three years. Because of the extreme force and strength of these typhoons, the city of Manila, along with my barangay, were all covered in flood. My barangay is made up of houses, commercial establishments, food stalls and different fast-food restaurants. The diasters that happens in my barangay happens yearly, for typhoons, and the minor disaster like fire happens rarely. Because of the infastructures that comprises the area, my barangay is vulnerable and exposed to fire disasters since most of the institutions and houses inside the barangay are built close to one another so in the ccurence incineration, fire will most likely flow and expand fast. Notifications from different news sites and telecasts from televised news are some of the sources of the barangay’s knowledge in incomming disasters that will happen in the near future.
Bad Community practice #1: A group of electrical wires hanged loosely near the ground
Bad Community Practice #2: A group of cars parked in front of a restaurant beside a sidewalk
Vulnerability, Elements and People at Risk Assessment
The area in the community where there will be more damage will be the Asturias street since most of the establishment built in the area are made up of glass so the exposure and proneness to calamities are high. In case of disasters happening, the one greatly affected will be the homeless and the street children. These people do not have a permanent residence so they either sleep in the side of the streets or under the shed of restaurants and other infastructures. In the likelihood of calamity strike, street vendors and food stall vendors will be forced to stop their businesses and the public government in the area will have a hard time in managing and cleaning up the community when the calamity is done. Different infastructures will also be affected and the on-going building of some condominiums will greatly be destroyed since it’s foundation is still not that sturdy. The places that people should stay away from are establishents that are made of glass, roads that are near electric wires, and houses that are unsteady. One problem that my community face is the extreme blockage of irrigation canals due to the inappropriate disposal of garbage. The canals in the barangay are in need of de-clogging.
Safe Community Place #1: A railing separates the sidewalk from the road
Capacity and Disaster Management Assessment
The barangay 471 has different disaster risk reduction management plans for the different types of disasters like earthquakes, fire, and typhoons. The risk reduction plan and rescue operations are led by the risk reduction council and management. The rescue operations are led by the fire brigade and the clean-up is led by the barangay captain along with the citizens. In terms of readying for impening calamities, the barangay holds earthquake drills, fire drills, and evacuation drills to physically and mentally prepare the community for the physical struggles that they may encounter if calamity strikes. The barangay also practices and uses tools like megaphones, fire extinguishers, rescue boat and the like in case of calamities. The DRRM plan of the barangay has the barangay’s map, hazard and safety map, and evacuation plans, routes, and centers. The baranagy has life boats that they use in order to rescue people from danger in their homes in case of flood, and they also use a fire truck that to respond to events involving fire. The community also help each other after every strike of disaster. The citizens, along with the barangay council conducts de-cloggong and community clean-up events to ensure the cleanliness of the community.
Good Community Practice #1: The schedule of the segregated waste collection in the community
Good Community Practice #2: A sign in front of a door that indicates “no smoking”
Reflection, Synthesis, and Analysis
After conversing with the barangay official, Mr. Amado Barles, I learned about the different disasters that frequently striked my community. I also gained knowledge on how the baranagy council make and readies their disaster risk reduction and management plans, as well as the execution of these said plans. The community should continue doing earthquake drills, fire drills, and evacuation drills because it is greatly needed to physically prepare the community in case of emergencies. The people should likewise help the local barangay council in improving the community’s environment; the citizens should be held responsible for their actions since they should also be the one participating in the general cleanliness of their community. The people should know how to segregate and dispose their trash properly so that it will not add to the community’s exposure to severe flooding. All in all, the disaster risk reduction and management of Barangay 461 in Sampaloc, in the City of Manila is very informative and reliable.
A picture with the barangay official, Mr. Amado Barles
