In Japan school children are taught early about disaster preparedness. In the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) gathered up schoolchildren to talk about hazards during the recent celebration of 2017 National Science and Technology Week.
This event was made possible with the cooperation of different DOST agencies, like the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs); Manila Boys Town in Parang, Marikina, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development Center in Pasay City.
The event, the first of its kind in the country, had for its audience schoolchildren in Grades 5 and 6 and those from low-income families who are most vulnerable to natural hazards. The children were chosen by DOST-NRCP as part of its advocacy to promote the many technologies and research and development efforts being done by Filipino scientists and engineers in the field of disaster-risk management.
The research council partnered with Pagasa, Phivolcs and Philippine National Research Institute (PNRI) because it believes that the NSTW is a perfect venue for these kids from poor communities with less opportunities to learn and experience the many benefits of science, technology and innovation in improving their lives.
Dr. Vicente B. Malano, Pagasa administrator, opened the session by informing the audience of the many programs being implemented by the DOST and its attached agencies to minimize the risks of natural hazards. This is also part of the information dissemination and education program of the DOST in order to equip communities with basic science-based knowledge on the effects of strong typhoons, floods, earthquakes and others.
Science Undersecretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr., for disaster-risk reduction and climate-change adaptation, discussed the importance of knowing the different meteorological and geological hazards and the importance of preparing for these.
“Do you remember the earthquake in Ormoc last Thursday afternoon and the Supertyphoon Yolanda [international code name Haiyan] where many people died? Why did they die? They died because they were not prepared,” Solidum said in Filipino.
Senior weather specialist of Pagasa, Sharon Juliet M. Arruejo, discussed how clouds are formed, the different types of clouds, rain, thunderstorm and other facts about weather. Later, using a pet bottle with rubber suction, she showed a simple experiment to help the schoolchildren visualize how clouds are formed. After having fun while learning the basic information on typhoon and flood, the kids got to discover the different types of geological hazards, like earthquake, tsunami, ground rupture, ground shaking and liquefaction.
Phivolcs science research specialist Daniel Buhay invited three kids to join him on stage to demonstrate the “duck, cover and hold” exercise, a simple preparedness technique to survive an earthquake.
Later, Carl M. Nohay and Joseph R. Tugo of the DOST-PNRI discussed a lesser known hazard called radiation. They talked about the different types of radiation, its negative and positive effects, and hazards and prevention on exposure to radiation. They also had a live demonstration on radiation detection using state-of-the art equipment.
Tina Cerbolles of the Information Office of DOST-PNRI talked about the different knowledge products and services that the institute offers in its main facility in Quezon City that benefit many sectors of society, like business and industry, medicine, food processing and agriculture. S&T Media Service