WE’VE read it in books, seen it in movies, watched it on TV, and sometimes even experienced it in real life. Calamities and natural disasters are part of the country’s “new normal” and can happen at any time, and anywhere.
The Philippines and its surrounding neighbors are no strangers to natural calamities and disasters. In fact, our position along the Pacific Ring of Fire makes us a prime target for earthquakes, typhoons and even tsunamis, to name a few. The country has indeed experienced what it feels like to get battered left and right by the wrath of Mother Nature, and the cost to repair damages caused by such events has always been astounding, to say the least.
Over the weekend, a 7-intensity earthquake struck northwest of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands that, according to reports from the wires, triggered a very small tsunami. The entire country experiences as much as 1,500 earthquakes every year, and a great number of which go above level 4 on the Richter scale. Like the Philippines, Japan is also prone to heavy rains, floods and even tsunamis as it receives a fair amount of strong typhoons every year.
A role model for disaster preparation
For the entire community of relevant stakeholders in Japan, acknowledging the country’s vulnerability against the harsh elements of nature is the first major step toward establishing a culture anchored on resiliency. Japan has some of the strictest building codes in the world, which is why despite their predisposition for natural disasters, the country has managed to continuously find solutions that avoid, if not lessen, the damages that these calamities have on the country’s structures, ultimately helping to save on repair costs and even save lives.
Japan has been known to require buildings to include extra steel bracing, giant rubber pads, and hydraulic shock absorbers that help buildings adapt to movement. Even in the event of strong winds and earthquakes, many of its high-rise buildings do not crumble, collapse, or sustain major damages because most of these structures are supported by wheels that allow it to move or sway with the pushing force.
In areas known for high tides and even tsunami alerts, the government set about constructing a network of 40-foot seawalls that would help protect coastal communities. This was especially helpful when the 2011 tsunami hit Fukushima, because it created an added measure of protection against the strong ocean waves that swept through the town.
Seeing as Japan’s situation with regard to natural calamities is, in many ways, somehow similar to our own, the government and real-estate agencies can do more to create stricter and more stringent requirements for all structures being built across the country. This could prove very useful in the future especially within the National Capital Region in preparation for any major natural calamity, as a good number of residential and commercial structures continue to sprout in various parts of the Metro.
Responding with resilience
Experience is often the most important key that will enable individuals and organizations to respond efficiently in situations where lives and limbs stand at great risk.
I came across an article, published recently, about a new set of calamity-resilient structures being built in the Visayas. This specific project was done in Silliman University in Dumaguete City, which undertook the construction of classrooms using container vans. The project was born during the aftermath of the widespread devastation brought about by two of the most destructive calamities to hit the country in this decade: the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck neighboring Bohol in October 2013 and the unforgiving wrath of Supertyphoon Yolanda that pummeled provinces in the Visayas along its path a month later.
The project saw 12 40-foot container vans were retrofitted into three large classrooms and one storage area. Set on the second floor of Silliman University’s Nutrition and Dietetics Department, the structure was designed in such a way that the floors, fittings and fixtures blended with the entire structure, creating the perception that it was naturally just one large space.
The project, according to Silliman University officials, was designed by the Silliman University Buildings and Grounds Department chaired by Engr. Edgar Ygnalaga and constructed by SolidACE Construction and Development Corp. The idea to use container vans was carefully studied by a team of engineers from the university who proceeded to analyze the integrity of the structure’s materials. Apart from this, the team had to ensure that the entire structure can withstand and absorb any kind of strong force during an earthquake or a typhoon.
Should the project prove continuously successful and sustainable, the group plans to have the building’s design replicated when constructing churches, schools and homes that fall under its Continuing Calamity Response Program. The project is definitely a welcome idea, particularly for national and local government units who implement comprehensive disaster risk-management measures regularly. If all goes well, this could prove to be the starting point for better built and more structurally sound buildings, especially in areas that are often beset by natural calamities like the Visayas. Even as experience teaches us that some of the best ideas are inspired by adverse situations, it is worth noting that these situations are what push us to see beyond current situations to react quicker and better.
Image credits: Photos by SolidACE
1 comment
There are a lot of “Must do” in our country that are not being addressed for the simple reason that we are a poor country made poor by its leaders. Can’t the constitution be changed to ensure that bad persons are not elected to the top position? There should be an end to the self defeating cycle of bad, mediocre, average, worst repeated without end.