I watched fellow The FREEMAN columnist Leo Lastimosa’s YouTube program ‘Baruganan’ yesterday morning to get the latest forecast on the incoming tropical storm Tino, which is expected to hit Cebu today.
Leo has a source in retired PAGASA Visayas director Engr. Oscar Tabada, who is known for communicating weather information with clarity and restraint, emphasizing key points where they matter, and in plain language. Tabada draws from his several decades as a meteorologist and from what he calls a ‘consensus forecasting’ approach among various meteorological agencies, including PAGASA.
People we trust in media are just one of the sources I look to for weather updates, to complement the information we receive from our own weather bureau, PAGASA. True, in today’s technology-driven digital world, we are presented with an array of sources and tools to help us make informed decisions. But sometimes, the sheer availability of so much information and so many tools can also pose a threat, especially to those who cannot discern what is factual from what is false. There is also the tendency to make the wrong analysis based on the facts.
This is where our basic education comes in, as it is expected to equip us with the ability to process information and think critically, as well as the ability to discern and make prudent choices.
We already have artificial intelligence (AI) that can assist in preparing for an incoming calamity. It can, for example, help generate risk assessments, but prudence still dictates that we rely on human authorities. AI can mislead if its users do not know how to prompt it properly or feed it with accurate information to produce useful results. In any case, whatever information you get, it is best to err on the side of caution when it comes to disaster preparedness.
Given the right data, such as hazard maps, topography, location, storm surge warnings, rainfall forecasts, and storm path and intensity, we can now generate useful information from AI in the form of more targeted preparation checklists. With assistance from experts, or in consultation with them, barangay- or sitio-level action plans and checklists can be quickly generated and disseminated to mitigate risks.
Based on the data I mentioned above, one can generate a barangay action checklist using AI that is tailored for a provincial coastal zone located a few hundred meters from the shore. But it is still best to listen to updates and advice from authorities and make informed decisions.
At best, we can use these digital tools to suggest basic disaster preparedness checklists for the average Filipino household. We would be advised, for example, to stock at least three days’ worth of water and food such as canned goods, biscuits, instant noodles, and rice packs, along with a manual can opener. Other essentials include flashlights, batteries, a small transistor radio, a basic first aid kit, face masks, rain gear, and go-bags with clothes, blankets, and hygiene items.
I was closely monitoring the oncoming typhoon because the latest forecast indicated that it would hit mid-north Cebu today. I accessed updates from PAGASA as well as other online sources and learned that our hometown, Catmon, is under a yellow-category storm surge warning. Our house there is right in the poblacion, just a few hundred meters from the shore. While I trust our town’s disaster response team to make the right decisions on preemptive evacuation, I decided to fetch my elderly mother yesterday morning and bring her to our place in Cebu City, where it is safer.
Stay informed and stay safe, everyone.