The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office No. 13 is currently conducting the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) under the National Geohazard Assessment and Mapping Programme.
For the first quarter of 2017, the target municipalities of MGB RXIII are Magallanes and Las Nieves in the Province of Agusan del Norte. As for the second quarter, the Municipalities of Sibagat and Sta. Josefa in the Province of Agusan del Sur were assessed last April until the second week of May. For the rest of May until June, MGB RXIII will conduct VRA in the Municipalities of San Miguel and Tago in the Province of Surigao del Sur.
The Vulnerability and Risk Assessment is an activity following the 1:10,000 Scale Geohazard Mapping and Assessment which was concluded in 2015. The primary objective of VRA is to evaluate the existing vulnerability conditions within a municipality/city from rain-induced landslide and flood that could potentially harm the elements at risk such as people and infrastructures. The VRA could also provide technical support and information to the local government units (LGUs) in updating their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) as well as for disaster preparedness and management.
The VRA is composed of both field assessment and table mapping analysis. Prior to the field assessment, the team pays a courtesy call on the LGUs in order to explain the objectives and methodologies of VRA for proper coordination and planning of the said activity. In addition, data needed for the output of the activity such as the administrative boundaries, road networks database and demographic profile, among others, are requested from the LGUs.
During the actual field assessment, GPS readings of the prominent structures like government facilities, school locations, churches, evacuation sites and establishments are gathered. Tracking of the existing road networks and trails are also recorded. Proposed barangay sites and evacuation centers, if present, are also assessed and located and information supplemented by interviews with the locals of the barangay. An important component of the VRA is the enhancement of the geohazard maps to render the exposure to hazard maps more up-to-date. The table mapping analysis utilizes ArcGIS software in generating the exposure maps. In the said maps, analysis is identified indicative of the vulnerability of the exposed elements at risk. These elements at risk include population, built-up areas and road networks.
The outputs of the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment are exposure maps (population at risk, built-up areas at risk and road networks at risk) and technical reports. An Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign of the results of the said assessment will be conducted in the future.