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Science guides search and rescue after the 2006 Philippine landslide
Author(s) -
Lagmay Alfredo Mahar A.,
Tengonciang Arlene Mae P.,
Rodolfo Raymond S.,
Soria Janneli Lea A.,
Baliatan Eden G.,
Paguican Engielle R.,
Ong John Burtkenley T.,
Lapus Mark R.,
Fernandez Dan Ferdinand D.,
Quimba Zareth P.,
Uichanco Christopher L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01047.x
Subject(s) - landslide , rockslide , search and rescue , rubble , natural disaster , emergency management , scale (ratio) , debris , poison control , forensic engineering , disaster recovery , civil defense , natural hazard , computer security , engineering , environmental resource management , environmental planning , geography , computer science , medical emergency , civil engineering , environmental science , cartography , political science , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , medicine , artificial intelligence , law , robot , operating system
A rockslide‐debris avalanche destroyed the remote village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte, Philippines, on 17 February 2006. Although search and rescue procedures were implemented immediately, the scale of the landslide and a lack of information about its nature resulted in unfocused and imprecise efforts in the early days of the operation. Technical support was only introduced five days after the event, provided by a team of volunteer geologists, geophysicists, and meteorologists. By the time search and rescue operations were transferred to specific target sites, however, the chances of finding survivors trapped under the rubble had diminished. In such critical situations, speed, accuracy, and the maximum appropriation of resources are crucial. We emphasise here the need for a systematic and technically informed approach to search and rescue missions in large‐scale landslide disaster contexts, and the formulation of better disaster management policies in general. Standard procedures must be developed and enforced to improve how civil authorities respond to natural calamities.