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Barangay Greater Fairview: Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Natural disasters are bound to happen in any community, it is up to the people of authority to take initiative to prevent and reduce the damages that could occur. They are task with leading the people to safety and protecting them from harm. In this blog, I will specifically focus on Barangay Fairview as this is the barangay I belong to. 

Hazard Identification

The barangay is commonly affected by weather conditions such as the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat and typhoons which will bring heavy rainfall  and humid atmosphere around the area. The harsh weather condition could result to a possible flooding to the lower plain levels of Fairview (e.g. Fairview Center Mall) but the majority of the barangay is in a high plain level which is not prone to flooding. The possible flooding is also a result of a poor drainage system and low soil stability. The barangay follows the warnings and signs given by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA, which is an agency by the Republic of the Philippines mandated to provide protection against natural calamities and to insure the safety of the citizens. Due to climate change and other man-made disasters, monitoring the frequency of natural calamities is a lot more difficult than it used to be. However, there is still a usual pattern to detect rainy seasons which is around late June to October.

Vulnerability, Elements and People at Risk Assessment

The flood prone areas in Fairview is usually concentrated around Fairview Center Mall and the establishments along Regalado Highway. These areas are prone to flooding because it is in the lower plain location of Fairview and the drainage in these areas are usually clogged with waste materials. People living around these flood prone areas are usually the ones most affected but this doesn’t exclude the students and faculty members of National College of Business and Arts or NCBA, which is located at the back of Fairview Center Mall. People who are affected by the flood will have to deal with the inconvenience of the decrease in mobility and the possible illness that could be contracted from the dirty water caused by the waste materials floating in the flood. It was also brought up to attention, if flooding were to frequent in these areas it could result to the deterioration of certain establishments affected by the flood. Areas which are safe when flooding occurs are located on the high plain levels of Fairview which covers the majority of Fairview. The barangay also deals with problems such as undisciplined citizens who continues to ignore certain environmental policies implemented by the barangay. The citizens’ ignorance and violation of the policies are one of the causes that contributes to the flooding problems in Fairview. With these issues present it is difficult to prevent natural disasters but the barangay officials makes it a task to find resolutions to the problems.

Capacity and Disaster Management Assessment

The barangay sends precautionary reminders to the citizens whenever PAGASA publishes general warning advisories. These reminders gives priority to the safety of everyone around the vicinity. The barangay also prepares safety measures if ever the calamity worsens. There are a number trained staffs in the barangay who are ready to help incase a civilian is injured during any natural calamity.  Fairview has not experienced or not prone to natural calamities that destroyed a large amount of establishments and infrastructures. However, this is not to say that Fairview has not dealt with minimal damaged. This minimal damage is usually caused by harsh weather conditions to old and deteriorating commercial buildings.

Community Walk

Venturing around Barangay Fairview was akin to walking around your own territory as I was very familiar with the places and the communities because majority of my childhood up till now is in Fairview. The barangay itself is close by my old junior high school, so the areas near the barangay was something I am accustomed to seeing. There are some few changes like new establishments and stores that I have not seen before because majority of my time now is concentrated in Manila. However, nothing too drastic of a change that I would get lost. 

The barangay also deals with hazardous places where certain areas in Fairview will have piles of waste materials in the wrong places that could eventually damage the drainage system. Ironically, these piles of waste materials can be seen near the signs of “BAWAL MAGTAPON NG BASURA DITO” or the “no littering” signs. The barangay makes it a task to make sure that the piles of garbage will be dispose of properly and to keep a strict monitor of the environmental policies implemented. 

There are also areas in Fairview where it is considered as safe spaces incase any natural disasters strikes. Usually these are the residences, subdivisions  and schools with wide fields that can give shelter to the citizens. These space spaces are in high plain level and free from structures which can cause falling debris. 

There are also some practices that the barangay encourages the citizens to take part-of and even the schools within the barangay, it is to take care of Mother Earth by planting greenery in your area. Of course, this also comes in hand with following the policies of the barangay in order to prevent disasters from happening. Taking care of the environment is also a way to avoid or reduce the danger that can come with the hazards and calamities. Having a clean and safe environment fortifies the safety of every citizen in the barangay. 

As a whole, the experience of the community walk was refreshing considering it has been awhile since I roamed around Fairview. Even though, majority of my time I stay in my condo in Manila for academic purposes, Fairview still feels like a safe home to me. Having to actually walk around my area and investigate about certain topics regarding Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. I felt more connected and grounded to my barangay community than before. I can definitely see that the barangay have indeed evolved and improved compared to its previous state. There are still some problems and issues that needs to be addressed and solved but I am glad that advancements are being made for the betterment of the community. 

The interview was insightful as well as I get to learn more about my own barangay and how they respond to certain natural events that occur. Honestly, I am aware of the disasters that could happen when natural calamities strikes the area but the interview gave me a more detailed outlook of the possibilities. The interview also helped me realize that I should care more and give awareness to the people who are ignorant about Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. Having these precautionary measures is a must in every barangay community as there are certain events that could happen without any warning and the damages could be fatal. It has also brought up to my attention how important of a topic this is as this deals with human lives. 

That is all for my blog regarding Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the Barangay of Fairview. I hope this was insightful to the people who will take their time to read my simple blog. I challenge the readers to try to interview the barangay official of your place and to venture in a community walk. I assure you the experience will be worth it. 

Sources: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fairview,+Novaliches,+Quezon+City,+Metro+Manila/@14.7020377,121.0529899,13.98z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x3397b0bbfcabfc33:0x18ad039d78dd6e44!8m2!3d14.7021785!4d121.0682102

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