Mayon, also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano, is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is renowned for its "perfect cone" because of its symmetric conical shape, and is regarded as sacred in Philippine mythology.
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains in Luzon in the Philippines. Located on the tripoint of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volcanic activity in early 1991. Dense forests, which supported a population of several thousand indigenous Aetas, heavily eroded and obscured Pinatubo.
State of calamity, in the context of disaster management in the Philippines, refers to a status that could be declared widespread within the country, or certain localities, in response to a destructive, natural, or man-made disaster. This measures allows the release of "calamity funds" allocated to local governments and control the pricing of basic commodities in the affected areas.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology.
The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines' Luzon Volcanic Arc was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, behind only the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. Eruptive activity began on April 2 as a series of phreatic explosions from a fissure that opened on the north side of Mount Pinatubo. Seismographs were set up and began monitoring the volcano for earthquakes. In late May, the number of seismic events under the volcano fluctuated from day-to-day. Beginning June 6, a swarm of progressively shallower earthquakes accompanied by inflationary tilt on the upper east flank of the mountain, culminated in the extrusion of a small lava dome.
Severe Tropical Storm Nock-ten, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Juaning, was a strong tropical storm which made a total of four landfalls in Southeast Asia, killing more than 100 people and causing damage estimated at US$126 million. It was the eighth named storm and the fourth severe tropical storm of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season.
Typhoon Nanmadol, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Mina, was the strongest tropical cyclone in 2011 to hit the Philippines and also the second most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2011, and the first of the year to directly impact Taiwan and the rest of the Republic of China (ROC). Becoming the eleventh named storm, the seventh severe tropical storm and the fourth typhoon of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season, Nanmadol made a total of three landfalls killing 26, and causing widespread damage worth US$26,464,591. The area of low pressure that was about to become Nanmadol formed on August 19. It drifted north and became a tropical depression on August 21, a tropical storm on August 23 and a typhoon on the same night. Nanmadol reached peak strength with winds of 100 knots and 140 knots threatening the Philippines with heavy rain and flash flooding.
Tropical Storm Aere, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Bebeng, was a mild tropical storm that affected eastern Philippines and southern Japan. It was the first named storm of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season. Aere is the Marshallese word for storm.
Typhoon Nesat, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Pedring, was the most powerful tropical cyclone to directly impact China since 2005. It also struck the Philippines during the 2011 Pacific typhoon season, killing 98 people. It is the 17th named storm, the 11th severe tropical storm, the 7th typhoon and overall, the 30th tropical cyclone to be monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) during the year. Nesat came exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana made landfall in the Philippines as the most devastating typhoon in the 2009 Pacific typhoon season with a damage of US$1.09 billion and 747 fatalities. Nesat was also the first of twin tropical cyclones to batter the Philippines within one week during September 2011, the second was Nalgae.
Typhoon Bopha, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pablo, was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to ever affect the Philippine island of Mindanao, making landfall as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 175 mph (282 km/h). The twenty-fourth tropical storm, along with being the fourth and final super typhoon of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season, Bopha originated unusually close to the equator, becoming the second-most southerly Category 5 super typhoon, reaching a minimum latitude of 7.4°N on December 3, 2012, as only Typhoon Louise of 1964 came closer to the equator at this strength, at 7.3°N. After first making landfall in Palau, where it destroyed houses, disrupted communications and caused power outages, flooding and uprooted trees, Bopha made landfall late on December 3 in Mindanao. The storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing 1,901 people.
Typhoon Nanmadol, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yoyong, was the last of four consecutive tropical cyclones to strike the Philippines in 2004. A quickly moving system, Nanmadol brought heavy rainfall and strong winds over the same regions impacted by the previous storms, exacerbating flood conditions in Luzon and surrounding regions. Together Nanmadol and these systems accounted for around 1,000 deaths in the Philippines. The typhoon later became the first December tropical cyclone to strike Taiwan since record keeping began, bringing along with it heavy rain, which also affected nearby regions of eastern China. As an extratropical storm, Nanmadol brought gusty winds and rain to Japan.
Tropical Storm Bolaven, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Agaton, was an early-season tropical cyclone that affected southern parts of the Philippines in January 2018. The first named storm of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Bolaven formed as a tropical depression near Palau on December 29, 2017. The system moved generally westwards without intensifying and made landfall over northeastern Mindanao on January 1, 2018. The depression spent the next day traversing the Philippines, making four more landfalls in the Visayas and one in Palawan. The system strengthened into a tropical storm on January 3 as it entered the South China Sea, receiving the name Bolaven. However, Bolaven weakened back to a tropical depression just a day later amid a marginal environment and dissipated on January 4 east of Vietnam.
On April 22, 2019, at 5:11:09 p.m. (PST), an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1Mw struck the island of Luzon in the Philippines, leaving at least 18 dead, three missing and injuring at least 256 others. Despite the fact that the epicenter was in Zambales, most of the damage to infrastructure occurred in the neighboring province of Pampanga, which suffered damage to 29 buildings and structures.
Taal Volcano in Batangas, Philippines began to erupt on January 12, 2020, when a phreatomagmatic eruption from its main crater spewed ashes over Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of school classes, work schedules, and flights in the area, as well as temporarily drying up Taal Main Crater Lake and destroying Vulcan Point, an Island surrounded by the lake. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) subsequently issued an Alert Level 4, indicating "that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days." Volcanic activity continued into 2021, when smaller eruptions occurred in July 2021. On March 26, 2022, a short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption was recorded by PHIVOLCS raising the status from Alert level 2 to Alert level 3 as well as surrounding towns.
Typhoon Goni, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Rolly, was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall as a Category 5 equivalent super typhoon on Catanduanes in the Philippines, and in Vietnam as a tropical storm. It is the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record by 1-minute maximum sustained winds. The name "Goni" means swan in Korean. The nineteenth named storm, ninth typhoon, and second super typhoon of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season, Goni originated as a tropical depression south portion of Guam on October 26. It was then named as Tropical Storm Goni on October 27. On the next day, Goni explosively intensified over the Philippine Sea, becoming a Category 5–equivalent super typhoon on October 30. Goni maintained Category 5 strength for over a day, before making landfall on Catanduanes at peak intensity, with 10-minute sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph), and 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph), with a minimum central pressure of 905 hPa. It was the most intense tropical cyclone observed worldwide in 2020.
Typhoon Vamco, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ulysses, was a powerful and very destructive Category 4-equivalent typhoon that struck the Philippines and Vietnam. It also caused the worst flooding in Metro Manila since Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. The twenty-second named storm and tenth typhoon of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season, Vamco originated as a tropical depression northwest of Palau, where it slowly continued its northwest track until it made landfall in Quezon. After entering the South China Sea, Vamco further intensified in the South China Sea until it made its last landfall in Vietnam.
Renato Umali Solidum Jr. is a Filipino geologist and government official. Solidum has been Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) since August 13, 2022. Before his appointment as Secretary, Solidum served as an Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation at DOST and as the Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
