Tropical cyclone impact data in the Philippines: implications for disaster risk research

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Climate Science

Background:

• Natural hazards like tropical cyclones (TCs) cause significant destruction.
• Historical impact data is vital for understanding TC impacts and societal vulnerabilities to build resilience.
• Data characteristics like resolution and coverage affect its utility for disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a province-level impact dataset for TCs in the Philippines (2010-2020).
• To curate data on deaths, affected population, housing damage, and economic loss for DRR applications.
• To evaluate the influence of spatial resolution and data coverage on DRR utility.

Main Methods:

• Developed a province-level dataset of tropical cyclone impacts in the Philippines from 2010-2020.
• Included data on deaths, affected population, housing damage, and economic loss.
• Assessed the impact of spatial resolution and coverage of hazard intensities and impact magnitudes on the dataset's DRR utility.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive province-level dataset for tropical cyclone impacts in the Philippines (2010-2020) was created.
• The dataset covers deaths, affected population, housing damage, and economic loss.
• The study highlights the importance of spatial resolution and data coverage for effective DRR applications.

Conclusions:

• A well-characterized dataset with appropriate spatial resolution and comprehensive coverage is crucial for disaster risk reduction.
• This dataset and associated guidance can aid in improving resilience to tropical cyclones.
• Understanding data utility within DRR contexts is essential for effective risk management.