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“Now is the time to apply what we learned.”

With these words, DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo reminded all participating local government officials to set in motion the key learnings from the series of disaster risk reduction and mitigation (DRRM) workshops held in all 17 regions over the summer conducted by the science department and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to prepare for worst-case scenarios such as Typhoon Ruby, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility Thursday morning, December 4th.

The DRRM workshops, called “Iba Na AngPanahon/Science for Safer Communities,” were in response to the need for heightened awareness and closer coordination among stakeholders in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda. They promoted a more science-based, scenario-oriented approach that highlighted the preventive aspect of disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

Likewise, Montejo advised the public to stay tuned for the latest developments on the typhoon track through reliable sources such as the DOST’s PAGASA and Project NOAH websites.He warned against the spreading of unverified news information via text messages and social media that only cause panic and confusion in the populace.

As of 11 AM, December 4th, Typhoon Ruby was spotted 860 kilometers east of Surigao City and packing maximum winds of 195 kilometers per hour near the center with gustiness reaching 230 KPH. The typhoon is forecast to move at a rate of 20 KPH west northwest and make landfall by late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. (S&T Media Service)

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All the local weather information you want, you may find in this one-stop shop currently being set-up by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) with the help of computer giant International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
Called the Intelligent Operations Center or IOC, the one-stop shop aims to consolidate information from PAGASA as well as the different components of the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH).

Formally unveiled during the last leg of DOST’s nationwide information campaign dubbed as “Iba na ang Panahon: Science for Safer Communities” at the Philippine International Convention Center in May 2014, IOC will also provide analysis of a disaster’s possible impact.

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Quezon City will soon rid its estuaries of tons of garbage clogging its waterways with the recent turnover of an Automatic Trash Raker Facility (ATR) by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to the city.

The waterways run all the way to San Juan River which is blamed for the above-the-waist flooding in G. Araneta Avenue in QC and its nearby barangays.

Developed by DOST’s Metals Institute Research and Development Center, the ATR was patterned after existing foreign developed trash rakers in Metro Manila’s pumping stations. At five meters high and six meters wide, the machine has six rakes and is run by a 10 HP motor output. It collects trash thrice a day for 5-10 minutes, depending on the volume of garbage that flows especially during typhoons.

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Science Secretary Mario G. Montejo continues to highlight the importance of preparedness to prevent disaster mishaps, especially during extreme weather disturbances. During a recent science event in Cebu, Sec. Montejo assured that the Department of Science and Technology puts disaster preparedness among its top agenda.

Sec. Montejo said that one of the goals of DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Services and Administration (PAGASA) is to monitor the weather 27/7 and issue weather advisories 48 hours before a weather disturbance hits the country.  PAGASA monitors through Doppler radars installed all over the country. These radars function as sentries that monitor weather conditions.