DOST Assistant Secretary Raymund E. Liboro at the 1st Manila Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management Conference

More modern weather tracking and forecasting technology equals fewer casualties and less property damage. This, according to Department of Science and Technology Asst. Secretary Raymund Liboro, is one of the notable contributions of science and technology in the country for the past few years under the Aquino administration.

In the forum “1st Manila Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Management Conference” held recently at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Asec Liboro highlighted the role of DOST’s Project NOAH or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, the country’s great leap in the area of disaster preparedness. Project NOAH was thrust into the public eye when Pres. Aquino asked DOST for a more proactive early warning system that would finally put an end to the vicious cycle of typhoons and widespread destruction.

According to the assistant secretary, who is also co-Executive Director of Project NOAH, since the launch of Project NOAH, the number of river systems being monitored for early flood warning has expanded dramatically not only to include the country’s 18 main river basins but all 258 rivers throughout the archipelago.

He also added that the large-scale installation of ground weather equipment such as automated weather stations, automated rain gauges, and water level sensors—all possessing the ability to feed real-time data to PAGASA—had been the key to the enhanced weather forecasts stretching to four days by the country’s weather monitoring agency.

Asec. Liboro also expects the introduction of the Blue Gene supercomputer, now housed at the Information and Communications Technology Office in Diliman, that will translate into more accurate and visually stunning graphic simulations of flood and landslide behavior, a big boost in the country’s local disaster planning measures especially in high-risk areas.

“What we wish to achieve at the DOST is to be able to save lives and property using brainpower and the latest tools. Kung ito ay sasamahan ng pakikipagtulungan ng bawa’t mamamayan, mas marami pang buhay ang ating maililigtas,” Liboro said. (S&T Media Service) #DOST #DOST-STII #Project NOAH #weatherPH #disasterpreparednessPH

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For more information, pls contact:
RAYMUND E. LIBORO
(02) 837-2130
0909088617806/09175839733