Citation

Lagmay AM, Tengonciang AM, Rodolfo RS, Soria JL, Baliatan EG, Paguican ER, Ong JB, Lapus MR, Fernandez DF, Quimba ZP, Uichanco CL. Disasters 2008; 32(3): 416-433.

Affiliation

National Institute of Geological Sciences, C.P. Garcia, University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City 1101, Philippines. mlagmay@nigs.upd.edu.ph

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18958912

Abstract

A rockslide-debris avalanche destroyed the remote village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte, Philippines, on 17 February 2006. Although search and rescue procedures were implemented immediately, the scale of the landslide and a lack of information about its nature resulted in unfocused and imprecise efforts in the early days of the operation. Technical support was only introduced five days after the event, provided by a team of volunteer geologists, geophysicists, and meteorologists. By the time search and rescue operations were transferred to specific target sites, however, the chances of finding survivors trapped under the rubble had diminished. In such critical situations, speed, accuracy, and the maximum appropriation of resources are crucial. We emphasise here the need for a systematic and technically informed approach to search and rescue missions in large-scale landslide disaster contexts, and the formulation of better disaster management policies in general. Standard procedures must be developed and enforced to improve how civil authorities respond to natural calamities.

Language: en