Pattern analysis of natural disasters in the Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters due to its geographical location. Natural disasters such as storms, floods, earthquakes, and droughts often occur which bring threat and disturbance to people. Its frequency and severity are probable to increase since there are many studies linking its relationship with climate change. This study analyzed the frequency of natural disasters occurred from the dataset provided by the CRED EM-DAT to identify the patterns from a specified period from 1980–2012. The Results revealed that there is a drastic increase in the frequency of storms that hit the Philippines for more than three (3) decades from 1980 to 2012. Storms, floods, and volcanic eruptions remain the top 3 natural disasters that affect the entire country. There is an increase of 147% from 1980–2012. Thus, the natural disasters are extensively aggravating several industries in the Philippines. The results also indicate that the frequency of natural disasters is more likely increase in the future.