A person's safety during calamities is mainly dependent
on their community's disaster preparedness. No matter how ready they are for
all possible catastrophic scenarios, every bit of preparation can go down the
drain if their community cannot respond effectively to such events.
File photo: Flooding brought about by Typhoon
Ondoy 2009
It is why a community-based disaster risk reduction and
management plan (CBDRRMP)
is essential. It places the responsibility of being prepared for calamities and
other emergencies on the community as a whole, ensuring that organizations,
households and individuals can work together in making their community more resilient
in the face of disaster.
CBDRRMP is important, especially for countries highly
vulnerable to disasters, such as the Philippines. Situated within the Pacific
Ring of Fire and typhoon belt, the Philippines is frequented by earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions and typhoons respectively. The country ranked 9th in the
world in terms of vulnerability to calamities in the 2020 World Risk Index.
One of the most common events experienced by the
Philippines is flooding, which underscores the importance of effective
floodwater management. There are many ways that local government units are
doing this. Efforts range from structural measures such as sizeable underground
drainage systems, floodways, pumping stations, flood warning systems, and urban
greening to non-structural measures such as minimizing plastic waste, a primary
culprit in urban flooding.
With the country situated on five active fault lines,
Filipinos must also prepare for earthquakes. It is why many buildings are
equipped with earthquake-resistance features. Taking earthquake resilience in
the country further are the periodic earthquake drills implemented at the
national and organizational levels.
These are good examples of effective CBDRR, where both
the authorities and the citizens work together to ensure the safety of life and
property in their communities.
SM City Masinag has a rainwater collection tank that can
store 17,681 cubic meters of water.
As a trusted and responsible developer of integrated
properties, SM has always been committed to promoting Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management (DRRM) in its communities, which is evident in many of its malls
that employ infrastructure design centered on disaster resilience. SM allocates
10% of its capital expenditures to incorporate disaster-resilient features, of
which installing water management design features is one of them.
Artist's illustration of SM's rainwater collection
facility in 22 SM Malls nationwide.
A few examples of these are SM City Marikina, elevated by
several rows of concrete stilts to protect tenants and mall-goers during extreme
floods. SM Mall of Asia was built with a storm surge barrier for added
protection during storm surges, and several malls employ catchment tanks for
recycling rainwater.
Across the country, there are 22 SM Malls that have
rainwater collection tanks under the mall. All these malls combined can catch
and store 79,880 cubic meters of rainwater, equivalent to 32 Olympic-sized
swimming pools.
“Wherever SM is, we try to help our
communities become resilient to changing weather patterns,” explains Arch. Fides
Garcia-Hsu, Vice President of SM Engineering, Design and Development. “Nationwide, we have 22 malls equipped with
rainwater catchment facilities that help rain water management to avoid flash
floods for surrounding communities.”
SM City Olongapo Central's rainwater collection tank can
hold up to 14,580 cubic meters of water.
Supporting these are several initiatives focused capacity-building
for its stakeholders. It includes workshops & learning sessions on Disaster
Risk Resilience Management and regular participation in the quarterly national
simultaneous earthquake drills for its employees, and the annual Emergency
Preparedness Forum for persons with disabilities and the elderly, two of the
most vulnerable sectors of society during disasters.
Similarly, in line with its multi-stakeholder approach,
SM Prime has also continuously built long-term partnerships with organizations
that advocate for a disaster-resilient Philippines. It includes collaborations
with ARISE-Philippines, the National Resilience Council, the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Office of Civil Defense, and the
Bureau of Fire Protection, to name a few.
ABOUT SM PRIME HOLDINGS
SM Prime, one of the leading integrated property
developers in Southeast Asia, remains committed to its role as a catalyst for
economic growth, delivering innovative and sustainable lifestyle cities,
thereby enriching the quality of life of millions of people. Sustainability and
Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience form part of SM Prime's core business
strategies. It ensures that its risk-informed investments catalyze sustainable
development and positive change in the communities where it operates.
For more information on SM Prime Holdings and its other
programs towards disaster preparedness, visit their website at www.smprime.com.
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