Project Noah: Ark of Hope?

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino leads the launch of government’s disaster risk reduction project called Noah in flood-prone Marikina City.

With real-time information and advanced technology, Aquino believes Filipinos will no longer leave their lives to chance.

This marker shows the height of the floods in Barangay Nangka, Marikina during tropical storm in Ondoy in 2009.
Dozens died as the disaster caught everyone by surprise.

Three years later, the community aims to be better prepared with the help of the nationwide assessment of hazards or NOAH.

Noah is a project of the department of science and technology in partnership with scientists and the private sector.
At Noah’s launch in Marikina Friday, President Aquino says the project is not just a website but a comprehensive program to change Filipinos’ mindset on disasters.

PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III: Hindi po ba’t karaniwan na kung ating marinig kay Juan de la Cruz ang mga linyang bahala na si Batman? Ang project Noah po ang magsisilbing arko ng mga Pilipino laban sa delubyo. Tutuldukan na natin ang nakasanayang pagtitiis tuwing tag-ulan. Hindi na pwede ang bahala na. Sawa na tayo sa kaba.

The Noah website is a one-stop shop for information ranging from rainfall and temperature to flood maps.
Data come from water level monitoring sensors, automated rain gauges, and doppler radars government is installing all over the philippines.
DOST Secretary Mario Montejo says the brains of Filipino scientists and engineers are behind the technology.

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo: It’s having that…pride ba tawag doon? Self-worth na kaya naman talaga natin. Before lahat ng flood modeling, foreign lahat, ito 100% local.

Noah proponents are building a flood monitoring and warning system starting with the Marikina river and in 17 other major river basins.

This is the Marikina River. At the height of tropical storm Ondoy, waters quickly rose and rushed to this school, reaching the second floor. With Noah and a proactive community, teachers hope to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

Guidance teacher Arwin Arnibal of Nangka high school no longer wants floods to destroy school facilities like what happened in Ondoy.

He says residents on the ground must all play their part.

Arwin Arnibal, Nangka High School: Hindi natin alam ang takbo ng panahon eh. Kanina maaraw, ngayon nagdidilim so malaking pakinabang ang tinuturong proyekto. Dapat maging handa.

Rep. Miro Quimbo, Marikina, 2nd District: It now allows us to come up with a more cohesive warning system or steps pagdating sa mga tao naming dito. It’s still in the infantile stage. The challenge is how you translate that into a localized warning program.

With the destruction from Ondoy and other disasters, the Noah team hopes markers like this will not just be a reminder of the past but serve as a lesson for the future.