by XU Press
The Xavier University Engineering Resource Center (XUERC), in partnership with Xavier University’s National Service Training Program (NSTP) unit, conducted a flood footprint mapping activity on Jan 25, identifying the flooded area caused by the torrential rains in the city the past weeks.
Engr. Dexter Lo, XUERC founding director, explained the importance of having a map in explaining situations and providing reference for projects. This was the third time that the XUERC partnered with NSTP, tapping their students to help in gathering field data. The first had been immediately after the torrential rain in 2009 where a flood map of Carmen was produced.
The students, organized into teams, were assigned to flood-prone sites in the city. Guided by XUERC volunteers, the teams interviewed residents regarding the level of the flood in their community. The data from the different areas was then digitized and geo-referenced – the flood measurements put into computerized maps – cross-checked with advanced remote sensing tools, and consolidated.
In the post-activity processing of the volunteers, Francis Mae Chan, a 4th year civil engineering student, shared that through that experience, she realized that it is imperative for people to understand that it might not always be storms that cause flooding in the city.
“At first, we see storms as the reason for the floods, but upon second look, there may be other reasons behind it,” she said. “Why don’t we check the real reason for the floods? There is no flood if the dike doesn’t overflow. The reason may be the drainage system.”
Remedios Gevero, a resident of Sitio Mambato in Lapasan affirms that it does not take a storm to flood their community. “When the drainage channels get filled with rain, we get flooded,” she said.
However, she said it does not bother her anymore having lived there for more than 12 years already.
“We don’t have a choice because we can’t afford to move,” she said, referring to their living condition. Instead of looking for a place where they won’t get flooded, she said raising their entryway by at least a foot high would be the solution to their problem.
But as what Engr. Lo explains, the activity does not end in the mere production of the maps. The change in the attitude of the people, both residents and city planners, towards hazards and risks is really what is important.
“We, in XUERC, are really doing our best to make science matter to people’s lives,” said Engr. Lo. “When we are able to explain science better and fuller to persons like Ms. Remedios, then they will understand the risk. And hopefully, a change of heart is not too far.”
As what another volunteer, Augustini Paduganan, also a 4th year civil engineering student, shared in his reflection, “After this [the map] is done and presented to the community, the community can change. We are just helping in this change,” he said. “This is not just about mapping but it deals with the community. What is important is not just engineering data but the story behind it – the story behind numbers, the story behind the 1.3 meters of flood.”
Although mapping of floods and hazards in general does not provide a direct solution to many of the mapped communities’ problems, Engr. Lo stressed the importance of the activity as an initial step. He compared flood footprints to footprints in the sand, which through time would be washed out.
“We are writing a story that should not be forgotten,” he said. “A flood, when forgotten, can be dangerous for the residents who will be caught unaware in the future.”
The maps produced by XUERC had been previously used as reference by local and international organizations including the Al Jazeera international media institution in the devastation caused by TS Sendong; it has also been used as reference material for the multi-billion peso Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan de Oro River (FRIMP-CDOR) of the DPWH and JICA.