Flood Simulations and

Nababaha.com
An application of flood simulation
software for the Philippines
Philippine Climate
The Philippines has a very wet climate
The gateway to southeast Asia
Constantly experiences harsh rains and storms
Amihan and Habagat

2009 Typhoon Tracks

Climate Change
Increasing number of deadly typhoons passing
through
Milenyo (2006)
Reming (2006)
Pepeng (2009)
Ondoy (2009)
These have
resulted in more
floods
New typhoons will
bring in more rain
Citizen-based Flood Maps
Science of Flooding
Flooding follows certain parameters
Rainfall intensity and rate
Watershed area
River system characteristics
Considering all parameters, the extent of
flooding should be predictable
The Initiative
Nearly 3 years ago, Dr. Mahar A. Lagmay and his
team took the initiative to find a way to tell
Filipinos where it is most dangerous to be during
extreme flooding events
Nababaha.com was born
Volunteer contributors
Spearheaded by the
volcano-tectonics lab
of NIGS. Supported by
IBM, UP, Manila Obs.,
Google Crisis Response
Indicative Flood Maps
Shows water levels in
areas of flooding during
extreme flood events
Serves as a guide for
people where not to be
during these events, and
also how hazardous it is
for residents to be in that
area
Tried and tested
2009 Metro Manila and 2011 Davao flooding
showed good correlation with simulations
Tried and tested
2011 Cagayan de Oro floods
Flood map existed as early as 2010, showing
severe inundation of the city
Other studies already warned the city government
about its vulnerability to floods
How are these flood maps made?
How are these flood maps made?
Numerous software and programs are used
Flood simulation, mapping, modeling
Flood events are simulated by making it rain
over certain areas, and recording the water levels
and water flow created by the computer
3D models
Ondoy-type rainfall
Basic Concepts
Digital Elevation Model
Basic Concepts
Watershed
Basic Concepts
Land Use
Water behaves differently over certain areas
Basic Concepts
Rainfall Intensity and Recurrence Interval
Ondoy: 50+mm/hr
Habagat: 40mm/hr
Final Product
.kmz file for Google Earth
Nababaha.com and Project NOAH
Shows that online maps work
The success and reception of nababaha showed
that the public can be empowered by such
hazard maps
With more data, both the public and local
government units can make better decisions
based on actual scientific data
Supplementing Flood Maps
Citizen Reporting
Flood Resources