The author wishes to more accurately chronicle the dates and times that the Philippines experienced Typhoon Haiyan. The storm made first landfall on Guiuan on the western seaboard at 4:30 AM November 8th (8:30 PM November 7th UTC), crossed the country swiftly (40 kph) in less than a day, and made final landfall on Coron on the eastern seaboard at 8:00 PM November 8th (12 noon November 8th UTC). This clarification was crafted with the assistance of meteorologist Ariel Rojas of the ABS-CBN Corporation.
Abstract
The Philippine archipelago has a long history of both weather-related myths and battles with extreme weather. Warning bulletins focus on the different hazards that weather hazards can bring, and scientists and public officials alike constantly reprimand citizens for not evacuating despite these detailed bulletins. In this paper, the author looks back on her research in risk communication across different locations in the country and examines how people articulate wind and water as hazards. The author contends that the wind and water are blended into each other as a hazard, as part of a world where risks are embedded into each other’s fluid meanings rather than entangled as discernible elements. Warning bulletins that treat hazards as elements rather than enmeshed dangers are therefore not always understood.