As populations increase, more people are exposed to hazards, and large, growing cities face numerous challenges when responding to a disaster. Preparing for these challenges through exercise and simulation is an essential step in acting effectively and efficiently when a real event occurs.
Balikatan is an annual joint exercise of the Republic of the Philippines and the United States aimed at improving civil-military coordination for disaster preparedness. In 2012, the 28th Balikatan Exercise focused on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) training and included simulating a catastrophic earthquake and resulting tsunami impacting metropolitan Manila.
PDC’s DisasterAWARE® decision support system was used as the situational awareness tool during the exercise. Through EMOPS, the professional disaster management version of DisasterAWARE, exercise players displayed the exercise scenario, visualized the location of damage and support units, and shared information. In addition, PDC staff conducted DisasterAWARE training with disaster management agencies and military representatives from the Philippines, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. The activities helped reinforce good practices, identify gaps in coordination and national disaster management capabilities, and uncover possible solutions.
ABOUT PDC
Pacific Disaster Center (PDC Global) is a leading scientific innovator in disaster risk reduction science and technology. As a University of Hawai’i applied science and research center, our work intersects with government, community, academic, and scientific organizations at home and around the world to build resilience to natural and man-made hazards. We enable communities to confront disasters more effectively by enhancing the capacity to rapidly anticipate and prepare for new and emerging threats using our AI-powered multi-hazard early warning technology, DisasterAWARE, predictive analytics, data science, and machine learning. For more than 30 years, PDC innovations have equipped decision-makers with the powerful tools and insights they need to navigate today’s complex and interconnected risk landscape.
PDC received prestigious recognition from the United Nations for its international impact in 2022, being granted the once-in-a-lifetime U.N. Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Jul 20, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), in partnership with the U.S. Pacific Command (US PACOM), and twenty-nine other nations, international organizations, and interagency partners, supported the humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) component of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026…
Jul 20, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
As Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) braced for impacts from a second super typhoon in less than three months, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) joined regional preparedness coordination and relief efforts…
Jul 9, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
Joining one of the largest-scale relief efforts in history, PDC embedded analysts and its DisasterAWARE technology ecosystem into mission operations to help save lives during response to the event…
Jun 19, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
The June 8 Mindanao earthquake demonstrated how years of investment in PhilAWARE, training, and operational integration of critical life-saving data enabled immediate situational awareness and coordinated decision-making across the Philippines national disaster response system…
Jun 12, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
With more than 6.5 million fans from over 100 countries converging on cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the public health stakes are significant. The team is leveraging DisasterAWARE for timely, integrated situational awareness…
May 12, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
NOAA forecasters are sounding the alarm: super El Niño is coming and it could mean record impacts during hurricane season—especially across the Eastern and Central Pacific basins…