In 2024, the Philippines was whiplashed by an unprecedented series of six consecutive typhoons in 30 days includin Super Typhoon Man-yi (Pepito), Typhoon Kong-rey (Leon), and Tropical Storm Trami—causing widespread damage and displacement and affecting over 13 million people.

Photo credit: CNN World

The PhilAWARE system provides real-time information about numerous hazard types and is so vital to the Philippines OCD and national disaster risk reduction  goals that it was formally institutionalized into the nation’s 2024 National Disaster Response Plan and 2024 National Disaster Risk Reduction Center and Management Operations Center Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines. 

According to OCD’s 2024 plan, “This integrated multi-hazard monitoring and early warning platform, an ICT-enabled decision support tool, aims to assist the NDRRMC Operations Center in pre-disaster, response, and post-disaster activities.

Beyond hazard monitoring, the PhilAWARE System is employed for creating incident maps and situation overviews through visual and interactive maps of various disaster incidents…it aims to address gaps in the country’s digitalization of disaster management services, serving as an integrated multi-hazard monitoring and early warning platform for decision makers and disaster managers.”

Some of the newest capabilities offered by PhilAWARE, deployed in 2024 in collaboration with PDC, include automated hazard information from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). This information enhances the accuracy and timeliness of hydrological, meteorological, and geophysical data available in real-time through PhilAWARE to support OCD operations. The custom system also pulls in other relevant national data to support decision making such as critical infrastructure, population risk and vulnerability data, locations of schools, hospitals, ports, seaports, emergency response facilities, and a wealth of other national data to increase OCD’s understanding of hazard impacts.

Since its deployment, PhilAWARE has become a vital tool for disaster management in the Philippines. In 2024, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) conducted regular disaster preparedness and response meetings, leveraging PhilAWARE for a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment conducted under the leadership of Asec Cesar Idio of the Operations Service. The system was used to assess risk, evaluate, and plan courses of action. As a multi-hazard system, in recent months, OCD’s Operations Center has also leveraged PhilAWARE for other hazard events including supporting forest fire response in Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte, as well as helping them determine potential impacts following a magnitude 5.0 earthquake in Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur.

“Following our recent project completion and system handover, we are pleased to see the PhilAWARE system being operationally used to support OCD monitoring and response during the Philippines’ recent storm season. We are equally proud that our partnership with OCD has provided such tangible disaster management outcomes and that the nation is even better prepared for the 2025 typhoon season,” said Chris Chiesa, PDC Director of Early Warning Solutions.

In preparation for the impending storm season, OCD mobilized its cadre of skilled PhilAWARE trainers to deliver use training to the regional OCD offices, building subnational capacity to access and utilize the system for monitoring and response, as well as enhancing national-regional coordination. With these tools in hand, the Philippines is better prepared to orchestrate a quick and coordinated response to typhoons in 2025, dramatically reducing the impacts of disasters in the coming season. These tools also support the other member agencies of the NDRRMC, along with local governments and humanitarian partners, helping communities prepare through drills, public alerts, and response planning.