In this report, I discuss saving your Philippines’ retirement from natural disasters.
The Philippines are the natural disaster capital of the world. There are four kinds of natural disasters that could ruin your early retirement in the Philippines. But don’t worry, I am going to discuss ways to help you get through all four of them.
More typhoons hit the Philippines than any other country in the world. About 70% of typhoons strike between July and October. Of the average 20 cyclones that occur each year in the world, about 9 of them touch the Philippines, and 5 of those nine typhoons that touch the Philippines are destructive. “2020 tropical cyclones in the Philippines: A review,” Gemma Dela Cruz Santos (Gemma).
The Philippines is also one of many countries on the “Ring of Fire.” The ring of fire is where 75% of the world’s volcanoes are located and where ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes occur. Seismic activity is caused by tectonic plates grinding against each other under great pressure around the ring of fire. This grinding causes earthquakes. Additionally, as one tectonic plate rides over the top of another, the lower plate is melted into a liquid rock called magma. The magma released up through cracks in the tectonic plates is the source of volcanic activity. “Ring of Fire,” National Geographic (NG1). Additionally, the strongest earthquakes around the ring of fire are known to cause tsunamis.
Thus, the Philippines are directly in the path of significant potential danger from volcanoes, typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Additionally, those four kinds of natural disasters also cause landslides, storm surges, and flooding.
Saving your Philippines retirement from natural disasters
So, the question becomes, how significant and periodic are these risks in various parts of the Philippines? What can you do to prepare for such events? What steps can you take to save your life, to save your assets and possessions, and to save your retirement plans from natural disaster?
In this report, I will discuss my tricks and tips to survive each natural disaster separately.
How to Survive Typhoons in the Philippines
The first trick is to not live in a part of the Philippines where the Typhoon strikes hardest or most often. Luckily there are maps of where typhoons have struck the Philippines over the last 61 years and to live in another part of the Philippines.
Here is a map from Wikipedia showing the path of typhoons over the last 56 years.
Here I have blown up the typhoon heat map and placed it in a photo next to a Google Map of the Philippines.
There are always exceptions to any rule when it comes to weather and especially typhoons. But the above heat map colors generally show burnt orange is where the typhoons are most dangerous with higher winds, more rain, and higher storm surges.
But typhoons are also known to lose some intensity as they travel over the top of a landmass for an extended period. You will see this in the above heat map as the colors turn from burnt orange to yellows.
As the colors turn aqua and even some blues, this means the storms are not as severe or damaging. On the following Google Map, I have drawn some lines that are not absolute but they represent my interpretation of weather trends over the 61 years.
So if you are deciding where to live in the Philippines, this 65-year weather trend might help you reduce the likelihood or frequency, and severity of the typhoons you experience. Additionally, you should not have any significant money tied up in a home or business in these more troubling areas even if you do decide to live there for a time.
But no matter where you are in the Philippines, you need to take typhoons seriously.
Once you have decided where to live in the Philippines, here are some of the things you should consider when picking a where to live in that area:
Elevation: Know the elevation of where you are living. This will help you understand whether the predicted tidal flooding or storm surge will be a factor.
Flood Plains: Are you in a flood plain or near one? Are you near a creek bed that could overflow from heavy rains caused by a typhoon?
Flooding and Landslides: The Philippines are made up of 7000 islands that rose from the seafloor as volcanoes. These islands consist mostly of dormant volcanoes that are near the center of each island. Typhoons dump an enormous amount of rain. That rain comes running down the sides of the mountain in rivers and streams that overflow during a typhoon. It is not unusual for all the water flowing down the mountain to pick up significant debris and some even result in landslides. When sloped land is leveled or graded for roads or buildings, landslides are more common. Landslides can be a significant cause of death in typhoons. Even if you are at a safe elevation, consider whether your dwelling is in an area downhill from leveled or graded areas.
Once you have picked where to live, here are some things to think about before typhoon season starts:
Pay Attention to the Weather: What storms are forming, what is their intensity and direction? Consider buying a weather radio that will still operate in a power outage.
Food and Water: Have food and water and an emergency first aid kit nearby. Many stores go empty in the lead up to a major storm so get some non-perishable food and emergency water stored away. Consider having a few weeks of stored rice and water just in case.
Know You Barangay Shelter: In the Philippines, a barangay is a neighborhood or area under the management of a local government unit. Ask your landlord or neighbors if there is a typhoon shelter for your barangay. Or just Google “Barangay” with your neighborhood name. Stop by your barangay office and ask about the typhoon shelter.
Higher Ground and Evacuation Routes: Think about the higher ground you could go to in the event of flooding, storm surge, or landslides. Is there a recommended evacuation route in your barangay?
Secure Your Home: I often suggest renting in retirement to avoid these kinds of expenses, but if you own your home, make plans to secure it for typhoons. Consider storm windows, keep bushes properly trimmed, are the trees around your house healthy, what else will you need to do to your home to protect it during a typhoon?
What to do when there is a typhoon warning for your area?
Monitor the news and weather radio.
Secure storm windows and bring personal property inside.
Turn off gas or propane.
Turn off the electrical main breaker when directed so on the weather radio.
Avoid using phones except for emergencies.
Fill the bathtub and all other containers full of water.
When should you evacuate?
When directed to do so by the authorities (monitor news, weather radio, and smartphone).
If you live in a high-rise building–winds are stronger at higher levels.
If you live in a poorly constructed or lightweight dwelling.
If you live on a river, the coast, flood plain, or landslide area.
If you are unable to evacuate?
Stay away from windows and keep curtains closed.
Keep all doors closed and exterior doors locked.
Brace any vulnerable doors and windows if possible.
Stay in the smallest room with the least (or no) windows on the ground floor if possible.
If no smaller and or window-less room, lay flat under a sturdy table.
Do not ride elevators.
How to Survive Earthquakes
I am from California. I grew up with earthquakes so they are not as scary to me as other natural disasters. The devil you know is never as scary as the devil you don’t know. In California, we don’t pay much attention to earthquakes unless they are large enough to kill people.
In the Philippines, smaller earthquakes end up hurting more people and structures because the government has not been as aggressive at retrofitting older buildings for earthquakes. Over the last 120 years, below is where some of the most devastating earthquakes have occurred.
Earthquakes occur all over the Philippines since it is on the ring of fire where tectonic plates are sliding against each other creating earthquakes and volcano eruptions, so these are just a few of the more active and deadly hotspots.
So if you are deciding where to live in the Philippines, the above 120-year map of earthquake hotspots should be avoided if at all possible. But even more moderate quakes can hurt people in the Philippines so double check these additional maps as your location search gets more granular. You should not have any significant money tied up in a home or business in these more troubling areas even if you do decide to live or visit there for a time.
Once you have decided what part of the Philippines to live in, here are some of the things you should consider when picking a structure to live in that is less likely to kill you in an earthquake:
Building Construction: Earthquakes cause buildings to sway. If they have more flexibility, they will bend instead of break. Wood and steel have more flexibility than stucco, concrete, or masonry, so wood and steel are favored materials for building in fault zones. That assumes the structural aspects are tied together well, so while they sway, they don’t fall apart. But if they are not tied together well, even a single-level wooden house could fall in on you. In That case, it is better to dive under a sturdy table or in a door jam during an earthquake.
High Rises: Some high rises are built to handle strong earthquakes, but that depends on how strong the earthquake is and whether the construction followed the engineering design. Personally, if I am in a dangerous earthquake zone, I would prefer to be in a single-layer wooden structure with a sturdy table I could dive under.
The bad news is that a wooden structure may not hold up as well under the high winds of a typhoon. So, stay out of the typhoon hot zones if you are going to stay in a single-level wooden structure. Also, if you are in a single-level wooden building next door to a multiple-level concrete structure, the sturdy table is unlikely to be strong enough to save you.
Dams: In the worst-case scenario, an earthquake could collapse a dam causing a wave of water to flow through the area. So make sure to consider if you are downstream from any dams.
Other things to do before the earthquake happens:
After you have decided where to live, here are a few things you can do to prepare for an earthquake.
Emergency Preparedness: Have an emergency first aid kit, extra non-perishable food, extra stored water, and a fire extinguisher on the premises. Unlike a typhoon, you will not have time to turn off the utilities before an earthquake happens. So if a fire starts, you need to put it out. The fire department may not be able to respond for hours after a major earthquake.
Have a Plan: Do you have a sturdy table to dive under during an earthquake? Do you have a strong doorway to stand under?
What to do when the earthquake starts?
When you first feel the earthquake start to shake your home, dive under the designated sturdy table or sturdy doorway. As soon as the quake stops, move out of the structure into an area where no tall buildings or falling debris is likely to fall on you. If you are anywhere near the ocean, move uphill through the designated tsunami route. Strong earthquakes are often followed by tsunamis.
How to Survive Tsunamis
A tsunami is a series of waves from 10 to 100 feet high that are caused by earthquakes, underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or asteroids plummeting into the ocean at high speeds from outer space.
In the past, tsunamis were like earthquakes because they could happen at most any time with very little warning. But the Philippines have started an early warning system for certain densely populated areas such as Metro Manila, Subic Bay, Lingayen Gulf, Batangas Bay, Manila Bay, Albay Gulf, Bislig Bay, Saranggani Bay, along with various coastal zones in Western Visayas.
In such areas where sensors have been installed on land and at sea, signals are automatically sent to warning sirens to populations living in the affected coastal areas, giving people time to flee their homes to higher ground. The systems can also be used to warn about approaching typhoons flash floods, and landslides.
What to do during a tsunami
As soon as you hear an early warning tsunami siren, head to higher ground immediately. You do not have time to save anything but yourself and your loved ones. Head immediately to higher ground.
If a tsunami is caused by an earthquake, first survive the earthquake as discussed above. Then get to higher ground as quickly as possible.
If there is a designated tsunami shelter in your area, head to that shelter. If there are signs pointing where to go in the event of a tsunami, follow the signs. Stay on higher ground until officials say it is okay to go to lower ground. Tsunamis often have second and third waves.
If you are stuck in the water of a tsunami, grab onto something large that is floating such as a raft, tree trunk, or floating door. Most injuries during a tsunami occur when sharp things in the water hurt you. So get on top of something floating if it is not rolling on top of the water.
Since a tsunami can be caused by more than just earthquakes, be aware of other signs that a tsunami is approaching. A sudden draining of the ocean or rising ocean levels are signs of a tsunami.
If you are on a boat it is safer to point the boat out to sea and head further out into the ocean. You have a better chance to survive a tsunami in a boat than to come to shore.
Before the tsunami happens
If you live anywhere within a mile of the sea or visit the sea often, learn about the evacuation centers in the areas you frequent near the sea. If you are a temporary visitor near the sea, learn about evacuation plans for the community you are in.
Learn about the signs of a tsunami approaching, such as earthquakes, loud roar from the ocean, or unusual ocean behavior such as sudden rise in or wall of water approaching, or sudden draining of ocean water from the seafloor.
Determine a place closest to where you are that is 100 or more feet above sea level or at least one mile inland. Set a place where you will meet others in your family if you get separated. Consider buying earthquake and flood insurance since standard property insurance policies often don’t cover earthquake or flood insurance.
How to Survive Volcanic Eruptions
This one is easy. Don’t live near a volcano. I know that sounds silly but it is that easy. So where are the active volcanoes in the Philippines?
Scientists that study volcanoes are called volcanologists. There is no consensus among volcanologists defining when a volcano is active. Most consider a volcano active if it has erupted in the last 10,000 years.
Personally, if a volcano hasn’t erupted in 9,000 years I would feel pretty safe being near it for the remainder of my life, but you will have to make your own decision about that. I typed the words “active volcanoes in the Philippines” into Google Maps and the following map appeared.
Even if you put a 5-mile radius around each of the above volcanoes, 99% of the Philippines is still available in volcanic-free eruptions zones. One volcanologist suggests staying at least 3km from an active volcano which is about 2 miles.
Safest Area in the Philippines to avoid natural disasters?
Now, before I show you a map of the safest area to live in the Philippines to reduce the chances of dying from typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanos, don’t assume I think you need to only live in the area on the map.
I think you should live wherever you feel like the rewards of living there are worth the risks you are willing to take. After all, we are all going to die someday. The purpose of this report was just to let you know how I think about the risks, how I decide what risks to take, and how I will prepare for each risk in the event they happen while I am living somewhere.
Okay, here is my map of the safest area to live in the Philippines to reduce the chances of suffering through natural disasters.
Now, remember, these are just the safest areas from natural disasters that could ruin your overseas retirement in the Philippines. If you live in an area shown at least 100 feet above sea level or 1 mile inland, and at least 2 miles from any active earthquake, you will probably die of old age rather than a natural disaster.
There are still 20 other things unrelated to natural disasters that could ruin your overseas retirement in the Philippines.
I have already shared the other major threats to your happy overseas retirement in 5 other reports, including:
Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Cheap Overseas
Overseas Retirement Mistakes You Will Regret Forever
Why Many Expats Can Not Retire Cheap Overseas
Top Mistakes International Retirees Make
Why Retirees Should Avoid Buying Real Estate Overseas (for the first few years)
These other reports are available at the first link in the notes below this Youtube video.
Thanks for reviewing our report, Saving your Philippines retirement from natural disasters.
Make sure to grab a free copy of my eBook: How I Fired My Boss and Traveled the World for 14 Years!
Please subscribe to VagabondBuddha.com or our Youtube Channel to watch us move around the world, 14 years and 67 countries so far.
This is Dan of Vagabond Awake, the Youtube channel for VagabondBuddha.com. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?