CHAPTER 1

CHOICE OF THE PROBLEM

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A. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGS

a. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND

Disaster challenges both societies and governments. It challenges government

in terms of their legitimacy by bringing up disruptions and calling attention to
their limits. Likewise, it also leads to deaths, damage and destruction to every
part of society. It’s a big challenge to poorer countries that they see disaster to
wipe out years of their development and takes years to take it back. There are
natural disasters that have struck all parts of the Philippines for a long time now,
and strong typhoons were one of those tragedies that have caused a huge number
of death and destruction.

Being in the heart of the great bodies of water, it is no wonder why

Philippines is never spared of typhoons. Consequently, it is just one of the
countries that often experience flooding both in the presence and absence of
typhoons. Nevertheless, even with small amount of rain only, some parts of the
country would have their waters easily rise, further resulting to flood. More
intense typhoons, higher sea levels, and storm surges have affected a great
number of populations. Coastal communities and informal settlements in urban
areas are the most vulnerable to floods in times of weather disturbances. Every
time a typhoon hits the country or when monsoon rains cause heavy flooding,
many people are displaced and need to be relocated to evacuation center.

Zamboanga City is surrounded by multiple bodies of water and commonly

some parts of the City are below sea level and incline to floods, furthermore the
location of Zamboanga City is prone to tsunami and acknowledge as fault line.
Unfortunately, the City was not able to envision the possibilities of these
catastrophes, as a result man-made and natural disasters take place in the City.
The events could have been minimized or prevented if the City have envision and
consider the possibilities of these circumstances, due to lack of preparation,
communication, coordination and facilities, the respond to the calamity has been

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 delayed and cause great damages including the aftermath such as evacuation
centers for the evacuees, the schools, sports complex and other government
facilities are being used as temporary shelter for the affected citizen that also
affects the educational status of the City.

Every time the calamity strikes, schools have been the go-to site, the
perennial use of schools as evacuation centers, however, has affected the
operation of schools in the aftermath of disasters. Evacuees too have also been
known to get sick, or worse, die in evacuation centers because of lack of proper
sanitation and because these are different people living together in an unsanitary
environment, it is again inevitable and not surprising that these victims are be
infected with diseases. This is because they were not really built for human
habitation over long periods of time. In a country visited yearly by around 20
typhoons and other types of disasters, some sectors say one of the things
government should consider investing in are permanent evacuation centers.

One of the initial plans of the government for the City of Zamboanga, is to
make those covered courts of every barangay as a temporary evacuation center.
This is part of the problem which a government not seeing this as a permanent
solution. To settle these factors and hindrances, the researchers came up with the
proposal entitled “Multi-Purpose Emergency Risk Reduction Complex”.

The importance of a permanent and fully operational evacuation center with

the necessary facilities in place cannot be disregarded during a calamity, whether
natural or human-induced, or in times of armed conflict when residents of a
country need to be relocated.

b. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The aim of the study is to provide or introduce permanent and fully

operational facilities as architectural solution, for the use of the community.
Which also serves to respond during disaster, specifically those disaster(s) that
pose a risk to the city as well as this will conduct training education that will aid
the promotion of awareness in disaster and also to provide facilities that
sufficiently serves and caters to the needs of the community

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PROBLEM DEFINITION

The proposed “Multi-Purpose Emergency Risk Reduction

Complex”, is one of the most appropriate solution or answer for the problem
presented. This will cater to the social needs especially to those people that
have poor social support, have nowhere else to go or who cannot afford to
obtain temporary accommodation during disaster.

This study developed a conceptual design for a permanent evacuation

facility for the City of Zamboanga. The proposed Multi-purpose evacuation
center is an emergency shelter that is design to provide evacuees with safe
shelter during disaster for the preservation of life. Sustainability features were
considered to aid in the meantime use and to provide full function during the
post-disaster period in order to serve the community.

The proposed Training Center will conduct training education to the

community. It will be designed in a way that it will help the community ~
deliver efficient public service to the people. It will also intensify safety
addressing to the city. The training center will offer different services that are
more adaptable and appropriate for a certain event and to the needs of the
people.

Through the proposed development, the preservation of life and

community awareness for disaster preparedness, as one important factor in
everyday life, will be realized. And thus, establishing the said facilities, the
effects of calamities to individuals and the community will be diminished.

c. ARCHITECTURAL THESIS GOAL / OBJECTIVES / STRATEGIES

GOAL

The establishment of Multi-Purpose Emergency Risk Reduction Complex

will address the issues encountered by the evacuees including congestion,
exposure to hazards and lack of facilities. It will also enhance the delivery of
social services during calamities and help minimize the loss of lives.

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 OBJECTIVES

 To provide a safe shelter during disaster for the preservation of life.

 To create an environment that will encourage individuals and

communities to live and feel safe with the services of the city
 To ensure the safest and most efficient evacuation from potential
harm.
 To provide a conceptual design that is well integrated and
sustainable.
 To design a structure that will aid in the promotion of awareness in disaster
education and will provide communities relevant information regarding
disaster preparedness.
 To provide training grounds for the public and private individuals
that covers; basic disaster information for the communities;
information on adult teaching methods; national disaster training
program.
 To provide livelihood training program for the community
 To conduct research programs to upgrade knowledge and skills and
document best practices on disaster risk reduction and management.
 To provide maximum care, assistance and services to individuals and families
affected by disaster.
 To provide facilities and services that would suit the needs of the
evacuees and visitors.
 To provide a smooth coordination between agencies regarding to the
program and the services offered for the evacuees.

d. SCOPE and LIMITATIONS

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The project proposal covers only several parts of Pre and Post-
Disaster or the phases in emergency management which is the mitigation and
preparedness before and after a calamity strikes the vicinity of Zamboanga

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 City. The proposed Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center may be utilized as
multi-function halls in non-disaster situation.
The main scope will be on how the preferred site will determine, on
how it will affect the proposal on the location’s present local ordinances,
design requirements, the existing land use, accessibility to the community,
and the site and integration among the built environment.
Data must also be gathered from the preferred site that would include
the topographic map, sun and wind path, soil type, slope patterns, highway
network, climate condition and other site factors.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In a research, there are always constraints on availability of data that

are the results in which the researcher chose to manage the study and/or use
another method in acquiring further need data for validity and replacement. In
this case, a lot of needed data, statistics, and uncooperative aloof individuals
that contribute to the adjustment of the researcher in terms of data gathering.
Primary data were gathered through actual interviews, field
observations, and surveys were made by the researcher to the concern
government agencies, officials and institutions. These methods were carefully
taken into consideration however; due to the heightened security of the site,
the officials gave us a limited time to conduct an ocular inspection, take
pictures and necessary documents.
Due to some aspects regarding on providing information, some of the
information were not provided due to the current conditions of the proposed
site and the confidentiality of several documents. The information is gained
from reliable agencies and self-conducted by the researcher.
Also, due to nonexistence of such facility here in our city, the study
is mostly based on internet researches and through interviews with different
people or organizations that has a relation with the said project.

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PURPOSE / RELEVANCE / SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Life is too short that is why, we need to be proactive, if there is an opportunity to

preserve life, we must have a plan that suite to be an instrument. The result of our
proposal would benefit the following:

 To the City

The said proposal will have a great effect to the city where it is constructed,
because it will somehow pull up the integrity of the city and will create a
surrounding that the safety and security is not anymore mind affecting for the
community. And make the city a local, first efficient in dealing with disaster
related incident. It will also somehow protect our city and help preserving lives.

 To the Community/Society

The result of this study will increase the vigilance of the community
regarding Risk Disaster Management. This proposal will benefit the environment
in a way that it will develop and enhance the significance of the society.

 To the Researchers

This research proposal will serve as a guide for other researchers who would
want to take on studies about emergency shelter and disaster management.
Further studies can be conducted to gain more knowledge about the proposal. It
will help them to identify the most suitable approach to be used in coming up
with a facility that deals on Emergency shelter and Disaster Management.

e. DEFINITION OF TERMS and CONCEPTS

Evacuation – is the rapid movement of people away from the immediate threat or
impact of a disaster to a safer place of shelter. It is commonly characterized by a short
time frame, from hours to weeks, within which emergency producers need to be
enacted in order to save lives and minimize exposure to harm.

Evacuees – a person who has evacuated a hazardous location in response to the

immediate threat or impact of a disaster, either through their own initiative and

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 resources (self – evacuated) or through the direction and assistance of authorities and /
or emergency responder.

Pre- Disaster – a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing
great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.

Post- Disaster – occurring after a disaster

Emergency Shelter – short term shelter that provides life-saving support, the most
basic shelter support that can be provided immediately after the disaster

Collective Centre – also referred to as mass shelters, are usually transit facilities located
in Pre- existing structures such as community centers, town halls, gymnasiums, hotels,
warehouse, disused factories and unfinished buildings. They are often used when
displacement occurs inside a city, or when there are significant flows of displaced people into
a city or town.

f. METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH

Several process and activities in gathering the required, sustainable and essential data,
statistics, and information were done and accumulated through various methods and
styles by the researcher.

The first method of acquiring data was through primary sources, by means of
personal interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and direct discussions. This method proved
to be the most substantial and essential in the data gathering, for it provided hands on
experience in obtaining the necessary information for the proposal, and it also provided
valuable advices and consents from a number of professionals, which could not be
achieved with other methods.

Another secondary source was the use of newspapers, books, magazines, and the
library, for it also provided significant number of references and guide regarding the
proposed structures within the complex and up to date. It also provided several design
applications and styles that may be copied and applied for the development of the
proposal.

Lastly, the internet and web surfing, for it offered infinite sources for the foundation
of the research, wherein it also provided case studies, research focus and further
researches.

The research timetable on the next page represents a detailed summary of the course
of action that the researcher took for the gathering information on this study.

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 TABLE 1.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
TIMETABLE

PERSON TO CORRESPONDING OBJECTIVE METHODS OUTPUT TIME

BE TAPPED AGENCY/WORK AND FRAME
ACTIVITIES

Data
regarding the
Engr. City Planning and To know the Conduct an different, 1 Hour
Melinda S. Development different feasible interview required
Cabato Coordinator proposal of the maps of
City Zamboanga
City

To gather facts
and details about
Mr. Oliver S. City Assessor the physical Conduct an Information 3 Days
Natividad description of interview and of the (not
the preferred site surveys proposed consecutiv
sites sites, lot area e) 1 hour
and lot title each

Mrs. Maribel PAG- ASA To gather Conduct an Data 1 hour

Enriquez information interview regarding the
about the climate
climate of
Zamboanga City

Engr. Allan PHIVOLCS To gather Conduct an Map of the 1 Hour

Rommel R. information interview active faults
Labayog about the active and
faults and liquefaction
liquefaction in region IX

Barangay Barangay Hall and To gather farther Conduct an Barangay 3 Days

particular Barangay information interview Profile (not
Officials about the consecutiv
Barangay and e) 1 hour
from the chosen each
site

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